Presented by the Geography and Map Division and the Philip Lee Phillips Society

WHAT:
"Visualizing the Nation's Capital: Two Centuries of Mapping Washington, D.C.," the first conference devoted to mapping the nation's  capital, covering the period from Pierre-Charles L'Enfant's 1791 Plan of the City of Washington to the present.

WHEN:
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18, with a reception from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, with tours of the Geography and Map Division from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The conference is free and open to the public.  Reservations are needed; contact specialevents@loc.gov or call 202-707-1616.

WHERE:
Friday's session from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. will be in the Coolidge Auditorium followed by a reception in Room 119, both located in the Thomas  Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington.

Saturday's session from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. will be in the Mumford Room and the tours from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. will be in the Geography and Map Reading Room, both located in the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

WHO:
Participants include historians, archaeologists, building and landscape architects, urban planners, cartographers, geographers, land surveyors, Library of Congress specialists and Anthony Williams, the former mayor of Washington, D.C.

The conference is presented by the Library and the Philip Lee Phillips Society, which was established in 1995 as an association of collectors, geographers, historians and map enthusiasts, with a shared interest in supporting and promoting the programs and activities of the Library's Geography and Map Division.

More information on the conference presentations is available at www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/.

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Quad City Arts is accepting nominations for a special exhibition titled "Welcome Home Quad Cities." This exhibit will provide an opportunity for visual artists living outside of a 250 mile radius of the Quad Cities, who have Quad City connections to come back home and share their art with the community.  During East/West Riverfest, from September 7th through September 16^th, Quad City Arts' Rock Island gallery will be hosting multiple receptions with extended hours to give visiting artists and their families' time to gather and view the exhibit.

To nominate someone you know, send an email to dwmetallo@quadcityarts.com with the artist's name, contact information and a link to his/her website. Nominations are being accepted until May 30^th. A committee of art professionals will choose works from the nominated artists to include in the exhibition. "Welcome Home Quad Cities" will run from August 31-October 26, 2012.

Traveling to Germany? Brush up on your German before you go! The German American Heritage Center will be offering German language classes starting in May. Join instructor Kathi Hofmann for a "German for Travelers" language series! The class will feature travel tips, food, hotel, touring basics and typical signage as encountered by the average American tourist.

The classes consist of four 90-minute sessions on May 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th from 5:30-7pm and the cost is $50, payable by check to GAHC at 712 W 2nd St. Davenport, IA 52802. Register by April 23rd by calling Ruth at 563-322-8844 or emailing rer@gahc.org.

Who: The Kinetic King: 13^th place in last summer's America's Got Talent, real name Tim Fort, already holds Guinness World Record for Largest Stick Bomb.

What: World Record attempt for chain reaction of most "Clever Levers". Previous record of 600 elements was detonated last year on America's Got Talent by the Kinetic King. This year he will attempt 750 elements.

Where: Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa

When: Saturday, March 24, 2012; detonation at 11:00 AM.

Last summer, NBC's America's Got Talent introduced the nation to the self-proclaimed "greatest purveyor of chain reaction gadgets in this and the 17 known universes," the Kinetic King. Viewers fell in love with the Minnesota charm and the impressive chain reactions made from tongue depressors, ping pong balls, plastic cups, and more. View his debut appearance on YouTube. The King will be packing his gadgets and heading to the Quad Cities to build several super-cool kinetic structures at the Family Museum in Bettendorf, Iowa. He will host daily detonations Tuesday, March 20 - Friday, March 23 at 4:00pm. He will conclude his visit with a final detonation on Saturday, March 24 at 11:00am.

The Kinetic King, aka Tim Fort, holds the Guinness World Record for the "Largest Stick Bomb" using 3,864 tongue depressors. It was detonated on June 20, 2010 at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Fort creates displays all over the country (some successful and some not). Many of these attempts he posts to his YouTube page (user name LunaTim). The Kinetic King placed 13^th overall in season 6 of America's Got Talent.

"Oh wow!" -Howie Mandel, Season 6 America's Got Talent

"Wow!" -Nick Cannon, Season 6 America's Got Talent

"Do it again!" -Nick Cannon, Season 6 America's Got Talent

"Weird, but interesting." -Sharon Osbourne, Season 6 America's Got Talent

"Whoo hoo!" -The Kinetic King, Season 6 America's Got Talent

Find out what the buzz is about March 20-24 at the Family Museum. "It's way beyond your grandma's domino tumbling!" -The Kinetic King