Rock Island Junior High afterschool students are going to try and figure out if Colonel Davenport's home is really haunted

JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN--Students in the Lights on for Learning program at Edison Junior High are performing the play entitled, "IS THE JOINT HAUNTED?", this Friday, October 28th at 1:45 pm in the school gym.

On July 4, 1845, Colonel George Davenport of Rock Island was murdered in his home by robbers looking for gold and paper money. The Davenport Mansion was the first fine home built in the area.  In the years that followed, it fell into disrepair. Eventually the home was saved by a not-for-profit group, the Col. Davenport Historical Foundation, a group founded to save and restore the historic house. Because Davenport died a violent death, many have long wondered whether the house might be haunted. Recently, a local paranormal society decided to investigate.
This play is the story of how that investigation went and is written by local playwright, John O'Shea, a former Assistant States Attorney for Rock Island County and as Corporation Counsel for the City of Moline, IL. O'Shea is the author of thirteen published plays.  He retired in January of 2000 after serving twenty six years on the bench. Don has been active in Community Theater since 1967, as an actor, singer, director, producer and playwright.

Since retirement from the bench, he has directed plays at Edison Jr. High School, and Alleman High School in Rock Island, IL; Seton Jr. High in Moline, IL; and at Sherrard High School, in Sherrard.  He has also directed community theater at the Quad City Music Guild, and for the Riversong Players.  Don is also a paid political op ed writer for the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus newspapers, where his opinion pieces appear twice each month.

The media is invited to attend the play and interview O'Shea, the Lights ON students who participate in the after school drama club and their teachers.

WHO:  Edison Junior High Lights ON Drama Club
WHAT:  O'Shea play, "Is The Joint Haunted?"
WHEN: , Friday October 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm
WHERE:  Edison Junior High 4141 9th Street    Rock Island

ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS - Lora Adams and Steve Lasister star in Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of The Turn of the Screw, the classic ghost story by Henry James, running November 11 - 20.  The Turn of the Screw will be directed by Patti Flaherty.   The production is a limited run at The District Theatre in Rock Island and is being produced by Adams and Tristan Tapscott.

The play premiered at the Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine in January 1996 and James' story has been described as "the quintessential ghost story." The story is told from the perspective of the Governess, which leaves the audience to wonder how accurate her story is. She claims she sees visions of the former governess and her lover and she is determined to save the children in her care from these ghostly visitors whom she perceives want to possess the children. It is interesting to note, that more than a century later there is a debate whether the ghosts are real or imagined and if the governess is mad.

"I have been wanting to produce this piece for a while but I was unable to secure a venue and one night while Tristan and I were working at Circa on 'Nana's Naughty Knickers' he told me that I could put it up at The District Theatre in November, and here we are," said Adams. "Lora and I have worked on productions together in the past and this was a perfect opportunity to add another production to the calendar at the District Theatre," said Tapscott.  Tapscott was instrumental in securing Steve Lasiter for the production since Mr. Lasiter will be performing in "Chicago" and "Rocky Horror" at the District Theatre.

"What makes this adaptation so interesting is that Lora plays the Governess while Steve Lasiter portrays all of the other characters," said director Flaherty.

Flaherty directed Adams in the one-woman play "Bad Dates" several years ago at New Ground Theatre. "After 'Bad Dates' I knew Patti would have the right temperament to take a piece like this and make it work," said Adams.

The Turn of the Screw with play November 11, 12, 15, 18 and 19 at 7:30 pm and November 13 and 20 at 2:30 pm. Admission is $20 general admission, $18 Seniors (60+) and $15 students. The District Theatre is located at 1611 2nd Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201. Reservations can be made by calling 309-235-1654.  More information can be found at www.districttheatre.com

What: The Turn of the Screw by Jeffrey Hatcher

Where: The District Theatre, 1611 - 2nd Avenue, Rock Island 16201

When: November 11, 12, 15, 18 and 19 at 7:30 pm and November 13 and 20 at 2:30 pm

Admission: $20 general admission, $18 Seniors (60+) and $15 students

Reservations: 309-235-1654 or www.districttheatre.com

Amana - A massive snowstorm, a house full of strange guests and an unsolved murder, add up to a night of suspicion and mystery in this classic by Agatha Christie, the undisputed Queen of "who done it." The Mousetrap opens Thursday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. on The Old Creamery Theatre's Main Stage in Amana and runs through Nov. 13.

Called one of the most skillfully written murder mysteries ever produced, you won't want to miss The Old Creamery's production even if you think you know "who done it."

The cast of The Mousetrap consists of John Hill of Rockford, Il; Sean McCall of Marengo; Kay Francis of Naples, Florida; James Fleming of New York; Laura Ambrose of Minneapolis, Minn.; Jackie McCall of Marengo; Andrew Bosworth of Holly Springs, North Carolina and Tom Milligan of West Amana.

