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ILLINOIS POLITICS By Rich Miller

Leader McCombie’s estimate of 17 House

State Republicans and Democrats Do Democratic votes may have been short.
Everything and Nothing to Keep Anything Others said the House Democratic total
was significantly higher. But House Speaker
from Happening During Veto Session Chris Welch has an unwritten rule that bills

Vol. 31 · No. 1016

I
don’t know whether or not the legislative
Democratic leadership would’ve allowed
DECEMBER 2023 a vote, but it is puzzling to me that the
people behind the extension of the state’s
Invest in Kids Act program didn’t at least
try to run a bill that would’ve wound the
RIVER CITIES’ READER
program down over a period of years.
532 W. 3rd St.
Davenport IA 52801 Continuing to allow income tax-credits
RiverCitiesReader.com for donations to private school-scholarship
(563)324-0049 (phone) funds for kids who were already enrolled in
(563)323-3101 (fax)
the program would’ve protected those indi-
info@rcreader.com
vidual children from being kicked out of the
PUBLISHING SINCE 1993 schools over an inability to pay. Legislation
The River Cities’ Reader is an independently owned such as that would’ve given both sides a veto
publication and website, dedicated to providing readers session “win,” and kept the program on life
and members the “keys to the Quad Cities’ culture.”
support so that a future General Assembly
might decide to restart it down the road.
PRINTED MONTHLY
Newly printed complimentary editions are available
More than a few people were pushing
monthly at select locations in the region. For a complete behind the scenes for a wind-down bill. The
list, visit www.rcreader.com/distribution. bill to extend the program for five more
years didn’t have enough votes to pass in
PRINT & DIGITAL ADVERTISING
Visit QCAdvertising.com for full the spring, when it needed 60 in the House
publishing calendar, sponsorship and 30 in the Senate. Those constitutional
opportunities, ad sizes, and pricing. requirements jumped to 71 and 36, respec-
tively, after May 31. A wind-down compro-
PUBLISHER
mise seemed prudent.
Todd McGreevy • todd@admospheres.com
And yet the people who were so force-
fully demanding that the General Assembly
EDITOR & BUSINESS MANAGER
Kathleen McCarthy • km@rcreader.com extend the program for another five years
made no overt moves to protect scholarships
ARTS & CALENDAR EDITOR
for the 9,600 existing scholarship recipients,
Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com
hundreds of whom were bussed to Spring-
field to shout slogans in the Statehouse halls.
IT-SYSMIN
William Reveal
Too many proponents of keeping the
program alive seemed more interested in
ADVERTISING SALES battling with teachers’ unions than find-
sales@rcreader.com ing a way to the bargaining table. But those
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rich Miller, Ed Newmann,
Loren Thacher, Ed Tibbetts, Bruce Walters
which don’t have enough support from his
teachers’ unions, along with other labor
own caucus-members to pass on the floor
groups, are now being quietly courted by
Republicans because the party has lost so
won’t get called. In this case, that number
would’ve been 71 out of 78 House Demo-
many wealthy benefactors such as Bruce
crats, which was an impossibly large number
Rauner and Ken Griffin, who both exiled
of votes, considering the amount of liberal
themselves to southern Florida. Other
and progressive “No” votes in his caucus to
longtime top Republican contributors have
begin with and the significant pressure by
either passed away or retired and lost inter-
the teachers’ unions and their allies. Beating
est in Illinois politics. They need money to
this bill was the unions’ only veto-session
compete, plain and simple.
goal, and they went all-out to make sure
A compromise [HB4194] floated by a
everyone knew they were laser-focused on
small handful of House Democrats on the
the topic.
first day of a two-week veto session attracted
So we ended up with several session days
a total of just four Democratic sponsors.
of very loud, media-friendly protests by
The bill, which specifically required more
proponents and very little actual legisla-
scholarships to poor children, mainly served
tive progress. It was good (and likely quite
to highlight the problems with the existing
expensive) theater, but that’s about it.
statute, particularly that not nearly enough
“Loss-chasing” is when gamblers who are
poor and minority kids have been receiving
falling behind increase their bets in order
the scholarships as proponents had insinu-
to catch up, only to almost always fall even
ated. The bill never moved an inch.
further behind. The proponents clearly had
The House’s new bill also allowed Senate
money to burn on a lost cause, and then they
Democrats to point the finger away from
doubled down during the veto session on a
themselves, telling everyone that they
compromise that wasn’t going to be called
wanted to wait and see what happened to the
for a vote and exhibited no will to offer up a
bill in the other chamber before committing
phase-out.
publicly to a vote either way in the Senate.
It almost looked like some of the people
House Republican Leader Tony McCom-
pushing the extension were more interested
bie claimed at one point that the bill
in maintaining lucrative income tax-credits
had, tops, 57 “Yes” votes in her chamber.
in perpetuity and punching at unions than
Remember, it needed 71. McCombie was
making sure that at least some kids had
counting all forty of her members, but some
assistance.
Republicans, including the far-right Illinois
Freedom Caucus, opposed the belated com-
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a
promise. And others who are seeking teach-
daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.
ers’ union contributions quietly opposed the
com.
legislation.

PRINT COPY DISTRIBUTORS

Cheri Delay, Jay Strickland

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to make your business
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Mail checks to:
532 W 3rd St - Davenport, IA 52801
Letters to Editor: letters@rcreader.com

