2 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.

com

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR By Kathleen McCarthy

Flatten the Fear: Cracking COVID Cases, Testing, and Causes of Death
I
t was only a matter of time before the scientific
evidence relative to the SARS-CoV2 virus and
COVID-19 downgrading its lethality over-
whelmed the narratives that continue to perpetu-
ate shuttering businesses and schools.
Just because a person tests positive for COVID-
19 and thereby counted as a new case does not
mean the person is infectious/contagious. Eighty
percent of all persons tested are asymptomatic
and, as such, do not carry enough viral load to
become sick or transmit to others.
This is a really important new discovery
because the world’s COVID-19 pandemic-
mitigation policies are ultimately based on the
assumption that a positive case means he/she is
infected with a highly lethal contagious virus
transmissible to others. And it is fear of the poten-
tial lethality that justifies worldwide compliance
with mitigations that are otherwise unjustifiably
destructive in and of themselves.
Months ago, media and health authorities
stopped talking about deaths relative to COVID-
19, focusing instead on new cases only, nudging
an already fearful populace to incorrectly associ-
ate rising cases with rising illness and deaths.
However, as cases increased exponentially
largely due to increased testing, actual hospital-
izations and deaths from COVID-19 have con-
tinued to significantly decrease in the U.S. and
worldwide. Yet the media deftly avoids this pesky
reality. Eventually COVID-curious Americans
will get around to asking “Why?”
The New York Times inquired into several
unavoidable concerns raised in the medical
community relative to the rt-PCR tests being
used nationwide to diagnose COVID-19. “The
standard tests are diagnosing huge numbers of
people who may be carrying relatively insignifi-
cant amounts of the virus.” (RCReader.com/y/
covid1916)
The rt-PCR tests cannot provide the viral load
(amount of virus present in the person being
tested), a recognized weakness of the PCR testing
as a diagnostic tool within the medical commu-
nity since the test’s invention in 1993.
As stated in the NYT, “The PCR test amplifies
genetic matter from the virus in cycles; the fewer
cycles required, the greater the amount of virus,
or viral load, in the sample. The greater the viral
load, the more likely the patient is to be conta-
gious. This number of amplification cycles needed
to find the virus, called the cycle threshold, is
never included in the results sent to doctors and
coronavirus patients, although it could tell them
how infectious the patients are.”
Most rt-PCR tests have cycle thresholds
between 37-40, lowering reliability of positive
tests. The higher the cycle threshold means it took
numerous amplifications just to detect the virus,
indicating the viral load was miniscule, therefore
likely not contagious.
“In Massachusetts, from 85 to 90 percent of
people who tested positive in July with a cycle
threshold of 40 would have been deemed nega-
tive if the threshold were 30 cycles,” Dr. Mina said.
“I would say that none of those people should be
contact-traced, not one.”
PCR testing limitations and recognition of
comorbidities role in deaths due to COVID-19
have caused the CDC to issue new guidelines as of
August 26, 2020, for testing and isolating people
who are asymptomatic, recommending no testing
and no quarantining even after coming in brief
contact with others who have tested positive.
(RCReader.com/y/covid1917)
These new guidelines also take into account
that 90 percent of those who have died from
COVID-19 are over 65 years of age, and the large
majority are actually over 80 years of age. The
number of people under age 24 who have suc-
cumbed to COVID-19 is so low as to be regarded
statistically unaffected by this pandemic.
It is also important to note that not a single case
of a child transmitting COVID-19 to an adult has
been recorded anywhere in the world.
Simultaneously, the CDC adjusted down-
ward its death count “from” COVID alone by a
whopping 94 percent to just 6 percent of deaths
caused “from” COVID alone. The remaining 94
percent had on average 2.6 comorbidities (other
underlying critical conditions) contributing
to their deaths “with” COVID-19. (RCReader.
com/y/covid1918, RCReader.com/y/covid1919)
These two new admissions from the CDC bring
into sharp relief the more accurate risk involved
with COVID-19 for the majority of populations.
By its own standards as a category-2 pandemic,
and those of the world’s health organizations,
COVID-19 no longer justifies continuing miti-
gation policies that shutter businesses and/or
schools.
Included below is a chart of the 21 deaths attrib-
uted to COVID-19 in Scott County since March,
2020, through August 28, 2020. The information
is compiled from death certificates identified by
the Scott County Health Department, and com-
ports with the CDC’s national statistics.
The newest analysis represents very positive
news. The public should still question informa-
tion going forward, hopefully inspiring a more
rigorous inspection of data and the policies that
flow from it. These mitigations are having known
and unknown consequences locally, nationally,
and globally. Such magnitude of consequences
deserves a whole lot more curiosity going
forward.

Scott County, Iowa: 21 Deaths From or With COVID-19*

Due to or as a
When Age Where Immediate Cause Underlying Cause Other Significant Conditions
Consequence Of
04/03/20 93 Hospital Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Covid-19 None None
Chronic immunosuppression,
04/09/20 81 Hospital Covid-19 Pneumonia None None
Pulmonary Embolism
04/15/20 74 Hospital Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Pneumonia Covid-19 None
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,
04/22/20 80 Nursing Home Covid-19 None None
Diastolic Congestive Heart Failure
Coronary Artery Disease,
04/23/20 84 Nursing Home Covid-19 None None
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
04/28/20 92 Nursing Home Covid-19 Pneumonia Complications None None None

04/29/20 49 Hospital Acute Respiratory Failure Pneumonia, Covid-19 Bowel Ischemia Morbid Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Asthma
Asthma, Ehlers-Danlos,
05/07/20 61 Hospital Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Covid-19
May-Thurber Syndrome
05/19/20 65 Hospital Acute Respiratory Failure Pneumonia, Covid-19 None Diabetes, Coronary Artery Disease, Asthma

07/19/20 76 Hospital Covid-19 Infection None None None

07/27/20 92 Hospital Covid-19 Pneumonia Sepsis None None

Acute Hypoxia Respiratory Failure,
08/04/20 53 Nursing Home Covid-19 Complications Covid-19 Pneumonia Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes
Klebsiella Pneumonia
Obesity, Atherosclerotic Heart Disease,
08/04/20 72 Hospital Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Covid-19 Pneumonia None
Chronic Renal Failure
08/07/20 60 Hospital Bilateral Pneumonia with Covid-19 Acute Hypoxia, Respiratory Failure None None

08/11/20 77 Hospital Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Pneumonia. Covid-19 None None

08/17/20 80 Hospice Respiratory Failure Covid-19 None Alzheimers Dementia, GERD

08/17/20 80 Hospital Septic Shock Urinary Tract Infection None Covid-19

08/20/20 88 Hospice Covid-19 None None None

*As of August 31, 2020. Compiled from death certificates identified by Scott County Health Department.
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 3
GUEST COMMENTARY By Caitlin Johnstone

Reminder: The U.S. Empire Tortures

Vol. 27 · No. 977 Journalists and Whistleblowers
SEPTEMBER 2020 Julian Assange Extradition Hearing Resumes September 7
[Publisher Note: The Reader featured Ms.
RIVER CITIES’ READER Johnstone’s thorough essay “Debunking
532 W. 3rd St.
Davenport IA 52801 the Julian Assange Smears” as its May 2019
RiverCitiesReader.com cover story: RCReader.com/commentary/
(563)324-0049 (phone) debunking-julian-assange-smears.]