The Mousetrap runs through Nov. 13 and is rated Theatre PG. Tickets are $27 for adults and $17.50 for students. Show times are Wednesday, Thursdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Call the box office at 800-35-AMANA or visit the website at www.oldcreamery.com for more information or to purchase tickets. Group and student rates are available.

The Old Creamery Theatre Company is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. The company is celebrating 40 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest. We thank KGAN and Fox 28, our 2011 season media sponsor.

Advantage Illinois to Provide Access to Capital for Businesses and Entrepreneurs to Create Jobs and Grow the Economy

CHICAGO - October 5, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today launched the Advantage Illinois program that is designed to provide Illinois businesses and entrepreneurs with access to the capital they need to start new companies and expand existing business. Advantage Illinois will leverage $78 million in federal funding that will allow businesses to bring innovative ideas and new products to market and accelerate job creation and economic growth in Illinois.

"Advantage Illinois will help Illinois businesses of all sizes increase innovation and competition, and expand and create good-paying jobs," Governor Quinn said. "In order to boost our economy, create jobs and compete in the global marketplace, we must provide businesses and entrepreneurs with the tools they need to grow."

The Advantage Illinois program is comprised of three program components to spur institutional lending, and one program to leverage private venture capital in start-ups and high-growth businesses:

Capital Access Program (CAP) assists businesses with various financing needs. It is designed to encourage financial institutions to make loans to small and new businesses that do not qualify under conventional lending policies.

Participation Loan Program (PLP) supports businesses with projects that create or retain jobs and/or modernize their businesses to improve competitiveness. One component of the program is devoted to Minority/Women/Disabled/Veteran-Owned businesses (MWDV PLP). The state purchases and subordinates part of the loan to help mitigate lender risk.

Collateral Support Program (CSP) establishes savings accounts or CDs that provide cash collateral support to lending institutions to enhance the equity and/or loan collateral levels of small business borrowers.

Invest Illinois Venture Fund Program (IIVF) is a new venture capital program to support young, innovative companies in Illinois that show high growth potential, can demonstrate their place in the market and already have other investors.

Starting today, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will be actively enrolling lending institutions that will, in turn, provide financing to businesses utilizing the CAP, PLP and CSP components of the program. Businesses will be able to begin accessing loans to use these funds when they have completed the appropriate paperwork with a participating lending institution. Program guidelines, including lender applications, and a regularly updated list of participating banks will be available at www.ildceo.net/AdvantageIllinois.

Businesses interested participating in the Invest Illinois Venture Fund (IIVF) may submit their applications online to DCEO at www.ildceo.net/AdvantageIllinois. The fund is also supported by the Governor's Illinois Innovation Council, which is actively working to execute strategies to enhance awareness of capital availability in Illinois and connect the dots between great ideas and the partners who can help turn ideas into companies and products.

"Illinois is a place where industry, innovation and ideas thrive," said Chris Girgenti, Managing Partner of New World Ventures and member of the Illinois Innovation Council (www.illinoisinnovation.com). "But, it takes capital to turn ideas into reality. Advantage Illinois is a critical tool, at a critical time for our economy."

Advantage Illinois builds upon Governor Quinn's commitment to enhancing business growth. The Advantage Illinois initiative is expected to generate a minimum of at least $10 in new private lending for small and medium-sized businesses for every $1 of federal funding, resulting in around $800 million of private sector investments and loans being pumped into the economy over the next few years. The Brookings Institution recently noted more than 95 percent of new jobs are derived from business expansions or start-up activity.

Funding for Advantage Illinois is being provided by the U.S. Treasury through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which was created as part of the American Small Business Jobs Act signed into law by President Obama in 2010. The program will be administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

"These funds will help creditworthy small businesses access the lending they need to invest and hire, providing a powerful boost for economic growth and job creation," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal S. Wolin. "Expanding access to credit will help ensure that more of Illinois' entrepreneurs and small businesses can invest in their local communities to put more Americans back to work."

"We are targeting investments in every area of the economy to help keep moving Illinois forward," said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "Through this program, we are giving businesses a booster shot in the form of deploying new tools to ease the credit crunch they have experienced in recent years, improve the field of play and give Illinois companies an advantage against the competition."

In 2011, Governor Quinn's leadership has been instrumental in expanding the availability of more than $150 million in investment capital through enactment of the Technology Development Account II, implementation of the Angel Investment Tax Credit and now through the launch of Advantage Illinois.

Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's aggressive business agenda that is helping move the Illinois economy forward. The state maintains a large portfolio of programs, which is designed to help Illinois businesses thrive in today's economy. For more information, please visit www.ilbiz.biz.

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