© 2023 River Cities’ Reader

 6 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
GUEST COMMENTARY
The Stench at Davenport City Hall
A Lucrative Payout Is Cloaked in Secrecy
A F
week later, the stink still lingers.
Last Wednesday, the day before
Thanksgiving, when they knew
hardly anybody was paying attention, Daven-
port city officials announced they were giving
departing City Administrator Corri Spiegel
$1.6 million.
The city said $1 million was for the emo-
tional pain and suffering that Spiegel suffered,
which the city council said in a statement was
due to “prolonged and documented instances
of harassment by some elected officials over
the past eight years.
They didn’t say what the offending behav-
ior was. But they did say there were multiple
offenders who had acted inappropriately and
wrongly. That included current and former
elected officials.
As part of the agreement, Spiegel agreed
not to sue.
So as I understand it: Some current elected
officials engaged in “inappropriate and
wrong” behavior. Former elected officials
engaged in “inappropriate, wrong, and
appalling” conduct. Then, city officials agreed
to fork over $1.6 million to Spiegel, and she
agreed not to take legal action against the city
or its officers. The other $600,000 is for “lost
wages,” the agreement says.
Surely, this demands an investigation by
the proper authorities.
Can harassers use somebody else’s money
– taxpayer money – to protect themselves
from a lawsuit?
What’s more, the city’s release of informa-
tion makes it clear this scheme was hatched a
month before the general election, then kept
under wraps until after voters went to the
polls.
Small wonder given the details.
Now our elected leaders aren’t talking at
all. “No further comments will be made,” the
council’s statement said.
In my 35 years in Davenport, I’ve never
seen anything like it.
The council assures us that the payout is
“small” compared to what a lawsuit would
cost. But there is no reason to believe this
assertion – not when the actions of our
elected leaders have all been aimed at keeping
this quiet. And, perhaps, at insulating them-
selves from harm.
If this is such a good bargain, why go to so
much trouble to hide it?
Why disclose the ugly details the day
before a holiday so that fewer people would
know about it?
And why hide it from the voters? The
answer to this question seems obvious. If
there was this kind of harassment going on
for years, and some current elected officials
had acted in ways that were “inappropriate
and wrong,” that would surely be a liability on
FREE ASSANGE.
By Ed Tibbetts
Election Day.
As for those who aren’t directly implicated,
how many were blind to these “prolonged
and documented” instances of harassment?
And how many knew and simply kept their
mouths shut?
Either way, it doesn’t give you a lot of confi-
dence, does it?
The city council’s statement only identified
former Alderman Derek Cornette, who seven
members of the council voted to remove from
office in September. (Cornette is now suing
the city.)
However, Spiegel wasn’t the only person
the city said were targets in that case. The city
cited other employees, too.
Did they get big payouts? If not, why not? If
so, how much?
Rather than be accountable, members
of the council are putting the onus on the
state legislature, saying that state lawmakers
ought to do something; to empower some-
body to investigate and hold accountable local
elected officials guilty of transgressions of the
law and propriety.
What a crock.
Why do local officials need the state’s
permission to do the right thing? To speak
up when they see wrongdoing. To demand
proper behavior from themselves and their
colleagues.
To try to insulate the city from costly legal
exposure.
Ever since May, with the collapse of the
downtown apartment building, Davenport
officials have fielded a raft of criticism, and
Spiegel was listed among the defendants in
legal action taken in connection with the
incident in which three people were killed.
Now, this.
Mind you, all of this is happening as there’s
an exodus of top administrative officials.
There clearly is a lot we in the public don’t
know.
I do think the aldermen and mayor got it
half-right when they asked for the state to get
involved. But instead of the legislature, Attor-
ney General Brenna Bird ought to be the one
to step in and investigate this situation. Or
perhaps it should be State Auditor Rob Sand.
There certainly are questionable expenditures
of public money in this case.
Yes, the stink on this deal is still strong,
and it will continue to linger until we get
some answers.
Ed Tibbetts, a longtime reporter and editor in
the Quad Cities, publishes the online newslet-
ter Along the Mississippi, where this column
first ran on November 28. You can find his
work at EdTibbetts.substack.com. His work
also is regularly published in the Iowa Capital
Dispatch at IowaCapitalDispatch.com.
Know More. Do More.
WORDS FROM THE EDITOR
Fast-Tracking New Election Tools
Does Not Serve Scott County Voters
or 30 years, the Reader has memorialized in
print and online how nearly all local, state,
and national legislators, staff within execu-
tive agencies, and jurists, regardless of political
party, have epically failed in representing the elec-
torates’ interests and Constitutionally protected
inalienable rights they swore to uphold as man-
dated by their oath of office.
The recent fast-tracked decision by the five
Scott County Board of Supervisors (SCBS)
to approve the County Auditor’s request to
spend over $400,000 to replace the incumbent
hardware and software used to verify and docu-
ment registered voters’ eligibility to obtain and
cast an election ballot known as “Pollbooks”
effectively demonstrates how the public’s
interests are among the least considered by these
so-called representative supervisors and election
bureaucrats.
This decision, critical to 2024’s general elec-
tion integrity, occurred during a Thanksgiving
holiday calendar week. It was enabled by a rare
compression of the standard Committee of the
Whole (COW) and subsequent board meeting,
normally conducted two days later, into one
evening on November 21, 2023.
A total of 15 items to be voted on were pre-
sented to the Supervisors as “consent agenda
items” in the COW. This means that once a
request that requires the board’s approval is dis-
cussed at the Committee of the Whole, the items
requiring Board action would then be added to
a “consent agenda,” allowing the supervisors
to approve all 15 items at the subsequent Board
meeting without further discussion.
These consent agenda items included the
Scott County government accepting the transfer
of Medic EMS ambulance services’ assets and
absorbing its employees into the newly formed
MEDIC EMS of Scott County department as of
January 1, 2024.
When the Board of Supervisors’ proposed
fast-track consent agenda was published
at the county’s website (ScottCountyIowa.
gov/board/board-meetings?folder=enclosu
res/2023/20231121_Special_Board_Meet-
ing_Canvass_of_Votes_4PM_Committee_of_
the_Whole_405PM ), former county supervisor
Diane Holst brought the new election pollbook
purchase line item to our attention. We had less
than 24 hours to investigate before this purchase
would be approved.
The 2024 general election promises to be event-
ful and election integrity is a critical issue with
voters nationwide. The mainstream media’s dis-
information about election irregularities during
the 2020 Election, and again during the 2022
Midterms, has been an ongoing orchestrated
effort to convince voters these were safe and
secure elections. While the evidence continues to
mount contrary to the official narrative, that is a
subject for another article.
Suffice it to say that media reports claiming all
61 lawsuits challenging the 2020 election results
failed in court is false. Only one challenge lost on
the merits of the case, the 60 remaining chal-
lenges were dismissed based on process issues,
RCReader.com/Calendar.
By Kathleen McCarthy
with not a scintilla of evidence ever presented or
heard by the courts, leaving a huge discrepancy in
the media’s interpretation of events.
Fast-forward to the end of 2023 and Scott
County’s plan to introduce new Pollbooks into
our election system with less than a year to test,
train, and secure for the upcoming 2024 general
election. Pollbooks contain the County’s voter
registration database for checking voters in
during an election, confirming their eligibility
to vote, and issuing each voter their appropriate
ballot for casting their vote. The pollbooks then
update the voters database/register with voters’
status as having voted. When the election is over
and the polls close, the pollbook numbers are
compared to the ballot tabulators numbers for
verification or to catch problems if the numbers
do not match up.
With so many anomalies, including unlaw-
ful policies, epic numbers of irregularities were
detected and attested to throughout the country
relative to pollbooks, voter registers, tabulators,
ballots, mail-in ballots and absentee ballots,
dropboxes, online Wi-Fi access and hacking,
etc., requiring extra scrutiny performing due
diligence in vetting any new election equipment,
a supervisory duty the SCBS demonstrated pre-
cious little interest in providing.
Whether Democrats or Republicans, the
primary constituency invariably becomes the
county bureaucracy at the expense of Scott
County residents/voters. In other words, elected
county officials tend to represent the interests of
the county and state governments over the those
of Scott Countians; in this case, Scott County
voters were neglected in order to provide the Scott
County Auditor’s office with “opportunity.”
Scott County has been using the Iowa Precinct
Atlas Consortium’s (IPAC) Pollbook software to
conduct elections in Scott County. Twelve years
ago, IPAC was established to create and support
election pollbooks for Iowa counties. Today, 78
of the 99 Iowa counties use IPAC Pollbooks, sug-
gesting the state’s wide support for their use.
Yet after new IPAC pollbooks were pur-
chased in 2018, and used successfully for the
2020 General Election and again for the 2022
Midterm Election, as well as for various local and
special elections, the Scott County Auditor Kerri
Tompkins, with full and uninformed approval
by the SCBS as of a week ago Tuesday, November
21, 2023, voted to purchase all new pollbook
services from a private company Adkins Election
Services, a subsidiary of Tenex Corporation,
for $386,210, including annual support fees of
approximately $25,000.
It is important to note that the option to
upgrade IPAC’s software was declined by Auditor
Tompkins, even though there was no cost associ-
ated with the upgrade that included a degree of
customization for users upon request.
The chief complaint for IPAC Pollbooks,
according to Auditor Tompkins, is customer ser-
vice. Tompkins claims there is only one support
person serving all 78 counties during elections.
Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) is
the operator of IPAC and its Executive Director
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
William Peterson stated in an interview he is ada-
mantly in favor of all auditors’ ability to make the
best decisions for their counties when choosing
election equipment, including pollbook services,
independent of outside forces.
That said, Peterson wonders if perhaps Auditor
Tompkins might misunderstand IPAC’s support
protocol. Its primary program manager fields all
incoming calls for support and redirects them
to the proper team member with the appropri-
ate resources depending on the users’ particular
problem(s). The number of available support staff
is robust and has historically met the support
needs of its users. Call logs for support tickets
are maintained and would provide evidence into
the kinds of difficulties, or delays in support, if
any, Scott County election officials have had with
IPAC pollbooks during elections.
Because Pollbooks do not have certification
criteria, nor regulated as part of election equip-
ment, it is even more incumbent upon local elec-
tion officials and elected supervisors to do a deep
dive into the purchases of such critical impor-
tance in securing safe and fair elections that are
trusted by voters, now more than ever.
Below is the memo requesting SCBS’ autho-
rization from Auditor Tompkins, as well as the
questions submitted several hours before Tues-
day’s meeting to both the Scott County Auditor
Kerri Tompkins and the five Scott County Board
Supervisors for their investigative efforts.
To: Scott County Board of Supervi-
sors From: Kerri Tompkins Re:
Election Pollbooks
Date: November 21, 2023
The Auditor’s Office has requested and
received quotes for the replacement of Pollbooks.
The equipment being replaced was last pur-
chased in 2018 and these have exceeded their life
expectancy.
Pollbooks are essential in conducting an
election. This tool holds the state data for voter
registration and is necessary to process each indi-
vidual voter before they can cast their ballot. Due
to technology advancements, new equipment is
more user friendly for set‐up, transportation and
overall easier to use.
The quote summary of qualified responses is
as follows:
Auditor and IT staff both recommend Adkins
Election Services for Tenex Software Solutions
as the best fit for Scott County. We considered
experience in Iowa, hardware and software quali-
fications and support services. Tenex is currently
used in 18 other Iowa counties with an excellent
reputation for implementation and on‐going
customer service relations. The Tenex product
stood out as a robust tool that is easy to use with
the highest level of technology available at this
time. In addition, Adkins Election Services has a
full support system that is familiar with specifics
of Iowa elections. No other company has this
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE.
capability.
In working with both David Farmer, Budget
and Admin Services Director and Matt Hirst, IT
Director, the ongoing costs for software main-
tenance and support will be absorbed in the IT
budget. Therefore, the $29,700 annual fee will be
due in year two, as referenced above.
It is recommended that the Board approve
the quote from Adkins Election Services in the
amount of $386,210. Budget dollars are available
in the Capital Improvement Program budget to
fund respective costs in this project.
This product is a great opportunity for the
Scott County Auditor’s Office. I will be available
at the November 21st Committee of the Whole
meeting and would be happy to answer any ques-
tions. Thank you for your consideration.
Former Scott County Supervisor Di-
ane Holst’s Comments & Questions:
The replacement equipment being considered
today is non-voting election technology that has
been described as an overlooked vulnerability in
election systems. Unlike the actual voting systems
that have standards and means of testing, this
technology does not have that requirement.
Tenex claims that their Precinct Central runs
in a completely isolated space on the iPad and in
the Cloud to prevent malicious attacks. What I
have learned about these poll books is that they
access Bluetooth to communicate with the poll
books within that precinct, it connects to the
Cloud, and one assumes it also connects for prod-
uct updates and patching.
Tenex offers a feature called “Live Results”,
describing it as “A reliable platform is key for
election night reporting. Publish results on a
secure proven platform to provide transparency
and accessibility for voters, candidates and media.
Calling yourself “proven platform” is not the
same as equipment that is required to be tested
and have an established standard.
How does the Live Results feature work if
there’s not an interface with the voting equip-
ment? How does a poll book, which is checking
in your voters, roll up election night reporting?
This is placing our vote totals on a wireless device
capable of connecting with the internet and again
on technology that has no required testing. If
the poll book isn’t specifically set to kiosk mode,
it is open to the internet, and anything that can
be turned on can be turned off by
someone with malicious intent.
Iowa code (49.77) provides no
requirement or oversight of “an elec-
tronic election register,” should the
commissioner elect to use the elec-
tronic poll book. Since HAVA has
no certification of the non-voting
technology, our legislation does not
address requirements of that electronic register
and assure the public that their votes are secure?
No product is safe, but with the product we
currently have, the Iowa precinct Atlas Consor-
tium, our commissioner has guaranteed that our
poll books are not connected to the internet and
have no wireless capability and are not operating
in the Cloud. Can that same statement be made
about Tenex?
The Iowa Precinct Atlas Consortium is the
lowest bid, is the choice the taxpayers count on
you to make, and at the same time protects the
interests of the voters. Please vote NO on the
selection of Adkins Election Services AKA Tenex.
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
Reader Publisher Todd McGreevy’s
Comments and Questions
Dear Scott County Board of Supervisors and
Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins:
At this afternoon’s 4pm BOS Committee of
the Whole and Board meeting, please consider
supporting tabling item #10 on the Consent
Agenda regarding approval to spend $386,000
purchasing new Election Pollbooks until
more public input and clarifying questions are
answered about such an important infrastructure
commitment is made regarding Scott County’s
election management.
Technically, it is worth understanding how
the Consent Agenda for Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
4pm meeting was established. The COW starts at
4:05pm and the Board Meeting at 4:30pm.
https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/
board/board-meetings?folder=enclosu
res/2023/20231121_Special_Board_Meeting_
Canvass_of_Votes_4PM_Committee_of_the_
Whole_405PM
Item #10 this email is about is linked below:
https://www.scottcountyiowa.net/board/pub/
enclosures/2023/20231121_Special_Board_Meet-
ing_Canvass_of_Votes_4PM_Committee_of_
the_Whole_405PM/10_Elections_Poll_Books.
pdf
Where is the opportunity for public review
of the consent items prior to the Board Meeting
within the 25 minute window allotted?
I’ve searched the minutes of prior meetings and
do not find any information from the Auditor
regarding Election Pollbook replacement options.
Please confirm or correct me in that Tuesday
November 21, 2023 Consent item #10 is the
FIRST time the County Board of Supervisors
have been presented information about this
Resolution request.
In addition to the fast tracking of such an
important Resolution, a review of Auditor Tomp-
kins memo supporting the $386K expenditure
generates the following questions the public
should have answers for, prior to approving Con-
sent Item #10 on Tuesday November 21, 2023:
1) Item 10 memo from Auditor Tompkins
states in part: “The Tenex product stood out as a
robust tool that is easy to use with the highest level
of technology available at this time.”
a) What testing or hands on usage was con-
ducted by who at the Auditor’s office that resulted
in the Tenex product standing out? How did it
stand out?
b) How is Tenex easier to use than the current
Iowa Precinct Atlas Consortium product? Easier
to use for Auditor staff or the voting public? Was
the voting public engaged to test such equipment
for ease of use?
c) How is Tenex “the highest level of technol-
ogy available” ? Is that measuring the hardware
or the software? How are you defining the highest
technology available?
d) Can Tenex hardware operate using the Iowa
Precinct Atlas Consortium software?
2) Item 10 memo from Auditor Tompkins
states in part: “In addition, Adkins Election Ser-
vices has a full support system that is familiar with
specifics of Iowa elections. No other company has
this capability.”
a) “a system familiar with specifics of Iowa
elections” indicates that the value being offered is
operational or software driven, and not equip-
ment driven . . . what is an example of Adkins/
7
Tenex’s familiarity with specifics of Iowa elections
that no other company provides?
b) If the unique capability is related to a “sup-
port system” please identify what assets or attri-
butes of this “support system” are not provided by
the other bidders.
c) What specifically does Tenex provide that
Iowa Precinct Atlas Consortium does not pro-
vide? https://www.iowacounties.org/wp-content/
uploads/2019/01/IPAC-Brochure.pdf
3) Item 10 memo from Auditor Tompkins
states in part: “This product is a great opportunity
for the Scott County Auditor’s Office.”
a) What is the product exactly? How many
pollbooks, what operating system, what RAM,
memory, technical specs? How many recently
used pollbooks are currently owned by the
County?
b) What election software will be implemented
on these new pollbook units?
c) Is the software the product being referred to
or the hardware?
d) How is “this product a great opportunity
for the Scott County Auditor’s Office”? Is there a
deliverable or feature Tenex provides the Audi-
tor’s staff or the voting public that Iowa Precinct
does not provide?
4) Item 10 memo from Auditor Tompkins
states in part:”The equipment being replaced
was last purchased in 2018 and these have
exceeded their life expectancy.”
a) What is the life expectancy of the proposed
new equipment?
b) What was the advertised life expectancy of
the current equipment?
c) When did the current equipment exceed its
life expectancy?
5) Item 10 memo from Auditor Tompkins
states in part: “Budget dollars are available in
the Capital Improvement Program budget to
fund respective costs in this project.”
a) Were CIP funds used to acquire the current
equipment in 2018?
b) What portion of the $386K is hardware vs
software? Is there a breakdown of the com-
ponents? Can CIP funds be used to acquire
software?
Blaring Collective Silence
Americans will ultimately reject the impotent
sidelines of partisan political patronage to reen-
gage in meaningful civic participation.
The rule of law, myriad cultural norms, and
basic common sense are increasingly ignored to
advance trending partisan agendas that serve
groups’ narrow interests, while sowing vastly
wider societal destabilization that foresakes social
justice, fairness, peace and prosperity.
More importantly, lawmakers and bureau-
crats, regardless of political party affiliation,
have persisted in blatant lawlessness by violating
Americans’ constitutionally protected rights with
impunity, mostly because we tolerate it with blar-
ing collective silence.
When Americans finally decide we’ve had
enough, the chaos will stop if replaced with
government accountability that includes a non-
negotiable policy of full transparency except in
the rarest national security interest. But first and
foremost we must discard the shackles of partisan
politics, specifically designed to capture an entire
citizenry in an arena of endless delusions of civic
relevancy.
8 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 FREE ASSANGE.
QUAD CITIES HISTORY
Buried Stories:
O
nce upon a time … Isabel Scherer
enrolled as a student at the Stone City
Art Colony in the depths of the Great
John Bloom (1906-2002) and Depression. The colony, organized by Grant
Wood with two partners, offered classes and
Isabel Bloom (1908-2001) created a supportive community for artists
during the summers of 1932 and 1933.
There Isabel met John Bloom, who had
caught Grant Wood’s attention with his entry
in Iowa State Fair’s art competition. Wood
invited Bloom to join him in the art colony,
working as a groundskeeper in exchange for
tuition and room and board.
Bloom would be one of Grant Wood’s assis-
tants, working on murals funded by the federal
government’s Depression-era relief program
for artists. He assisted Wood in painting
murals for the Des Moines Public library and
Parks Library at Iowa State University before
receiving a commission to design and paint a
mural for the new Dewitt Post Office.
John and Isabel married in 1938. They set
up their home and studio at the old Davenport
Masonic Lodge and then at 927 West Eighth
Street. Isabel continued her life-long interest in
clay sculpture. John would work as an indus-
trial designer and artist for the Army Corps
of Engineers, while she became involved in
the local art community, taught, and exhib-
ited sculptures locally. All while raising three
children.
Isabel would host a children’s-art television
program beginning in 1953. As she stated in
the Iowa Women Artists’ oral history project,
“I had a TV show for a couple years at WOC. It
was called Make Believe. I modeled the char-
acters of the old fairy tales and put clothes on
them, and then I told the story, and I gave them
a lesson in modeling in clay. It was a lot of work
John and Isabel Bloom drawings by Bruce Walters – I worked all week painting the background.”
A decade later, the family moved to the
Village of East Davenport and Isabel began
to sell her artwork, specializing in sculptures
cast in concrete. Sixty years on, her sculptures
are as popular as ever, selling locally at the
Isabel Bloom Headquarters Studio Show-
room & Tour Center on 736 Federal Street in
Davenport.
The final chapter in Isabel Bloom: the Artist
and her Legacy begins with: “Isabel was many
things to many people. To her children, she
The headstone of John and Isabel Bloom.
Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.
By Bruce Walters
was a devoted mother who canned raspber-
ries, sewed patches on the knees of her jeans,
and planned family picnics. To her husband
John, she was a partner for over sixty years. To
her contemporaries and friends, she was often
the life of the party. To the public, she was an
artist.”
One of Isabel’s cement sculptures is placed
outside of the library on the Bettendorf Learn-
ing Center. It is a woman holding an open
book before a separate sculpture of a listening
child. The pair of sculptures lovingly capture
a moment when the woman pauses in her read-
ing to show an illustration. This set was initially
placed at the entrance of the Bettendorf Library
when the library was located on Grant Street.
A life-sized bronze sculpture of two boys
rising from a park bench is located on the Dav-
enport riverfront. This 1992 sculpture by Louis
Quaintance is based on a 1940s lithograph
John Bloom created from a sketch he made at
LeClaire Park when he saw two boys watching
the W.J. Quinlan Ferry.
John Bloom returned to exhibiting his work
following his retirement in 1969. In the 1980s,
he would complete several large murals. One,
Shocking Oats, is in the Figge Art Museum’s
permanent collection. Painted on Masonite
in 1987, it was based on a study that he made
decades before. Bloom’s murals are painted and
composed in the regional style epitomized by
Grant Wood. The subjects are ordinary people
working. The simplicity of forms and rich pat-
terning is also at the core of Isabel’s sculptures.
Isabel died in her nineties in 2001; John died
the following year. They are buried together in
Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery (plot: New-
6-465 W 1/2).
I began this story with “Once upon a time.”
Isn’t that how a classic love story should begin?
Bruce Walters is a Professor Emeritus in Art
conferred by Western Illinois University.
This is part of an occasional series on famous
(or infamous) people buried in cemeteries in
the Quad Cities, and their history that is not so
well-known today. If there’s a piece of history
buried here that you’d like to learn more about,
e-mail the location and a brief description to
BD-Walters@wiu.edu.
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
Your event listing in print and online has been complimentary since 1993!
Full descriptions, contact info, addresses, maps, and links for each listing at rcreader.com/calendar
VISUAL ARTS
Openings & Gallery Events
Thursdays at the Figge, weekly
programs featuring artists, curators,
scholars, and community partners to…
Figge Art Museum, 6:30pm Thu Nov 30
thru Thu Jan 5
Winter Lights: Krampus Nights, meet
the infamous Krampus and take in the…
Quad City Botanical Center, 6pm Fri Dec 1
and Sat Dec 2
Winter Lights: Lights & Leashes,
experience the decorated gardens with
your furry friends by your… Quad City
Botanical Center, 5pm Sun Dec 3
Figge Member Bus Trip to Chicago,
current Figge Art Museum members are
invited to join us… Figge Art Museum,
8am Mon Dec 4
Stitching & More, every Wed. except the
2nd of the month; work on… River Valley
District Library, 5pm Wed Dec 6 thru Wed
Jan 3
Figge Art Museum Member Dinner,
all Figge members are cordially invited
to celebrate the holiday… Figge Art
Museum, 5pm Thu Dec 7
Free Senior Day at the Figge Art
Museum, all seniors age 60 and up
receive free admission, as… Figge Art
Museum, 10am Thu Dec 7
Muscatine Art Center Holiday Open
House, the event begins with ornament
viewing and buying, live music,…
Muscatine Art Center, 5pm Thu Dec 7
Opening Reception: Broadbent &
Smelser, held in conjunction with the
exhibit of abstract paintings by… Quad
City Arts Center, 6pm Fri Dec 8
Winter Lights: Santa and the Mrs. Visit,
visit Santa and Mrs. Claus and… Quad City
Botanical Center, 5pm Fri Dec 8 and Sat
Dec 9
Holiday Thieves Market, attendees
will be able to shop… Hyatt Regency
Coralville Hotel & Conference Center,
10am Sat Dec 9 and Sun Dec 10
Second Saturdays at the Figge:
Celebrating the Season of Giving, free
admission on the second Saturdays of the
month thanks to… Figge Art Museum,
10am Sat Dec 9
Drop-in Gift Wrap Party!, grab your
gifts and get out of the house to… Moline
Public Library, 6pm Wed Dec 13 and Thu
Dec 14
Quilting by the River, work on your
quilting projects with other quilters in
the… River Valley District Library, Wed
Dec 13 thru Thu Dec 28
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE.
Send your events to Calendar@RCReader.com
EVENTS CALENDAR
Artist Talk: Peter Xiao, hear from Peter T.
Xiao, beloved local artist and the… Figge
Art Museum, 5pm Thu Dec 14
Winter Lights: Lights & Flights,
experience the light display and sample
beer and pizza from… Quad City
Botanical Center, 6pm Thu Dec 14 thru
Thu Dec 28
Free Senior Day, ll seniors age 60 and
up receive free admission, as… Figge Art
Museum, 10am Thu Jan 4
Exhibits & Shows
The Mysterious Disappearance of Miss
Haylee, a collaborative exhibition by
Heidi Hernandez and… Quad City Arts
Center, thru Fri Dec 1
Day of the Dead: Remember, Honor,
Celebrate, this installation will explore
how we as… Figge Art Museum, thru Sun
Dec 3
Quanta of Space: The Bosom Sculpture
of Ibram Lassaw, the exhibition features
36 unique examples of… Figge Art
Museum, thru Sun Dec 3
Plants of the World: People Behind the
Plants, this new, unique exhibit honors
the personal… Quad City Botanical
Center, thru Sun Dec 31
The Warner Foundation Collection:
History in the Painting, the exhibit gives
insight into our country’s… Figge Art
Museum, thru Sun Dec 31
Winter Lights Powered by MidAmerican
Energy Company, the outdoor gardens
will be in winter bloom with over… Quad
City Botanical Center, 5pm thru Mon Jan
1 Roaring Twenties Weave Bracelet
Humphrey Hill, Lennox, & Williams,
exhibit of knitted portraits by Faith
Humphrey Hill, art… Quad City
Quad City Visiting Artists Native Pride Productions - December 4 through 9
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
Through January 7, 2023
International Airport Gallery, thru Tue
Jan 2
Art & Activism at Tougaloo College, the
exhibition traces the inception of this…
Figge Art Museum, thru Sun Jan 7
Human Intelligence, group art
show; free; for information, contact…
Centennial Hall Gallery, Augustana
College, thru Sun Jan 7
Sighting at Augie, exhibit of works by
Professor Peter Xiao;… Wallenberg Hall,
Augustana College, thru Sun Jan 7
Zimoun, a new, space-specific
installation, by the Swiss… Figge Art
Museum, thru Sun Jan 7
Cory Christiansen, exhibit of mixed-
media works by the orthopedic…
Muscatine Art Center, thru Sun Jan 7
Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti: The Man Filled
with Music, a celebration of longtime
Muscatine resident and… Muscatine Art
Center, thru Sun Jan 7
Mauricio Lasansky: Portrait from the
Permanent Collection, exhibit of works
by the artist who… Muscatine Art Center,
thru Sun Jan 7
Broadbent & Smelser, exhibit of abstract
paintings by Kent Broadbent… Quad City
Arts Center, Fri Dec 8 thru Sun Jan 7
Peter Xiao: A Room That One Is In (And
All Things In It), an installation of recent
paintings by Peter… Figge Art Museum,
Sat Dec 9 thru Sun Jan 7
Tradition Interrupted, a fascinating
selection of 23 artworks created… Figge
Art Museum, Sat Dec 16 thru Sun Jan 7
9
Classes
Clay Open Studio, on Thursdays; allows
you access to your clay, our space… Figge
Art Museum, 10am Thu Nov 30 thru Thu
Jan 4
Pottery with Miss Carolyn, we’ll put you
behind the “wheel” at Pottery with Miss…
The ARTery, 6pm Thu Nov 30
Takeaway Thursday: Coffee Filter
Leaves, pick up this coffee filter leaf craft
kit to take… Silvis Public Library, 9am Thu
Nov 30
Book Buddies (Craft Buddies):
Handprint Gnomes, pick up this Craft
Buddies: Handprint Gnome kit to take…
Silvis Public Library, 9am Sat Dec 2
Clay: Mug Mania, Dec. 2 & 9; with
instructor Laura Warner; hand-build
your… Figge Art Museum, 10am Sat Dec 2
Felt Ornaments: Ages 9-12, with
instructor Annie Peters; craft felt holiday
ornaments by sewing… Figge Art
Museum, 10am Sat Dec 2
Oil Painting Saturdays, with instructor
David Anderson; learn to see, draw, and
understand… Figge Art Museum, 9:30am
Sat Dec 2 thru Sat Dec 30
Primavera Rivoli Earrings, with
instructor Karen Kubby; using a pattern by
Barbara Lepak,… Beadology Iowa, 10am
Sat Dec 2
Holiday Tangling, with instructor
Emma Hubner; relax in beginner-friendly
drawing class this… Figge Art Museum,
5:30pm Mon Dec 4
through Kirkwood, with instructor Karen
Kubby; discover an easy to learn netting…
Beadology Iowa, 5:30pm Tue Dec 5
Clay Ornaments, Dec. 5 & 12; with
instructor Laura Warner; make three…
Figge Art Museum, 5:30pm Tue Dec 5
December Clay Open Studio, on
Tuesdays & Thursdays; registering for
this course allows you access… Figge Art
Museum, 10am Tue Dec 5 thru Thu Dec
14
Tissue Paper Stained Glass, with
instructor Annie Peters; students will
make imitation stained glass… Figge Art
Museum, 6pm Wed Dec 6
Harmonic Journey: Sound Healing and
Chakra Painting, with instructor Becky
Nakashima Brooke; immerse yourself in
the transformative… Figge Art Museum,
6pm Thu Dec 7
Watercolor: Holiday Memories,
Thursdays thru Dec. 28; with instructor
Pat Bereskin; paint holiday… Figge Art
Museum, 8:30am Thu Dec 7
Continued On Page 10
 10 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
CONTINUED
Visual Arts: Classes
DIY Adult: Ornament, join us and make
your very own ornament to take home;…
Davenport Public Library - Fairmount
Street Branch, 3pm Sat Dec 9
Gingerbread House: Ages 5-18, with
instructor Pat Bereskin; if you’ve ever
wanted to make… Figge Art Museum,
1pm Sat Dec 9
Makin’ Ornaments with Mrs. B: Figge
Members Only, Figge members are
invited to bring their families for a… Figge
Art Museum, 9am Sat Dec 9
Felting with Victor: Portraits and
Landscapes, gain needle felting skills by
crafting a dimensional picture’ choose…
Beadology Iowa, 10am Sat Dec 9
Felting with Victor: Potted Plants, join
Victor Schmidt for another fun needle
felting class; participants… Beadology
Iowa, 2pm Sat Dec 9
Festive Merry and Bright Wall Hanging,
have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
with a lovely Merry… Rock Island Public
Library - Southwest Branch, 6pm Tue Dec
12
3D Paper Stars, with instructor Annie
Peters; students will learn how to cut,…
Figge Art Museum, 6pm Wed Dec 13
Adult DIY: Upcycled Glass Jars, make
old glass jars look like beautiful pieces
of pottery;… Davenport Public Library
- Fairmount Street Branch, 6:30pm Wed
Dec 13
Adult Arts & Crafts: Merry & Bright
Painted Wine Glasses, raise a glass
during the holidays with these festive
Merry… Silvis Public Library, 3pm Fri Dec
15
Friday Night Out: Square Wire Bracelet
Chain with Beads, with instructor
Zanetta Hoehle; use square copper wire
to create… Beadology Iowa, 5:30pm Fri
Dec 15
Ruffles Galore Earrings, with instructor
Karen Kubby; participants will use brick
stitch round… Beadology Iowa, 10am Sat
Dec 16
Cardboard Gingerbread Houses, with
instructor Annie Peters; glue together
cardboard and then decorate… Figge Art
Museum, 9:30am Sat Dec 16
Make-n-Take Bead Buffet Bracelet,
select beads from our extensive bead
buffet and create an… Beadology Iowa,
10am Sat Dec 23
Adult Arts & Crafts: True Crime Mug, if
you like “true crime all the time” or just…
Silvis Public Library, 3pm Fri Dec 29
Harmonic Journey: Sound Healing and
Chakra Painting, with instructor Becky
Nakashima Brooke; immerse yourself in
the transformative… Figge Art Museum,
6pm Thu Jan 4
Watercolor: Winter Landscapes,
Thursdays thru Jan. 25; with instructor Pat
Bereskin; artists will… Figge Art Museum,
8:30am Thu Jan 4
Wine and Art: Collage, with instructor
Lori Miller; create a mixed media collage
with… Figge Art Museum, 6pm Thu Jan 4
Winter Landscape Acrylic Painting,
Thursdays thru Jan. 25; with instructor
Brad Bisbey; learn the… Figge Art
Museum, 11am Thu Jan 4
String Art: Love Is in the Air!, with
instructor Mindy Mathews; participants
will be guided through the… Figge Art
Museum, 1pm Sun Jan 7
FREE ASSANGE.
Mike Zito @ Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room - December 8
Call for Entry
43rd Rock Island Art Guild Fine Arts
Exhibition, seeking entries for the
exhibition that will be on… Figge Art
Museum, Thu Nov 30 thru Fri Dec 15
MUSIC
Daisychain - Ira Wolf, concert with
the female-fronted band from Chicago,
featuring a set by… Raccoon Motel, 7pm
Thu Nov 30
RiverBend Bronze Handbell Ensemble
Christmas Concert, music director John
Klopp is leading a fun mix of… St. John’s
United Methodist Church, 7pm Fri Dec 1
The Schwag, concert with the Grateful
Dead tribute musicians; $10 at the…
RIBCO, 9pm Fri Dec 1 thru Sat Dec 2
Battle of the Bands 2023: 7 Ark -
Nonetheless Impossible - Wonder
- Hartwood (5:30pm) - Made Ya Look
- Anthropoid - Crushed Monkey -
Mercury’s Crown (8pm), we will have
two divisions doing two separate shows;
$10… Rascals Live, 5:30pm Sat Dec 2
Quad Cities Saxophone Christmas,
seventh-annual holiday concert in
Younkers court.… NorthPark Mall, 1pm
Sat Dec 2
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Masterworks III: Winter Wonders,
featuring George Frideric Handel’s
Alexander’s Feast Suite, Jerod
Impichchaachaaha Tate’s “The Indian
Spirit at Mesa Falls” from Winter Moons,
John Harbison’s Snow Country featuring
QCSO Principal Oboe Andrew Parker, and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s stately yet
energetic Symphony No. 39; $7-12; Adler
Clownvis @ Raccoon Motel - December 13
Know More. Do More.
Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA,
AdlerTheatre.com, 7:30pm Sat Dec 2
Call for Entry: Quad Cities Saxophone
Christmas, join the ensemble for the
seventh-annual holiday concert in
Younkers… NorthPark Mall, 11am Sat Dec
2 by a 9pm concert by Fair Warning; $25;
RiverBend Bronze Handbell Ensemble
Christmas Concert, music director John
Klopp is leading a fun mix of… St. John’s
United Methodist Church, 2pm Sat Dec 2
Surf’s Up Saturday, live music every
Saturday; free; for information, call 563-
326-1333… Zeke’s Island Cafe, 11:30am
Sat Dec 2 thru Sat Jan 6
Manny Lopez Big Band, the band will be
performing all your favorites from such…
The Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 2pm Sun Dec 3
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Masterworks III: Winter Wonders,
delight in the wonders of winter
beginning with the revelry… Bartlett
Performing Arts Center, 2pm Sun Dec 3
Rocky Mountain High Experience: A
John Denver Christmas, starring Rick
Schuler, America’s Top John Denver
Tribute, the concert is an intimate
experience that will take you back to the
’70s when John Denver’s music permeated
the radio airways; $59; for tickets, call
800-745-3000; Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third
St., Davenport IA, AdlerTheatre.com, 2pm
Sun Dec 3
Steel Panther - Moon Fever, concert with
the Los Angeles-based rockers on their
“On The… The Rust Belt, 7pm Sun Dec 3
Christmas Tunes with Jim & Marcia,
join Marcia and Jim for an enjoyable
music performance; they… Moline Public
Library, 1pm Mon Dec 4
RCReader.com/Calendar.
Samantha Henson - Damsel., concert
with the touring folk singer/songwriter,
featuring a set by Damsel.;… Raccoon
Motel, 8pm Mon Dec 4
Arkansauce - Fireside Collective,
concert with the genre-hopping, four
piece string band from northwest
Arkansas,… Raccoon Motel, 7pm Tue Dec
5
Tuneful Tuesday: Holiday Music with
the Quad City Symphony Orchestra,
this concert is suitable for music lovers
of all ages;… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, noon Tue Dec 5
Archer Oh - Plunkett - Waldemar,
concert with the touring rockers,
featuring sets by Plunkett and… Raccoon
Motel, 7pm Wed Dec 6
Reggae Night, experience the warm
reggae vibes with your favorite Island
food and… Zeke’s Island Cafe, 7pm Thu
Dec 7
Body Void, concert with the San
Francisco-based indie rockers; $15…
Raccoon Motel, 8pm Fri Dec 8
Mike Zito (7pm) - Fair Warning (9pm),
Zito is one of the most lauded artists in
the contemporary blues arena, followed
for tickets and information, call 563-
328-8000; Rhythm City Casino Resort
Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
RhythmCityCasino.com, Davenport IA, Fri
Dec 8
Old Shoe Album-Release Show - Allie
Kral - The Dawn, concert with the five-
piece Americana roots-rock band based
out of… The Redstone Room, 8pm Fri Dec
8
Adeem the Artist - Disco Doom - Scott
Stowe, concert with touring country
singer/songwriter Adeem Maria, featuring
sets by… Raccoon Motel, 8pm Sat Dec 9
Holiday Brass, ring in the holiday season
with members of the QCSO… Second
Baptist Church, 3pm Sat Dec 9
RiverBend Bronze Handbell Ensemble
Christmas Concert (3pm), music director
John Klopp is leading a fun mix of… St.
Paul’s United Methodist Church - Cedar
Rapids, 3pm Sat Dec 9
Holiday Brass, ring in the holiday season
with members of the QCSO… St. Paul
Lutheran Church - Davenport, 3pm Sun
Dec 10
Luminare Christmas, led by former
Mannheim Steamroller keyboardist John
Blasucci; a fusion of reimagined holiday
classics, high energy symphonic rock and
cinematic magic, the show is an immersive
experience that combines live music and
special effects to create a magical holiday
experience; $20-40; for information and
tickets, call 563-328-8000; Rhythm City
Casino Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore
Ave., RhythmCityCasino.com, Davenport
IA, 8pm Sun Dec 10
Moline High School Holiday Concert,
we invite you to sit back, relax, and get
in… Moline Public Library, 10am Wed Dec
13
Robin Taylor Zander, concert with the
Nashville-based country artist and on of
Cheap… Raccoon Motel, 7pm Thu Dec 14
Open Mic Nite w/ Jacob Hemenway, on
the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month;
play… Zeke’s Island Cafe, 8pm Thu Dec 14
thru Thu Dec 28
Candlelight: Holiday Special Featuring
“The Nutcracker” & More, at 6:30 &
8:45pm; one in a series of 60-minute…
The Spotlight Theatre, 6:30pm Fri Dec 15
Nova Singers: A Nova Christmas, the
professional vocal ensemble celebrates
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
the holiday season with favorite… St. Paul
Lutheran Church - Davenport, 7:30pm Fri
Dec 15
PAK Trio, Brown Bag Lunch concert with
the dynamic ensemble comprised of…
Bettendorf Public Library, noon Fri Dec 15
Camp Regret - Watermelon, an In-Store
Concert and After Hours Sale with 10
percent off all… Ragged Records & Trash
Can Annie, 6pm Sat Dec 16
Nova Singers: A Nova Christmas, the
professional vocal ensemble celebrates
the holiday season with favorite… First
Lutheran Church - Galesburg, 7:30pm Sat
Dec 16
Jump: The Ultimate Van Halen Tribute -
Big Hair Mafia, concert with the touring
tribute rockers, featuring a set by… The
Rust Belt, 8pm Sat Dec 16
Salsa Night w/ Sonora Sazon De
Antano, concert featuring spicy energy
and grooves of salsa, cha cha,… The
Redstone Room, 7pm Sat Dec 16
Freddy Allen Christmas Concert, for
information, call 309-373-5080… Hauberg
Civic Center Mansion, Sat Dec 16 and Sun
Dec 17
A Very Brassy Christmas w/ the Big
River Brass Band, a concert of holiday
favorites played by brass, percussion,
and… St. Paul Lutheran Church -
Davenport, 3pm Sun Dec 17
Gospel Sunday: Jerry Johnson & the
Voices of the QC - Jovonta Patton, $5-
80; for information, call 563-326-1333…
The Redstone Room, 6pm Sun Dec 17
Mom Rock, concert with the touring indie
rockers; $12… Raccoon Motel, 7pm Sun
Dec 17
Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz Series:
Polyrhythms Trio + 2, experience the
festive holiday cheer of the Polyrhythms
Trio (Manuel… Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of the Quad Cities, 5pm Sun
Dec 17
Michael W. Smith: Christmas, the
contemporary-Christian singing/
songwriting legend has written and
recorded more than three dozen chart-
topping songs, been honored with three
Grammy Awards and 45 Dove Awards,
one American Music Award, was inducted
into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and
has sold more than 15 million albums; $58-
78; for tickets, call 800-745-3000; Adler
Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA,
AdlerTheatre.com, 7pm Mon Dec 18
Songwriters Roundtable, join area
songwriters for an informal exchange of
musical ideas… Common Chord, 6pm
Mon Dec 18
Country Christmas w/ Angela Meyer
& JD Aguilera, holiday concert with the
beloved area singer/songwriters; with $50
gift… Raccoon Motel, 6pm Wed Dec 20
Feature Artist Nite, free; for information,
call 563-326-1333… Zeke’s Island Cafe,
8pm Thu Dec 21
Ellis Kell’s Winter Blues Camp Concert,
culminating concert with the students
who have learned the forms,… The
Redstone Room, 7pm Fri Dec 29
Sevendust - 10 Years - Burden of the
Sky - CORE, concert with the Grammy-
nominated, Billboard-charting rockers,
featuring sets by 10… The Rust Belt, 8pm
Sat Dec 30
NYE Celebration featuring Belladiva,
this dynamic 10-piece show band features
an accomplished ensemble of singers and
musicians who cover a wide variety of
music from pop, R&B, rock, country, and
disco; the buffet will be open from 3:30-
9:30pm for $34.99 per person; for tickets
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE.
Luminare Christmas @ Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center - December 10
and information, call 563-328-8000;
Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center,
7077 Elmore Ave., RhythmCityCasino.com,
Davenport IA, 10pm Fri Dec 1
New Year’s Rockin’ Reunion: A Tribute
to Buddy Holly & Friends, touring tribute
artist Todd Meredith performs alongside
Tristan Tapscott and Steve… Circa ’21
Dinner Playhouse, 9:15pm Sun Dec 31
LITERARY ARTS
Woman Suffrage and Citizenship in the
Midwest, 1870-1920, a discussion of Sara
Egge’s book in the “2023 Iowa History…
7pm Thu Nov 30
Jan Brett’s Winter Wonderland
Tour with Prairie Lights Books, the
bestselling author and illustrator makes a
stop on her… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 10am Sat Dec 2
Last Night at the Lobster, a discussion
of Stewart O’Nan’s book with the Adult
Book… LeClaire Community Library,
6:30pm Mon Dec 4
The Nest Book Club, we’ll not only
take part in a storytime and activity,…
Davenport Public Library - Fairmount
Street Branch, 2pm Mon Dec 4
Wrong Place Wrong Time, a discussion
of Gilliam McAllister’s book with the
Alpha Book… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 1pm Mon Dec 4
Pageturners, books are provided on a
first-come, first-served basis; free; for…
Moline Public Library, 1pm Tue Dec 5
All My Rage, a discussion of Kaitlyn Sabaa
Tahir’s book with the See… Davenport
Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch,
6:30pm Wed Dec 6
Candlelight Holiday Special featuring The Nutcracker and More
@ Spotlight Theatre - December 15
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
Rooting Out Poverty Book Club: Book
Club Social, we’ll share snacks and
refreshments and talk about plans for…
Moline Public Library, 6:30pm Wed Dec 6
Five Decembers, a discussion of James
Kestrel’s book with the Mystery Book…
Bettendorf Public Library, 9:30am Sat Dec
9 Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch,
A Christmas Tragedy, discussion of
Agatha Christie’s short story with the
Shorts &… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 10am Mon Dec
11
What’s Mine & Yours, a discussion of
Naima Coster’s book with the West End…
Davenport Public Library - Fairmount
Street Branch, 6:30pm Tue Dec 12
Yellow Cab, a discussion of Benoît
Cohen’s book with the Get Lit…
Bettendorf Public Library, 7pm Tue Dec 12
Mrs. Everything, a discussion of Jennifer
Weiner’s book with the Between the…
Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue
Branch, 6:30pm Wed Dec 13
Adult DIY: Write a Letter, adults are
invited to join us to design a card…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch,
4pm Thu Dec 14
Book ’Em Mystery Book Group, we will
be meeting in the Gold Room; joining us
virtually… Moline Public Library, 1pm Tue
Dec 19
Detransition, Baby, a discussion of Torrey
Peters’ book with the Read with Pride
Book Club,… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 6:30pm Tue Dec
19
A Holly Jolly Diwali, a discussion
of Sonya Lalli’s book with the Novel
Naptime… Moline Public Library, 9:30am
Wed Dec 20
11
Hamnet, a discussion of Maggie
O’Farrell’s book with the Contemporary
Books… Bettendorf Public Library, 1pm
Wed Dec 20
Libertie, a discussion of Kaitlyn
Greenidge’s novel with the Brown Bag
Book… Davenport Public Library - Eastern
Avenue Branch, 1pm Wed Dec 20
The Island at the Center of the World,
a discussion of Russell Shorto’s book with
the Contemporary Books… Bettendorf
Public Library, 6:30pm Wed Dec 20
Loving Frank, discussion of Nancy
Horan’s book with the Overbooked Book
Club; free;… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 6:30pm Thu Dec
21
Make the Connection: A DEI Book Club,
a book club that will select literature that
will spark… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 6:30pm Tue Dec
26
Pageturners, a contemporary fiction and
nonfiction book discussion group that
meets… Moline Public Library, 1pm Tue
Jan 2
We Are Not Free, a discussion of Traci
Chee’s book with the See YA… Davenport
6:30pm Wed Jan 3
THEATRE
Middletown, Will Eno’s vignettes
exploring the universe of a small
American… Scott Community College’s
Black Box Theatre, thru Sun Dec 3
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Ken
Ludwig’s family musical-comedy inspired
by the classic holiday poem;… Circa ’21
Dinner Playhouse, thru Sat Dec 23
Almost, Maine, John Cariani’s comedy of
eccentric, romantic vignettes, directed by
Kathy… Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 7:30pm
Fri Dec 1 thru Sat Dec 2
A Christmas Carol: The Musical, stage
adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday
classic;, directed by Adam… The Spotlight
Theatre, Fri Dec 1 thru Sun Dec 10
A Christmas Story: The Musical, Tony-
nominated stage adaptation of the 1983
holiday classic, directed by… Circa ’21
Dinner Playhouse, Fri Dec 1 thru Sat Dec
30
Million Dollar Quartet Christmas,
holiday sequel to “Million Dollar Baby”
in which Johnny Cash,… Timber Lake
Playhouse, Fri Dec 1 thru Sun Dec 10
The Ho Ho Ho Show, holiday-themed
musical comedy with lyrics by Cheryl
Coons, and music… The Black Box
Theatre, Thu Dec 7 thru Sun Dec 17
Auditions: Thrill Me: The Leopold and
Loeb Story and Jane Eyre: The Musical,
auditions for “Thrill Me,” the musical by
Stephen Dolginoff based on… The Black
Box Theatre, 1pm Sun Dec 10
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:
The Musical, family-friendly musical
adventure that teaches us that what
makes you different can be what makes
you special; $35-65; for tickets, call 800-
745-3000; Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St.,
Davenport IA, AdlerTheatre.com, 7pm Fri
Dec 22
DANCE
Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance
Classes, offering classes in Ballet Pointe,
Modern, Jazz, Tap, Conditioning, Creative
Continued On Page 12
 12
CONTINUED River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
Dance
Movement, and Adult Ballet, for ages 3 to
adult; all classes taught by the company’s
professional dancers; for information and
to register, call 309-786-2677; Ballet Quad
Cities School of Dance, 1611 Fifth Ave,.,
Rock Island IUL, BalletQuadCities.com,
Thu Nov 30 thru Sun Jan 7
Native Pride Productions, exhibition
dance includes the Eagle dance, the Men’s
Grass Dance… Bettendorf Public Library,
1pm Tue Dec 5
Ballet Quad Cities’ The Nutcracker:
Student Matinee, Ballet Quad Cities
invites students to join us for an
educational matinée performance; Adler
Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA,
AdlerTheatre.com, 10am Fri Dec 8
Native Pride Productions, exhibition
dance includes the Eagle dance, the Men’s
Grass Dance… Galvin Fine Arts Center - St.
Ambrose University, 7pm Sat Dec 9
Ballet Quad Cities’ The Nutcracker,
a hallmark of the holiday season in the
Quad Cities for generations; we pull out
all the stops for this dazzling full-stage
production: a cast of 60, live music, falling
snow, colorful sets, and our sparkling
Sugar Plum Fairy; with music by Orchestra
Iowa; Sat. 2 & 7pm, Sun. 2pm; $18-36; for
information, call 309-786-3779; Adler
Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport IA,
AdlerTheatre.com, Sat Dec 9 thru Sun
Dec 10
Active Adult & Senior Holiday Dance,
coffee and snacks begin at 4pm, with live
classic country… Geneseo Community
Center, 4pm Sun Dec 10
Ballroom Dance w/ Lesson, hosted by
USA Dance on the third Friday of every…
CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 7pm Fri
Dec 15
Illinois Libraries Present: Virtual Royal
Ballet Performance of The Nutcracker,
get in the spirit of the… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, Sat Dec 16
and Sun Dec 17
Illinois Libraries Present: Virtual Royal
Ballet Performance of The Nutcracker,
get in the spirit of the… Silvis Public
Library, Sat Dec 16 and Sun Dec 17
COMEDY
A Date Night with Donny, a night of
comedy with Donny Townsend, the Quad
Cities’… Front Street Brewery, 7pm Thu
Nov 30
Comedy Open Mic Night, hosted by
Danny Franks; $5 admission; to sign up
to perform, e-mail Johnathan Condit at
Johnathan.condit@rhythmcitycasino.com;
Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room,
7077 Elmore Ave., RhythmCityCasino.com,
Davenport IA, :30pm Thu Nov 30
Ryan O’Flanagan, standup comedian
performs in the Tomfoolery on Tremont
series; $20… Renwick Mansion, 7pm Fri
Dec 1
ComedySportz Quad Cities, on Fridays
and Saturdays; the return of the Quad
Cities’… The Spotlight Theatre, 7pm Fri
Dec 1 thru Sat Jan 6
GIT Improv, the improv team began in
Rock Island in 1997 and… The Black Box
Theatre, 7:30pm Sat Dec 2
The Nightcaps Present: Shots &
Giggles, improv comedy and drinking
crash together into one hilarious
evening… The Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 8pm
Sat Dec 2
FREE ASSANGE.
Cara Chumbley, Mark McGinn, Ben Pisel, Bobby Becher, and Fulton Young in
A Christmas Story: The Musical - through December 30 at Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Clownvis, an evening with the character
who combines musical parody and…
Raccoon Motel, 7pm Wed Dec 13
The Big Room, tell us your best new jokes
or come have a… Village Theatre, 7pm
Wed Dec 13 thru Wed Dec 27
Wisenheimer, long-form improvisational
comedy with Leslie Mitchell, Jeff De Leon,
and Jen… The Black Box Theatre, 7:30pm
Fri Dec 15
Ed Bassmaster, at 7 & 9:30pm; Bassmaster
is the stage name of American YouTuber
Edwin Rodriguez; his YouTube channel
has more than 2.6 million subscribers
and runs comedy videos where, as
various characters, he pranks people or
puts people into awkward situations;
$30; for tickets and information, call
563-328-8000; Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
RhythmCityCasino.com, Davenport IA, Sat
Dec 16
Nate Bargatze, at 4 & 7pm; an evening
with the Grammy-nominated comedian
and podcaster on his “The Be Funny Tour”;
$39.75-79.75; for tickets, call 800-745-3000;
Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third St., Davenport
IA, AdlerTheatre.com, Sat Dec 16
The Nightcaps Present: Improvmania,
four talented improvisers take to the stage
to battle it… The Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 8pm
Sat Dec 16
MUSEUMS
Art from the Archives, the exhibit will
showcase pieces from our… German
American Heritage Center, Thu Nov 30
thru Sun Jan 7
Common Ground: Our Voice, Our
Stories, the permanent, regional-history
exhibit highlights the past,… Putnam
Museum & Science Center, Thu Nov 30
thru Sun Jan 7
Klassiks for Kinder: German Toys
with Joy, this exhibition celebrates and
showcases the wide… German American
Heritage Center, Thu Nov 30 thru Sun
Jan 7
Tails from Tales: Storybook Beasts, this
enchanting exhibit features real animals
from… Putnam Museum & Science Center,
Thu Nov 30 thru Sun Jan 7
Christkindlmarkt Holiday Craft Fair,
local vendors will gather at the GAHC&M
just in time… German American Heritage
Center, 10am Sat Dec 9
Polar Express Pajama Party, children of
all ages can take part… Putnam Museum
& Science Center, Thu Dec 14 thru Sun
Dec 17
Know More. Do More.
Bremen Town Musicians Performance
and Workshop, Eulenspiegel Puppets
presents a new adaptation of “The
Bremen Town… German American
Heritage Center, 1pm Sat Dec 16
History on Tap, this adult learning event
serves up fascinating talks on a… Putnam
Museum & Science Center, 7pm Thu Dec
21
MOVIES
We’re Still Here: The Past & Present of
HIV in Our Country & Community, this
documentary by The Project of the Quad
Cities captures… Figge Art Museum,
6:30pm Thu Nov 30
Call for Entries: Cedar Rapids
Independent Film Festival, the festival
is now accepting entries statewide,
nationwide,… Collins Road Theatres, Thu
Nov 30 thru Sun Jan 7
Socrates, a screening in the Filmosofia
series, the aim of the… Rozz-Tox, 7pm
Wed Dec 6
The Last Picture House Opening
Celebration, celebrate the opening of
Davenport’s boutique cinema and cocktail
lounge, an art-deco-inspired… The Last
Picture House, Sat Dec 9
Her, a Film at the Figge screening of the
Oscar-winning Spike… Figge Art Museum,
6:30pm Thu Dec 14
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, screening of the
animated holiday classic based on “How
the… Timber Lake Playhouse, 7pm Sat
Dec 16
Movie Monday, enjoy snacks and relax
with a Monday Movie screening in… Rock
Island Public Library - Watts-Midtown
Branch, 5:15pm Mon Dec 18
Urban Exposure Film Night, celebrate
with student filmmakers while viewing
featured films; Urban Exposure… Figge
Art Museum, 5pm Tue Dec 19
The Shop Around the Corner, screening
of the Jimmy Stewart/Margaret Sullivan
romantic comedy that inspired… Rozz-
Tox, 7pm Fri Dec 22
Anime Movie Fest, Anime Movie Fest
kicks off with a mysterious castle, a… Rock
Island Public Library - Watts-Midtown
Branch, 5:30pm Thu Dec 28
Family Sing-Along Movie Night, for
information on which movie we will be
showing please… Silvis Public Library,
4:30pm Thu Dec 28
Anime Movie Fest, our 10am showing
is by one of Japan’s most famous… Rock
Island Public Library - Watts-Midtown
Branch, 10am Fri Dec 29
RCReader.com/Calendar.
SPORTS
5th Annual Army vs. Navy Flag Football
Game, attendees are advised to bring
lawn chairs for seating and… Rock Island
Arsenal Memorial Field, 1pm Fri Dec 1
Quad City Storm vs. Pensacola Ice
Flyers, hockey match with the Quad
Cities’ professional minor-league team;
for… Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 7:10pm
Fri Dec 8 and Sat Dec 9
Quad City Storm vs. Peoria Rivetmen,
hockey match with the Quad Cities’
professional minor-league team; for…
Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 7:10pm Fri
Dec 15
WWE Live Holiday Tour Supershow,
don’t miss World Heavyweight Champion
Seth “Freakin” Rollins, the American…
Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 7:30pm Sat
Dec 16
Quad City Storm vs. Peoria Rivermen,
hockey match with the Quad Cities’
professional minor-league team; for…
Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 6:10pm Tue
Dec 26
Quad City Storm vs. Evansville
Thunderbolts, hockey match with the
Quad Cities’ professional minor-league
team; for… Vibrant Arena at the MARK,
7:10pm Fri Dec 29 and Sat Dec 30
OTHER EVENTS
Miracle at the Freight House, featuring
festive original cocktails, over-the-top
decorations, and… Freight House, Thu
Nov 30 thru Sun Dec 31
Arrowhead Youth and Family Services
Music Bingo Night, test your music
knowledge and win prizes; participants
will be… Laborers’ Local Union 309 Hall,
7pm Fri Dec 1
Viva La Divas, the premier drag show in
the area showcasing the best… The Circa
’21 Speakeasy, 8pm Fri Dec 1
Magnificent Mansion Tour, on Fridays; a
small-group guided tour of the mansion;
learn… Hauberg Civic Center Mansion,
1pm Fri Dec 1 thru Fri Jan 5
Mechanical Tour, on Fridays; learn about
the mechanicals of the Hauberg Estate,…
Hauberg Civic Center Mansion, 6pm Fri
Dec 1 thru Fri Jan 5
Christmas in Silvis, also at the downtown
Fire Station; first, join the library… Silvis
Public Library, 3pm Sat Dec 2
SBC Coat Drive, on Saturdays; weekly
fundraiser for the SBC Outreach Music &
Arts… Second Baptist Church Family Life
Center, 10am Sat Dec 2 thru Sat Dec 9
Bettendorf Public Library Chess Club,
an all-ages and all-skill-levels chess club;
free; for information, call… Bettendorf
Public Library, 1:30pm Sat Dec 2 thru Sat
Dec 30
19th Century Christmas, activities are
located at both Butterworth Center and
at Deere-Wiman… Butterworth Center,
noon Sun Dec 3
Winter in Bloom, annual holiday event
featuring carriage rides from noon-4pm,
a visit… Hauberg Civic Center Mansion,
10am Sun Dec 3
Spice Up Your Life, try a new spice, which
will be provided to you;… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch,
2pm Tue Dec 5
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
Warmup Wednesday, on Wednesdays;
come in to Main Street for a
complimentary… Davenport Public
Library - Main Branch, 3pm Wed Dec 6
thru Wed Jan 3
Maneater Live, an evening with the stars
of Netflix’s non-fiction outdoors hunting
television series;… Capitol Theatre, 8pm
Sat Dec 9
The Last Picture House Opening
Celebration, celebrate the opening of
Davenport’s boutique cinema and cocktail
lounge, an art-deco-inspired… The Last
Picture House, Sat Dec 9
Season of Light Planetarium Show,
thru Dec. 15; the annual event tells the
story of how… John Deere Planetarium
- Augustana College, Sat Dec 9 thru Fri
Dec 15
Bunco with Friends of River Valley
District Library, have some fun playing
Bunco; for information, call 309-523-
3440… River Valley District Library, 1pm
Wed Dec 13
Cirque Dreams Holidaze, this annual
tradition wraps a Broadway-style
production around an infusion of
contemporary circus arts; for tickets, call
800-745-3000; Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third
St., Davenport IA, AdlerTheatre.com,
:30pm Wed Dec 13
120th Birthday Party of the Downtown
Building, join us for cookies, coffee, and
memories in celebration; free;… Rock
Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
2pm Fri Dec 15
Manscape Burlesque, enjoy a night of
strip tease, comedy, and the men… The
Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 8pm Fri Dec 15
Bingo, bring your family and friends for
an hour of bingo… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 4pm Sat
Dec 16
Bettendorf Public Library Chess Club,
an all-ages and all-skill-levels chess club;
free; for information, call… Bettendorf
Public Library, 1:30pm Sat Dec 16
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 13
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 11:30am
Sat Dec 2 VISUAL ARTS
Scott County Iowa Genealogical
Society: Solving a Brick Wall with DNA
– A Case Study, offered through Legacy
Humphrey Hill, Lennox, & Williams
Family Tree Webinars, this presentation is Through Tuesday, January 2
presented by… Davenport Public Library -
Main Branch, 1pm Sat Dec 2 Quad City International Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Avenue, Moline IL
Introduction to the Illinois Long-
Term Care Ombudsman Program, an
introductory presentation about the
Illinois Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Program;… Rock Island Public Library -
Southwest Branch, 3pm Mon Dec 4
Learn How to Use Mango Languages,
to celebrate Learn a Foreign Language
Month, join us for… Davenport Public
Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 6:30pm
Mon Dec 4
Drop-in Computer Skills & Job
Search Assistance w/ Goodwill of the
Heartland, on Tuesdays; if you’re looking
for assistance with computer skills… Rock
Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
4pm Tue Dec 5 thru Tue Dec 19
Illinois Libraries Present: Surviving the
Holidays with Lori Gottlieb, Gottlieb is
a psychotherapist and New York Times
bestselling author… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 7pm Wed
Dec 6
Illinois Libraries Present: Surviving the
Holidays with Lori Gottlieb, Gottlieb is
a psychotherapist and New York Times
bestselling author… Silvis Public Library,
7pm Wed Dec 6
Community Connections – Quad Cities
Beer: A History, join authors Michael
McCarty and Kristin DeMarr as they
celebrate… Bettendorf Public Library,
1:30pm Fri Dec 8
What the Caregiver Needs to Care for
Creation, led by Fr. Mike Schaab; you
are not alone in… Our Lady of the Prairie
Retreat, 5pm Fri Dec 8
The Created Tension: Advent Retreat,
led by Dr. Ken Novak; learn how to hold
the… Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, 9am
Cheryl Lennon's Death of the Bee