J
(563)323-3101 (fax)
info@rcreader.com
ulian Assange’s hearing in the British
PUBLISHING SINCE 1993 court to be extradited to the United
The River Cities’ Reader is an independently owned States is scheduled to resume Septem-
publication and website, dedicated to providing readers ber 7, 2020. Assange’s partner Stella Moris
and members the “keys to the Quad Cities’ culture.”
visited him this month with their children
PRINTED MONTHLY at Belmarsh prison for the first time since
Newly printed complimentary editions are available March of this year, and reports that his
monthly at select locations in the region. For a complete physical condition has deteriorated notice- Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning
list, visit www.rcreader.com/distribution.
ably since that time.
Manning for her own part has also been enemies on spikes, or public hangings. The
PRINT & DIGITAL ADVERTISING “He was wearing a yellow armband to
tortured at the hands of the same brutal torture of Assange involves two main areas:
Visit QCAdvertising.com indicate his level of prisoner status, and you
authoritarian regime because of the same being confined to three rooms in a single
for full publishing calendar, could see how thin his arms were,” Moris
truthful publications about its misdeeds. building for seven years, and unable to leave
sponsorship opportunities, told the PA news agency.
ad sizes, and pricing. United Nations Special Rapporteur on tor- without fear of arrest and extradition to
“Moris said her partner is still suffering
ture Juan E. Mendez stated unequivocally Sweden which was playing an underhand
from a frozen shoulder, and had recently
PUBLISHER that Manning’s treatment was “cruel, inhu- role to allow Assange to be extradited to the
sprained his ankle,” PA reports.
Todd McGreevy • todd@admospheres.com man and degrading,” and 295 legal schol- U.S. As the U.N. rapporteur on torture Nils
“He is in a lot of pain,” Moris added.
ars signed a letter declaring that she was Melzer wrote that never in the two decades
EDITOR & BUSINESS MANAGER This additional physical pain is just one
“detained under degrading and inhumane he had spent investigating war crimes had
Kathleen McCarthy • km@rcreader.com more piece of information on top of the
conditions that are illegal and immoral.” he ever seen such a ganging up of so many
mountain of evidence we already had that
ARTS & CALENDAR EDITOR “I conclude that the 11 months under powerful nations against one individual. It
the United States and United Kingdom are
Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com conditions of solitary confinement (regard- is a testament to Assange’s mental strength
torturing a journalist who exposed U.S. war
less of the name given to [her] regime by that he resisted at all.
ART DIRECTOR crimes.
the prison authorities) constitutes at a Our governments should be too afraid of
Nathan Klaus • nathan@rcreader.com It has already been established by U.N.
minimum cruel, inhuman and degrad- us to hide ugly truths from our view. Instead
Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer
IT-SYSMIN ing treatment in violation of article 16 of what we have is the exact opposite: our gov-
William Reveal
that Assange has for years been suffering
the convention against torture,” Mendez ernments have us afraid of trying to find
from psychological torture at the hands of
reported in 2012. out about those truths because they smear
ADVERTISING SALES the tight empire-like network of allies that
Since her abuse at the hands of U.S. and brutally punish anyone who tries. This
sales@rcreader.com is loosely centralized around the United
government, Manning has repeatedly is gravely disordered, and it cannot stand.
States. It has already been established by
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS attempted suicide, including once after The more secrecy governments are
scores of medical doctors and later backed
Amy Alkon, Max Allison, Rochelle Arnold, she was cruelly re-incarcerated for refus- allowed to have, the more evil they will do.
Rob Brezsny, Pamela Briggs, Max Cannon, by many more that Assange has a well-
ing to testify at a secret grand jury against The more powerful those governments are,
Madeline Dudziak, Rich Miller, Loren Thacher documented “history of denial of access to
WikiLeaks. the more egregious those evils will be. We
health care and prolonged psychological
PRINT COPY DISTRIBUTORS It should enrage us all that governments cannot have a just world without the abil-
torture,” adding, “Should Assange die in a
Cheri Delay, Greg Fitzpatrick, Jay Strickland keep secrets from us about evil things they ity to see what the powerful are doing and
U.K. prison, as the U.N. Special Rapporteur
do. This by itself is wholly illegitimate, and hold them to account, and any assault on
Email info@RCReader.com on Torture has warned, he will effectively
Julian Assange realized this, which is why our ability to do so is an assault on every
to make your business have been tortured to death.”
he started WikiLeaks in the first place. Add one of us.
a Reader pick up spot. The fact that Assange’s condition has
on the fact that not only do they keep secrets London protests against Assange’s extra-
reportedly continued to deteriorate while
from us but actively imprison and torture dition are set to begin when his hearing
his suffering has continued to escalate is
ALIVE AND FREE just a continuation along an already estab-
people who try to bring those secrets out to resumes on September 7. Stella Moris has
the public where they belong, and our rage a crowdfunding campaign for Assange’s
SINCE ’93 lished trajectory of publicly brutalizing a
journalist for revealing U.S. war crimes.
should be shaking the earth right now. legal case which has been endorsed by the
Australian award-winning investigative WikiLeaks team; you can donate by visiting
Keep the free press free with your And make no mistake, that is the sole
journalist Andrew Fowler explained the crowdjustice.com/case/julianassange.
reason for Assange’s persecution. The U.S.
direct support at RCReader.com/Support reason for Assange’s torture as follows:
extradition charges relate to basic journalis-
“The ultimate purpose of Assange’s Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian (where
© 2020 River Cities’ Reader
tic activities and source protection between
treatment is a warning to others. Particu- Assange is from) independent journal-
Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Man-
larly other journalists. It’s the modern-day ist whose further writings can be found at
ning a decade ago, in which leaks which
equivalent of crucifi xion, putting heads of CaitlinJohnstone.com.
exposed U.S. war crimes were published.
4 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
ILLINOIS POLITICS
If Politics Is a Science, Then
Pritzker and His Critics Are
Learning by Pratfall
W
hen Governor JB Pritzker
announced the state COVID-19
“mitigation” plan for the Metro
East on August 16, he said it was done in con-
junction “with local officials in the Metro East
region and across the border in St Louis.”
Last week, though, the governor admitted
the cross-border arrangement to try to con-
tain the virus’s spread was a “mistake.”
Man, was it ever.
Instead of sticking to the state’s original
mitigation plan, which would’ve included
things like reducing indoor restaurant capac-
ity and shutting down all indoor bar service,
Governor Pritzker only ordered bars and res-
taurants to close at 11 p.m., which was in line
with what St Louis was planning at the time.
But the region’s test positivity-rate has since
continued to rise to, as I write this, just above
10 percent – by far the highest in Illinois.
Then, last week, Region 7, which includes
Will and Kankakee counties, experi-
enced 8-plus percent positivity-rates three
days in a row, which triggered automatic
state-mitigation.
According to a Belleville News-Democrat
report, The Illinois Department of Public
Health informed Metro East officials last
Monday that their region’s state restrictions
would be tightened to match those that were
about to be imposed on Will and Kanka-
kee, including a ban on indoor dining and
drinking.
But the same Metro East Democratic legis-
lators who demanded prematurely that Pritz-
ker speed up the business-reopening process
way back on May 12, pitched a fit, and Pritzker
backed down.
The protesting Democrats did have a
point, I suppose. Pritzker originally said the
restrictions he put in place would last two
weeks. The local politicians wanted the gov-
ernor to stick to his word. And the governor’s
own plan states that once a region meets the
“resurgence criteria,” then a “tiered menu of
mitigation options will be considered.” There
are no actual hard-and fast-rules in his plan,
and those Metro East Democrats undoubtedly
knew the loopholes going in.
But that meant Pritzker would be impos-
ing significantly tighter restrictions on Will
and Kankakee counties, even though the two
counties have substantially lower positivity-
rates than the Metro East (8.4 percent vs. 10.4
percent as I write this).
And that set off Republican state Senators
Sue Rezin and John Curran, who represent
parts of Region 7. The two claimed the gov-
ernor had “decided to place partisan politics
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
By Rich Miller | CapitolFax.com
above science.” The same rules should apply
to all regions, they said, “and they should be
based on science, not politics.”
It didn’t help that Pritzker failed to reach
out to the two Republican legislators before
making his announcement. So, they, too, had
a valid point.
On a crass political level, the Metro East was
instrumental to Pritzker’s 2018 Democratic
primary win. It’s also a vitally-important
region for his “Fair Tax” proposal. Without
the full and fervent cooperation of those pow-
erful local political organizations, there’s no
dispute that his tax plan will be in serious
trouble.
The plain fact of the matter, however, is that
Pritzker cannot, on the one hand, say he values
science over politics, and then, on the other,
even appear to cave on political grounds.
There may have been sound reasons to
try and equalize restrictions with St Louis
because the city is mere minutes away from
everyone in the Metro East, which is small in
comparison to the Missouri metro region. It’s
not like the governor can close the bridges,
after all. And, yes, Pritzker said he’d give the
region two weeks. But he openly admitted
last week that his actions clearly didn’t work.
Sometimes, you just gotta bite the bullet.
That region is on the verge of getting totally
out of control, if it isn’t already. Illinois can’t do
anything about Missouri. Deal with Illinois.
Thankfully, Pritzker seemed chastened by
the whole experience last week when pressed
by a reporter. “I will readily admit that that
was not a good idea,” he said. He should never,
ever do this again.
And it’s long past time for those Metro East
Democratic legislators who’ve been up in
arms since May about the governor’s execu-
tive orders to loudly demand that their con-
stituents finally take this pandemic seriously.
There’s no excuse for this nonsense. The region
is fast becoming a national hot-spot, for crying
out loud.
Several of those same legislators pushed
hard to establish a large local contact-tracing
pilot program in St Clair County. But experts
have said contact tracing can be overwhelmed
when the positivity rate is above 5 percent. It’s
not a panacea. Do better. There is no easy way
out of this.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily
political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
New Column Published
Weekly at RCReader.com
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 5

Read between the lines and you’ll

understand why Dora shouldn’t be
state’s attorney.

From Moline Police

Incident Reports
obtained through
the Freedom of
Information Act.
The complete
reports are
available at
AnybodyButDora.
org

Accounts of Paid for by

Deception & Anybody But Dora “Villarreal” Nieman
Chair: Lauri Hageman
Incompetency

