June 19 marks the day in 1865 in which enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told by Union troops that they were free, and on June 15, the history and celebration of the subsequent holiday will be explored in Juneteenth: The Second U.S. Independence Day, a virtual presentation led by Ryan Saddler, CEO of the Friends of MLK, Inc.

A frequently used but rarely studied mode of correspondence will be explored in a fascinating new virtual program hosted by the German American Heritage Center, when presenter Katherine Hamilton-Smith, on June 6, invites viewers to examine A Happy Invention: The History & Significance of the Picture Postcard, a lavishly illustrated PowerPoint with special emphasis on German native and American publisher Curt Otto Teich.

A native of Zion, Illinois, whose touring act was deemed “Unbelievable!” by USA Today, master illusionist Bill Blagg brings his his astonishing and hilarious prestidigitation to Davenport's Adler Theatre in The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!, delighting crowds with the sleight-of-hand and audience rapport that led the Chicago Tribune to call the show “a side-splitting spectacular.”

Presented by Kevin Braafladt, the Army Sustainment Command Deputy Historian at the Rock Island Arsenal, the virtual program World War I History: Chemical Warfare will be hosted by the Rock Island Public Library on June 9, with viewers invited to take another look at the Great War's military history and the terrible results that chemical warfare had on individuals and societies throughout the world.

The culmination of an Illinois State University Honors Program project six months in the making, the German American Heritage Center's virtual presentation The Dirndl: Reclaiming German Dress will, on May 30, find Hannah Hoge discussing heritage, culture, and ancestry through study of traditional German dress, with specific insight into the origins of this clothing, its use in Nazi propaganda, and how the symbol of the dirndl can be reclaimed to express German pride.

Delivering a blend of local history, environmental issues, education, entertainment, and fresh air, Davenport's River Action will again present a series of outdoor presentations in the first month of the annual Channel Cat Talks and Riverine Walks, weekly programs that, from June 1 through July 1, will address such topics as commercial fishing, German American heritage, hydropower, and the Mighty Mississippi.

Returning to Rozz-Tox, for the first time in many months, with new readings in the popular SPECTRA series, the Midwest Writing Center brings a trio of lauded literary talents to the Rock Island venue on May 22: spoken-word author and poet KayLee Chie Kuehl, winner of the University of Iowa Chapbook Prize; Xixuan Collins, author of Flowing Water Falling Flowers; and Augustana College's Beth Powers, who will read from her new book Like You.

One of the most horrific periods of modern history will be explored through unique and specific avenues when Davenport's German American Heritage Center hosts the virtual program Fashioning Women in the Third Reich, in which award-winning historian Irene Guenther, on May 23, will look at the rise of fascism through the fascinating prism of couture.

An esteemed instructor from the the University Mozarteum Salzburg will explore musical traditions an hour from the Quad Cities in the virtual presentation The Singing of the Amish in Kalona, a May 16 presentation hosted by Davenport's German American Heritage Center, and one offering fascinating insight gleaned by historian and author Thomas Nussbaumer.

The life and accomplishments of Quad Cities namesake will be showcased in Bettendorf Public Library's latest virtual presentation in its popular “Community Connections” series, with local historian Gena Schantz, in the May 20 program George Davenport & the Founding of the Quad Cities, tracing Davenport's many careers and examining how he adapted his talents to serve and foster the development of the communities that surrounded him.

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