Death Cafe, people, often strangers,
gather to eat treats, drink coffee, and…
Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue
Branch, 5:30pm Wed Dec 20
Formal Wear Dropoff, donate clean
and gently used formal wear to the
Davenport… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 9am Fri Dec 22
Formal Wear Dropoff, donate clean
and gently used formal wear to the
Davenport… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 9am Sat Dec 30
Bettendorf Public Library Chess Club,
an all-ages and all-skill-levels chess club;
free; for information, call… Bettendorf
Public Library, 1:30pm Sat Dec 30
NYE 2024: Prom through the Decades,
with dinner from Zeke’s Island Cafe, a
limited open bar,… Renwick Mansion,
8pm Sun Dec 31
LECTURES
Common Ground: Our Voice, Our
Stories, we’ll take a peek inside of
Putnam’s new regional history…
Bettendorf Public Library, 1:30pm Thu
Nov 30
God Does Extraordinary Things
Through Ordinary People, led by Sr.
Lillian Stevens; listen to people who
have… Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat,
6pm Thu Nov 30
German Winter Holiday Traditions, join
our friends from the German American
Heritage Center on… Davenport Public
Sun Dec 10
Historic Architecture: Old Friends Are
Worth Keeping, the focus of this video is
the emphasis of why… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 2pm Tue Dec
12
Biblical Reflection for Spiritual
Enrichment, led by Rev. Prof. Matthew J.
M. Coomber, Ph.D; for… Our Lady of the
Prairie Retreat, 10am Sat Dec 16
Pathways to the Divine, explore the core
and depth of one of the world’s… Our
Lady of the Prairie Retreat, 6pm Mon Dec
18
Centennial 2024 Sneak Peek: Find Out
What’s Coming Up for the Library’s
100-year Celebration, the Silvis Public
Library’s Centennial Celebration 2024 is
almost here,… Silvis Public Library, 6pm
Mon Dec 18
Nature and Forest Therapy with the
Winter Solstice, join us to honor the
Solstice and experience the practice…
Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, 5pm Thu
Dec 21
Deepening Our Relationship with
God and Others Through Our Stories,
Fridays thru Jan. 26; led by Diane M. Millis;
discover… Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat,
11am Fri Jan 5
Continued On Page 14
W
orks by three gifted Midwest-
ern artists who employ tradi-
tional homemaking skills such as
sewing, knitting, and embellishing to create
higher artforms are on display at the Quad
City International Airport Gallery through
January 2, with the gallery’s latest collection
boasting knitted portraits by Faith Hum-
phrey Hill, art quilts by Cheryl Lennox, and
beaded sculpture by Michelle Williams.
Faith Humphrey Hill presents an optimis-
tic view of technology’s impact on human
identity and relationships through her
knitted portraits of strangers. In her work,
she finds the commonalities between all of
humanity. Humphrey Hill employs knit-
ting, a form of binary code, to symbolize our
interconnectedness through its continuous
fiber flow, utilizing both new and modi-
fied machines. Her artwork bridges the gap
between the organic and inorganic, reveal-
ing a profound reflection of the modern
human experience.
Cheryl Lennox, an artist with a profound
dedication to environmental consciousness,
presents her Addressing the Earth series – a
collection of repurposed clothing delicately
integrated into quilted backgrounds. Her
passion for traditional sewing techniques,
coupled with an advocacy for sustain-
able practices, shines through Lennox’s
meticulous layering of fabrics, stitching, and
natural dyes, inviting viewers to contemplate
urgent global issues such as climate change
and fast fashion.
Michelle Williams is a mixed-media fiber
artist currently exploring beaded sculpture,
and her art is a continuous internal explora-
tion, using glass beads’ reflective nature and
historical significance. She employs beading
as a medium, recognizing its unhurried pro-
cess as an avenue for introspection, enabling
her to delve into the intricate layers of
human experience. Williams’ sculptures are
intricately layered and often feature quartz
crystals, infusing them with a compelling
energy. Along with those of Humphrey Hill
and Lennox, Williams’ pieces contain mes-
sages about our connectedness to each other,
the earth, and our history.
The Quad City Arts International Airport
Gallery is located opposite the airport’s
gift shop and restaurant, there is a $1 fee
for parking, and more information on the
Humphrey Hill, Lennox, & Williams exhibit
on display through January 2 is available by
calling (309)793-1213 and visiting
QuadCityArts.com.
14 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
VISUAL ARTS
Peter Xiao: A Room That One Is In
(And All Things In It)
Saturday, December 9, through Sunday, April 7
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Peter Xiao's Carry (Hexagon), 2023. Acrylic on canvas.
A
beloved, longtime Augustana
College Professor of Art and the
college’s Paul A. Anderson Chair in
the Arts who is also a gifted, prolific artist in
his own right, Peter T. Xiao enjoys his first
solo exhibition at the Figge Art Museum in
the venue’s A Room That One Is In (And All
Things In It), an installation of recent paint-
ings on display from December 9 through
April 7.
A student of art and art history, Xiao
blends and bends Renaissance concepts
of perspective and color and our evolving
understanding of how we see the world
around us. Through his paintings, he
encourages us to explore the link between
art and the world we inhabit. With his studio
as inspiration, Xiao synthesizes the space
which he inhabits onto painted views of
multi-panel intersecting planes of canvas
which wrap around corners and bend up
to the ceiling. Including more than 15 new
large scale paintings, the Figge’s first-floor
Gildehaus Gallery will be awash in a swirl
of color and forms, providing viewers with
visual insight into his creative practice.
Xiao describes his installation of paintings
by saying, “From walls and things that wrap
around me, I explore modernist approaches
to the picture plane.” His floor painting Rise
Ye Point, Line and Plane explores the idea of
a chair (absent the sitter) and its dimensional
“lift” through the viewer’s associations
with the chair’s purpose. Xiao’s innovative
approach, a “walk-around playground” as
he describes it, helps us to better understand
FREE ASSANGE.
the differences between how we see the
world with our eyes and experience it with
our bodies.
Born in Beijing, Peter Tong Xiao grew up
during China’s Cultural Revolution. The
year Chairman Mao died, Xiao was farm-
ing on a People’s Commune outside the
capital and narrowly escaped injury when
the stone wall tumbled onto his mud-baked
bed during the Tangshan earthquake. A
year later, he passed a national exam to
enter the Beijing Normal University to study
English. In his junior year, following his
father’s participation in University of Iowa’s
International Writers’ Program as the first
Chinese writer, Xiao transferred to Coe
College in Cedar Rapids, where the man
formerly referred to as “Tong” first began
going by “Peter,” a name given by his English
“godmother” Tina Bailey. After completing
a BA in fine arts and English at Coe, Xiao
went on to Temple University for his MFA in
painting, was employed by the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, taught art part-time, and
exhibited in Philadelphia, New York, and at
Chicago’s Art Expo.
Peter Xiao: A Room That One Is In (And
All Things In It) will be on display from
December 9 through April 7, with regular
museum hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays
through Saturdays (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on
Thursdays) and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Museum admission is $4-10, and more
information is available by calling (563)326-
7804 and visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
Know More. Do More.
MEETINGS
Quad Cities Social Action Committee,
for information, e-mail e-fellowship@
hotmail.com; help protest unfair
treatment of the elderly… Sippi’s Fine
Food and Cocktails, 12:30pm Fri Dec 1
Bettendorf City Council Committee of
the Whole Meeting, recorded meetings
can be seen at Bettendorf.org or City’s
Cable… Bettendorf City Hall, 5pm Mon
Dec 4 and Mon Dec 18
East Moline City Council Regular
Meeting / Committee of the Whole
Meeting, meets on the 1st and 3rd
Monday of every month;… East Moline
Council Chambers at City Hall, 6:30pm
Mon Dec 4 and Mon Dec 18
Bend of the River Quad Cities Pilot
Club, on the 1st Tue. of the month; Pilot
International transforms… Hickory
Gardens Family Restaurant, Tue Dec 5
Midwest Corvettes Club Monthly
Meeting, join us to discuss Corvettes,
friends, and community … Eriksen
Chevrolet - Milan, 6:30pm Tue Dec 5
Bettendorf City Council Meeting,
recorded meetings can be seen at
Bettendorf.org or City’s Cable…
Bettendorf City Hall, 7pm Tue Dec 5 and
Tue Dec 19
Scott County Board of Supervisors
Committee of the Whole Meeting, the
board will review legislative actions,
administrative items, and contracts; for…
Scott County Administrative Center, 8pm
Tue Dec 5 and Tue Dec 19
Silvis City Council Meeting, held on the
1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month;… Silvis
City Hall, 6:30pm Tue Dec 5 and Tue Dec
19
Coal Valley City Hall Meeting, held on
the first and third Wednesdays of each
month;… Coal Valley Village Hall, 6pm
Wed Dec 6
Davenport City Council Committee of
the Whole Meeting, the Davenport City
Council meets on the first and third…
Davenport City Hall, 5:30pm Wed Dec 6
and Wed Dec 20
Scott County Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting, activities may include
voting on actions and conducting public
hearings;… Scott County Administrative
Center, 5pm Thu Dec 7 and Thu Dec 21
Quad Cities Mississippi Valley Ski and
Social Club (QCMVSC) Meeting, on
the second Monday of the month; most
meetings include… Ross’ Restaurant, 7pm
Mon Dec 11
Rock Island City Council Meeting, Public
Comment is held at the beginning of City
Council… Rock Island City Hall, 6:45pm
Mon Dec 11
Moline City Council Committee of the
Whole Meeting / Regular Meeting,
meets in Council Chambers; the formal
City Council meeting is… Moline City Hall,
6pm Tue Dec 12 and Tue Dec 26
Riverdale City Council Meeting, held on
the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month;…
Riverdale City Hall, 7pm Tue Dec 12 and
Tue Dec 26
Historical Society Meeting, meeting
upstairs, all welcome; free; for
information, call 309-523-3440… River
Valley District Library, 7pm Wed Dec 13
Rock Island Committee of the Whole
Meeting, held on the 2nd Wednesday
of the month (subject to… Rock Island
County Office Building, 5:30pm Wed Dec
13
RCReader.com/Calendar.
Davenport City Council Meeting, the
Davenport City Council meets on the first
and third… Davenport City Hall, 5:30pm
Wed Dec 13 and Wed Dec 27
Library Board of Trustees Meeting,
free; for information, call 563-344-4175…
Bettendorf Public Library, 5pm Thu Dec
14
Moline Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting, agendas are available prior to
the meetings; minutes are available…
Moline Public Library, noon Thu Dec 14
Rock Island County Board Regular
Meeting, all meetings are open to the
public, but may be… Rock Island County
Office Building, 5:30pm Tue Dec 19
Rock Island Public Library Board
of Trustees Meeting, agendas and
minutes are posted on our website in
accordance… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 5pm Tue Dec 19
Coal Valley City Council Meeting, held
on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month;… Coal Valley Village Hall, 6pm
Wed Dec 20
Bend of the River Quad Cities Pilot
Club, on the 1st Tue. of the month; Pilot
International transforms… Hickory
Gardens Family Restaurant, Tue Jan 2
HEALTH
Winter Wellness Event, geared toward
aiding individuals encountering housing
challenges by providing crucial services…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch,
9:30am Mon Dec 4
Yoga, on Tuesdays; for all levels of
experience; the instructor has… River
Valley District Library, 5:30pm Tue Dec 5
thru Tue Dec 26
Quad Cities Eating Disorders Support
Group, on Wednesdays; for people with
eating disorders and their family… Trinity
Enrichment Center, 6pm Wed Dec 6 thru
Wed Dec 27
Why Do I Hurt and What Can I Do About
It?, in our Health & Wellness series, Holly
Wilkinson, PT, MPT, OCS,… Silvis Public
Library, 10am Fri Dec 8
Cultivating Mindfulness, with instructor
Becky Nakashima Brooke; join us to
cultivate mindfulness… Figge Art
Museum, 5:30pm Sun Dec 17
Parkinson’s Support Group, Augustana
College’s Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders invites the…
Betsey Brodahl Building, Augustana
College, 2:30pm Tue Dec 19
SENIORS
Scott & Rock Island Counties
Bob Gaston New Horizons Band
Practice, on Thursdays; membership is
$160 a year or $15 every month;… CASI
(Center for Active Seniors), 12:30pm thru
Thu Dec 28
Card Embroidery, on Thursdays; learn
how to create fun embroidery greeting
cards; membership… CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 9am thru Thu Dec 28
Hand and Foot, on Thursdays;
membership is $160 a year or $15 every
month;… CASI (Center for Active Seniors),
1pm thru Thu Dec 28
Line Dancing, on Thursdays; membership
is $160 a year or $15 every… CASI (Center
for Active Seniors), 10am thru Thu Dec 28
Continued On Page 23
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
COVER STORY
Picture This!
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Bring the Communal Film
Experience to Davenport with the Last Picture House
A
s a dyed-in-the-wool cinephile, I
love going to Iowa City’s downtown
FilmScene venues. I truly do. For just
over a decade, FilmScene has been the only
option within reasonable driving distance for
acclaimed independent and foreign works, to
say nothing of older specialty and repertory
titles, that tend to not show up in the Quad
Cities, and nearly film for film, your fellow
patrons want to enjoy the communal nature
of moviegoing alongside others who also
relish that increasingly uncommon experi-
ence. (On several occasions, I’ve enjoyed
post-screening conversations about whatever
we just watched with people I’d never before
met.) Even when I don’t like, or downright
loathe, a FilmScene offering, I’m always
happy to make the trip. I also wish the trip
didn’t require a two-hour commute.
Enter Scott Beck and Bryan Woods,
the acclaimed filmmakers and Bettendorf
natives whose new two-screen theater the
Last Picture House (located at 325 East
Second Street in downtown Davenport)
is currently presenting a soft launch, and
will enjoy its grand-opening celebration on
Friday, December 9. Thirty-nine-year-old
best friends whose area production com-
pany Bluebox Limited released a number of
wonderful indies and landed its co-founders a
development deal with MTV Films, Beck and
Woods – who, alongside their spouses, share
residencies in Iowa and Los Angeles – boast
a writing/directing filmography that includes
the 2015 freakout Nightlight, 2019’s horror
outing Haunt, and this past spring’s science-
fiction thriller 65 starring Adam Driver. As
screenwriters, they also delivered (with Mark
Heyman) a hit Stephen King adaptation in
this summer’s The Boogeyman, as well as
(with John Krasinski) an unassuming little
aliens-invade trifle in 2018’s The Quiet Place,
which netted $341 million against a $17 mil-
lion budget, led to two sequels (the second
one arriving in 2024), and scored Beck and
Woods a nomination for a Writers Guild of
America Award.
Clearly, these deservedly lauded home-
grown talents are In Demand, which makes it
all the more impressive and special that they
would dedicate time, money, and resources
to giving the Quad Cities what we’ve sorely
lacked: a beautiful, conveniently located
establishment devoted to the collective mov-
iegoing experience that will provide, as Beck
and Woods insist, something for everyone,
and on a weekly basis.
On November 19, River Cities’ Reader
publisher Todd McGreevy and I were kindly
granted a tour of the new venue that came
into being with the aid of Beck’s and Woods’
partners Pete Stopulos, Jens Baker, Julia
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE.
By Mike Schulz
Glausi, and Scott’s wife Christy Beck. The
filmmaking duo also shared information
and recollections as we covered both Last
Picture House floors and its rooftop. Their
conversation has been edited and condensed
for clarity.
The Concept
Like many locals who craved a haven for
fellow film fans, Beck and Woods spent much
of the early-to-mid-2000s at Rock Island’s
two Brew & View venues founded by Devin
Hansen. By 2006, however, both venues had
closed, and the area was without an establish-
ment that housed specialty titles and screen-
ings of older movies until 2013. And even then,
that venue – Iowa City’s FilmScene – was
nearly an hour’s drive from the Quad Cities.
Scott Beck: We were interested in having
the social aspect of cinema come back. And
so when we were originally coming up with
the idea for the Last Picture House, it was like,
how do we make cinema-going a non-trans-
actional experience? Meaning, you’re not just
going in to see a movie, buying your conces-
sions, and getting out: How do we make it an
experience that feels communal? We wanted
to do something that harkened back to
growing up here in the Quad Cities – seeing
a movie with our friends on a Friday night
and being able to really engage in a conversa-
tion about what we just saw. And do that in a
setting hat has an artistic bent to it and caters
toward people of all ages.
Our programming is certainly geared
toward that. We’ll show first-run movies,
but also have repertory screenings and cult
movies and classics and family films and
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
Provided rendering pre-construction.
late-night horror and grindhouse-type flicks.
We’re trying to paint with all the colors in
our canvas to really make sure that it hits this
degree of cinema that we loved living in L.A.
for the longest time. We loved the Brew &
View, and all the programming that Devin
Hansen did there hit us like … . How old were
we at the time?
Bryan Woods: It must have been high
school.
Scott: Yeah, high school, college.
Bryan: I remember seeing a midnight
screening of Fight Club there. And in the
lobby, they’d have, like, Evil Dead 2 playing
on their TV set. It was just a movie lover’s
place to go, and it’s been sorely missed.
Scott: As far as we know, we’re only the
third quote-unquote “art-house cinema” in
Iowa, behind FilmScene in Iowa City and
The Varsity [Cinema] in Des Moines that just
opened up. They’ve been incredible partners.
[Executive director and co-founder] Andrew
Sherburne and his team at FilmScene been
a great resource. It’s been almost four years
now that we’ve been in the process of making
this happen, and they’ve been incredible part-
ners in figuring out what’s working, what’s
not working, and how we do this in the Quad
15
Cities – which really only has Cinemark and
the multiplex experience now, which is miles
away from what we’re trying to do in this
space.
It’s been a learning curve, but an exciting
one for us, because we only know how to
make movies. To exhibit movies is a totally
different experience.
The Lobby and
Concession/Lounge Area
With the Davenport venue located on the
corner of Iowa Street and East Second Street
and named after director Peter Bogdanovich’s
Oscar-winning 1971 debut The Last Picture
Show, the Last Picture House boasts a sizable,
inviting lobby featuring a curved bar and con-
cessions area, as well as an array of comfort-
able seating options. Soon, it will also feature a
wide variety of movie-themed artifacts ranging
from props to posters to a lighting fixture that
might require its own two hours to adequately
appreciate.
Bryan: When this [entryway] is finished,
there’ll be this really cool shadow-box facade
that’ll be holding a bunch of different movie
props – stuff that we’ve accrued over the
years. Like, we’ve got the nail-floorboard step
from A Quiet Place, which is from our own
collection. But we’ll also have all kinds of
movie props from crew members and stuff
that people are loaning us. That’ll be every-
where in the theater, not just here. But this
will be a feature of the entrance.
Scott: One of our favorite films growing
up that was instrumental was [M. Night]
Shymalan’s Unbreakable. It was a movie that
wasn’t very well-regarded at the time, but now
it’s accrued this cult-classic status. So we have
this Unbreakable clapper-board slate that’s
signed by Shymalan, Bruce Willis, Robin
Wright, Sam Jackson, the DP … . So we’ll
have things like that. These neat, one-of-a-
kind pieces we’re going to have displayed on
a rotating basis, and we’ll hopefully comple-
ment the Figge somehow and find a way to do
exhibitions here and also there.
On the wall, we’ll have a big, illuminated
Continued On Page 16
16 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 FREE ASSANGE. Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.