AnybodyButDora.org
 6 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
Your event listing in print and online has been complimentary since 1993!
Send your events to Calendar@RCReader.com
NOTE: All events listed are confirmed at time of publication. Please check with the venue ahead of arrival to ensure status of each event.
VISUAL ARTS
Openings & Gallery Events
Virtual Artist Talk: George Rodriguez, join us for a
conversation with renowned Los Angeles photographer…
Figge Art Museum, 6:30pm Thu Sep 3
Opening Reception for Nobel Peace Prize Collection:
Peace Starts Within, works of internationally recognized
artist Cecile Houel will be on… Bereskin Gallery & Art
Academy, 5:30pm Fri Sep 4
Fall Good Makers Market, Sept. 4 & 5; Eastern Iowa’s
hippest market with the… Cedar County Fairgrounds, 3pm
Fri Sep 4 thru Sat Sep 5
Virtual Artist Talk: Cara Romero, join us for a
conversation with artist Cara Romero; a… Figge Art Museum,
6:30pm Thu Sep 10
Fall Sidewalk Sales, help us in our COVID-19 recovery; this
added sidewalk sale… Beadology Iowa, Thu Sep 10 thru Sun
Sep 13
Introduction to American Impressionism and Giverny
Collection, an event in the Art Talks at Butterworth Center
series;… Butterworth Center, 3pm Fri Sep 18
Virtual Artist Celebration: Living Proof Exhibit, learn
about the artists of “Living Proof Exhibit: A Visualization…
Figge Art Museum, 6:30pm Thu Sep 24
Paint the River: 4th Annual Plein Air Paint Out, all
artists are welcome to paint along the Mississippi from…
Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 7:30am Sat Sep 26
Exhibits & Shows
125! 125 Masterworks from the Collection, the summer
exhibition will look at 125… Cedar Rapids Museum of Art,
thru Sun Sep 13
Landscapes in Watercolor, a selection of more than two
dozen watercolors from the… Des Moines Art Center, thru
Tue Sep 15
Magnetic West: The Enduring Allure of the American
West, the exhibit features over 150 photographs by… Figge
Art Museum, thru Sun Sep 20
A Portrait of Remarkable Women, exhibit of portraits
painted by Davenport’s Heidi… Quad City Arts Art @ the
Airport, thru Wed Sep 30
Matthew Boonstra & Alan Pocaro: SIGNALS and
Elizabeth Powell: Original Prints, sculpture, works on
paper, and printmaking exhibits… Quad City Arts Center,
thru Wed Sep 30
Nicole Davis: Let the Circle Be Unbroken, exhibit by
the Iowa artist who works… Black Hawk College ArtSpace
Gallery, thru Wed Sep 30
Nobel Peace Prize Collection: Peace Starts Within,
works of internationally recognized artist Cecile Houel…
Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, thru Wed Sep 30
SEPTEMBER 2020
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Covering September 3–30, 2020
Elizabeth Powell: Original Prints at Quad City Arts Center – through October 9
Rob Lipnick: Mountains, Faces, Stories, & Stacks, this
exhibition will feature Lipnick’s most recent… Figge Art
Museum, thru Wed Sep 30
Seen and Heard: The Art of Empowerment, exhibit
focusing on the major contributions of… Figge Art Museum,
thru Wed Sep 30
Living Proof Exhibit: A Visualization of Hope, exhibit
celebrating the therapeutic benefits of the… Figge Art
Museum, Thu Sep 10 thru Wed Sep 30
Seating by Design, curated by Professor Monica Correia,
the exhibit… Figge Art Museum, Sat Sep 12 thru Wed Sep
30
Haitian Masterworks, the exhibit features significant as
well as… Figge Art Museum, Sat Sep 19 thru Wed Sep 30
New American Scene: Recent Acquisitions to the
Figge Collection, the term “American Scene” describes the
work… Figge Art Museum, Sat Sep 26 thru Wed Sep 30
Art in Roman Life, over 50 works, including coins, glass
vessels,… Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, thru Wed Sep 30
Beyond the Prairie: Midwestern Art from the
Collection, exhibit showcases the work of artists inspired…
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, thru Wed Sep 30
Grant Wood: From Farm Boy to American Icon, the
installation reflects the depth of the… Cedar Rapids Museum
of Art, thru Wed Sep 30
Marvin Cone: An American Vision, a single-gallery
exhibition that serves as an… Cedar Rapids Museum of Art,
thru Wed Sep 30
Mary Zeran: 10 Years, the exhibition exhibition will trace
the trajectory… Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, thru Wed Sep
30
Mauricio Lasansky: Master Printmaker, artistic takes on
the venerated Iowa City… Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, thru
Wed Sep 30
Muscatine’s Pearl Button Industry from the
Permanent Collection, exhibit in the Musser-McColm
Museum Galleries; Tue.-Fri.… Muscatine Art Center, thru Wed
Sep 30
Unwrapped: Gifts from the Peter Norton Family
Christmas Project, 1988-2018, the Norton Family
Christmas Project objects and… Cedar Rapids Museum of Art,
thru Wed Sep 30
‘Til Death: Wedding & Mourning Traditions, exhibit
in the Stanley Gallery; Tue.-Fri. 10am-4pm,… Muscatine Art
Center, thru Wed Sep 30
Classes
Animals in Watercolor, Thursdays thru Sept. 24; with
instructor Kaitlin Walsh; learn how… Bereskin Gallery & Art
Academy, 6pm Thu Sep 3
Beginning Embroidery, Thursdays thru Sept. 24; with
instructor Lori Heald; students will… Bereskin Gallery & Art
Academy, 4pm Thu Sep 3
Greens In Landscape Painting, with instructor Brad
Bisbey; learn how to see and paint… Bereskin Gallery & Art
Academy, 11am Thu Sep 3
Virtual Event: Craft Tea, many have been creating and
crafting during this unprecedented time,… Bettendorf Public
Library, 7pm Thu Sep 3
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Virtual Class: Oil Painting, on Thursdays; with instructor
Dave Anderson; the first class includes… Bereskin Gallery &
Art Academy, 2pm thru Thu Sep 24
Artist with Special Needs, Fridays thru Nov. 20; with
instructor Pat Bereskin; 12 weeks… Bereskin Gallery & Art
Academy, 3pm Fri Sep 4
Open Clay Studio Membership, with instructor Claire
Waterman by appointment: Monday & Wednesday (9…
Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 5pm Fri Sep 4 thru Fri Sep
25
Intro to Watercolor Painting, Saturdays thru Sept. 26;
with instructor Tim Solbrig; discover the… Bereskin Gallery &
Art Academy, 8:30am Sat Sep 5
Oil Painting, on Saturdays; with instructor Dave Anderson;
learn to see, draw,… Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 9:30am
Sat Sep 5 thru Sat Sep 26
Virtual Class: Oil Painting, on Saturdays; with instructor
Dave Anderson; the first class includes… Bereskin Gallery &
Art Academy, 9am Sat Sep 5 thru Sat Sep 26
Open Clay Studio Membership, with instructors Claire
Waterman by appointment: Monday & Wednesday (9…
Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, Sat Sep 5 thru Wed Sep 30
Bird’s Nest Wire Pendant, with instructor Alyssa
Jakowchuk; a great way to utilize wire… Beadology Iowa,
2pm Sat Sep 5
Drop Earrings, with instructor Karen Kubby; use your
wireworking skills to create… Beadology Iowa, 10am Sat
Sep 5
Painting: Watercoloring the River, with Stacey Replinger;
participants will learn techniques for painting clouds,…
Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 2pm Sun Sep 6
An Apple for a Teacher/Friend, an event in the Southwest
Craft Night series with materials… Rock Island Public Library -
Southwest Branch, 6pm Tue Sep 8
Clay for Kids, ages five and up are invited to bring a
parent… Figge Art Museum, 6pm Tue Sep 8
Landscape Photography on Location, 6-8pm on
September 9 at the Figge and 6:30-10:30am in Dubuque…
Figge Art Museum, 6pm Wed Sep 9
Virtual Class: Oil Painting, on Wednesdays; with
instructor Dave Anderson; learn to see, draw,… Bereskin
Gallery & Art Academy, 9:30am Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep 30
Virtual Class: Oil Painting, on Wednesdays; with
instructor Dave Anderson; the first class includes… Bereskin
Gallery & Art Academy, 9am Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep 30
Wine & Art: Members Only, join today by contacting Tessa
Pozzi at tpozzi@figgeartmuseum.org or visiting… Figge Art
Museum, 6:30pm Thu Sep 10
Chenille Bracelet through Kirkwood Community
College, with instructor Karen Kubby; class conducted in
room 054 of… Beadology Iowa, 5:30pm Fri Sep 11
Wide and Textured 20’s Weave Bracelet, with instructor
Karen Kubby; this project provides lots of practice…
Beadology Iowa, 10am Sat Sep 12
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Metal Embossing & Patina Necklace & Earrings, with
instructor Wendy Olinger; learn how to emboss metal,
apply… Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 6pm Tue Sep 15
Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet & Coordinating
Earrings, with instructor Wendy Olinger; learn how to make
a Sterling… Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 10am Sat Sep 19
Designing with CRAW Chain, with instructor Karen
Kubby; participants will make a long cubed… Beadology
Iowa, 10am Sat Sep 19
Peas in a Pod Pendant, with instructor Zanetta Hoehle; use
copper wire to learn to… Beadology Iowa, 1pm Sun Sep 20
Life Drawing 3rd Sunday, with instructor Gary
Burlingame; artists from all over the QC… Bereskin Gallery &
Art Academy, 1pm Sun Sep 20
Memory Wire Bracelet & Earrings, with instructor Wendy
Olinger; learn how to work with Stainless… Bereskin Gallery &
Art Academy, 6pm Tue Sep 22
Nina Weiss Seminar – Creative Color: Colored Pencils,
Tuesdays thru Oct. 13; explore the creative possibilities of
colored… Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 7pm Tue Sep 22
Knock Off Wrapped Bracelet through Kirkwood
Community College Continuing Education, with
instructor Karen Kubby; class conducted in room 054 of…
Beadology Iowa, 5:30pm Tue Sep 22
Sculptural Furniture: Form/Function/Fun, Wednesdays
thru Oct. 14; with instructor Terry Rathje; this class… Figge Art
Museum, 6pm Wed Sep 23
Virtual Event – Take Home Workshop: Pompom
Eyeball Garland, get a jump start on your Halloween
decorations with this… Bettendorf Public Library, 9am Thu
Sep 24
Gyrls Night Out: CRAW Bead & Lampwork Earrings,
with instructor Karen Kubby; use your CRAW skills to make…
Beadology Iowa, 5:30pm Fri Sep 25
Ruffles Galore, with instructor Karen Kubby; learn to use
two-hole tile beads… Beadology Iowa, 10am Sat Sep 26
DIY Barn “Quilts”, make your own painted barn “quilt”
hanging using a 2’x2’… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 1pm Sat Sep 26
Call for Entry
Call for Entry: Quarantine Art Exhibition, seeking
submissions from all artists residing within a 250-mile
radius… Quad City Arts Center, thru Wed Sep 30
MUSIC
Soul Storm, concert in the Thursday Night Groove series;
with 6pm concessions… Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 7pm
Thu Sep 3
Live @ Five: Hal Reed & Mississippi Journey, a concert in
the courtyard with safety and social-distancing measures…
RME Courtyard, 5pm Fri Sep 4
Phyllis & the Sharks, concert in the Thursday Night Groove
series; with 6pm concessions… Schwiebert Riverfront Park,
7pm Thu Sep 10
Live @ Five: The Bobby Ray Bunch, a concert in the
courtyard with safety and social-distancing measures… RME
Courtyard, 5pm Fri Sep 11
Quad City Bank & Trust Riverfront Pops Presents
Landslide: A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of
Fleetwood Mac, join the Quad City Symphony Orchestra
and dance the night… Rock Island Arsenal, 7pm Sat Sep 12
Livestream Concert Series: Dexter O’Neal & the Funk
Yard, presented via YouTube.com/OrpheumGalesburg;
virtual concert with the Peoria-based ensemble delivering…
Orpheum Theatre, 6pm Sun Sep 13
Class of ‘82, concert in the Thursday Night Groove series;
with 6pm concessions… Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 7pm
Thu Sep 17
Live @ Five: John Resch & Doggin’ Out, a concert in the
courtyard with safety and social-distancing measures… RME
