Kicking off the third season of virtual Illinois Libraries Present (ILP) programs boasting fascinating guests of national and international fame, the Rock Island Public Library will host The Power of Story with Colson Whitehead on September 6, the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author's 2023 novel Crook Manifesto lauded by Kirkus Reviews as "not just crime fiction at its craftiest, but shrewdly rendered social history."

Combining beautiful examples of German artwork with local art created by German immigrants and their descendants, the exhibition Art from the Archives will be housed in the German American Heritage Center's third-floor gallery through February 18 – a showcase of pieces from the Davenport venue's own collection, many of which haven't been on display before.

The largest and most realistic dinosaur exhibit in North America is back, bigger and better than ever, in Jurassic Quest, a thrilling interactive exhibit boasting photorealistic dinosaurs and activities for all ages that enjoys an August 25 through 27 engagement at Coralville's Xtream Arena and GreenState Family Fieldhouse.

For the first presentations in the company's 2023-24 season, the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities will, for the fourth straight year, open with an outdoor celebration at Davenport's Outing Club, treating patrons to another series of thrilling vignettes in Ballet on the Lawn. This year, however, the dancers are doubling down on their family-friendly fun by preceding the August 27 productions with Children's Day at the Ballet, a youth-centric event culminating in the half-hour stage party Giraffes Can't Dance.