Jane Seberg Theatre with 48 seats. (l to r) Ryan Woods, Mike Schulz, Scott Beck.
Last Picture House sign. We’ll have our
marquee outside. And one of the pieces we’re
really excited about should be here by the end
of the year: We’ll have a 10-foot chandelier
hanging from the ceiling, and it’ll be made
up of more than 100 individual pieces of glass
that look like script pages. Bryan and I picked
out our favorite pages from our favorite
scripts and they’ll be imprinted on the glass.
So you can look at the chandelier and look
for, like, a page from The Godfather, or Paddy
Chayefsky’s Network. Our interior designer
showed us this idea, and we just ran with it.
We have a full concession stand, and a full
cocktail lounge where we can host events. The
lounge will be open even if you’re not seeing a
movie, as a place to just hang out if you want
to grab a drink. And we have these posters
that will start to get hung up this week. Bryan
and I have accumulated this collection of
vintage posters … .
Bryan: They’re all originals.
Scott: We have The Birds. All That Heaven
Allows from the late-’50s. Alfred Hitchcock’s
Rear Window. Wizard of Oz. Field of Dreams
– we absolutely had to have that one. And
then we’ve got The King of Comedy – one of
our favorite Martin Scorsese movies. So like
with the props, this’ll be a rotating exhibit. As
we acquire more, this place kind of becomes
the home for them.
Bryan: We’re trying to get them from
different countries, too. We’ve got Japanese
posters, French posters, Polish posters … .
Scott: I don’t know if you’re familiar with
Polish movie posters, but they’re the most
off-the-wall designs. Like if it’s Robocop, it’s
not going to look like a metallic cop in a suit.
It’s going to look like the strangest piece of art
where you have to cock your head and you’re
not sure what you’re looking at – but it’s
beautiful. We have a Polish poster of The Last
Picture Show, which is kind of our namesake,
that we’ll be putting up pretty soon.
The Auditoriums
Roughly 200 patrons can find seating
between the Last Picture House’s two audi-
toriums – each named after an Iowa-native
film star – at any given time, the theaters
themselves showcasing state-of-the-art sound
and projection systems along with wide, high-
backed seats. In the case of Studio One, there
are front-row reclining chairs and balcony
seating, with the black-and-deep-red color
scheme and pleated wall designs arresting even
when nothing is showing on-screen.
Scott: Studio Two is the smaller of our two
theaters. It seats, I think, 48, and we’re calling
this the Jean Seberg Theater, after the actress
from Iowa. Her career always had a slight
bent toward independent cinema – so with
the smaller, more intimate space, we thought
she would be a nice namesake. It’s outfit-
ted with 7.1 audio gear and laser projection,
Donna Reed Theatre projector booth with one digital and two 35mm projectors.
Donna Reed Theatre with 150 seats.
which we have in both auditoriums.
We’ll be rotating movies in and out,
whether it’s repertory films or some of our
first-runs, depending on what we’re screen-
ing. Independent film is definitely a focus –
getting films that don’t typically screen in the
Quad Cities. I remember when Parasite came
out in 2019 and I was trying to find a place to
see it here and it wasn’t at the Cinemark, and
I’m like, “God, that’s so frustrating!” I had to
drive either to Iowa City or Chicago to see it.
And Studio One is our larger theater. The
namesake for this one is Donna Reed, because
she had mainstream success and was also
an Iowa actor, and the capacity is about 150
between the main floor and the balcony.
Bryan: It’s outfitted with Dolby Atmos,
which the Cinemark doesn’t have – it’s like
the best sound in the area. Sound is so impor-
tant to us. It sounds phenomenal in here.
Scott: One of our early industry contacts
here was the sound designer Mac Smith. He’s
worked at Skywalker Sound for over two
decades.
Bryan: We met him when we were teenag-
ers. We were P.A.s on this movie that was shot
in the area called Iowa Boys, and that was the
first kind of big movie Scott and I worked
on, and we met Mac. He’s done some of our
movies and has always impressed on us the
importance of sound.
Scott: Mac worked with us on 65 and
Haunt, and he’s a great Midwest guy – he’s
from Nebraska. When we were figuring out
how to do the sound, we knew we wanted
the best sound possible, because that’s as
important as picture, if not more so. He was
like, “You have to go with Dolby Atmos.” And
walking in here today – because we’ve been
gone for the last three months – I can’t even
count how many speakers are in here. But it
sounds incredible.
Our whole thing was: How big a picture
can we fit into this space? I think it was built
around 1895, and it was like this boiler-
manufacturing sales place, and then marine
sales and auto sales throughout the years. So
our question was always: How do you fit the
biggest picture possible in here? This screen
is, I think, about 40 feet wide. And somewhat
selfishly, I think, for Bryan and I, we love
being immersed in a movie. So we were just
like, “Let’s go big.”
Bryan: You’re always disappointed when
the screen doesn’t go wall to wall. It does in
IMAX theaters, and I’m like, “Why is that
only in IMAX theaters? Can’t you go wall-to-
wall in any theater?”
Scott: We joke that the first row is “the
immersive row.” Because you’re close up, but
the seats recline, so you can sit back and kind
of take in the whole screen. It’s probably not
for everybody … .
Bryan: We wanted to avoid the recliner
seats everywhere else because, for us, reclin-
ers are a little too close to being in your
own home. We love the kind of old-school
seats where you’re sitting together and it’s a
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93. RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 17
community experience, you know what I’m
saying? We like feeling the audience as part
of us.
Again, it might not be for everybody. But
when I go to the Cinemark, which is a theater
I love and go to all the time, they have these
recliners and these, like, privacy walls. And
for us, we want to be with the audience. I don’t
want to feel like I’m in my own little bubble.
I can do that at home. So a big part of this is
trying to bring that experience back, because
it just doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
Scott: There were two things we had in
mind for the [auditorium’s] color scheme.
One, there’s something just classic about red
tied with cinema history. But we also didn’t
necessarily want to have all-red seats and
make it feel like an old AMC or something The Last Picture House at 325 E 2nd Street in downtown Davenport, Iowa during construction in summer 2023 and nearly completed during soft opening in November 2023.
where you could see popcorn stains.
We were also combining that with … Well,
any time we’re in a facility to finish a film, like
a coloring facility where you’re tweaking the
final color, those are like black-box theaters,
because you need to pay all your attention to
the screen and have no visual distractions. No
light leaking on the screen. So we wanted to
find a balance between those two things, and
our designers at Paradigm [Design] in Grand
Rapids [Michigan] took those ideas and ran
with them. They found what we felt was a
really interesting blend of art deco meets
modern – clashing those two things together
and finding ways to accent them. And we
definitely wanted to find a way to incorporate
a balcony. We just love the old-school nature
of balcony seating, and I think 40-some seats
are up there. We also have our digital projec-
tor in the middle and then two 35-millimeter we drove past this building, and at the time, I knew (Daytrotter and Raccoon Motel him, and he was like, “Hey, next time you’re
projection systems on both sides. I think the City of Davenport was storing entrepreneur) Sean Moeller a little bit, and back in Iowa, meet me at this address. I want
We also wanted to have a little bit of golf carts in it or something. We thought when we sat down for the first time in person, to talk to you about something.” He intro-
pop with the pleated pattern on the walls. it was such a cool building. It had the little I was telling him, “Yeah, it would be great to duced Bryan and myself to Pete and Jens,
Throughout the design process, which we roof covering, and we were like, “That would figure out how to have an art-house movie and was like, “Pete and Jens just bought this
really took the time on, there were versions make a great outdoor-bar space!” We thought theater here [in Davenport].” He filed that building, and they’re interested in hearing the
where it was just normal patterns. But we about it a few times, but never really actively away in his brain, and I think it was a few idea that you have to turn this into a movie
wanted to make this feel like a unique place pursued it. months later that Bryan and I got a call from theater.” And so it was just this great Quad
unto its own – that you haven’t quite been Cities connection and it steamrolled from
to this place. As time goes on, our goal is to Interior demolition at beginning of construction phase where the two theaters will be built. there.
bring back special guests and filmmakers that Of course, we then went through COVID,
have their own acclaim, and try to make a and there was that moment of “Are people
space that feels like a destination as much as going to go back to theaters? Can we safely
we can. Part of that is community, part of that return?” So it kind of went on pause for a
is what we’re screening here. But part of it is moment. But then it was, I think, early 2022
also trying to do educational outreach, and that things started getting in motion again.
just find a way to blend all of these goals we And Pete’s grandfather Jim Stopulus used to
have under one roof. We want to make it feel run movie theaters here in the Quad Cities.
really special. It’s in his blood. So it was this wonderful
confluence of interest and opportunity.
Our general manager Jameson is a projec-
The Building and Staff tionist, as well. He also worked the Sundance
A series of happy accidents and fortuitously Film Festival, and was a GM at a movie the-
timed meetings led to Beck’s and Woods’ ater in Telluride [Colorado]. We were lucky.
discovery of their new venue’s site, which led, He’s a fantastic guy. When we were looking
in turn, to the Last Picture House finding a at applications, there was always the question
uniquely qualified film fan to serve as general of “Is there anybody in the Quad Cities that’s
manager. gonna do this? Are there people from out-
Scott: It was kind of a crazy coincidence side?” And we actually ended up having a lot
how we found this place. My wife Christy is a of interest from people outside the state. We
partner in this, and we were driving around ended up flying Jameson here this summer
downtown – this was back in early 2019 – and and walked him through the space and our
just had this idea: Wouldn’t it be so cool to
have a unique cinema in the Quad Cities? So Continued On Page 18
18 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
vision, and then he walked us through his
vision for it. He’s a huge cinephile and there
was an immediate kinship there. But he also
knows the nuts and bolts of filmmaking from
working at the Sundance and Telluride Film
Festivals, and was able to facilitate all those
different hats that someone needs to wear for
this job. Because it does have a lot of different
components to it other than making sure the
movies run on time.
So right now, we have two full-time
employees, and a third as full-time from a
bar-management standpoint. We have the
GM Jameson, we have our assistant manager
Carlie Allison, and we have our bar manager
Alexa Parkin. Then we’ll have a handful of
concessions and usher staff, and that’ll grow
and flux with the seasons. In the summer sea-
sonal months, we’re hoping that the rooftop
will be a big draw for people to come out, so
I’m sure our staff will get bigger at that point.
The Rooftop
It’ll likely be springtime when Last Picture
House patrons can finally enjoy its benefits.
But the rooftop boasts a reasonably expansive
viewing area where films will be shown against
a screen mounted on a brick wall, drinks can
be consumed, guests can commune around a
fire pit, and movie lovers can appreciate one of
the Quad Cities’ best views of the Mississippi
River and beyond.
Scott: We have our screen that retracts
and our speaker system and our bar set-up.
We’ll have a fire pit. And then the views of the
Mississippi River and the Arsenal Bridge we
were really excited by. So we’ll open this up
contingent on the weather – but probably, at
the earliest, it’ll be maybe April of next year.
Unless we have a really mild winter. There are
so many different ideas we have because it’s a
flexible space. You know, the first-run movies
are great. But I think what we’re most excited
about is the specialty programming that we
can do, and how to make this a communal
experience. That’s really the main focus for
us: How do you inspire community through
films and cinema?
Bryan: My wife and I, our wedding was
a rooftop screening in Hollywood – that’s
where we got married. And in L.A., there’s
just so many beautiful rooftops events, and
that’s what sort of inspired this. It’ll be a fun
event space that people can rent out. Our
being here will, of course, be dependent on
our work schedule, but I know we’re gonna
wind up watching movies here all the time.
Scott: We’re here for the foreseeable future,
just to make sure everything is on track, and
just to be able to be hands-on. Even if it’s us
putting on name tags again and sweeping
popcorn – whatever needs to be done.
Bryan: Since the pandemic era of filmmak-
ing, now a lot of stuff we do is remote. So our
editor will be working in Canada, but we’ll
be piping in from here and L.A. or wherever.
We’ll actually get in rooms together for a
week here, a week there. But it’s nice to be able
to kind of pull away and focus on things like
this.
FREE ASSANGE.
Rooftop theatre nearly completed, overlooking Arsenal Bridge and Mississippi River.
Scott: Our idea is that you can come up
here to have a beer even if we’re not screening
anything. But when we do have films up here,
it’ll be older movies that we’re screening off
Blu-rays and such that we licensed from the
studios. We really want to make it a casual
environment. As far as we’re concerned, we’ve
got so many plans, and I’m sure we’re not
gonna get ‘em all accomplished in the first
year. But we’ll start off introducing the place
to the Quad Cities, and then, as time goes on,
get experimental with some of the program-
ming.
The Soft Launch and
the Big Picture
Although the Last Picture House’s grand
opening is scheduled for Friday, December
9, the venue opened its doors early for a soft
launch of “ friends and family” screenings
Vintage original movie posters line the hallways. (All photos by Todd McGreevy)
Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.
the magic spot for us. That’s what we’re used
to.
Bryan: We basically made a list of all the
movies with “Last” in their title, and then
Scott and I picked a few that we were some-
what passionate about, and Jameson picked a
lot of them, as well.
Scott: Jameson’s tastes felt like a perfect
way to triangulate what Bryan and I love
and what Jameson loves. There’s crossover,
there’s some overlap, and then there are some
outside-the-box ideas. For us, with The Last
Picture Show being one of our favorite films of
all time and the theater’s namesake, we knew
that had to be the first film we screened. And
then The Last Detail. I love that Hal Ashby
film.
Bryan: We did a movie with Adam
Driver (65), and The Last Duel is the Ridley
Scott movie that Adam Driver was in, and
not many people saw it. It’s funnier than
you expect, and it’s a spectacle – it felt like
something more people should see on the big
(also open to the public), with The Hunger
screen.
Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes in
Scott: And Last Action Hero … . In the
the Donna Reed theater and a themed series
summer of ‘93, the year Jurassic Park came
of past Last titles in the Jean Seberg. They
out, there was only one movie I wanted to see,
include The Last Black Man in San Francisco,
and it wasn’t Jurassic Park. It was Last Action
The Last Dragon, The Last Supper, Indiana
Hero.
Jones & the Last Crusade … and a particular
Bryan: He’s the only person I’ve ever met
Arnold Schwarzenegger action vehicle from 30
in my life who was more excited about Last
years ago that, for Beck at least, held far more
Action Hero than Jurassic Park.
sway than an eventual Spielberg blockbuster.
Scott: So my mom took me to the movie
They’re all part of Beck’s and Woods’ promise
theater and I thought I was going to see Last
to deliver something for everyone.
Action Hero, and then she tells me, “We’re
Scott: We’re doing a really soft opening.
going to see Jurassic Park!” And I’m like,
For everybody that’s coming to work here at
“What the hell is that?! What does the word
the theater, it’s a new environment, and so
‘Jurassic’ even mean?!” So I went to the
we’re just trying to figure out how everything
theater and saw that and my mind was blown.
comes together. But for Bryan and myself, it
And then I finally got to see Last Action Hero,
reminds us so much of making a movie. You
but I never saw it on the big screen – until this
get a whole bunch of people together, and by
coming week.
the end of it, you’re family. But you have to go
And we’re showing FernGully: The Last
through the trials and tribulations of what’s
Rainforest, which is going to be the start of
working and what’s not working – and that’s
our family-friendly screenings on Saturday
mornings. We were inspired by the New
Beverly [Cinema]. Quentin Tarantino always
does a family screening on the weekends,
and he usually precedes it with a cartoon
and makes it a really incredible community
experience. We felt like that’s an important
thing – to drive families into a love of cinema,
and just be able to come out on a Saturday
morning and keep it casual and easy. So we’ll
be doing that every weekend.
Again, we’re trying to hit this sweet spot
of there being something for everybody here.
It’s not just for cinephiles. It’s not just for a
certain community that wants to see art-
house films or first-run films. It really should
encapsulate everyone’s interests.
With Scott Beck and Bryan Woods in atten-
dance, the grand-opening celebration for The
Last Picture House (325 East Second Street,
Davenport IA) will take place on December 9,
and more information is available by visiting
LastPictureHouse.com.
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93. RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 19
space and effectively we built a brand-new project expenses and investment did grow to
WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER By Todd McGreevy
building inside the old building. The only over $4MM. When asked how does such an