Courtyard, 5pm Fri Sep 18
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 7
Ginuwine, an evening of R&B with the singer, dancer, and
former… The Rust Belt, 7pm Sat Sep 19
QCSO Signature Soirée: Moonlight Sonata, celebrate
Beethoven’s 250th Birthday with an elegant evening of fine…
Figge Art Museum, 5:30pm Sat Sep 19
Livestream Concert Series: Harry Tonchev & Andy
Crawford, presented via YouTube.com/OrpheumGalesburg;
virtual concert with Bulgarian-American jazz guitarist
Tonchev… Orpheum Theatre, 6pm Sun Sep 20
Minus Six, concert in the Thursday Night Groove series; with
6pm concessions… Schwiebert Riverfront Park, 7pm Thu
Sep 24
Digital Circus 2020, presented by P.R. Lighting &
Production; a lighting & visual… Billy Bob’s QC, 5pm Fri Sep
25
Live @ Five: The Dawn, a concert in the courtyard with
safety and social-distancing measures… RME Courtyard, 5pm
Fri Sep 25
LITERARY ARTS
Writer’s Studio, informal writing critique group for all
ages… Midwest Writing Center, 11am Sat Sep 5
Virtual Event – Wicked River: The Mississippi River
When it Last Ran Wild, free; a discussion of Lee Sandlin’s
book with the Get… Bettendorf Public Library, 7pm Tue Sep
8
Virtual Book Club: Ask Again, an online discussion of
Mary Beth Keane’s book; using GoTo… Davenport Public
Library - Eastern Avenue Branch, 2pm Wed Sep 9
Virtual Event – Book Club @ Night: The Way You Make
Me Feel, an online discussion of Maureen Goo’s book; using
GoTo Meeting,… Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue
Branch, 6:30pm Wed Sep 9
Virtual Event – The Expats, free; a discussion of Chris
Pavone’s book with the Mystery… Bettendorf Public Library,
9am Sat Sep 12
A Fall of Marigolds, a discussion of Susan Meissner’s book
with the Book Babes… St. James Lutheran Church - Rock
Island, 6:30pm Tue Sep 15
Online Book Discussion – Wicked River: The
Mississippi River When it Last Ran Wild, a Get Lit
discussion of Lee Sandlin’s book; free; for… Bettendorf Public
Library, 7pm Tue Sep 15
The Alchemist, a discussion of Paulo Coelho’s book with
the Last Call… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
7pm Tue Sep 15
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a discussion of
Junot Diaz’s book with the Last Call Book… Icons Martini,
7pm Tue Sep 15
Virtual Event: Book ‘Em Mystery Book Club, join other
adults for an online book discussion; free; for… Moline Public
Library, 1pm Tue Sep 15
Virtual Book Club: Ordinary Grace, a discussion of
William Kent Krueger’s book with the Novel… Moline Public
Library, 10:30am Wed Sep 16
Virtual Event – Astoria: Astor & Jefferson’s Lost Pacific
Empire, free; a discussion of Peter Stark’s book with the
Contemporary… Bettendorf Public Library, 7pm Wed Sep 16
Virtual Event – The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed
Out the Window & Disappeared, free; a discussion of
Jonas Jonasson’s book with the Contemporary… Bettendorf
Public Library, 1pm Wed Sep 16
Writer’s Studio, informal writing critique group for all
ages… Midwest Writing Center, 11am Sat Sep 19
Virtual Book Club, on Wednesdays; using GoTo Meeting,
patrons will be able to… Davenport Public Library - Eastern
Avenue Branch, 2pm Wed Sep 23 thru Wed Sep 30
Virtual Last Monday Book Club, join Rachel through
GoToMeeting for Book Club; each person who… Silvis Public
Library, 6pm Mon Sep 28
Virtual Banned Books Reading, join us for a virtual “read-
out” of passages from books… Rock Island Public Library
- Downtown Library, 6pm Tue Sep 29
Continued On Page 10
 8 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
NEWS
The State of Things: Adler Theatre
Rick Palmer, executive director of the
Adler Theatre and RiverCenter in Daven-
port, discusses the venues’ operations during
this period of social distancing. We spoke on
Thursday, August 27.
Cancellations
and Bookings
Our last show was Dancing with the Stars
on March 12. And then the cancellations
pretty much happened all at once in that
mid-March weekend when the country
basically shut down and quarantined itself.
But before that, our shows in February
and March didn’t perform as well as they
normally would have, either. So there was
an effect [from COVID-19] going on even
before the cancellations.
We had no clue, for sure, when we’d be
back. When we started re-scheduling, we
started looking at September, and we actu-
ally missed that because we won’t be doing
those September shows [including concerts
with Kanas and Tenacious D, a Napolean
Dynamite screening, and an evening with
“Long Island Medium” Theresa Caputo].
Most of those shows are staying on the
books, though. The seats that people pur-
chased are still good, and obviously, if they
can’t make the new date, they’re certainly
able to get a refund. Most of those shows
are now happening in January and later in
the year.
But that doesn’t mean our fall calendar
is empty. In fact, today, the RiverCenter is
hosting corporate meetings up in their trib-
utary rooms. We have a wedding this week-
end. We’re also hosting the Iowa courts this
fall for jury-duty selection. Because the
numbers of people that they have to call to
the courthouse on Mondays for jury duty
are just too large to socially distance, the
county and city got together and asked us,
“Can you help? You got the space?” We have
the space. (Laughs.) And it’s something to
help keep the community moving and get
the court system going again.
We also have a two-night MMA event
on September 11 and 12 [Caged Aggres-
sion XXVII: Return of the Champions[ that
we lost that weekend that everything shut
down, which is a huge event for the Riv-
erCenter. So things are starting to move.
We’re looking at the glass half full and
seeing the movement.
I think for the Adler, it’s gonna take a little
longer. We do have the Quad City Sym-
phony kicking off their Masterworks series
on Saturday night and Sunday [October 3
and 4]. We’ll be hosting both, though I’m
sure they’ll try to get across the river again
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
By Mike Schulz
[for Sunday concerts at Augustana Col-
lege’s Centennial Hall] as things get back to
normal. And besides the Masterworks, we
do have a Beatles vs. Stones show [on Octo-
ber 20] that is on sale now, and capacity in
the theatre for that is 607 seats – when nor-
mally we’re at 2,411 for full capacity.
That number changes things. You know,
we’ve got to go with acts that don’t require
as much production – that aren’t necessar-
ily expecting the kind of guarantees [for
turnout] that most of the talent we produce
expects. So we’re looking at some other
shows to bring in yet this fall that make
sense at that number. But unfortunately,
most of the acts that have happened in the
past just require much better numbers than
that 607, and until the social-distancing
requirements change, it’s gonna be hard to
bring some of those acts back.
as much money as possible. If that was our when you come in, and when you go up to
I mean, this is like the third or fourth
mission, we’d do things a lot differently. the concession stands, and when you use
time we’ve had to reschedule Gordon Light-
(Laughs.) Our mission is to bring in events the restroom facilities. But once you get to
foot [most recently scheduled for October
that will bring an economic impact to the your seat, like with the MMA event, you’re
5]. He had his own personal health issues,
community, and that’s through hotel visits, welcome to remove your mask and enjoy a
and then we tried to move the date and he
that’s through restaurants, that’s through beverage.
wasn’t well enough yet, and then we moved
shopping and tours … . We’re selling those seats in pods of 10,
it into COVID. (Laughs.) So now we have to
Obviously, operations-wise, we haven’t where you put 10 people together that all
move it out of COVID. But he still wants to
made budget this year. But it hasn’t been know that they’re with each other – families
play. And that’s the indication that I’m get-
as terrible as one might’ve thought: One, and close friends and whatnot. We’ll leave
ting from everyone. There are a lot of very
because of the loans, and two, because we that to them to monitor who’s in their pod.
talented artists out there that want to get
reacted immediately and took measures But obviously, that helps with the capaci-
back to work, and looking forward to that
to minimize the impact of all these events ties [for events], because if we tried to do
possibility.
being moved around. And sponsors are still seating only in groups of two while keeping
At best, I think we’ll see Broadway at the
supporting us. I mean, people get it. everybody six feet away from each other …
Adler return in March. You know, it’s such
We’ve got a great staff here, and all of my ! (Laughs.) It’d never work.
a complicated production. You’re bringing
department directors have been working We take temperatures for our employ-
in a New York show with 30 to 40 cast mem-
hard to take the compliance regulations and ees and make sure they’re healthy before
bers, lots of stagehands, and you’re doing
put them into an effective, actionable plan. they punch in. For the patrons, we won’t
it for a day. (Laughs.) Not six months; not
So we’ve been working hard at that and be taking temperatures. Obviously, we’re
eight months. But they’re hoping, with the
working hard at re-scheduling, and keep- trusting them on that, but we’re also asking
indications we’re seeing, that things will
ing busy with our patrons with communi- people to wear the masks, and we’ll obvi-
change. I think we all believe that. And
cation and refunding and all those other ously monitor if somebody there seems to
they’re anticipating that by March, they’ll
things. But I know we’ll all be happy when be sick.
be able to get out and tour again.
we can get back to some sort of normal. In People can be assured that our facilities
the meantime, we’re hanging in there. are going to be very clean. We bought those
Economics electrostatic foggers that we can disinfect
You know, we’ve all got to cross our fin- Health, Safety, large large areas with, so everything will
always be disinfected. Of course, there’s no
gers and see what happens this fall. How we and Support guarantee in this, and people will have to
do on the mitigation. And our facility might
not be doing a lot of events right now, but For the Masterworks, masks will be assume their own responsibilities in how
we’re fighting to keep the budget down and required, and they’re going to require them they deal with it. But with the mask require-
under control. We were fortunate, as a pri- throughout the production. More than ments, and with us monitoring our staff,
vate company, to receive some PP loans, so likely, there’ll be no concessions in the it’s as safe as it can be. And obviously, if
we were able to keep staff hired all the way theatre for the symphony, though we will anybody doesn’t feel well, they need to stay
through June. Unfortunately, after that, still have concessions for other events. And home. (Laughs.) Please please stay home.
some full-time staff were put on furlough whether it’s a private dinner or something
and two, and the rest of us have taken pay like MMA, it [masks] will be a requirement. Follow venue updates at
cuts to help get through this, and help get Whether you believe in it or not, it’s the AdlerTheatre.com, RiverCtr.com,
the city through this. right thing to do. We’re going to be cau- Facebook.com/AdlerTheatre, and
We are an economic driver. In fact, that’s tious and try to be part of the solution. And Facebook.com/DavenportRiverCenter.
our mission. Our mission is not to make because of that, masks will be required
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 9

