In celebration of the release of the first two chapbooks published through its Foster-Stahl Chapbook Series that originated last year, the Midwest Writing Center will host a November 11 SPECTRA Reading Series event at Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox, with the evening featuring readings by critically acclaimed authors Laura A. Ring and Aubrey Ryan.

Presented by Kevin Braafladt, the Army Sustainment Command Deputy Historian at the Rock Island Arsenal, as well as the the Army Sustainment Command History Office, the November 10 presentation World War I History: The Armistice & the Occupation of Germany invites Rock Island and Davenport Public Library patrons to a discussion of the Armistice and the occupation of Germany, allowing them to also delve deeper into First World War history by learning about Quad Cities and Rock Island Arsenal historical ties.

Exploring popular and beloved Western entertainments ranging from Red River to Wagon Train to Pale Rider to Lonesome Dove, the November 3 program Cowboy Courage: Westerns & the Portrayal of Bravery will feature author and Black Hawk College professor William Hampes discussing themes of justice, redemption, and more in a special in-person/virtual lecture hosted by the Davenport Public Library's Eastern Avenue branch.

After an unanticipated year off, one of the Quad Cities' most eagerly anticipated sales events returns to Rock Island's QCCA Expo Center November 5 through 7, as Melting Pot Productions presents the 2021 Fall Antique Spectacular Vintage Market, allowing hunters of vintage goods an all-weekend opportunity to shop for a wide range of quality antiques.

A busy and much-admired comedian familiar from film, television, podcasts, and numerous standup specials, Steve Byrne brings his national tour to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on October 28, the observational-comedy raconteur noted for making no fewer than 10 appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The life of one of the most notorious – and frequently most vilified – figures in American history will be explored on October 26 when the Moline Public Library hosts the hour-long solo performance Lizzie Borden, a virtual presentation in which Leslie Goddard, Ph.D., portrays the Massachusetts native tried for, and acquitted of, the 1892 ax murders of her father and stepmother.

Described by the Washington Post as “the perfect balance of bizarreness, comedy, and horror,” director Tim Burton's Oscar-winning supernatural slapstick Beetlejuice is the focus of the latest trivia might at Bettendorf venue The Tangled Wood, the interactive October 26 event inviting attendees to share their knowledge of this unforgettable movie entertainment that went on to spawn video games, an animated TV series, and even a Tony-nominated Broadway musical.

Blending horror with the Bee Gees era will absolutely be intentional on October 21 and 22, when Ballet Quad Cities hosts its fall fundraising performances of Halloween Disco Party at the Clubtwo nights of groovy/spooky vignettes performed at Davenport's Outing Club by the talents of the Quad Cities' professional dance company.

One of history's most noted professors and priests – as well as a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation who was the namesake of Lutheranism – will be the subject of a virtual October 24 program by the German American Heritage Center, with the Davenport venue hosting noted historian Russell Baldner as he delivers his acclaimed presentation I Am Baptized: Martin Luther & Birthplace Eisleben.

Appearing in an October 27 program presented by the Rock Island and Moline Public Libraries, bestselling author Chris Bohjalian will discuss his latest novel Hour of the Witch, this literary talent also the author of acclaimed works including Midwives, Skeletons of Eden, and The Flight Attendant, the latter of which was adapted last year into an Emmy Award-nominated HBO series starring The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco.

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