With the events held in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth, one of history's greatest novelists will be showcased in the performance piece A Visit with Jane Austen, in which Debra Ann Miller will portray the beloved author at the Davenport Public Library's Eastern Avenue Branch and the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch, both presentations taking place on December 6.

Family audiences are invited to the Vibrant Arena at the Mark from December 4 through 7 to experience the wonderful world of Disney – on Ice – in the delightful touring sensation Mickey's Search Party, with the Moline venue transformed into an enormous skating rink and some of the studio's most beloved characters joining Mickey Mouse and friends for an unforgettable adventure.

Enabling visitors to explore the remarkable ways in which animals across 500 million years have adapted armor for survival, and how these adaptations continue to inspire human innovation, the traveling exhibition Animal Armor takes residence in Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center through February 15, the fascinating exhibit exploring the evolutionary battle between protection and predation.

A massive display of one of the venue's six collections storerooms, the long-awaited open-storage locale The Vault is officially viewable at Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center. its shelves featuring countless pieces of fine China dinner sets, 16th-century saddles, a ship wheel, turn-of-the-century furniture, and a full-sized shrine.