7077 Elmore Avenue Davenport, IA 52807

1.844.852.4FUN | rhythmcitycasino.com
10 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
THEATRE
Performances
Thursday Night Live, area performers, Bootleggers
and Circa ’21 favorites will be performing… The Circa ’21
Speakeasy, 7pm Thu Sep 3
A Night of Disney, a night filled with Disney songs
performed by some of… The Spotlight Theatre, 7pm Fri Sep
4 and Sat Sep 5
The Savannah Sipping Society, Southern comedy about
four women and their frequent get-togethers, written… Circa
’21 Dinner Playhouse, Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep 30
Mary and Ethel: How I Learned To Sing, Augustana
College professor Shelley Cooper performs from Martin’s
and Merman’s repertoires… The Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 7pm
Sat Sep 12
SEATING
SEPTEMBER 12, 2020-JANUARY 17, 2021
Vako Darjania, b. Georgia, 1987, Vanity Chair, 2018
Fabric, upholstery, foam, wood, © 2020 Vako Darjania
Davenport, Iowa • 563.326.7804
www.figgeartmuseum.org
Classes
Virtual Class – Zoom Audition Workshop, our audition
workshop is geared to help students have the… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Thu Sep 3
Zoom Class – Acting for Ages 10-12, Mondays thru Oct.
12; this imaginative, high-energy environment provides
basic… Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Mon Sep 14
Virtual S.K.I.T. Broadway Adventure w/ Steph &
Alexis, Mondays thru Oct. 19; join us for a virtual S.K.I.T.…
The Spotlight Theatre, 4:30pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Puppetry for Ages 8+, Mondays thru Oct.
12; students explore the creative, and fun,… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Scenic Design for Ages 11+, Mondays
thru Oct. 12; a set encompasses the pieces that… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 7:30pm Mon Sep 14
BY DESIGN
Zoom Class – Teen Improv, Mondays thru Oct. 12; through
games and exercises, students develop… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 7pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Theatre Fun! for Ages 3-4, Mondays thru
Oct. 12; this high-energy class is full of… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 10am Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Character Creation for Ages 7-9, Mondays
thru Oct. 12; students will learn to push their… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 4pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Intro to Tech Design for Ages 9+,
Mondays thru Oct. 12; this class explores all the work…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6pm Mon Sep 14
Virtual 4th to 8th Grade Musical Theatre Study,
Tuesdays thru Oct. 20; with Megan Warren and Steph
DeLacy;… The Spotlight Theatre, 4:30pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Acting for Ages 5-6, Tuesdays thru Oct. 15;
this imaginative, high-energy environment provides basic…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Auditioning 101 for Ages 7-9, Tuesdays
thru Oct. 13; students will learn what it takes… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 4pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Creative Movement for Ages 3-6,
Tuesdays thru Oct. 13; this fun class helps to build…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Musical Theatre for Ages 5-6, Tuesdays
thru Oct. 13; class develops storytelling and communication
skills… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:45pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Playwriting for Ages 10+, Tuesdays thru
Oct. 13; this class introduces the craft of… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5:30pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Teen Acting, Tuesdays thru Oct. 13; a great
way to get theatrical… Davenport Junior Theatre, 7pm Tue
Sep 15
Virtual Contemporary Musical Theatre Vocal/Acting
Technique for 6th Grade thru Adult, Tuesdays thru Oct.
20; with Megan Warren; students will explore… The Spotlight
Theatre, 7pm Tue Sep 15
Virtual Disney Does Broadway! Kids Edition for
Grades 4-8, Wednesdays thru Oct. 21; with professional
actor Joey Boos; we… The Spotlight Theatre, 6pm Wed Sep
16
Virtual Magic Class for Ages 8-13, Wednesdays thru
Oct. 21; with local professional magician David Casas;… The
Spotlight Theatre, 5pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Acting for Ages 7-9, Wednesdays thru Oct.
14; this imaginative, high-energy environment provides
basic… Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Acting with Accents for Ages 10+,
Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; create exciting characters from all
over… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Intermediate Acting for Ages 11+,
Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; building on skills learned in
previous… Davenport Junior Theatre, 7:15pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Intermediate Acting for Ages 8-10,
Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; building on skills learned in
previous… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:45pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Creative Movement for Ages 3-6,
Thursdays thru Oct. 15; this fun class helps to build…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Homeschool Acting for Ages 10+,
Thursdays thru Oct. 15; this imaginative, high energy
environment provides… Davenport Junior Theatre, 11am
Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Homeschool Acting for Ages 7-9,
Thursdays thru Oct. 15; this imaginative, high energy
environment provides… Davenport Junior Theatre, 9:30am
Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Improv for Ages 10-12, Thursdays thru
Oct. 15; through games and exercises, students develop…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6pm Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Improv for Ages 7-9, Thursdays thru Oct. 15;
through games and exercises, students develop… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Musical Theatre for Ages 10+, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; class develops storytelling and communication
skills… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Thu Sep 17
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Zoom Class – Musical Theatre for Ages 7-9, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; class develops storytelling and communication
skills… Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Thu Sep 17
Virtual Classical Musical Theatre Vocal/Acting
Technique for 6th Grade thru Adult, Thursdays thru Oct.
22; with Megan Warren; students will explore… The Spotlight
Theatre, 7pm Thu Sep 17
Virtual When You Wish Upon a Star for Grades K-3,
Saturdays thru Oct. 24; with professional actor Joey Boos;
join… The Spotlight Theatre, 10am Sat Sep 19
Virtual Wicked Fun Workshop Camp for High
Schoolers, Saturdays thru Oct. 24; with professional actor
Joey Boos; we… The Spotlight Theatre, 11am Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Acting for Ages 10-12, Saturdays thru Oct.
17; this imaginative, high-energy environment provides
basic… Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Acting for Ages 5-6, Saturdays thru Oct. 17;
this imaginative, high-energy environment provides basic…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10:45am Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Acting for Ages 7-9, Saturdays thru Oct. 17;
this imaginative, high-energy environment provides basic…
Davenport Junior Theatre, noon Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Advanced Acting for Ages 10+, Saturdays
thru Oct. 17; upon mastering the skills of Intermediate…
Davenport Junior Theatre, noon Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Monologue Madness for Ages 10+,
Saturdays thru Oct. 17; students will learn what it takes…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10:30am Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Storytelling Spectacular for Ages 5-6,
Saturdays thru Oct. 17; explore storytelling and creative
expression in… Davenport Junior Theatre, 9:30am Sat Sep 19
DANCE
Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance Classes, offering
classes in Ballet Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Conditioning,
Creative… Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance, Thu Sep 3 thru
Wed Sep 30
Virtual Musical Theatre Tap for Ages 18+, Mondays thru
Oct. 19; join local professional choreographer and tap… The
Spotlight Theatre, 7:30pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Advanced/Intermediate Jazz Dance
for Ages 7+, Mondays thru Oct. 12; this well rounded class
includes a… Davenport Junior Theatre, 6:45pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6, Mondays
thru Oct. 12; dancers continue learning ballet fundamentals
and… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Budding Ballet for Ages 3-4, Mondays
thru Oct. 12; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Intermediate/Advanced Ballet for Ages
7+, Mondays thru Oct. 12; class will challenge dancers with
new… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Jazz Dance for Ages 7+, Mondays thru Oct.
12; this class will focus on basic… Davenport Junior Theatre,
4:15pm Mon Sep 14
Zoom Class – Dance Break! for Ages 7-9, on Mondays;
a weekly drop-in class; join us as we… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 6pm Mon Sep 14 thru Mon Sep 28
Zoom Class – Ballet for Ages 7+, Tuesdays thru Oct. 13;
class will work on posture, musicality,… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 4:15pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Beginning Tap for Ages 5-6, Tuesdays thru
Oct. 13; students will use household objects to… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 4pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Broadway Beats! for Ages 3-4, Tuesdays
thru Oct. 13; explore storytelling through song and dance;…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Intermediate/Advanced Tap for Ages 7+,
Tuesdays thru Oct. 13; this class will challenge dancers with…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6:15pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Musical Theatre Dance for Ages 10+,
Tuesdays thru Oct. 13; a deep dive into the different…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Tue Sep 15
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
DANCE
The State of Things II: Ballet Quad Cities
Joedy Cook, founder and CEO of Ballet
Quad Cities in Rock Island, discusses the com-
pany’s operations during this period of social
distancing. We previously spoke on March 25,
and again on Sunday, August 30 … roughly
four hours before her company performed its
first post-pandemic performances of Ballet on
the Lawn at the Davenport Outing Club.
Ballet at the Outing Club
We are partnering with the Outing Club
for the first half of our season this year, and
it’s a perfect place for dance outside. We just
had our dance floor [for Ballet on the Lawn]
delivered last night. This is the very first time
that we’re trying something totally new:
We’ve had a floor delivered from triple-A that
is like a hard rubbery plastic, and it all goes
together like a puzzle. So we have that posi-
tioned exactly where we wanted, we rolled out
our Marley floor, which, for people who don’t
know what that is, is this very, very expensive
portable floor that we have to put down on
whatever surface we perform on every time
we perform. So we rolled that out so it could
rest all night, and we went back this morn-
ing to find that it was covered in dew (laughs).
But after it dries again, the next step to the
floor process is to tape it all down with a very
expensive tape. It’s quite a process when we
dance outside. But we have to do that special
flooring even when we’re inside. The Marley
floor makes it safe, and that is one of the most
important things we do at Ballet Quad Cities
is ensure our dancers’ safety.
It’s 100-person capacity outdoors at the
Outing Club, and going to see today if there’s
actually room for more than 100. But we
wanted to be cautious. The 2 o’clock and 6
o’clock performances are sold out, and there
are eight tickets left for the 4 o’clock, and it’s
so perfect that we feel confident that this is the
way it’s supposed to be. I mean, it’s about time
that something goes right this year. (Laughs.)
But I always see the glass half-full, never half-
empty. And right now, for us, all is well in the
dance world!
On Your Toes, Act 2:
Slaughter on 10th Avenue
That is the little mini-ballet that we’re going
to do on September 20, and we’ll be doing that
at the Outing Club, too. It’s from the musical
On Your Toes, and we are going to kind of turn
that whole ballet into a take on [notorious
Rock Island gangster John] Looney and his
life right here in the Quad Cities. So it’s going
to be one of those gangster, good-guys, bad-
guys, ladies-of-the-night things. (Laughs.)
We haven’t even decided on who’s cho-
reographing it, because, of course, we’re in
the process of putting together a brand-new
season with, obviously, a brand-new venue
– and also having to do things very cautiously,
step by step, because we’re never sure what the
next day will bring. So we just sat down yes-
terday after we went to the Outing Club and
set up – we went back to the studio and laid