Right Here in River City

thing we saved was the exterior walls. We
had to bring in a structural engineer to shore
up the east wall (where the TLPH logo was
painted two stories tall and a half a block
wide by local mural artists Heidi Sallows
and Sarrah Robb) with 500 anchors because
it was bowing out.” The project included
pouring all-new slab concrete floors with
all-new underground plumbing.
When one takes into consideration the
high level of finish and high-tech lighting
and sound (Tri City Electric was brought
in for the electrical package) and phenom-
enal amount of demolition and renovation
that the project required, it is astounding
how much was accomplished in just seven
months. Anyone who frequented that corner
in their travels will tell you they saw crews
working into the nights and on weekends
for months on end. Jeff McCartor is the
construction manager, and he said he was
excited to work on a movie-theater project in
Lobby, lounge, and bar area at The Last Picture House during the soft opening week. his own backyard, for once.
investment pencil out, he said, “People ask
me: Do we have any competition? And the
answer is there’s only one movie theater in
the entire Quad Cities prior to this project.
And that is for a regional two-state market
of nearly 500,000 people. We think its a risk
worth investing in.”
Critics may ask: Where will people park?
I am reminded of what Downtown Dav-
enport director Kyle Carter told me about
downtown parking when Bill Collins started
construction on Me & Billy’s restaurant at
the corner of Main and Third Street a few
blocks away that has only street parking.
Carter said, “If you have a solid consistent
and valuable product, people will park many
blocks away and walk to your destination.”
This model is likely accurate for The
Last Picture House. We attended the latest
Hunger Games movie the Friday after
Thanksgiving with a group of nine includ-
ing four teenagers and it was a wonderful
experience. Beck and Woods have produced

T
he transformation of East Second
Street in downtown Davenport is
truly remarkable. And The Last
Picture House (TLPH) movie theater that
launched its soft opening at the corner of
Second and Iowa Streets is a phenomenal
transformation. Especially when one consid-
ers that more than 20 years ago, when River
Renaissance was launched with a referen-
dum to incur new taxes to launch projects
such as the River Music Experience and the
Skybridge, the east end of downtown was
literally red-lined as a “do not develop” zone
by the experts from afar that helped plan the
downtown revitalization. Throw in a couple
of five-hundred-year floods and this area of
town has had a rough go over the years.
Now this corridor is being heralded as
Motor Row as a nod to its rich automobile
history. The building that is now a gor-
geous film house was at one time a Firestone
business and it even burned a portion of the
interior in a fire a long time ago. Pete Stopu-
los and Jens Baker own numerous buildings
in Motor Row, including the building that
houses Half Nelson restaurant and Bootleg
Hill Meadery right next door to TLPH.
Stopulos said in an interview that when
he and Baker acquired the corner build-
ing, they were not certain what they were
going to do with it, but they wanted it to
compliment the neighborhood. “Jens said
to me that a brew and view would be cool
and amazingly soon thereafter Sean Moeller
(from Raccoon Motel next door to Ragged
Records four doors west) introduced us to
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Scott already
had a look-book with concepts that were
super-cool and very useful in whittling this
concept into fruition. Their concepts were
certainly far and away more creative than
a new ‘Brew & View’ Jens and I dreamed
about and we became fast friends,” as well as
business partners.
When the project was announced in 2019, an opening montage that pulls clips from
Stopulos said that one of his partners in pre-pandemic and pre-flood, the price tag Saturday Night Live as well as movies such
the Gallagher building around the corner was cited as $3.72MM. The project received a as The Blues Brothers where the Quad Cities
(where Stompbox Brewery is located, next Destination Iowa state grant of $600,000 in and many of its towns are cited by famous
to Front Street Brewery), Tate Featherstone, 2022. The footprint is 8,700 square feet and actors. Its very clever and fun to watch.
asked him, “Have you called Todd Friemel the final product is 13,000 square feet of fin- Maybe one day, we will see some of those
yet?” Friemel is the co-owner, along with ished space, not including the 2,200 square famous actors in the lobby having a beverage
Bill Hawes, of Twin Shores construction foot outdoor roof top deck with spectacular before we catch a flick.
and development services. Turns out, Twin river views. Stopulos confirmed that the
Shores are one of the nation’s premier
experts in building and renovating movie
theaters … and their headquarters are right
here in River City! (East Moline, Illinois,
actually.)
Among other projects in the Quad Cities,
Twin Shores built the Active Endeavors
building on Elmore Avenue, and they did
the Cinemark renovation on 53rd Street,
both in Davenport. They also built the
Mississippi River Distillery and Green Tree
brewery in LeClaire, and did the warehouse
and manufacturing renovations at the Jewel
group (now Lincoln Electric) in Bettendorf
on State Street.
Friemel explained that Twin Shores
“started from nothing in 2005 with just a
laptop. We built small commercial buildings
around the Quad Cities to start. Then one
year, an opportunity to build a movie theater
in St. Louis came up with a new client Great
Escape. We built six or seven of those and
that got us close to 15 projects with Carmike
Cinemas, who was bought by AMC.”
They have built and renovated movie
theaters in Miami, Florida, and McLean,
Virginia, as well as El Paso, Texas, and
Skokie, Illinois. Friemel said that when he
first walked through the building at the
corner of Second and Iowa, “I originally
thought the building should be demolished.
But then Pete and Jens shared their vision
to use state-development grants to repur-
pose the building. We brought in Paradigm
Design as the architects out of Grand
Rapids, Michigan. They helped design the
20 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 FREE ASSANGE. Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.

