On March 1, the Rock Island Public Library, Moline Public Library, and Illinois Libraries Present will host an entertaining and hilarious virtual evening with a New York Times best-selling science author in The Weird & Wonderful World with Mary Roach, with the author discussing her frank approach to science, the importance of humor, and her exploration into the weird, wonderful world in which we live.

On February 25 and 26, a massively popular national touring event lands in the area when the CINCH World's Toughest Rodeo comes to Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK on February 25 and 26, treating patrons to entertainment from a number of favorite touring performers and, as always, exceptional feats of bull, saddle bronc, and bareback riding.

With her insightful program dedicated to local talents who became members of the Provincetown Players – the little theatre group whose members included Nobel Laureate Eugene O'Neill – renowned author Marcia Noe will present "What Was in the Water in Davenport?": The Story of Three Davenport Writers at the Davenport Public Library's Main Branch, the February 26 event focusing on the gifts and accomplishments of Floyd Dell, George Cram Cook, and Pulitzer Prize winner Susan Glaspell.

Designed for all ages interested in health, fitness, and athletic performance, the 2023 Quad City Fit Fest will be held at East Moline's Bend XPO on February 18 and 19, the eagerly anticipated event boasting more than 40 vendors, activities, demonstrations, a weight-lifting competition hosted by Richmond Elite Performance, a self-defense class led by UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich, and seminars with kickboxing phenomenon Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Dance It Out founder Billy Banks. Jr.

Presented on February 16 as part of the Davenport Public Library's 3rd Thursday at Hoover's Presidential Library & Museum series, the virtual program Lincoln & Hoover: Comparisons & Contrasts will find Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum director Dr. Thomas Schwartz discussing the U.S. presidents driven to succeed in spite of the lowly circumstances of their births, and men who were never quite content with their enormous successes.

With the focus of its celebration a 1990 recipient of the United States National Medal of Technology – the highest national honor conferred for achievements related to technological progress – the February 23 program Birth of the Computer: The John Atanasoff Story will be held in Augustana College's Wallenberg Hall, offering attendees insight into the inventor of the electronic digital computer and his reported ties to the Quad Cities area.

A track-and-field Olympian who was also an NFL player who was also a 1915 graduate of Rock Island High School will be celebrated on February 11 in Sol Butler: The Greatest Athlete You've Never Heard of, a Rock Island Public Library presentation by local author David Sebben on the Quad Citian who played for the Rock Island Independents football team and competed in the long jump in the 1920 Olympic games.

One of the most fascinating of all oceanic creatures will be given an up-close-and-person look at the Putnam Museum & Science Center through February 4, when the venue displays the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend, an examination of the water-based wonders from their depiction in the 1500s as angry sea monsters to their present status as icons of pop culture.

With the professional company's annual, yet all-new, presentation of Love Stories being staged at Davenport's Outing Club on February 10 and 11 – audiences for the 2023 edition will be treated to a little bit of everything: classical dance, modern dance, lyrical dance; Bach, Debussy, Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet. But while the performances come with either a served dinner or desserts available for purchase, Artistic Director Courtney Lyon has has another food reference for what patrons can expect: “It's kind of like a buffet,” she says. “You get to try to a lot of different things.”

On February 8, the Rock Island Public Library, Moline Public Library, and Illinois Libraries Present will host a special virtual program in which participants will learn how to harness the power of words and storytelling for change, with the award-winning author of 36 books author taking part live in Saying Yes to Your Story: A Conversation with Kwame Alexander.

Pages