out the program for the 20th. So we’re not
sure who’s going to choreograph it yet. But it’s
going to be a really fun piece. And because it’s
a narrative with a gangster in it (laughs), both
Courtney [Lyon] and Emily [Kate Long] are
probably going to want to work on that piece.
But we’ll see.
Dracula Returns?
Dracula is still on our radar screen, and
if we can do a virtual Dracula, that’ll be in
October. It would be done by the two vid-
eographers who recorded last year’s Getting
Together and put together an awesome per-
formance. [Lead dancer] Domingo Rubio, of
course, would be able to come back for that, as
well ... though probably through Zoom.
What we’ve found is that so many people
ask about Dracula, and if we’re going to do
Dracula – and it is pretty funny, because of
course we can’t do Dracula outside. (Laughs.)
But it’s become a very, very popular perfor-
mance. People love Dracula, they’ve begun to
get to know Domingo. When he is in town, he
spends so much time building relationships
with people in our community that they feel
he’s a friend.
Other Fall Events
and Possibilities
Another idea I’m kicking around for the
fall has a tailgate/football theme. Because as
of now, I think, there are no football games to
see. And people around here love their foot-
ball. So it would be a Hawkeye, Illini, football-
themed, tailgate, fun-food event where you’d
wear your team’s jersey proudly and come
support your communities and teams … and
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
Ballet Quad Cities. (Laughs.) But dancers are
athletes, and it would be really fun to even
have a few football players around for that,
because I think our dancers are stronger than
they are. (Laughs.) Our focus right now is
just on positive, high-energy entertainment,
period. No statements about anything.
We’re also opening for a couple of the bands
playing Thursday nights at Schwiebert Park
in September. And we’ve just started look-
ing into virtual programming for the fall.
What we did get, which is pretty awesome, is
a $5,000 grant from the Illinois Humanities to
make virtual presentations of five of our best-
known Dance Me a Story books. And those
will go out to schools, preschools, home-
schoolers – anywhere kids need a diversion.
To give them a chance to read and connect
with a dancer, connect with a face, connect
with a smile.
Our new book that we’re going to dance this
year is called Ruby Finds a Worry, and it lets
whoever interacts with us know that it is okay
to have a worry. And so while there’s read-
ing and dance, we also discuss worry. What it
means, how to resolve it – and of course, at the
11
By Mike Schulz
end of the book, it tells you that if you discuss
your worry with a friend or someone special,
it helps your worry go away. It’s a great book.
It’s designed for elementary [students], but I
said, “I need to read this every day.” (Laughs.)
Just to get rid of my adult worry.
The whole concept for us, from now until
December, is just to keep our ballet company
out in the community, doing good things, let-
ting people know that we’re still around. And
while we’re very concerned for children, we’re
also very concerned for the elderly. We did a
lot of programming in nursing homes and
senior centers, so we’re going to see if we can
somehow reconnect with the seniors, as well –
bring them some really fun music and move-
ment to kind of get them out of their world,
whatever that world now is.
So for the fall, we’ll just be popping in and
out of venues and sites whenever it’s appropri-
ate and whenever we get invited.
Happy Dancers
I’ll tell you, our dancers are so happy to be
back here. They love our community. This is a
young group of dancers that we hired in last
year, and once they got here, they immedi-
ately acclimated to our community. There’s
something special here that has drawn them,
and even though we could not offer them that
full 28-week contract, they loved it here so
much they all came back for the new season.
And you can tell in the way they’re dancing
that they are thrilled to death to have a job,
because most dancers in the United States of
America right now – and all over the world
– don’t have a job. They’re unemployed. So
when you see them on-stage and see them
dancing, what you see are some joyous, joyous
dancers.
Follow company updates at
BalletQuadCities.com and
Facebook.com/BalletQuadCities.
 12 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
CONTINUED
DANCE
Zoom Class – Tap for Ages 7+, Tuesdays thru Oct. 13;
students will use household objects to… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5pm Tue Sep 15
Zoom Class – Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6,
Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; dancers continue learning ballet
fundamentals and… Davenport Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Wed
Sep 16
Zoom Class – Broadway Beats! for Ages 3-4,
Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; explore storytelling through song
and dance;… Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Budding Ballet for Ages 3-4, Wednesdays
thru Oct. 14; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4:30pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Intermediate/Advanced Poms for
Ages 7+, Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; for the intermediate to
advanced dancer,… Davenport Junior Theatre, 7pm Wed
Sep 16
Zoom Class – Poms for Ages 7+, Wednesdays thru Oct. 14;
this fun and high energy class… Davenport Junior Theatre,
5:30pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Tone It Up! Workout Class for Ages 7+,
Wednesdays thru Oct. 14; this at-home exercise class, led by…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 6:45pm Wed Sep 16
Zoom Class – Dance Break! for Ages 10+, on
Wednesdays; a weekly drop-in class; join us as we…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 4pm Wed Sep 16 thru Wed Sep
30
Zoom Class – Dance Break! for Ages 3-6, on
Wednesdays; a weekly drop-in class; join us as we…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Wed Sep 16 thru Wed Sep
30
Virtual Homeschool Beginning Tap for Ages 11-18,
Thursdays thru Oct. 22; learn tap dance basics from the… The
Spotlight Theatre, 11am Thu Sep 17
Virtual Homeschool Beginning Tap for Ages 7-10,
Thursdays thru Oct. 22; learn tap dance basics from the… The
Spotlight Theatre, 10am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Ballet for Ages 7+, Thursdays thru Oct. 15;
class will work on posture, musicality,… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 10am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Beginning Ballet for Ages 5-6, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; dancers continue learning ballet fundamentals
and… Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:15am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Beginning Poms for Ages 5-7, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; this fun and high energy class… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 5:30pm Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Budding Ballet for Ages 3-4, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; our tiniest dancers learn ballet fundamentals…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Hip Hop for Ages 10+, Thursdays thru Oct.
15; students will learn basic hip hop… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 4:15pm Thu Sep 17
Honeyland in River Action's Environmental Film Series @ Blue Grass Drive-in – September 20
Zoom Class – Hip Hop for Ages 7-9, Thursdays thru Oct.
15; students will learn basic hip hop… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 5:45pm Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Homeschool Ballet for Ages 7+, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; class will work on posture, musicality,…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 10am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Homeschool Beginning Ballet for Ages
5-6, Thursdays thru Oct. 15; class will work on posture,
musicality,… Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:15am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Homeschool Budding Ballet for Ages
3-4, Thursdays thru Oct. 15; class will work on posture,
musicality,… Davenport Junior Theatre, 9am Thu Sep 17
Zoom Class – Lyrical Dance for Ages 10+, Thursdays
thru Oct. 15; this free and fluid style will… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 6:30pm Thu Sep 17
Virtual Musical Theatre Dance Master Class for
Ages 10-18, Saturdays thru Oct. 24; join local professional
choreographer and dance… The Spotlight Theatre, 9am Sat
Sep 19
Zoom Class – Beginning Hip Hop for Ages 5-7,
Saturdays thru Oct. 17; students will learn basic hip hop…
Davenport Junior Theatre, 11:15am Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Tiny Tappers for Ages 3-4, Saturdays thru
Oct. 17; students will use household objects to… Davenport
Junior Theatre, 9:15am Sat Sep 19
Zoom Class – Dance Break! for Ages 3-6, on Saturdays;
a weekly drop-in class; join us as we… Davenport Junior
Theatre, 10:15am Sat Sep 19 thru Sat Sep 26
COMEDY
Michael Winslow, at 6:30 & 8:30pm; best known for the
cult classic… Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room, Thu
Sep 24
Shots ‘n’ Giggles, performers do shots and toasts with the
audience while playing… The Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 8pm Fri
Sep 25
MUSEUMS
Curious George: Let’s Get Curious!, exhibit designed to
introduce young children to the world of… Family Museum,
thru Sun Sep 13
Liberated Voices/Changed Lives, visitors will travel back
in time to see the accomplishments… Putnam Museum &
Science Center, Sun Sep 6 thru Wed Sep 30
Christmas Markets Travelogue with Blue Horizon
Travel, with special guest presenter Wolf Koch; we’re
partnering with… German American Heritage Center, 2pm
Sun Sep 13
Kaffeeklatsch, enjoy a coffee, some sweets, good company,
and conversation; all… German American Heritage Center,
3pm Sun Sep 13
10th Annual German American Heritage Center Fall
Frolic Benefit Gala, events will include a cocktail hour and
a silent auction… Davenport Outing Club, 5pm Fri Sep 18
Oktoberfest Scherenschnitte Workshop: 2D Session,
Oktoberfest-inspired paper-cutting workshop with Keith
Bonnstetter; all skill levels welcome;… German American
Heritage Center, 10am Sat Sep 19
Oktoberfest Scherenschnitte Workshop: 3D Session,
Oktoberfest-inspired paper-cutting workshop with Keith
Bonnstetter; all skill levels welcome;… German American
Heritage Center, 11:30am Sat Sep 19
MOVIES
Brower Youth Awards, Conservation Activist Shorts,
and Deer 139, at 2 & 4pm; a presentation in River Action’s QC
Environmental Film Series… Figge Art Museum, Sun Sep 13
Refocus Film Festival, a multi-day festival that celebrates
the art… Downtown Iowa City, Fri Sep 18 thru Sun Sep 20
Honeyland, a presentation in River Action’s QC
Environmental Film Series… Blue Grass Drive-in, 7:30pm Sun
Sep 20
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, a presentation in
River Action’s QC Environmental Film Series… Blue Grass
Drive-in, 7:30pm Sun Sep 27
SPORTS
Caged Aggression XXVII: “Return of the Champions”
Two-Night Event, Caged Aggression Events presents
evening cards… Davenport RiverCenter, 7:30pm Fri Sep 11
and Sat Sep 12
2nd Annual Ridgecrest Foundation Golf Outing,
at 9am & 1pm; $200/team for a 4-person preferred-ball
tournament; the cost includes nine… Sunrise Golf Course,
Sat Sep 12
2020 Fall Golf Outing, annual golf outing to support The
First Tee of the… TPC at Deere Run, 7am Mon Sep 14
OTHER EVENTS
21st Annual Senior Citizen Riverfront Golf Cart Tour,
hosted by River Action; the tours… River Action, 9am Thu
Sep 3 and Fri Sep 4
Architectural Outdoor Tour, on Thursdays; for
information, call for information, call 309-373-5080…
Hauberg Civic Center Mansion, 7pm Thu Sep 3 thru Thu
Sep 24
OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on
Thursdays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Eastern Avenue Park, 1:30pm Thu Sep 3 thru Thu Sep 24
OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on
Thursdays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Slattery Park, 3pm thru Thu Sep 3 thru Thu Sep 24
Celebration Belle River Cruises, enjoy the sights of
the Upper Mississippi River aboard the… Celebration Belle
Landing, Thu Sep 3 thru Wed Sep 30
Riverboat Twilight Sightseeing Cruises, enjoy the
elegant, triple-decked riverboat for day,… Riverboat Twilight,
Thu Sep 3 thru Wed Sep 30
First Friday in LeClaire, with fun food and cocktail
sampling at the Mississippi River… Downtown LeClaire, 5pm
Fri Sep 4
Hauberg Estate Tours, on Fridays; docents conduct
interesting and informative tours of the… Hauberg Civic
Center Mansion, 1pm Fri Sep 4 thru Fri Sep 25
Freight House Farmer’s Market, Saturdays 8am-1pm,
Sundays 10am-2pm, Wednesdays 4-8pm; featuring fresh
produce, arts… Freight House Farmer’s Market, Sat Sep 5
thru Wed Sep 30
Geneseo Farmer’s Market, Saturdays thru Oct. 17; local
vendors sell fresh produce, fabulous… 111 West Pearl St., 8am
Sat Sep 5 thru Sat Sep 26
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 13
OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on
Mondays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Centennial Park, 3pm Mon Sep 7 thru Mon Sep 28

OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on

Mondays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Fejervary Park, 1:30pm Mon Sep 7 thru Mon Sep 28

2020 Monarch Migration Virtual Festival: Day 1, learn

all about tagging and releasing Monarch butterflies for
scientific… University of Illinois Extension - Milan, 1pm Tue
Sep 8

QC Haven of Hope Fundraiser Paint Night, $45 to paint

a beautiful picture that you take home… Crawford Brew
Works, 7pm Tue Sep 8

OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on

Tuesdays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Goose Creek Park, 1:30pm Tue Sep 8 thru Tue Sep 29

2020 Monarch Migration Virtual Festival: Day 2, loin

BJ Kochersperger and learn all about the Monarch lifecycle…
University of Illinois Extension - Milan, 1pm Wed Sep 9

OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on

Wednesdays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Emeis Park, 3pm Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep 30

OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) at the Park, on

Wednesdays; for those struggling to check emails and help…
Sunderbruch Park, 1:30pm Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep 30

2020 Monarch Migration Virtual Festival: Day 3,

create your own Monarch Life Cycle artwork using uncooked
pasta.… University of Illinois Extension - Milan, 1pm Thu
Sep 10

2020 Monarch Migration Virtual Festival: Day 4, build

your own winter sowing greenhouse and grow your own…
University of Illinois Extension - Milan, 1pm Fri Sep 11

2020 Monarch Migration Virtual Festival: Day 5,

a virtual tour of a Monarch Waystation; learn all about…
University of Illinois Extension - Milan, 1pm Sat Sep 12

Monarch Release Party, we will be tagging and feeding

monarchs for the Monarch… Nahant Marsh Education Center,
10am Sat Sep 12

Trivia Night at the Spotlight, a night of fun and musical-

theatre trivia in the parking… The Spotlight Theatre, 6:30pm
Sat Sep 12

River Action’s 15th Annual Taming of the Slough

Mississippi River Adventure Race, hosted by River
Action; paddle, mountain bike, and run your… River Action,
7am Sat Sep 12

Online Retreat – Come to the Quiet: Blessings of the

South, led by Pat Shea; when Mother Earth basks in the…
Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, 9:30am Tue Sep 15

Faithful Pilot Wine Dinner, with virtual host Jason Lede;

$100/person; for reservations, call 563-289-4156… The
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 6pm Thu Sep 17

Zoom Bingo, while we can’t play in person, we can still

play… Davenport Public Library - Main Branch, 6:30pm Thu
Sep 17

Black Hawk Hiking Club Big Hike Story/Big Hike

Planning Session, if you enjoy traveling and exploring new
places, join us… Butterworth Center, 6:30pm Fri Sep 18

Viva La Divas Drag Show, featuring award-winning

performers from across the Midwest, the show includes…
The Circa ’21 Speakeasy, 8pm Fri Sep 18

Night Sky Viewing With the Popular Astronomy Club,

objects to view will be a thin crescent Moon with… Niabi Zoo,
7pm Sat Sep 19

Star Wars Trivia Night for Aron Sellers, Aron was in a

motorcycle accident hit by a car… Buffalo Community Center,
7pm Sat Sep 19

Richard Blais: Stand Up Cooking, an evening with

the successful chef, restaurateur, James Beard-nominated
cookbook… Riverside Casino Event Center, 8pm Sat Sep 19

Porch Party, an afternoon of fun activities at the

Butterworth Center and… Butterworth Center, noon Sun
Sep 20

National Voter Registration Day, come to one of our

locations and fill out the… Davenport Public Library - Main
Branch, 9am Tue Sep 22