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Reviews are from previously published reviews in the River Cities’ Reader.
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
Movie Reviews
What a
Dic(tator)
NAPOLEON
W
alking into our auditorium for
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and
not entirely looking forward
to the experience, I half-jokingly told my
brother and sister-in-law that we were at
least catching the two-hour-40-minute
version, and not the promised four-hour
director’s cut that will at some point
stream on Apple+. But while I had more
than my fill of turkey over Thanksgiv-
ing weekend, I’m happy to now eat a
little crow, because Scott’s historical epic
is utterly sensational – bold, thrilling,
unusual, and frequently very, very funny.
Not only am I no longer dreading the
prospect of this 160-minute opus eventu-
ally clocking in at 240; I’m eager to see
if this wonderfully confident, winningly
strange entertainment winds up better
still.
If nothing else, Scott’s forthcoming
director’s cut is sure to fill in a few narra-
tive holes, given that this current presen-
tation leaves the unmistakable impression
that numerous scenes went mysteriously
missing. Yet that’s roughly where my
criticisms end. (Were I a strict historian
or French, I’d no doubt have a few more.)
Following Bonaparte’s life and military
career from 1793’s Siege of Toulon to his
1821 death while exiled on the island of
Saint Helena, Napoleon follows two dis-
tinct tracks. The first concerns the future
Emperor of France’s swift rise to power
following a series of battlefield victories,
and then his eventual, crushing defeats
in Russia and at Waterloo. The second
track is the Napoleon-and-Josephine love
story, which plays out as a perverse game
of power dynamics underscored by, it
would seem, genuine ardor and affection.
As great a director as Scott can be, the
previews for his latest suggested another
blandly sprawling slog in the manner of
his 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Kingdom
of Heaven, and Exodus: Gods & Kings.
And as great as stars Joaquin Phoenix and
Vanessa Kirby can be, the movie looked to
die a slow, monotonous death every time
Napoleon and Josephine were in a room
together. So much for trusting trailers: I
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE.
Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon
was blessedly wrong on both counts.
Although the film does feel oddly
rushed despite its formidable length, there
is a huge perk to Scott’s and screenwriter
David Scarpa’s highlight-reel approach,
because you never find yourself waiting
long for bits of juicy political machination
or massively scaled combat sequences.
With Scarpa keeping the exposition lucid
and smartly verbalized throughout, a
first-rate assemblage of character actors
(Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles, Paul Rhys,
John Hollingworth), all speaking in
their natural dialects, lend fierceness and
flavor to their associations with Napoleon
whether or not their historic figures even
meet the dictator; Rupert Everett, as the
Duke of Wellington, registers his disdain
merely through a perfectly curled lip. Yet
as enjoyable as the back-room maneuver-
ing and seizures of control prove to be,
they’re nothing compared to Scott’s battle
scenes, which have to rank with the finest
ever committed to the screen.
Dedicated researchers can take, and
certainly have taken, offense at Napoleon’s
tinkering with widely accepted history,
arguing that the commander never fired
cannons at the Great Sphinx of Giza or
drowned his enemies in frozen lakes
during the Battle of Austerlitz. Person-
ally, though, I’m fine with the sacrificing
of verisimilitude in service to the horrific,
mesmerizing grandeur delivered here.
Beginning with the Siege of Toulon, where
we witness Napoleon’s horse taking a can-
nonball to the flank in gory detail, Scott’s
warfare is both sickening and stunning,
boasting incalculably populated vistas of
the sort we maybe haven’t seen since the
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
By Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com
third Lord of the Rings. (So many soldiers!
So many horses!) Yet this isn’t empty
spectacle. Motivations and geography,
particularly in terms of troop placement,
are kept consistently clear, and the auda-
cious brutality routinely makes you gasp.
That aforementioned assault on the ice is
as jaw-dropping a military set piece as I’ve
ever seen, and Napoleon’s devastating loss
at Waterloo is so thunderously well-staged
– with the building of the human for-
tresses an extraordinary piece of choreog-
raphy – that I wanted to applaud.
Were Napoleon strictly concerned with
its ruler’s war record, it would already
stand as a pretty astounding achieve-
ment. What makes Scott’s movie truly
unforgettable, and truly surprising, is its
tendency to repeatedly cut the already
diminutive Little Corporal down to size,
which is does most effectively in scenes
between Napoleon and Josephine. We’re
given plenty of opportunities to laugh at
Bonaparte’s early cowardice, hyperventi-
lating before attacks and sticking his fin-
gers in his ears in preparation for cannon
booms; at his damaged ego, forlornly
slumped as he is in a Russian throne while
bird droppings land on the armrests; at
his hilariously anachronistic temper tan-
trums (“You think you’re so great because
you have boats!”); even at his height, with
the commander pathetically standing on
tip toes, and eventually securing a box,
to stare into the eye holes of an Egyptian
corpse. But the adulterous Josephine, who
has no patience for her equally unfaith-
ful husband’s pettiness and pomposity,
routinely makes this small man look and
behave even smaller, their ritual of cutting
21
remarks and embarrassingly blunt make-
up sex implying that these codependent
weirdos very much deserved each other
– and somehow, against all reason, very
much loved each other.
Perhaps Scott’s director’s cut will pro-
vide more insight into this pair’s alter-
nately fractious and harmonious union.
(Hopefully we’ll at least find out what
happened to Josephine’s children from a
previous union, who disappear from the
film the instant their mother remarries.)
Maybe there’ll be a few scenes detail-
ing, you know, some of its title charac-
ter’s less-odious history – no mention is
made of the Louisiana Purchase, or, to
my memory, the United States at all – or
even some additionally sterling combat
sequences; one of the trailers shows hints
of a maritime battle that’s nowhere on-
site. Regardless, though, with Phoenix
and Kirby in tremendous form, Scott at
the peak of his compositional powers, and
Scarpa’s shrewd script wholly decimating
the traditional Great Man Bio-Pic tem-
plate, the Napoleon we currently have is a
total kick. That’s not at all what I antici-
pated. But it’s impossible to not be tickled
silly when, as opposed to a lengthy speech
about mastering his fate or whatnot, this
Napoleon argues his importance by grab-
bing his food in a fist and bellowing across
a dining-room table: “Destiny has brought
me this lamb chop!”
For reviews of The Hunger Games: The
Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Wish,
Trolls Band Together, Thanksgiving, Salt-
burn, The Holdovers, The Marvels, Pris-
cilla, Next Goal Wins, The Killer, Rustin,
Journey to Bethlehem, and other recent
releases, visit RCReader.com/movies.
November 7 Crossword Answers
22 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): As a child,
I loved to go to a meadow and whirl
around in spirals until I got so dizzy, I
fell. As I lay on the ground, the earth,
sky, and sun reeled madly, and I was no longer
just a pinpoint of awareness lodged inside my
body, but was an ecstatically undulating swirl in
the kaleidoscopic web of life. Now, years later, I’ve
discovered many of us love spinning. Scientists
postulate humans have a desire for the intoxicat-
ing vertigo it brings. I would never recommend
you do what I did as a kid; it could be dangerous
for some of you. But if it’s safe and the spirit
moves you, do it! Or at least imagine yourself
doing it. Do you know about the Sufi Whirling
Dervishes who use spinning as a meditation?
Read here: TinyURL.com/JoyOfWhirling and
TinyURL.com/SufiSpinning.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your
power creature in the coming weeks will
not be an eagle, wolf, bear, or salmon. I
don’t advise you to dream of being a wild
horse, tiger, or crocodile. Instead, I invite you to
cultivate a deep bond with the mushroom family.
Why? Now is a favorable time to be like the mush-
rooms that keep the earth fresh. In wooded areas,
they eat away dead trees and leaves, preventing
larger and larger heaps of compost from piling up.
They keep the soil healthy and make nutrients
available for growing things. Be like those mush-
rooms, Taurus. Steadily and relentlessly rid your
world of the defunct and decaying parts – thereby
stimulating fertility.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini
novelist Geraldine McCaughrean wrote,
“Maybe courage is like memory – a
muscle that needs exercise to get strong.
So I decided that maybe if I started in a small way,
I could gradually work my way up to being brave.”
That is an excellent prescription for you: the slow,
incremental approach to becoming bolder and
pluckier. For best results, begin practicing on
mild risks and mellow adventures. Week by week,
month by month, increase the audacious beauty
of your schemes and the intensity of your spunk
and fortitude. By mid-2024, you will be ready to
launch a daring project.
FREE ASSANGE.
New Columns Weekly at RCReader.com
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian
neurologist and author Oliver Sacks
worked with people who had unusual
neurological issues. His surprising con-
clusion: “Defects, disorders, and diseases can play
a paradoxical role, by bringing out latent powers,
developments, and evolutions that might never be
seen in their absence.” In not all cases, but more
often than seemed reasonable, he found that dis-
orders could be regarded as creative – “for if they
destroy particular paths, particular ways of doing
things, they may force unexpected growth.” Your
assignment is to meditate on how the events of
your life might exemplify the principle Sacks
marvels at: apparent limitations leading to break-
throughs and bonanzas.
LEO (July 23-August 22): I am falling
in love with how deeply you are falling
in love with new ways of seeing and
understanding yourself. My heart sings
as I listen to your heart singing in response to new
attractions. Keep it up, Leo! You are having an
excellent influence on me. My dormant potentials
and drowsy passions are stirring as I behold you
waking up and coaxing out your dormant poten-
tials and drowsy passions. Thank you, dear!
VIRGO (August 23-September 22):
Virgo journalist Sydney J. Harris offered
advice I suggest you meditate on. He
wrote, “Regret for the things we did can
be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we
did not do that is inconsolable.” I bring this to
your attention because now is a favorable time to
take action on things you have not yet done – and
should do. If you put definitive plans in motion
soon, you will ensure that regret won’t come call-
ing in five years. (P.S.: Amazingly, it’s also an
excellent time to dissolve regret you feel for an iffy
move you made in the past.)
LIBRA (September 23-October 22):
In contrast to false stereotypes, Medi-
eval Europeans were not dirty and
unhygienic. They made soap and loved
to bathe. Another bogus myth says the people of
the Middle Ages believed the Earth was flat. But
the truth was that most educated folks knew it
Know More. Do More.
was round. And it’s questionable to refer to this
historical period as backward, since it brought
innovations like mechanical timekeepers, mov-
able type, accurate maps, the heavy plow, and
illuminated manuscripts. In this spirit, and in
accordance with astrological omens, I invite you
to strip away misconceptions and celebrate actual
facts in your own sphere. Be a scrupulous revealer,
a conscientious and meticulous truth-teller.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21):
Scorpio poet John Berryman said, “To
grow, we must travel in the direction of
our fears.” Yikes! I personally wouldn’t
want to do that kind of growth all the time. I
prefer traveling cheerfully in the direction of my
hopes and dreams. But then I’m not a Scorpio.
Maybe Berryman’s strategy for fulfilling one’s
best destiny is a Scorpio superpower. What do
you think? One thing I know for sure is that the
coming weeks will be an excellent time to re-
evaluate and reinvent your relationship with your
fears. I suggest you approach the subject with a
beginner’s mind. Empty yourself of all your pre-
vious ideas and be open to healing new
revelations.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22-Decem-
ber 21): Sagittarian poet Nina Cassian
said, “I promise to make you so alive
that the fall of dust on furniture will
deafen you.” I think she meant she would fully
awaken the senses of her readers. She would boost
our capacity for enchantment and entice us to feel
interesting emotions we had never experienced.
As we communed with her beautiful self-expres-
sion, we might even reconfigure our understand-
ing of who we are and what life is about. I am
pleased to tell you, Sagittarius, that even if you’re
not a writer, you now have an enhanced ability to
perform these same services – both for yourself
and for others.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January
19): “Sometimes I get lonesome for a
storm,” says Capricorn singer-song-
writer Joan Baez. “A full-blown storm
where everything changes.” That approach has
worked well for her. At age 82, she has released 30
albums and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall
RCReader.com/Calendar.
By Rob Brezsny
of Fame. She has recorded songs in eight lan-
guages and has been honored by Amnesty Inter-
national for her work on behalf of human rights.
If you’re feeling resilient – which I think you are
– I recommend that you, too, get lonesome for a
storm. Your life could use some rearrangement.
If you’re not feeling wildly bold and strong,
maybe ask the gods for a mild squall.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February
18): Science educator Neil deGrasse
Tyson tells us that water molecules we
drink have “passed through the kidneys of
Socrates, Genghis Khan, and Joan of Arc.” The
same prodigious truth applies to the air we
breathe: It has “passed through the lungs of
Napoleon, Beethoven, and Abraham Lincoln.”
Tyson would have also been accurate if he said we
have shared water and air that has been inside the
bodies of virtually every creature who has ever
lived. I bring these facts to your attention, Aquar-
ius, in the hope of inspiring you to deepen your
sense of connectedness to other beings. Now is an
excellent time to intensify your feelings of kin-
ship with the web of life. Here’s the practical value
of doing that: You will attract more help and sup-
port into your life.
PISCES (February 19-March 20):
I am saying a prayer for you. I pray to the
Fates that you will not accept lazy or
careless efforts from others. You won’t allow their
politeness to be a cover-up for manipulativeness.
I also pray that you will cultivate high expecta-
tions for yourself. You won’t be an obsessive per-
fectionist, but will be devoted to excellence. All
your actions will be infused with high integrity.
You will conscientiously attend to every detail
with the faith that you are planting seeds that will
bloom beautifully in the future.
What is the kindest act you ever did? Care to do it
again? Visit FreeWillAstrology.com.
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s
EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES
& DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at
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Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
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year or… CASI (Center for Active Seniors), Dr. Cavanaugh treats your nervous system.
12:30pm Tue Dec 5 thru Tue Dec 26
The nervous system controls everything in your
Senior Technology Clinic, on Tuesdays;
with expert Mike Shinbori; bring your body. For example:
Apple and… CASI (Center for Active
Seniors), noon Tue Dec 5 thru Tue Dec 26 Neck No
Mid Back
Step into Balance: Balance & Strength, Physical
on Tuesdays; half-hour exercise class with Low Back
for Active Seniors), 1pm Tue Dec 5 thru Hips CERVICAL Therapy
Tue Dec 26 Shoulders machines
Therapeutic Movement with Logan Elbows
Anderson, on Tuesdays; membership is Wrists
$160 a year or $15 every… CASI (Center for
Active Seniors), 2pm Tue Dec 5 thru Tue Hands THORACIC X-Rays
Dec 26
Fingers ONLY
Zumba Gold, on Tuesdays and Thursdays;
membership is $160 a year or… CASI Knees when
(Center for Active Seniors), 9am Tue Dec 5 Ankles
thru Tue Dec 26
Feet
LUMBAR necessary
Bunco, on Wednesdays; membership is
$160 a year or $15 every… CASI (Center for
Toes
Active Seniors), 2pm Wed Dec 6 thru Wed Eyes 22+ Years
Dec 27 Ears
Experience
TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly Nose
Weight-Loss Support Group), on
Wednesdays; membership is $160 a year Tongue
Why wait?
or $15 every month;… CASI (Center for Parathyroid
Active Seniors), 11:30am Wed Dec 6 thru
Wed Dec 27 Thyroid
T’ai Chi Ch’un, on Wednesdays; Heart
membership is $160 a year or $15 every Lungs You have EVERYTHING
month;… CASI (Center for Active Seniors),
10:15am Wed Dec 6 thru Wed Dec 27 Kidneys to GAIN and NOTHING to lose!
Wednesday Bingo, on Wednesdays; 5pm Adrenal Glands
doors, $10 card pack minimum purchase; Liver
cash prizes… CASI (Center for Active
Seniors), 6pm Wed Dec 6 thru Wed Dec Spleen Call NOW to
27 Gall Bladder feel better sooner!
Caregivers Support Group, on the 1st & Small Intestine
3rd Thu. of the month; membership is…
Large Intestine
563-203-0843
CASI (Center for Active Seniors), 4:30pm
Thu Dec 7 and Thu Dec 21 Stomach
Free Senior Day at the Figge Art Blood Vessels
Museum, for seniors age 60 & up on the Diaphragm
first Thursday… Figge Art Museum, 10am
Thu Dec 7 Pain Timothy J. Cavanaugh, D.C.
Senior Activities and Socializing, Numbness
seniors in the LeClaire area are invited 1730 Wilkes Avenue - Davenport, Iowa
for socializing, activities,… LeClaire Tingling
Community Library, 10am Tue Dec 12 Swelling
Coffee & Conversations, senior citizens
of retirement ages are invited to stop in…
Bettendorf Public Library, 9am Wed Dec
13 thru Tue Jan 2
KIDS’ STUFF
Disney on Ice Presents: Find Your Hero,
audiences will discover what it truly
means… Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 7pm
Thu Nov 30 thru Sun Dec 3
Life-Size Game Night: Guess Who? Book
Characters Edition, to celebrate Picture
Book Month, we need your help to…
LeClaire Community Library, 4pm Thu
Nov 30
Movers & Shakers Storytime!,
preschoolers and their grownup can join
us in… Moline Public Library, 9:30am Thu
Nov 30
Continued On Page 24
24 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
THEATRE
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:
The Musical
Friday, December 22, 7 p.m.
Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
L
auded by the Orlando Sentinel as
“a magical time” and “an utterly
charming, topnotch production,”
the touring entertainment Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical is set
to delight Quad Citiians right before
Christmas, its December 22 staging
at Davenport’s Adler Theatre treating
family crowds to a live version of the
beloved stop-motion-animated televi-
sion special that has charmed audiences
for generations.
In 1964, the hour-long television
classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
made its network television debut, and
this timeless tale has subsequently been
delighting audiences across the country
for almost 60 years. Its story tells the tale
of a young Rudolph, who, because of the
appearance of his bright, shining nose,
is excluded from the reindeer games.
He flees Christmas town and meets up
with new friends Hermey the Elf and
Yukon Cornelius, and after finding the
Island of Misfit Toys, the young reindeer
journeys home. But with a snowstorm of
epic proportions threatening Christmas,
Rudolph has to summon his courage,
rescue his family and friends, and help
Santa save the holiday.
As with A Charlie Brown Christmas
and How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
the stop-motion-animated Rudolph no
longer airs just once annually but several
times during the Christmas and holiday
season. It has been telecast every year
since 1964, making it the longest con-
tinuously running Christmas TV special
in the United States. The 50th anniver-
sary of the television special was marked
with a series of postage stamps featur-
ing Rudolph issued by the United States
FREE ASSANGE.
CONTINUED
Postal Service in November of 2014.
A special exhibit was also mounted at
the Masterworks Museum in Bermuda,
where the original puppets are housed.
With the stage version of the much-
loved yuletide treat praised by the Chi-
cago Daily Herald as “a gleeful musical
take on the holiday favorite,” the show’s
producing partner Jonathan Flom says,
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The
Musical is a tree-mendous way to experi-
ence this family tradition and stays true
to the iconic television special.” Pro-
jections, costumes, and characters are
faithfully brought to the stage against
a backdrop of nostalgic set designs,
including a jay-dropping 12-foot tall
Abominable Snow Monster, while the
professional cast brings high energy to
classic songs and dialogue.
Irresistible and loveable puppets,
meanwhile, highlight the charming
roughness from the television show’s
stop-motion effects. Flom says, “The
familiar story elements from the
television special are addressed with a
talented cast and puppeteers who help
recreate the magic on stage. Since the
special itself is a classic musical, the
stage show does not feel at all like an
adaptation, and audiences are sur-
prised and delighted when they see
performances of songs such as ‘Fame
& Fortune’ and ‘Rockin’ Around the
Christmas Tree’ that are heard but not
performed in the TV special.”
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The
Musical makes its touring stop in Dav-
enport on December 22, admission to
the 7 p.m. show is $35-65, and tickets are
available by calling (800)745-3000 and
visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
Know More. Do More.
Kids' Stuff
Preschool Storytime, Tue.-Fri.; ages 3-5
are invited to attend these 30 minute
sessions… Bettendorf Public Library,
10am Thu Nov 30 thru Fri Dec 15
Story Times at RVDL, a fun and
educational Story Time with… River Valley
District Library, 10:45am Thu Nov 30
Tales for Tots: 0-3 Storytime, an
enriching activity time for children ages
birth… Bettendorf Public Library, 6:30pm
Thu Nov 30
LEAD Fridays @ Watts-Midtown
Branch, our Youth Services staff will be
participating in LEAD Fridays@Watts-
Midtown… Rock Island Public Library -
Watts-Midtown Branch, 11:45am Fri Dec 1
Children’s Book Talk/Unboxing, on
Fridays; join Miss Ranell on Facebook for
either a… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 2pm Fri Dec 1 thru Fri
Dec 15
Toddler Tales @ Watts-Midtown Branch,
on Fridays; young children and their
caregivers are invited to… Rock Island
Public Library - Watts-Midtown Branch,
10:30am Fri Dec 1 thru Fri Dec 22
Dungeons & Dragons, play the beloved
fantasy tabletop roleplaying game; free;
for information,… River Valley District
Library, 4pm Fri Dec 1 thru Fri Dec 29
Grand Opening Celebration of
Enhanced Children’s Area, join us for
a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:15 pm in
the shiny… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 2pm Sat Dec 2
Grand Opening Celebration of
Enhanced Children’s Area, join us for
activities and cookies in the children’s
area and… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 9:30am Sat Dec 2
Mini Mysteries, stop into the Main,
Eastern, or Fairmount Library and pick-
up… Davenport Public Library - Main
Branch, 10am Sat Dec 2
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, kids and
families can meet Santa, take pictures if
they… Moline Public Library, 2pm Sat Dec
2 Ballet Quad Cities will read the story…
Child’s Play | Create : Explore :
Experience, on Saturdays; 15-minute
storytime complete with books rhymes
and songs… Bettendorf Public Library,
10am Sat Dec 2 thru Sat Dec 16
Kids Grab-and-Go: Snowflake
Suncatcher, make a unique snowflake
that can be hung in a… Bettendorf Public
Library, 9am Mon Dec 4
Little Movers Storytime!, for kids ages 0
to… Moline Public Library, Mon Dec 4
Tales for Tots: 0-3 Storytime, on
Mondays; an enriching activity time for
children ages birth… Bettendorf Public
Library, 10am Mon Dec 4 thru Mon Dec
11
Story Times at RVDL, on Mondays and
Thursdays; a fun and educational Story
Time with… River Valley District Library,
10:45am Mon Dec 4 thru Thu Dec 28
Lego Club: Holiday Trees, get ready
to build with over thousands of Legos;
free;… LeClaire Community Library, 4pm
Tue Dec 5
Teen Tuesday: Movie Night, join Mrs.
Katelynn for a movie and refreshments;
call the… Silvis Public Library, 4:30pm Tue
Dec 5
Toddler Tales @ Watts-Midtown Branch,
on Tuesdays; young children and their
RCReader.com/Calendar.
caregivers are invited to… Rock Island
Public Library - Watts-Midtown Branch,
10:30am Tue Dec 5 thru Tue Dec 19
Weekly Teen Book Talk, on Tuesdays;
go to the library’s Facebook page and
check… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 3:45pm Tue Dec 5
thru Tue Dec 26
After School Kids Lab: Paper Airplanes,
construct different types of paper
airplanes and give them a… Bettendorf
Public Library, 3pm Wed Dec 6
Sew Fun! Button Bracelets, children will
learn fun new sewing techniques to make
these… Moline Public Library, 5pm Wed
Dec 6
Teen Time Unwind: Stress Balls, we will
be making stress balls with water beads
and… Moline Public Library, 2:30pm Wed
Dec 6
Nightmare Before Christmas Escape
Room, help prevent a Nightmare Before
Christmas by traveling through holiday…
LeClaire Community Library, Wed Dec 6
thru Sat Dec 9
Teen Anime Club, watch Japanese
Animation, have snacks, and socialize with
others interested… Davenport Public
Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 6pm
Wed Dec 6 thru Wed Dec 20
Toddler Tales @ Southwest Branch, on
Wednesdays; young children and their
caregivers are invited to… Rock Island
Public Library - Southwest Branch, 11am
Wed Dec 6 thru Wed Dec 20
Teen Gaming, on Wednesdays; enjoy
gaming on the Switch, playing Roblox
on… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 4pm Wed Dec 6
thru Wed Dec 27
Young Adult Role-Playing Club:
Tabletop RPGs and More!, on
Wednesdays; if you need a place to play,
just… Bettendorf Public Library, 1pm Wed
Dec 6 thru Wed Dec 27
Big/Little Book Club, a book club
for Littles (kids in 3rd through 5th…
Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue
Branch, 6:30pm Thu Dec 7
Dance Me a Story with Ballet Quad
Cities: The Nutcracker, Emily Kate of
Moline Public Library, 5pm Thu Dec 7
Family Storytime: Snowflake
Suncatchers, join Mrs. Katelynn for this
snowflake themed storytime and craft;…
Silvis Public Library, 6pm Thu Dec 7
Reading Assistance Dogs, children have
the opportunity to read aloud to dogs
from… Bettendorf Public Library, 6pm
Thu Dec 7
Tales for Tots: 0-3 Storytime, on
Thursdays; an enriching activity time for
children ages birth… Bettendorf Public
Library, 6:30pm Thu Dec 7
The Monster Society Presents:
Krampus, the Monster Society is an elite
secret group whose goal… Davenport
Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch,
4pm Thu Dec 7
Winter Craft Drop-In, make a winter craft
during our last crafting event of… Rock
Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
1pm Thu Dec 7
Winter Toddler Playgroup, on
Thursdays; relaxing and casual fun for
kids 5 and… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10am Thu Dec 7 thru
Thu Dec 21
Book Buddies: Winter, ages 0-5 join Mrs.
Katelynn for a winter themed storytime…
Silvis Public Library, 10am Sat Dec 9
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
Cookie Decorating, teens are invited
to decorate cookies with variety of
mysterious… Bettendorf Public Library,
2pm Sat Dec 9
Family Holiday Activities, drop in for
family holiday activities including holiday
trivia, cardmaking… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 10am Sat Dec
9
Krafty Kids: Snowman Cups, join Mrs.
Katelynn at the library for a snowman
cup… Silvis Public Library, 2pm Sat Dec 9
Lego Club, enjoy a morning of free
building;… Bettendorf Public Library,
11:30am Sat Dec 9
Read to a Dog, QC CAN’s Reading
Assistance Dogs are specially trained,
along with… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 3pm Sat Dec 9
Toons at Noons with Bowls and Spoons,
grab a spoon and some cereal as we
sit down… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, noon Sat Dec 9
3D Printing Pens, if you’re interested
in 3D printing, our 3D print pens… Rock
Island Public Library - Watts-Midtown
Branch, 4pm Mon Dec 11
PNG Intro to Sewing: Craft Utility
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 25
Creativity Lab: Hanging Icicle
Decorations, grades K-5 will explore a THEATRE
different artistic medium and project…
Moline Public Library, 7pm Thu Dec 14
Family Storytime: Winter Lanterns,
Ballet Quad Cities’ The Nutcracker
join Mrs. Katelynn for this winter-themed Saturday, December 9, and Sunday, December 10
storytime and craft; free;… Silvis Public
Library, 6pm Thu Dec 14 Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA
Tales for Tots: 0-3 Storytime, an
enriching activity time for children ages
birth through three… Bettendorf Public
Library, 6:30pm Thu Dec 14
Toddler Time, there will be stories, songs,
and a fun sensory playtime… LeClaire
Community Library, 11am Fri Dec 15
Book Buddies: Polar Bears, ages 0-5 join
Mrs. Katelynn at the library for a… Silvis
Public Library, 10am Sat Dec 16
Full S.T.E.A.M Ahead: Nintendo LABO,
help us build a Nintendo labo project;
after the project… Silvis Public Library,
2pm Sat Dec 16
Llama Llama Pajama Party, time to put
on your PJs and join us for… Davenport
Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch,
2pm Sat Dec 16
Teen Book Club: Will You Rant Or Rave?,
each month we discuss a young adult

