Hosted by Davenport's German American Heritage Center, the virtual October 18 presentation The Journey to Mollie's War: WACs & WWII will bring deserved attention to the many brave military women during World War II – an online program delivered by 2020 Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Cyndee Schaffer, whose mother Mollie serves as the event's chief inspiration.

Delivered as part of the Davenport Public Library's virtual 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library and Museum programming, noted historian and author Jeffrey B. Miller will present the October 15 Zoom webinar Heroism and Humanity Behind German Lines, sharing insights on the World War I Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB), Herbert Hoover's humanitarian efforts, and the young idealists who interrupted their lives to serve the CRB for no pay.

A royal wedding, an annual tradition, and great quantities of beer will all be celebrated in a new, virtual program hosted by the German American Center, with the venue's Executive Director Kelly Lao, on October 11, speaking on Oktoberfest by the Numbers, a fun, fact-filled presentation about the history of Germany's most significant Volksfest.

Held in conjunction with the September 27 through October 3 Banned Books Week – a celebration of our collective freedom to read – the Midwest Writing Center's and Rock Island Public Library's annual Banned Books Reading goes virtual on September 29, with more than a dozen participants gathering online to read from frequently challenged works and unite in the fight against censorship.

Despite the participants meeting through computer screens instead of in person, the Midwest Writing Center's Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program took place as planned, and the fruits of its interns' labors will be celebrated on October 1 with a virtual release party for their summer-long project The ATLAS.

Internationally beloved for his memorable appearances in the seven Police Academy comedies, and a veteran of such other cult classics as Spaceballs and Cheech & Chong's Next Movie, standup comedian, actor, and beatboxer Michael Winslow takes the stage at the Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room for two performances on September 24, initiating the Davenport venue's 2020-21 comedy series and demonstrating why he's commonly referred to as “The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects.”

Although the pandemic is currently depriving us of movie sequels, the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities are at least ensuring that local audiences get a live one with the company's Ballet on the Lawn: Take Two a September 20 follow-up to the dancers' hugely successful outdoor presentations of Ballet on the Lawn that took place, as this new one will, at Davenport's Outing Club.

Occurring in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote, a virtual presentation on the Putnam Museum & Science Center exhibit Liberated Voices/Changed Lives will take place on September 17 – a timely and fascinating program hosted by the Bettendorf Public Library as part of its popular Community Connections series.

Joedy Cook, founder and CEO of Ballet Quad Cities in Rock Island, discusses the company's operations during this period of social distancing. We previously spoke on March 25, and again on Sunday, August 30 … roughly four hours before her company performed its first post-pandemic performances of Ballet on the Lawn at the Davenport Outing Club.

Outdoor adventurers are again invited to paddle, mountain bike, and run their way to the top in the eagerly anticipated, 15th-annual Taming of the Slough Mississippi River Adventure Triathlon, the River Action-sponsored test of endurance set to take place on Saturday, September 12.

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