Aprons, earn the basics of sewing to
create or mend everyday… Moline Public
Library, 5pm Mon Dec 11
The Nest Book Club: Toddler, we’ll
not only take part in a storytime and
activity,… Davenport Public Library -
Fairmount Street Branch, 10am Mon Dec
11
Max’s merry Christmas, join us for a
very merry reader’s theater with former…
Moline Public Library, 5:30pm Tue Dec 12
Read-Aloud Stories with Mr. Haack,
stop by the library for an evening
Storytime unlike any… LeClaire
Community Library, 6:30pm Tue Dec 12
Teen Advisory Board (TAB), join Mrs.
Katelynn at the library for a snowman
cup… Silvis Public Library, 6:30pm Tue
Dec 12
Teen Advisory Board Meeting, ages
11-19 are invited to join; TAB Members
volunteer, organize,… Davenport Public
Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 6:30pm
Tue Dec 12
After School Kids Lab: Oversized
Games, play large versions of popular
board and card games; free;… Bettendorf
Public Library, 3pm Wed Dec 13
Family Storytime: Elves, this week we’re
exploring elves with stories, songs, and
a… LeClaire Community Library, 6pm
Wed Dec 13
Petite Picassos @ Southwest Branch,
toddlers can use all of their senses with
hands on… Rock Island Public Library -
Southwest Branch, 11am Wed Dec 13
Teen Fandom Club: Lego Night, join our
new Fandom Club and build something
out of… Silvis Public Library, 6:30pm Wed
Dec 13
Teen Time: Anime Club, we will discuss
our favorite manga, watch anime, and
make… Moline Public Library, 11:30am
Wed Dec 13
Winter Wonderland Storytime, explore
the beauty of winter during our Winter
Wonderland Storytime,… Davenport
Public Library - Main Branch, 10am Wed
Dec 13
CreaTEEN Crafts: Gingerbread Houses,
make a fun, teen-centered craft; free;
for information, call 563-289-6007 or…
LeClaire Community Library, 5pm Thu
Dec 14
novel we read… Bettendorf Public Library,
2pm Sat Dec 16
Elf Academy, it’s our annual holiday
event, with crafts, activities, and live…
LeClaire Community Library, 6pm Mon
Dec 18
PNG Squid Dissection, learn about
animals through the dissection of a squid;
this… Moline Public Library, 6:30pm Mon
Dec 18 thru Wed Dec 20
3D Printing Pens, if you’re interested
in 3D printing, our 3D print pens… Rock
Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
4pm Tue Dec 19
Doki Doki Anime Club: Manga
Ornaments, make a manga collage
you can hang on your tree,… LeClaire
Community Library, 5pm Tue Dec 19
Gingerbread Houses, be your own
architect as you build and decorate your…
Moline Public Library, 6pm Tue Dec 19
Teen Tuesday: Perler Bead Creations,
join Mrs. Katelynn to make Perler Bead
creations; free; for… Silvis Public Library,
6:30pm Tue Dec 19
After School Kids Lab: Snowflake Slime,
make slime with a winter twist by adding
in sparkly… Bettendorf Public Library,
3pm Wed Dec 20
Family Storytime @ Watts-Midtown
Branch, families are invited to enjoy story
time full of books,… Rock Island Public
Library - Watts-Midtown Branch, 6pm
Wed Dec 20
Family Storytime: Holiday Whobilation,
it’s a Holiday Whobilation as Miss Ashe
reads How the… LeClaire Community
Library, 6pm Wed Dec 20
Teen Time - Arts and Crafts, this week’s
theme is Arts and Crafts and we will…
Moline Public Library, 2:30pm Wed Dec
20
3D Printing Pens, if you’re interested
in 3D printing, our 3D print pens… Rock
Island Public Library - Southwest Branch,
4pm Thu Dec 21
Amateur Paint Night, sip some hot cocoa
and follow along with The Art… LeClaire
Community Library, 5pm Thu Dec 21
Continued On Page 26
O
n December 9 and 10, one of the
Quad Cities’ most adored holiday
traditions returns to Davenport’s
Adler Theatre when the professional talents
of Ballet Quad Cities perform Tchaikovsky’s
holiday dance classic The Nutcracker, this
eagerly awaited family experience boasting
choreography by Artistic Director Court-
ney Lyon, live musical accompaniment by
Orchestra Iowa, a cast of 60, and the return
of popular guest artist Domingo Rubio, the
longtime portrayer of the company’s dancing
Dracula.
Adapted from the 1816 story by E.T. A.
Hoffman and debuting as a two-act ballet
in 1892, The Nutcracker tells of the magi-
cal adventures of Clara, a young girl who
falls asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams
of an enchanted world filled with dancers
from many continents, ambulatory toys,
an ethereal Sugar Plum Fairy, and much,
much more. With Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
contributing perhaps the richest and most
instantly recognizable of his compositions,
The Nutcracker has been a holiday peren-
nial worldwide for generations, whisking
audiences to such delightfully otherworldly
realms as the Land of Sweets, the Land of
Snow, and a battleground for soldiers and
mice. Tchaikovsky’s ballet has also been the
subject of innumerable film and TV adapta-
tions, with familiar portions of its score
referenced in everything from Disney’s Fan-
tasia to The Simpsons to Grand Theft Auto V.
Domingo Rubio will assume the role of
Clara’s godfather, the mysterious toymaker
and magician Herr Drosselmeyer, with
Clara herself danced by professional com-
pany dancer Madeline Kreszenz (under-
studied by Kira Roberts). Company member
Christian Knopp performs triple-duty as
The Nutcracker’s Nutcracker Prince, a Toy
Soldier, and one of the ballet’s Ukrainian
dancers, while Jillian Van Cura, as she did
last year, portrays the villainous Rat Queen.
The ballet’s dazzling Sugar Plum Fairy is
played by Eleanor Ambler, with Marcus
Pei’s Cavalier partnering her on their Grand
Pas de Deux. There will also be featured
dance roles for fellow Ballet Quad Cities’
company members Sahsha Amaut, Ruby
Anderson, Sierra DeYoung, Stephanie
Eggers, Jayne Friscia, Madeleine Rhode,
Kira Roberts, Stephen Scott, and Mahalia
Zellmer, with Daniel Gleason also featured
in the Christmas-party sequence.
And with additional choreography pro-
vided by Emily Kate Long, The Nutcracker
ensemble is completed by a number of stu-
dent dancers from the Quad Cities region,
including those from the Ballet Quad Cities
School of Dance, Davenport Junior The-
atre, the Family Museum, Jenny’s Dance
Academy, Myrna Rae’s Studio of Dance,
Tina’s Dance Studio, Turning Pointe, and
the West Liberty Dance Center. Among
those participating this year are: Celia
Arnold; Bella Baker; Olivia Behr; Betsy
Bergthold; Thalia Boyd; JayLyn Burroughs;
Madilyn Casel; Lila Castro; Lillyanna Cool;
Macy Kate Crawmer; Julia Ellis; Jayne
Friscia; Kate Girskis; Amelia Gomez; Vivika
Gonzalez; Adley Hampton; Emma Isaac-
son; Emmy Jackson; Availlah Jones; Ava
Kruse; Kate Mahraun; Emersyn Mielke;
Tya Miles; Evelyn Nelson; Vivian Peterson;
Leah Randleman; Alexandra Ripley; Kate
Rosenboom; Aria Smith; Angela Soebbing;
Annelie Stollenwerk; Molly Strickler; Shiori
Suzuki; and Madeline Traman.
Ballet Quad Cities’ The Nutcracker will
be performed in downtown Davenport at
2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, and
at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 10. Admis-
sion is $11-36, tickets are available by calling
(800)745-3000, and more information on
this year’s performances is available by visit-
ing AdlerTheatre.com and
BalletQuadCities.com.
26 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023
MUSIC
Sevendust
Saturday, December 30, 8 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
T
ouring in support of the band’s
2023 album Truth Killer, a
top-three Billboard smash
that Metal Injection called “focused
and streamlined with plenty of
catchy songs and a few surprises,”
the Grammy-nominated alternative-
metal artists of Sevendust return to
East Moline venue The Rust Belt on
December 30, performing from a rep-
ertoire that includes 14 studio albums,
one live album, and 36 singles.
The Atlanta-based quintet Seven-
dust are one of the most prominent
nu-metal acts on tour, acclaimed for
their aggressive blend of bottom-
heavy riffs and soulful, accessible
melodies delivered by vocalist Lajon
Witherspoon. Formed in 1994 by
bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer
Morgan Rose, and guitarist John Con-
nolly, with Witherspoon and guitarist
Clint Lowery joining the group after
the recording of their first demo, Sev-
endust unleashed its self-titled debut
album in April of 1997, a release that
sold only 310 copies in its first week
but ultimately achieved gold certi-
fication through touring and sup-
port from their label TVT Records.
Known for the band’s heavy riffs,
angry vocals, and thrash-like drum-
ming, Sevendust boasted hits such as
“Black,” “Bitch,” and “My Ruin,” the
latter of which was featured on the
Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack and
appeared on the Billboard 200 chart,
remaining there for 16 weeks.
In August of 1999, the musicians
released their second album Home,
which peaked at number 19 on the
FREE ASSANGE.
Billboard 200 and featured Skin from
Skunk Anansie and Chino Moreno
from Deftones as guest vocalists. Two
singles from the album, “Denial” and
“Waff le,” gave the band added chart
success, and Sevendust performed
“Waff le” on Late Night with Conan
O’Brien. They went on to perform in
Woodstock 1999 and have toured with
many bands in the 23 years since,
among them Korn, Staind, Nonpoint,
Reveille, Godsmack, Mudvayne,
Mushroomhead, Powerman 5000,
Creed, Kid Rock, Machine Head,
Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, and Metal-
lica. Sevendust also scored a Grammy
nomination for the Kill the Flaw
single “Thank You,” with the group’s
2020 release Blood & Stone receiv-
ing a 10-out-of-10 rating by Audie
Ink Radio and a rave for its “tuneful
melodies coupled with heavy, cutting
riffs.” New Noise, meanwhile, raved
that the recording “starts off strong
and grows stronger with each track,”
while Sevendust’s July release Truth
Killer received four stars from Cryp-
tic Rock for the musicians “continu-
ing to set the standard by delivering
thought-provoking lyricism and
infectious orchestration while still
managing to find ways to experiment
and innovate
Sevendust plays its December 30
engagement with opening sets by 10
Years, Burden of the Sky, and CORE,
admission to the 8 p.m. concert
begins at $44.75, and more informa-
tion and tickets are available by visit-
ing TheRustBeltQC.com.
Know More. Do More.
CONTINUED
Kids' Stuff
Family Storytime: Paper Chain
Snowmen, ages 0-5 join Mrs. Katelynn
at the library for a… Silvis Public Library,
6pm Thu Dec 21
Family Storytime: Paper Chain
Snowmen, join Mrs. Katelynn for this
snowman themed storytime and craft;…
Silvis Public Library, 6pm Thu Dec 21
Read to a Dog, QC CAN’s Reading
Assistance Dogs are specially trained,
along with… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 5:30pm Thu Dec
21
Teen Faux Snowball Fight, ages 11-
19) are invited to a faux snowball fight
inside… Davenport Public Library -
Eastern Avenue Branch, 2pm Thu Dec 21
Teen Library Council, students in grades
6-12 are needed to give advice and…
Moline Public Library, 3:30pm Thu Dec 21
The Thing About Yetis (Story and Craft
Time), join us for a special yeti craft and
Yeti story.;… Davenport Public Library -
Main Branch, 3pm Thu Dec 21
12 Days of Kit-mas, Kit-mas is back again
this year with one craft for… Davenport
Public Library - Main Branch, 10am Fri Dec
22
Lego Club, create your Lego
masterpieces; whether you want to take
on… River Valley District Library, 11am Sat
Dec 23
Ellis Kell’s Winter Blues Camp, students
learn the forms, styles, and history…
Common Chord, noon Tue Dec 26
Teen Tuesday: Board Game Night, hang
out and play board games with your
friends at… Silvis Public Library, 6:30pm
Tue Dec 26
Family Storytime: Snowy Owl, this week
we’re exploring Snowy Owls with stories,
songs, and… LeClaire Community Library,
6pm Wed Dec 27
Winter Wonderland Storytime, explore
the beauty of winter during our Winter
Wonderland Storytime… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch,
10am Wed Dec 27
Lazy Crafternoons: Snowy Mason Jars,
join us for another Lazy Crafternoon as
we make a… LeClaire Community Library,
5pm Thu Dec 28
Stories @ Main, on Fridays; join us
for dancing, shaking, and stories; this
storytime… Davenport Public Library -
Main Branch, 10am Fri Dec 29
Teen DIY: Snowglobes, ages 11-19 are
invited to join Miss Amber in making…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch,
11am Fri Dec 29
Book Buddies: Sledding, ages 0-5 join
Mrs. Katelynn at the library for an… Silvis
Public Library, 10am Sat Dec 30
Full STEAM Ahead: Snowflake Salt Art,
hop on the train of learning, we’re going
Full STEAM… LeClaire Community Library,
11am Sat Dec 30
Lego Club: Igloo, join Mrs. Katelynn to
build an igloo out of Legos; free;… Silvis
Public Library, 2pm Sat Dec 30
New Year’s Eve Eve, get ready to start
2024 in style at our New… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch,
11:30am Sat Dec 30
Teen Snack Around the World, we will
be making a countdown calendar full
of snacks… Davenport Public Library -
RCReader.com/Calendar.
Fairmount Street Branch, 3:30pm Sat Dec
30
Kids Grab-and-Go: Pipe Cleaner
Octopus, pick up supplies to make an
octopus out of pipe… Bettendorf Public
Library, 9am Tue Jan 2
Weekly Teen Book Talk, go to the
library’s Facebook page and check… Rock
Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
3:45pm Tue Jan 2
Preschool Storytime, Tue.-Fri.; ages 3-5
are invited to attend these 30 minute…
Bettendorf Public Library, 10am Tue Jan 2
thru Fri Jan 5
After School Kids Lab: Craft Stick Chain
Reaction, for grades 1-12; set up craft
sticks to make a… Bettendorf Public
Library, 3pm Wed Jan 3
Teen Anime Club, watch Japanese
Animation, have snacks, and socialize with
others interested… Davenport Public
Library - Fairmount Street Branch, 6pm
Wed Jan 3
Teen Gaming, enjoy gaming on the
Switch, playing Roblox on… Davenport
Public Library - Fairmount Street Branch,
4pm Wed Jan 3
Toddler Tales @ Southwest Branch,
young children and their caregivers are
invited to enjoy this… Rock Island Public
Library - Southwest Branch, 11am Wed
Jan 3
Walkers & Wigglers Storytime, we’ll
sing songs, dance, and read fun stories;…
Davenport Public Library - Fairmount
Street Branch, 10am Wed Jan 3
Young Adult Role Playing-Club, bring
your party members and dice; free; for…
Bettendorf Public Library, 1pm Wed Jan 3
Big/Little Book Club, a book club
for Littles (kids in 3rd through 5th…
Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue
Branch, 6:30pm Thu Jan 4
Skill Builder Storytime, designed
especially to give children access to
opportunities that… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 10am
Thu Jan 4
Tales for Tots, an enriching activity time
for children ages birth… Bettendorf
Public Library, 6:30pm Thu Jan 4
The Monster Society Presents: Yeti,
an elite secret group whose goal is to
educate about… Davenport Public Library
- Eastern Avenue Branch, 4pm Thu Jan 4
Winter Toddler Playgroup, relaxing and
casual fun for kids 5 and… Rock Island
Public Library - Downtown Library, 10am
Thu Jan 4
Stories @ Main, join us for dancing,
shaking, and stories; this storytime…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch,
10am Fri Jan 5
Toddler Tales @ Watts-Midtown Branch,
young children and their caregivers are
invited to… Rock Island Public Library -
Watts-Midtown Branch, 10:30am Fri Jan 5
Child’s Play | Create : Explore :
Experience, a 15-minute storytime
complete with books rhymes and…
Bettendorf Public Library, 10am Sat Jan 6
Lego Club, enjoy a morning of free
building; free; for information, call…
Bettendorf Public Library, 11:30am Sat
Jan 6
Mini Mysteries: Whose Animal Prints
Are Those?, stop into the Main, Eastern,
or Fairmount Library and pick-up…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch,
10am Sat Jan 6
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93. RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 27

Crossword
MUSIC By Loren Thacher

Dread and Merriment in December

Musical Contrasts on Davenport’s East Second Street
FUN WITH FLORA • December 5, 2023 November 7 Answers: Page 21

“Doom” and “sludge” have become one of the best metal albums of 2023, an
somewhat interchangeable terms for unrelenting tour de force of churning
slow, dread-ridden heavy metal. The riffs and terse but evocative lyrics.
difference between the two may seem As driving wheel Willow Ryan put
pedantic, especially given that the terms it to J. D. Malley of Echoes and Dust:
were applied retroactively to nearly all of “Atrocity Machine was basically meant
the bands now considered to be found- to be a horror movie soundtrack for
ers of the subgenres. In the 2020s, the late stage capitalism.” They elaborated
“doom” or “sludge” tag is increasingly further to Bandcamp’s Brad Sanders.
self-applied, as an ethos as well as an “We have the doom metal foundation,
aesthetic, by bands who create oppres- but let’s see where we can push the limits
sive, cathartic music intended as a of that … . [I]t’s almost like we’re using
reflection of our dismal times. Such are doom metal to do something different
the three bands – Body Void, SERAC, than doom metal.”
and Everlasting Light – playing Daven- Part of that approach involves incor-
port’s Raccoon Motel (315 East Second porating synths and electronics into
Street) on Friday, December 8. their rock-solid doom rumble. In the
ACROSS 78. _ ergo sum Thinnes 63. Minced oath
These groups form a grim sonic trip- past, this largely took the form of a 1. Unlikely, as a chance 79. Duck genus 13. Mountain 64. _ con pollo
tych, drawing mutual inspiration from curious, ominous hissing, like steam 5. Sphere of influence 80. Sitar melody 14. Service for network 65. Painting on dry
10. Actress _ Bernhardt 81. _ Martens shoes users plaster
environmental degradation, a simulta- escaping from the coal mines that blaze 15. Story 82. Moon of Jupiter 15. Perceived 67. On a pension: Abbr.
neously dysfunctional yet increasingly eternally under doomed, abandoned 19. Scarlett's home 83. Swimming holes 16. Commedia dell'_ 68. Parts of digestive
20. White wine variety 85. Measuring device 17. Essence systems
oppressive society, and the inevitable Centralia, Pennsylvania. On Atrocity 21. Totality 86. Get a wider 18. Home to billions 70. Related maternally
and inexorable despair that sets in as the Machine, the electronics are much more 22. Discord goddess view: 2 wds. 24. "_ and Ivory" 71. Rile
23. Start of a quip by 59 88. Online events 25. Writer of lampoons 72. Cherished ones
endless road grows ever darker. smoothly integrated with the pummel- Across: 7 wds. 89. Pedals 26. Many, many years 74. Concentrate
In 1966, the freighter SS Daniel J. Mor- ing riffs, while simultaneously exploring 27. Flowering shrub 90. "Porgy and _" 31. Crowded 75. Great Italian poet
28. Fruity drinks 91. Make joyous 32. Cakes and _ 78. Data table: 2 wds.
rell split in half on Lake Huron, chewed new sounds and textures. 29. Old Spanish money 92. Guy 33. Like a pastry 80. Income
like a bone by one of those feared gales Lyrically, “[It’s about] the sensation of 30. Memorandum 93. Comes into being 34. Peel and Bovary 82. Arab VIP: Var.
31. No longer in 96. Showy flower 35. Jumped 84. Cereal grass
of November. While its survivors shel- living with this cognitive dissonance of, 33. Ice mass 97. Neighborhood 36. Protective suit 85. Corpsman
tered on the still-floating bow, the ship’s ‘This is all happening, and it’s horrible, 34. "Seinfeld" role 101. End of the 37. Skating maneuver: 87. Worry nonstop
37. Cat genus quip: 5 wds. 2 wds. 88. Ripped into
stern came roaring out of the frigid but you still have to live with it,’” Ryan 38. Bridle attachment 105. Greek god 38. Investment option: 89. Shining
gloom, its still-running engine sending told Bandcamp. They take special aim 41. Forgiveness 106. _ Semple 2 wds. 91. "_ Gantry"
42. Forty- _ McPherson 39. _ seal 92. Chops
it on a collision course with the horri- at the way mass media helps to cruelly 43. Bean and Penn 107. American poet 40. River in Europe 93. Far and _
fied crew. In his Great Lakes Shipwrecks cheapen human life: “ … things [are] 44. Cry of discovery 108. Flair 42. Desert in Israel 94. _ avis
46. "Auntie _" 109. Edible roots 43. Scatter 95. Particular
& Survivals, William Ratigan described presented in these ways. Like a game 47. Pins 110. Goatee 45. Turkish chiefs 96. Disaster response
the impossible apparition as moving show, like a TV show, very American- 48. Quantity consumed 111. Kind of British 47. Less believable org.
50. Floating prison money 49. Likewise not 97. _ ut supra
“like a great wounded beast with its head entertainment-style. What is it like to 51. Mil. address part 112. Withered and dry 50. B'nai _ 98. Competent
shot off,” vanishing into the deadly night live with that stuff, day-to-day? … You 52. The _, Netherlands 52. Loathed 99. Planet wheel
53. Regretful DOWN 54. Fire remains 100. Middle Ages
with only one man surviving to tell the have to sort of play tricks on yourself to 54. Place of contest 1. Recipe direction 56. _ Park, Colorado laborer
ghastly tale. deal with it.” For a taste: “‘Cop Show’ in 55. Full-page headline 2. French composer 58. Actress _ 102. Hasten
57. Bring to bay 3. Writer _ Murdoch Moorehead 103. Dance field
Our society has become a disembod- particular is about how Americans treat 58. Stage whispers 4. Be polite, grudgingly: 60. Dead letter 104. "Ben- _"
ied monster in much the same way, with police violence as entertainment.” 59. With 61 Across, 2 wds. 62. Greek letters
speaker of the quip 5. Perceptive
the greed, ill will, and indifference of the SERAC describe themselves as a 61. See 59 Across 6. Bullwinkle J. _
powerful metastasizing into an uncon- “Gross amalgam of sludge and noise 63. Day for a parade 7. Tub event New Crossword Puzzles
66. Ireland 8. "_ told every
trollable force that threatens to con- rock with environmentally tinged 69. Numskull little star..." and Answer Keys
sume and destroy humanity itself. Body lyrics.” Their EP title Waging War 73. Cupidity 9. Light meal
posted EVERY week at
74. Solutions 10. Scandinavians
Void have harnessed these thoughts of Against the Prairie speaks for itself. 75. Is too fond 11. Prince in Schehe-
unlimited horror and distilled them into 76. Compass pt. razade's stories RCReader.com/lifestyle
Continued On Page 28 77. Fly balls' paths 12. Scheider and
28 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 FREE ASSANGE. Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.

LIVE MUSIC
Get Your Local Licks On
Through January 7, 2024
January Print Edition Deadline:
December 31: calendar@rcreader.com

THURSDAY (30)
Avey Grouws Band (6pm)
– Whiskey Stop, 1726 15th
Ave., East Moline IL
Brooke Byam, Ron Tegeler,
& Paul Johnson (6pm) –
The V’ue, 137 5th Ave. S.,
Clinton IA
Daisychain – Ira Wolf –
Raccoon Motel, 315 E.
Second St., Davenport IA
L e w i s K n u d s e n (6 p m)
– Twin Span Brewing,
6776 Championship Dr.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Jam Night – My Place
the Pub, 4405 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night (5:30pm)
– Tuggers Burger Bar &
Alehouse, 201 N. Main St.,
Port Byron IL
Open Mic Night w/ Antone
Bur ton – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Squeaky Feet – Gabe’s, 330
E. Washington St., Iowa
City IA
True Day (6:30pm) – The
Gy ps y Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
FRIDAY (1)
Christmas at the Heritage
Center: “All the Souls
on Earth Shall Sing!” –
John & Alice Butler Hall
- University of Dubuque
H erit age Center, 2255
Bennett St., Dubuque IA
Dani Lynn Howe – Rhythm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Deb Talan – Bishop Hill
Creative Commons, 309 N
Bishop Hill St., Bishop Hill
IL
Douglas & Tucker Duo –
The Grape Life Wine Store
& Lounge, 3402 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Ed James – Hollar’s Bar and
Grill, 4050 27th St, Moline
IL
Far Out 283 – Parkside Grill
& Lounge, 2307 5th Ave,
Moline IL
Harlem Hayfield – The V’ue,
137 5th Ave. S., Clinton IA
Jingle & Mingle: Angela
Meyer (4pm) – Freight
House, 421 W. River Dr.,
Davenport IA
Karl Beatty – Hawkeye Tap
Sports Bar & Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
Keener Road – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
The Mand – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Music, Memories &
Merriment: Songs &
Stories with Sarah Smith
– Grace Theater, 316 S.
Main St., Princeton IL
RiverBend Bronze
Handbell Ensemble
Christmas Concert
– St . J o hn’s Unite d
Methodist Church, 109 E
14th St, Davenport IA
The Schwag – RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
SATURDAY (2)
Amateur Selectors:
Tu r f Groovin’ w/
MemoryWerks Music –
Riverside Casino Event
Center, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Battle of the Bands 2023:
7 Ark – N one t he less
Impossible – Wonder
– Har t wood (5:30 pm)
– M a d e Ya L o o k –
Anthropoid – Crushed
M o n key – M e r c u r y ’s
Crown (8pm) – Rascals
Live, 1414 15th St., Moline
IL
Danger Zone – Len Brown’s
North Shore Inn, 700 N.
Shore Dr., Moline IL
Identity Crisis – Rhy thm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Jim & Leigh Acoustic Duo –
Bootleg Hill Honey Meads,
321 E. 2nd St., Davenport
IA
Luke Hendrickson –
Contrar y Brewing Co. ,
411 W Mississippi Dr.,
Muscatine IA
Mavis Staples – The War
& Tr e a t y – H a n c h e r
Auditorium, 141 East Park
Rd., Iowa City IA
Music, Memories &
Merriment: Songs &
Stories with Sarah Smith
– Grace Theater, 316 S.
Main St., Princeton IL
Quad Cities Saxophone
C h r i s t m a s (1p m ) –
Nor thPark Mall, 320 W.
Kimberly Rd., Davenport
IA
Q u a d C i t y Sy m p h o ny
Orchestra Masterworks
III: Winter Wonders –
Adler Theatre, 136 E. Third
St., Davenport IA
RiverBend Bronze
Handbell Ensemble
Christmas Concert
(2pm) – St.John’s United
Methodist Church, 109 E
14th St, Davenport IA
Ron Tegeler Organ Trio –
The Grape Life Wine Store
& Lounge, 3402 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
The Schwag – RIBCO, 1815
Second Ave., Rock Island IL
S u r f ’s U p S a t u r d ay
(11:30am) – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Davenport IA
Toxic Blonde – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
TyJon Charlie – Pour Bros.
Craf t Taproom Moline,
1209 4th Ave. Suite 2,
Moline IL
SUNDAY (3)
A m a n d a Fi s h (3p m) –
Moline Viking Club, 1450
41st St., Moline IL
Manny Lopez Big Band
(2pm) – The Circa ’21
Sp eakeas y, 1818 T hird
Ave., Rock Island IL
Q u a d C i t y Sy m p h o ny
Orchestra Masterworks
I I I : W i n t e r Wo n d e r s
(2pm) – Bartlett
Per forming Arts Center,
3600 Avenue of the Cities,
Moline IL
Rock y Mountain High
Experience: A John
Denver Christmas (2pm)
– Adler Theatre, 136 E.
Third St., Davenport IA
Ste e l Pant he r – M o on
Fever – The Rust Belt, 533
12th Ave., East Moline IL
Sunday Funday w/ 3 Way
Radio (4pm) – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606

Dread and Merriment in December

Continued from page 27
Their songs are far more concise but
just as spiritually heavy as Body Void’s.
Everlasting Light’s minimalist, guitar-
and-drums black metal shares Body
Void’s affinity for noise, provided by the
tortured vocals and occasional saxo-
phone squall of frontman Rush Falknor.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show
beginning at 8 p.m.
Ragged Records (311 East Second
Street) are sponsoring the December
8 spectacle, as well as a compara-
tively lighthearted event the following
weekend at their new Davenport digs. rock and roll, rolling an even split
They’re holding an “After Hours Sale” between dramatic and fun. Watermelon
and Holiday Party from 6 to 8 p.m. on play fast, fun and to-the-point songs
Saturday, December 16, together with about social trouble, fast food, Ritalin,
longtime shopmates Trash Can Annie. and shitty people – scope the shining
All records will be 10-percent off and diss track “Johnny Ramone.” If you’re
any of Annie’s vintage clothing and not looking to shop, channel your inner
paraphernalia will be 30-percent off Costanza and set up a lawn chair in the
(with shoe-punched tags). Free musical store, but don’t spill your sandwich on
entertainment will be provided by Camp the merchandise, lest ye be forever ban-
ished from the eastern bloc of Second Everlasting Light
Regret and Watermelon.
Camp Regret manage to balance ice- Street.
cold, dissonant post-punk with upbeat
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
LIVE MUSIC
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
MONDAY (4)
Christmas Tunes with Jim
& Marcia (1pm) – Moline
Public Library, 3210 41st
St., Moline IL
Samantha Henson –
Damsel. – Raccoon
Motel, 315 E. Second St.,
Davenport IA
TUESDAY (5)
Ark a n s au ce – Fi r e s i d e
Co l l e c t i ve – R a cco o n
Motel, 315 E. Second St.,
Davenport IA
Tuneful Tuesday: Holiday
Music with the Quad City
Sy m p h o ny O r c h e s t r a
(no on) – Ro ck Islan d
Public Library - Downtown
Library, 401 19th St., Rock
Island IL
WEDNESDAY (6)
Archer Oh – Plunkett –
Wa l d e m a r – R a cco o n
Motel, 315 E. Second St.,
Davenport IA
Chuck Murphy (6:30pm) –
The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
JACK Quar tet Plays
John Zorn – Hancher
Auditorium, 141 East Park
Rd., Iowa City IA
Karaoke Night – RIBCO,
1815 Second Ave., Rock
Island IL
O pen Mic w/ Donovan
G u s t o f s o n – W hiskey
Stop, 1726 15th Ave., East
Moline IL
THURSDAY (7)
Caleb Talbott (6:30pm) –
The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
Cole Barnhil – Shea Abshier
& the Nighthowlers –
Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington
St., Iowa City IA
Jen Craf t (6pm) – Twin
S p a n B r e w i n g , 67 76
Championship D r. ,
Bettendorf IA
Open Jam Night – My Place
the Pub, 4405 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night w/ Antone
Bur ton – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
RCReader.com/Support.
St., Davenport IA
Reggae Night – Zeke’s
I s l a n d C a f e , 15 0 9 N
Harrison St., Davenport IA
Ruby & Donovan (6pm) –
Whiskey Stop, 1726 15th
Ave., East Moline IL
FRIDAY (8)
Angela Meyer – Oak Grove
Tavern, 4371 53rd Ave.,
Bettendorf IA
Black Friday Karaoke –
Village Theatre, 2113 E 11th
St, Davenport IA
B o d y Vo i d – R a cco o n
Motel, 315 E. Second St.,
Davenport IA
Clint Black – Riverside
Casino and Golf Resort,
318 4 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
D o n ov a n G u s t o f s o n –
Hollar’s Bar and Grill, 4050
27th St, Moline IL
D ram a M ajor – H arl ey
Corin’s, 1708 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Far Out 283 – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Gary Pearson and Larry
Boyd – Bootleg Hill Honey
Meads, 321 E. 2nd St.,
Davenport IA
Halfloves – Jim Swim – Lou
Sherry – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City
IA
Hap Hazard – Parkside Grill
& Lounge, 2307 5th Ave,
Moline IL
The Jason & John
Experience – Hawkeye
Tap Sports Bar N Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
Mike Zito (7pm) – Fair
Warning (9pm) – Rhythm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Old Shoe Album-Release
Show – Allie Kral – The
Dawn – The Redstone
R o o m , 12 9 M a i n St ,
Davenport IA
TriTones Jazz Ensemble –
The Grape Life Wine Store
& Lounge, 3402 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
The Unidynes – The V’ue,
137 5th Ave. S., Clinton IA
FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 29
Get Your Local Licks On
Through January 7, 2024
January Print Edition Deadline:
December 31: calendar@rcreader.com
Washington St., Iowa City IA Island IL
SATURDAY (9) IA Moline High School
Adeem the Artist – Disco Holiday Brass (3pm) – St.. TUESDAY (12) Holiday Concert (10am) –
Doom – Scott Stowe – Paul Lutheran Churcj, 2136 Prese r vat ion H all Jaz z Moline Public Library, 3210
Raccoon Motel, 315 E. Brady St., Davenport IA Band: Creole Christmas 41st St., Moline IL
Second St., Davenport IA Ke e n e r R o a d B a n d – – Englert Theatre, 221 East O pen Mic w/ Donovan
Angela Meyer – JT’s Alpha Rhythm City Casino Resort Washington St., Iowa City G u s t o f s o n – W hiskey
Inn, 102 W D St., Alpha IL R h y t h m R o o m , 707 7 IA Stop, 1726 15th Ave., East
The Carefree Highwaymen Elmore Ave., Davenport IA Moline IL
– The Grape Life Wine Lu m i n a r e C h r i s t m a s – WEDNESDAY (13)
Store & Lounge, 34 02 Rhythm City Casino Resort Jordan Danielsen (6:30pm) THURSDAY (14)
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA Event Center, 7077 Elmore – The Gypsy Highway Bar & Alex Axup (6pm) – Whiskey
Code 415 – The Gyps y Ave., Davenport IA Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., Stop, 1726 15th Ave., East
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 Sara Evans – Engler t Davenport IA Moline IL
W. Locust St., Davenport IA Theatre, 2 21 East Karaoke Night – RIBCO, Angela Meyer – Frick’s Tap,
Doug Brundies – Hawkeye Washington St., Iowa City 1815 Second Ave., Rock
Tap Sports Bar & Grill, 4646 Continued On Page 30
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
Holiday Brass – Second
Baptist Church, 919 6th
Ave, Rock Island IL
The King’s Singers: When
You Wish Upon a Star –
Hancher Auditorium, 141
East Park Rd., Iowa City IA
Kuldeep Singh – Englert
Theatre, 2 21 East
Washington St., Iowa City
IA
Lewis Knudsen – Pour Bros.
Craf t Taproom Moline,
1209 4th Ave. Suite 2,
Moline IL
Maddie Poppe’s Acoustic
Christmas – Central
DeWitt Per forming Ar ts
Center, 519 E. 11th St.,
DeWitt IA
RiverBend Bronze
Handbell Ensemble
Christmas Concert
(3pm) – St.Paul’s United
Methodist Church - Cedar
Rapids, 3rd Ave SE at 14th
St.SE, Cedar Rapids IA
The Rushmore Band –
Rhythm City Casino Resort
R h y t h m R o o m , 707 7
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
S u r f ’s U p S a t u r d ay
(11:30am) – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Davenport IA
Totes McGoats – Bootleg
Hill Honey Meads, 321 E.
2nd St., Davenport IA
Windy City Dueling Pianos
– The Circa ’21 Speakeasy,
1818 T hird Ave., Rock
Island IL
SUNDAY (10)
Ashbringer – Moon
Summoner – Everlasting
Light – Gabe’s, 330 E.
30 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 FREE ASSANGE. Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.

LIVE MUSIC
Get Your Local Licks On
Through January 7, 2024
January Print Edition Deadline:
December 31: calendar@rcreader.com

1402 W. 3rd St., Davenport
IA
Kyle Cord (6pm) – Twin
S p a n B r e w i n g , 67 76
Championship D r. ,
Bettendorf IA
Levi Craft (6:30pm) – The
Gy ps y Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
Open Jam Night – My Place
the Pub, 4405 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night (5:30pm)
– Tuggers Burger Bar &
Alehouse, 201 N. Main St.,
Port Byron IL
Open Mic Night w/ Antone
Bur ton – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Open Mic Nite w/ Jacob
Hemenway – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Davenport IA
Robin Taylor Zander –
Raccoon Motel, 315 E.
Second St., Davenport IA
Roger Carlson & Friends
(6 p m) – Q u a d C i t y
Botanical Center, 2525 4th
Ave., Rock Island IL
FRIDAY (15)
An g e l a M eye r – R ams
Riverhouse, 102 South
Main Street, Port Byron IL
Candlelight: Holiday
Special Featuring “The
Nutcracker” & More (6:30
& 8:45pm) – The Spotlight
Theatre, 1800 7th Ave.,
Moline IL
Funktastic 5 – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Jim Ryan – Hollar’s Bar and
Grill, 4050 27th St, Moline
IL
Levi Craft – Hawkeye Tap
Sports Bar & Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
Monica Austin – Rhy thm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Not Offended – Parkside
Grill & Lounge, 2307 5th (6pm) – Ragged Records
Ave, Moline IL & Trash Can Annie, 311 E.
N ova Singe r s: A N ova Second St., Davenport IA
Christmas – St. Paul Code 415 – Harley Corin’s,
Lutheran Church - 1708 State St., Bettendorf
Davenport, 2136 Brady St., IA
Davenport IA Cr o oke d Cac t us – T h e
P A K Tr i o ( n o o n ) – Gy ps y Highway Bar &
Bettendorf Public Library, Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
2950 Learning Campus Dr., Davenport IA
Bettendorf IA The Donovan Band – 11th
Rob and Rita (6:30pm) – St r e e t P r e c i n c t , 1107
Bootleg Hill Honey Meads, Mound St., Davenport IA
321 E. 2nd St., Davenport Freddy Allen Christmas
IA Concert – Hauberg Civic
Steve Grismore Jazz Trio – Center Mansion, 1300 24th
The Grape Life Wine Store St., Rock Island IL
& Lounge, 3402 Elmore Jerry Criss Band – The V’ue,
Ave., Davenport IA 137 5th Ave. S., Clinton IA
Jordan Danielsen – The
SATURDAY (16) Grape Life Wine Store &
BanD Acoustic – Bootleg Lounge, 3402 Elmore Ave.,
Hill Honey Meads, 321 E. Davenport IA
2nd St., Davenport IA Jump: The Ultimate Van
Ben Orrin Coe – Hawkeye Halen Tribute – Big Hair
Tap Sports Bar & Grill, 4646 Mafia – The Rust Belt, 533
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport 12th Ave., East Moline IL
IA N ova Singe r s: A N ova
Camp Regret – Watermelon Christmas – First Lutheran
Church Galesburg, 364 E.
Water St., Galesburg IL
Paxton Sherbeyn – Pour
P o l y r h y t h m s Tr i o +
2 (5 p m) – U n i t a r i a n
Universalist Congregation
of the Quad Cities, 3707
Eastern Ave., Davenport IA
Sunday Open Jam w/ the
Louie Bellson Drummers
Collective Group (3pm)
– The Gypsy Highway Bar
& Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
A Very Brassy Christmas w/
the Big River Brass Band
(3pm) – St.Paul Lutheran
Church - Davenport, 2136
Brady St., Davenport IA
MONDAY (18)
Michael W. Smith:
Christmas – Adler
Theatre, 136 E. Third St.,
Davenport IA
Songwriters Roundtable
(6pm) – Common Chord,
129 N. Main St., Davenport
IA
WEDNESDAY (20)
3 Door Coupe (6:30pm) –
The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
the Pub, 4405 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Mic Night w/ Antone
Bur ton – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
QC Soul Singers Christmas
Special with Kellen
Myers (6:30pm) – The
Gy ps y Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
FRIDAY (22)
BS Express – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Black Friday Karaoke –
Village Theatre, 2113 E 11th
St, Davenport IA
Chuck Murphy – Hawkeye
Tap Sports Bar & Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
A Conrad Christmas – The
Grape Life Wine Store &
Lounge, 3402 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Danger Zone – Park side
Grill & Lounge, 2307 5th
Ave, Moline IL
Identity Crisis Christmas

STI testing:
Bros.Craf t Ta p r o o m Co u n t r y C h r i s t m a s w/ Show – The Gypsy
Moline, 1209 4th Ave. Suite A n g e l a M e ye r & J D Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
2, Moline IL Aguilera (6pm) – Raccoon W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Salsa Night w/ Sonora Motel, 315 E. Second St., T h e I n c r e d i b l e 45’s –
Sazon De Antano – The Davenport IA Rhythm City Casino Resort

It’s snow big deal.

Redstone Room, 129 Main
St, Davenport IA
S u r f ’s U p S a t u r d ay
(11:30am) – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like Davenport IA
Winterland: A Grateful
gonorrhea and chlamydia are both more Dead Holiday Show –
Englert Theatre, 221 East
common and easier to get than you Washington St., Iowa City
might think. Many people experience IA
no symptoms. If you are sexually SUNDAY (17)
Freddy Allen Christmas
active, make STI testing part of your Concert – Hauberg Civic
regular health routine! Center Mansion, 1300 24th
St., Rock Island IL
G o s p e l S u n d ay : J e r r y
Johnson & the Voices of
Find a testing
the QC – Jovonta Patton
location near you: (6pm) – The Redstone
gettested.cdc.gov R o o m , 12 9 M a i n St ,
Davenport IA
M o m R o c k – R a cco o n
Motel, 315 E. Second St.,
Davenport IA
Polyrhythms’ Third
S u n d ay J a z z S e r i e s :
Karaoke Night – RIBCO,
1815 Second Ave., Rock
Island IL
Open Mic Night (6pm) –
Green Tree Brewery, 309 N.
Cody Rd., LeClaire IA
O pen Mic w/ Donovan
G u s t o f s o n – W hiskey
Stop, 1726 15th Ave., East
Moline IL
THURSDAY (21)
Chris & Wes Show (6pm) –
Whiskey Stop, 1726 15th
Ave., East Moline IL
Fe a t u r e A r t i s t N i t e –
Zeke’s Island Cafe, 1509 N
Harrison St., Davenport IA
Jacob Hemenway (6pm)
– Twin Span Brewing,
6776 Championship Dr.,
Bettendorf IA
M ic hae l Const ant ino –
Deanna Schultz – Todd
Lorenc (6pm) – The Rusty
Fox Wine & Alehouse, 1 E
3rd St., Sterling IL
Open Jam Night – My Place
R h y t h m R o o m , 707 7
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
The Jason & John
Experience – Hollar’s Bar
and Grill, 4050 27th St,
Moline IL
What’s Our Name Again? –
Harley Corin’s, 1708 State
St., Bettendorf IA
SATURDAY (23)
Ariel McReynolds – Rhythm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Donovan Gustofson
– Geneseo Brewing
Company, 102 S. State St.,
Geneseo IL
Funktastic 5 – Hawkeye Tap
Sports Bar & Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
Open Mic w/ DJ Santa
(6pm) – The V’ue, 137 5th
Ave. S., Clinton IA
Smooth Groove Holiday
Show – The Gypsy
Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93.
LIVE MUSIC
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
S u r f ’s U p S a t u r d ay
(11:30am) – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Davenport IA
Tony Hoeppner & Friends –
The Grape Life Wine Store
& Lounge, 3402 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Victor Dean – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
WEDNESDAY (27)
Doug Brundies (6:30pm) –
The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
Karaoke Night – RIBCO,
1815 Second Ave., Rock
Island IL
O pen Mic w/ Donovan
G u s t o f s o n – W hiskey
Stop, 1726 15th Ave., East
Moline IL
THURSDAY (28)
Donovan Gustofson
(6:30pm) – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Final Mix Band – Rhythm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
L e w i s K n u d s e n (6 p m)
– Twin Span Brewing,
6776 Championship Dr.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Jam Night – My Place
the Pub, 4405 State St.,
Bettendorf IA
Open Mic & Karaoke –
The Rust y Fox Wine &
Alehouse, 1 E 3rd St.,
Sterling IL
Open Mic Night (5:30pm)
– Tuggers Burger Bar &
Alehouse, 201 N. Main St.,
Port Byron IL
Open Mic Night w/ Antone
Bur ton – Bootleg Hill
Honey Meads, 321 E. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Open Mic Nite w/ Jacob
Hemenway – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Davenport IA
Roger Carlson & Friends
(6 p m) – Q u a d C i t y
Botanical Center, 2525 4th
Ave., Rock Island IL
TAG (6pm) – Whiskey Stop,
1726 15th Ave., East Moline
RCReader.com/Support. FREE ASSANGE. River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 31
Get Your Local Licks On
Through January 7, 2024
January Print Edition Deadline:
December 31: calendar@rcreader.com
IL Sports Bar & Grill, 4646 IA Highway 22, Riverside IA Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport Fair Warning – The Gypsy Davenport IA
FRIDAY (29) IA Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 WEDNESDAY (3)
3 Day Rain – The Gypsy Avey Grouws Band W. Locust St., Davenport IA Karaoke Night – RIBCO, SATURDAY (6)
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 (5 : 3 0 p m) – C r o o k e d Hap Hazard – 11th Street 1815 Second Ave., Rock Liz ano – Barnhouse &
W. Locust St., Davenport IA Cac tus (9:30 pm) – Precinct, 1107 Mound St., Island IL Palmer – The Grape Life
Alex Fischbach – Hawkeye Rhythm City Casino Resort Davenport IA Wine Store & Lounge, 3402
Tap Sports Bar & Grill, 4646 R h y t h m R o o m , 707 7 N e w Ye a r ’s R o c k i n ’ THURSDAY (4) Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport Elmore Ave., Davenport IA Reunion: A Tribute to Georgia Rae (6:30pm) – Semi Charmed – The Gypsy
IA Belladiva – Rhy thm Cit y Buddy Holly & Friends – The Gypsy Highway Bar & Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
Ellis Kell’s Winter Blues Casino Resor t Event Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Camp Conce r t – T h e Center, 7077 Elmore Ave., 1828 Third Ave., Rock Davenport IA
Redstone Room, 129 Main Davenport IA Island IL
St, Davenport IA D J L a n d o n M u r r ay – The Pork Tornado es – FRIDAY (5)
Freddy Allen 2&4 Swing – Renwick Mansion, 9 01 B i r d c h i l d – R i ve r si d e The Matt Fuller Band –
The Grape Life Wine Store Tremont Ave, Davenport Casino Event Center, 3184 The Gypsy Highway Bar &
& Lounge, 3402 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Jim Cook – Hollar’s Bar and
Grill, 4050 27th St, Moline
IL
Lewis Knudsen – Bootleg
Hill Honey Meads, 321 E.
2nd St., Davenport IA
North of 40 – Parkside Grill
& Lounge, 2307 5th Ave,
Moline IL
Rosie & the Rivets – Rhythm
City Casino Resort Rhythm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
SATURDAY (30)
Alex Axup – The Grape Life
Wine Store & Lounge, 3402
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Class of ’82 – Rhythm City
Casino Resor t Rhy thm
Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Code 415 – Len Brown’s
North Shore Inn, 700 N.
Shore Dr., Moline IL
Danger Zone – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606
W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Gary Pearson and Larry
Boyd – Bootleg Hill Honey
Meads, 321 E. 2nd St.,
Davenport IA
Kontra Band – Hawkeye Tap
Sports Bar & Grill, 4646
Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
Sevendust – 10 Years –
Burden of the Sky – CORE
– The Rust Belt, 533 12th
Ave., East Moline IL
S u r f ’s U p S a t u r d ay
(11:30am) – Zeke’s Island
Cafe, 1509 N Harrison St.,
Davenport IA
SUNDAY (31)
3 Day Rain – Hawkeye Tap
32 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 31 No. 1016 • December 2023 FREE ASSANGE. Know More. Do More. RCReader.com/Calendar.