Continued On Page 17
14 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
MUSEUMS
The State of Things II: Figge Art Museum
Michelle Hargrave, CEO and executive
director of the Figge Art Museum in Daven-
port, discusses the venue’s operations during
this period of social distancing. We previously
spoke on March 27, and again on Friday,
August 28.
Re-Opening the Doors
We re-opened to members on June 6 and to
the public on June 9, and I’d say the response
to the museum’s re-opening and our cur-
rent safety precautions has really been over-
whelmingly positive. So many people are just
really thrilled to be back at the museum and
have a chance to experience the art – there’s
really nothing like standing in front of a
work of art and seeing in person. And we’re,
of course, just thrilled to have them back.
For those who would prefer to do so, you
are able to make an online reservation and
come at a specific time. We are limiting the
number of people who come into the museum
at a set time, as well, to allow for social-dis-
tancing, of course. We are limiting visits to
two-hour sessions – either two or two-and-
a-half depending on the time of day – and
we have 30-minute breaks in between each of
those sessions to allow for cleaning and sani-
tizing. We are requiring that all visitors three
years and up wear masks over their mouths
and their noses, we’ve got hand-sanitizing
stations on every level, and, of course, we’re
encouraging people to wash their hands fre-
quently and follow CDC hygiene guidelines.
And we do have signage posted throughout
the museum to remind people about social
distancing and other safety measures, and
also have plexi shields up in the store and at
the front desk for our visitor-facing staff.
People have said that they feel like we’re
actually the safest place in the Quad Cities.
(Laughs.) Which we’re happy to hear. One
visitor shared that her 90-year-old mother’s
first visit out of the house since March was to
the museum. And that just warmed my heart
– that she felt safe enough to bring her here.
Virtual Programming
As happy as people are to be back, though,
attendance is light, and we do realize that
many people are just not ready to venture out
yet. So although we’ve re-opened our doors,
we will obviously continue with our online
outreach, and that will move forward syn-
ergistically with our on-site programs. Our
Thursday night programs tend to draw large
crowds, and so those will be virtual for the
foreseeable future.
We’ve been very much committed to
our virtual outreach, and I really have to
commend the Figge staff who’ve quickly
adapted to this crisis. You know, we immedi-
ately created and redirected resources to our
virtual museum and our social media, where
our audiences – and audiences everywhere –
are able to enjoy this new programming that
we’ve put in place. Especially because 2020
was the year of two significant milestones for
the Figge.
In May, we made our final payment on
our construction for our beautiful building,
and on August 6, we celebrated the fifteenth
anniversary of the opening of that building
to the public. So for that anniversary, we
really thought carefully about how we could
celebrate that event, and how we could do it
safely allow everyone to participate. So we
transitioned those celebrations to primar-
ily virtual events that ran for 15 days from
the sixth to the 21st, and those events high-
lighted some of the Figge’s many high points
and successes over the past 15 years.
We did have some in-person camps over
the summer, and we got really positive
feedback on that. Again, we had a number
of safety measures in place for that, includ-
ing keeping the camps small and enforc-
ing social distancing and mask wearing. So
that was really terrific, and we’re looking at
options for other in-person classes and talks.
But for the near-future, we’re really focusing
on our virtual outreach.
I will also say, though, that we are working
on our Family Day activities, because that’s
also a big part of what we offer the commu-
nity, and we are planning to do monthly
Family Days that will focus on either differ-
ent celebrations and events or various exhibi-
tions. And as always, we offer free admission
for those Family Days. One of them is our
annual Day of the Dead [Día de Los Muer-
tos] celebration that typically draws over
4,000 people each year. Obviously, that’s not
something we can do in person this year, but
we’re working with our partners to find ways
to still celebrate that holiday, and we’re in the
process of finalizing the details, and we’ll be
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
sharing those soon.
In general, we’re working very closely with
the schools and the teachers and parents to
make sure that we’re really helping them out
at a time that they could really use the help,
and when, I think, our help is most needed.
So we’re working to bring students and
teachers and art together as much as possible
in these tough times. We’re really commit-
ted to continuing to serve them and meet the
needs of the community in innovative ways.
Four Fall Exhibits
We’re keeping busy! (Laughs.) We’ve got
quite a few exhibits coming up. We’ve got one
that’s called Seating by Design [September 12
through January 17], and that is curated by a
professor at the University of Iowa, Monica
Correia, and it will feature a range of inno-
vative furniture designs that are created by
former students of the University of Iowa’s
3D Design program. And these designs will
demonstrate the various materials, technolo-
gies, engineering, and craftsmanship that go
into making a good chair, really. So anyone
who’s interested in, you know, reclaiming
furniture, woodworking, interior design,
unique concept furniture – this is the show
for you. And we hope it will inspire ideas and
new ways to consider the things that we are
sitting on so much. Particularly nowadays
while we’re spending so much time in our
homes. (Laughs.)
Another is called Haitian Masterworks
[September 19 through January 24], and
that’s drawn from our permanent collection.
As people may know, we’re home to one of
the largest collections of Haitian art in the
United States thanks to a 1967 gift from
Dr. Walter Nighswander, and from his gift,
our collection has grown significantly and
includes a dynamic range of artwork in a
variety of mediums and styles. So this exhibi-
tion will highlight some of the masterworks
from our collection, and will show some
works that actually haven’t been on view ever
15
By Mike Schulz
in our new building. So that’s exciting, and
it will also feature some recent acquisitions,
too, and focus on some prevalent themes in
Haitian art including spirituality, transfor-
mation, the natural world, everyday life, and
Haitian history.
The title of another exhibition, New Amer-
ican Scene [September 26 through January 3],
describes the work of artists who gravitated
toward natural depictions of American sub-
jects during the 20s and 30s, including art-
ists like Grant Wood and John Bloom and
Thomas Hart Benton. But this exhibition will
also look at artists who focus more on the city
as opposed to the regionalists who tended to
focus on rural communities rather than the
busy metropolises. So we’re looking at art-
ists who are continuing on in that vein and
looking at things from a contemporary lens,
including Adolph Rosenblatt, Rose Frantzen,
Mark Messermsith … . These are all artists
we’ve recently added to our collection.
And Living Proof [September 10 through
December 6] is back this year. It is such a
wonderful partnership, and we’re so pleased
to be working with that organization on this
exhibition. This features artwork created
by cancer survivors, and this gives them a
chance to really celebrate and reflect upon
their survival through the artwork. So we’ll
have a number of programs around this
event, as well, and I have to say we’re just
really thrilled to be able to feature it.
Figge Café Re-Opening
on September 8
I’m so excited about that! (Laughs.) Jason
Stewart is our new chef. He’s a chef at Zeke’s
Island Cafe, and he’s really excited to have
a restaurant downtown where he can work.
And we’re super-excited about his offer-
ings, and talking about other ways that we
can partner with him in bringing culinary
anthropology to the Figge and to our pro-
grams. I’m really looking forward to that.
And I’ve missed being able to each lunch in
the café. (Laughs.)
I wish I had a crystal ball and knew where
we were going. And when. But I guess I would
say we’re all adapting to a new reality, and
we’re getting used to that new reality. I don’t
think we’re anywhere near returning to nor-
malcy. But we’re making do. We’re making
the best of the situation that we’re currently
in, and all finding new ways to bring art and
people together safely.
Follow venue updates at
FiggeArtMuseum.org and
Facebook.com/FiggeArtMuseum.
16 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
NEWS
The State of Things II: River Action
Kathy Wine, executive director of River
Action in Davenport, discusses the organiza-
tion’s operations during this period of social
distancing. We previously spoke on May 12,
and again on Friday, August 28.
Channel Cat Talks
and Riverine Walks
(held through August 29)
Our attendance for those was cut way back
the first month because of the guidelines
for groups and so on. It opened up, then, in
July, so attendance went up accordingly. We
had fewer people in June, but we’ve had a lot
more in July and August. So yes, we’ve had
a good response – maybe not what it always
is, but I think people enjoy it. I think that’s
also because it’s an outdoor, in-the-sun-
shine, on-the-riverfront kind of recreational
experience.
We do require masks – and what I have
noticed is that we’ve had really good response
when we’ve asked people to observe the pro-
tocols. Whether it’s for that or for Ride and
Seek or when we did Floatzilla, it was imper-
ative that people follow the protocols. And
they did. And it kind of gave me new faith in
the public-health message that the counties
are putting out. That people are understand-
ing it and following our requests.
Ride and Seek! Scavenger
Hunt (held, in place of
the annual Ride the River,
throughout June)
Oh yes, that went really well. In fact, we
had so many good responses that we’re con-
sidering doing it again. (Laughs.) I mean, it
lasted a month, everyone could do it on their
own time, they could do it with the people
they were quarantining with, their families –
we found it very interesting, and it was very
successful.
And it accomplished another mission
besides having use of the bike trails that we
support and raise money for. It also was about
teaching people the history, and the culture,
and the natural resources of the river, because
we had clues tied to signage or art pieces that
was about those kinds of things. So it was a
cultural experience, as well.
And the other thing we all noticed is that
there’s more useage of the trails this summer,
and so as a result, bike shops are busier. So
those shops were very happy about giving us
prizes in the way of gift cards or apparrel or
helmets or whatever. That was another aspect
of Ride and Seek that we liked. And people
like prizes. (Laughs.)
Floatzilla (held on
August 15)
We cut it off at half of what we usually have.
We usually have over 1,600 people involved,
and we cut it off at 810 weeks beforehand so
we could keep the crowds down. Our plan
involved keeping boats six feet apart – we put
up flags where people should put their boats
– and we also had a window much larger
than usual for launching so that no one was
crowded at the launch site. And then our
buses ran all day starting at 10 a.m., so that
when you got out, you could get back to your
vehicle easily.
So the whole thing was different, but it
went well. And again, we noticed how well
people were responding to our safety guide-
lines, keeping their masks on when they were
on the shore, and things like that. But I think
if we don’t have the pandemic safety concerns
anymore (laughs), we’ll go back to what we
were doing – having a large float and taking a
picture and hoping to break a record. Hope-
fully next year. (Laughs.)
Senior Golf Cart Tours
(September 3 and 4)
Registrations are good for that so far, and
once again, we decided that it was imperative
that we rent just a single cart to people. They
can choose to have someone, a spouse or
whatever, on the cart with them, but no one
will get out of the cart when we’re doing the
tours. We’ll keep the distancing that way, and
not expose people beyond what they would
ordinarily do in their homes.
So selling the single carts is going well –
we have six different tours closed already
because we’ve reached the maximum number
of people that can take part. We still have a
lot that we can offer, but it’s going really well.
Taming of the Slough
Adventure Triathlon
(September 12 at
Sylvan Island)
We are doing individual timing, and then
combining them when they’re on a team.
But no one will be competing next to team
members. Everyone will be timed individu-
ally. They’ll go in individually; they’ll go out
individually; they’ll be timed that way. And
face masks will be in effect. We have River
Action face masks for everyone for any of
these activites.
The Brower Youth Awards
and Film Screenings
(September 13 at the
Figge Art Museum)
That’s still happening, because we’re com-
bining it with a workshop for youth that will
correspond with a youth video competi-
tion, and that deadline is in December So we
wanted to go ahead with that, and that’ll give
them a chance to see some of the activities
that have been awarded. We’re also going to
have two showings of that at the Figge – at 2
and 4 p.m. – so we’ll be able to accommodate
everyone.
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
By Mike Schulz
Environmental Film Series
(September 20 and 27 at
the Blue Grass Drive-in)
I hope that works as well as we think it
could! (Laughs.) Again, we couldn’t put any
large groups in the Figge like we’d done in
the past, and with the Environmental Film
Fest, we’ve had standing-room-only for those
in the past. So we were looking at large groups
for the festival, and we have large numbers
of season-ticket-holders, so we said, “Let’s see
if we can pack the drive-in!” So that’s what
we’re trying to do.
Unfortunately, though, we can’t have any
kind of talk-back after the screenings [of
Honeyland on September 20 and Anthropo-
cene: The Human Epoch on September 27].
We’re putting together a short PowerPoint so
that the organizations that are sponsoring it –
that’s Nahant Marsh along with River Action
and the Sierra Club [Eagle View Group] – can
do a little promotion of upcoming things. But
no, we just can’t quite see how we could do
that [talk-backs] at the drive-in. It gets to be a
longer and later night, too – I mean, it doesn’t
start until it gets dark, and that’s about 7:30
– and then people have another drive home.
And Blue Grass isn’t, you know, right around
the corner. (Laughs.) But we hope people will
enjoy the films.
We’ve tried really hard to find creative
ways, this year, to do things we’ve done
before, but differently. I think now, more than
ever, people really do need to be outside. And
they also need to be doing things that feel
somewhat normal. (Laughs.)
Follow the organization’s updates at
RiverAction.org and
Facebook.com/RiverActionQC.
 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
CONTINUED
OTHER EVENTS
Exploring the Prairie through the Seasons, led by Amy
Loving, Nahant March Education Center; enjoy a… Our Lady
of the Prairie Retreat, 9:30am Wed Sep 23
Beauty of Autumn Skies: Moon, Planets, and Solar
System, led by Steven Spangler; the evening will begin with
descriptions… Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, 6pm Thu Sep
24
Community Shred Day, shred your personal documents
securely to avoid identity theft; material… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, 9:30am Thu Sep 24
Virtual Event – Final Friday Trivia, you can participate
by yourself, with your family at home,… Bettendorf Public
Library, 7pm Fri Sep 25
Birding with Jimmy, experienced and beginner birders
can learn more about bird identification… Nahant Marsh
Education Center, 8am Sat Sep 26
Schuetzen Park 150th Anniversary Event, featuring
the ÜberCool Band from St. Louis on the stage, homemade…
Schuetzen Park Historic Site, noon Sat Sep 26
Tree Energy: The Wisdom of Trees, led by Gwen Deming;
come to your true self by… Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat,
9am Sat Sep 26
Adult Chess Club, all of the materials needed for the game
are available… Bettendorf Public Library, 6:30pm Mon Sep
28
Virtual Banned Book Trivia, questions will be on banned
books and you can find… Davenport Public Library - Main
Branch, 6:30pm Mon Sep 28
LECTURES
2020 Virtual Pumpkin Field Day, join University of Illinois
Extension at the Belleville Research Center… University of
Illinois Extension - Milan, noon Thu Sep 3
Post-War Reconstruction and the Shaping of the Post-
War World, commemorate the 75th Anniversary of World
War II in this… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library,
3pm Wed Sep 9
Post-War Reconstruction and the Shaping of the
Post-War World, commemorate the 75th Anniversary of
World War II in this… Davenport Public Library - Main Branch,
6pm Wed Sep 9
Channel Cat I-74 Bridge Tour, see the construction of the
I-74 Bridge and learn from… Riverbend Commons Dock, 4pm
Thu Sep 10
Virtual Event – WVIK Hidden Conversations: Racial
Profiling, Police Brutality, and Civil Rights in the Quad
Cities, led by Dr. LaDrina Wilson, Vice President for Student
Services… WVIK Radio - Augustana College, 6pm Thu Sep 10
Virtual Event – Iowa’s Hidden Latina History: Stories
from the Iowa Women’s Archives, from the home front
to the state house, in fields… Davenport Public Library - Main
Branch, 6:30pm Tue Sep 15
Virtual Event – Online Self-Defense: The Basics of
Staying Safe Online, learn how to act as a good digital
citizen online,… Bettendorf Public Library, 7pm Tue Sep 15
Virtual Event – 3rd Thursday at Hoover’s Presidential
Library & Museum featuring Women’s Suffrage 100th
Anniversary, presented by Dr. Karen M. Kedrowski; this year,
2020, marks… Davenport Public Library - Main Branch, 6pm
Thu Sep 17
Virtual Event – Community Connections - Liberated
Voices/Changed Lives with the Putnam Museum,
discover the unique suffrage story of the Quad Cities, 100…
Bettendorf Public Library, 1:30pm Thu Sep 17
COURSES
Healthy Aging: I’m Positive I’m Aging, we will explore
the characteristics of positive aging and making… University
of Illinois Extension - Milan, 10am Thu Sep 3
Celebration Belle River Cruises – through October 31
Online: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Nutrition Classes, we have moved all our nutrition lessons
online until further… Thu Sep 3 thru Wed Sep 30
Foot & Mouth Disease Virtual Exercise, thru Sept. 11;
the University of Illinois College of Veterinary… University of
Illinois Extension - Milan, noon Tue Sep 8
Virtual Event – Library University: How to Use
HelpNow and JobNow, join our class on HelpNow, a online
tool available with… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown
Library, 6pm Tue Sep 8
Virtual Event – Career Coaching with Susan Zelnio:
Social Media Considerations for Job Seekers, Zelnio,
Workforce Development Program Director of the Moline
Foundation, has… Moline Public Library, 10am Wed Sep 9
Everyday Environment Webinar: Watershed
Planning, Join University of Illinois Extension Watershed
Outreach Associates Haley Haverback-Gruber… University of
Illinois Extension - Milan, 1pm Thu Sep 10
Healthy Aging: Looking for the Funny Side of Life,
this session will help participants look at ways humor can…
University of Illinois Extension - Milan, 10am Thu Sep 10
Virtual Event – Library University: How to Use
HelpNow and JobNow, using the RBdigital application or
website and your Rock Island… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10am Tue Sep 15
Webinar: Hardscaping Basics for Patios and Retaining
Walls, Do you have a vision of a retaining wall or… University
of Illinois Extension - Milan, 1:30pm Tue Sep 15
Healthy Aging: Finding Your Get Up and Go, learning
what accounts for the ebb and flow of levels… University of
Illinois Extension - Milan, 10am Thu Sep 17
Online Citizenship Test Preparation Course, this free
eight-week course series meets every Thursday from 10…
Moline Public Library, 10am Thu Sep 17
Virtual Event – Create a Resume with Google Docs,
create a resume that will attract hiring managers’ attention
and… Davenport Public Library - Main Branch, 6:30pm Wed
Sep 23
Virtual Event – Library University: What Should I Read
Next? Readers’ Advisory Tips, join RIPL Librarian Karrah
to learn some new tips and… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 6pm Wed Sep 23
Healthy Aging: Someday Is Today – Live Your Bucket
List, the point of a bucket list is to help you… University of
Illinois Extension - Milan, 10am Thu Sep 24
MEETINGS
Goose Hollow Prayer Garden Open for Outdoor
Prayer, at 1006 Western Ave., Davenport; for information,
call 309-236-7113; free;… Goose Hollow, thru Wed Sep 30
Quad Cities Social Action Committee, for information,
call 309-236-7113 or e-mail e-fellowship@hotmail.com;
presented by Ecumenical… Sippi’s Fine Food and Cocktails,
noon Sat Sep 5
Bettendorf Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting,
free; for information, call 563-344-4175 or e-mail info@
bettendorflibrary.com… Bettendorf Public Library, 5pm Thu
Sep 10
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
Moline Public Library Board Meeting, agendas are
available prior to the meetings; minutes are available…
Moline Public Library, noon Thu Sep 10
Rock Island Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting,
time for public comment is provided at the beginning of…
Rock Island Public Library - Downtown Library, 5pm Tue Sep
15
Gettin’ Stitchy with It, a get-together for anyone with an
itch to stitch; bring… Rock Island Public Library - Downtown
Library, 2pm Thu Sep 24
Friendship Force of the QCA, monthly luncheon meeting
on gaining new understanding in the USA… 11:30am Thu
Sep 24
HEALTH
Online: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Nutrition Classes, we have moved all our nutrition lessons
online until further… Thu Sep 3 thru Wed Sep 30
Yoga on the Patio w/ Monique Jackson, on Sundays;
beer and yoga mats come together as Monique… Crawford
Brew Works, 10:30pm Sun Sep 6 thru Sun Sep 20
Buddhist Meditation, on Tuesdays; free with $4-8
admission; for information, call 309-794-0991… Quad City
Botanical Center, 6:45pm Tue Sep 8 thru Tue Sep 29
Yoga, on Tuesdays; free with $4-8 admission; for information,
call 309-794-0991… Quad City Botanical Center, 5pm Tue Sep
8 thru Tue Sep 29
Yoga on the Mezz w/ Monique Jackson, all-levels class
for beginners and veterans; bring your own mat;… Crawford
Brew Works, 8pm Wed Sep 16
Yoga on the Mezz w/ Susan McLoone of
KindredMinds, all-levels class for beginners and veterans;
bring your own mat;… Crawford Brew Works, 6pm Wed Sep
16
KIDS’ STUFF
Teen Advisory Group, an opportunity for teens and
tweens to have input in… Moline Public Library, 3:30pm Thu
Sep 3
Virtual Storytime, watch storytime on the Rock Island
Library Facebook page; free;… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10:30am thru Thu Sep 10
Virtual Event – Tales for Tots, on Thursdays; storytime for
young children and their caregivers; new… Bettendorf Public
Library, 10am thru Thu Sep 24
Virtual Event – Teen Writing Club, the club will meet
online via Zoom once a month… Davenport Public Library -
Main Branch, 4pm Fri Sep 4
Virtual Event – Book Talk/Unboxing, on Fridays; join
Miss Ranell for either a book talk… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10:30am Fri Sep 4 thru Fri Sep 11
Virtual Event – Preschool Storytime, on Mondays; ages
3-5 are invited to attend these 30-minute… Bettendorf Public
Library, 10am Mon Sep 7 thru Mon Sep 28
17
Kindernature: Bird Bonanza, at 10:30am & 2pm; enjoy a
story and take your… Quad City Botanical Center, 10:30am
Tue Sep 8
Virtual Event – Baby Storytime, on Tuesdays; join us on
Facebook for a special Storytime… Davenport Public Library -
Main Branch, 10am Tue Sep 8 thru Tue Sep 29
Virtual Event – Literary Legos, on Tuesdays; join us on
Facebook Live for selected stories… Davenport Public Library
- Main Branch, 3pm Tue Sep 8 thru Tue Sep 29
Virtual Superhero Party, grab your superhero kit , or
arrange curbside pick up,… Rock Island Public Library -
Downtown Library, 10:30am Wed Sep 9
Virtual Event – After School Kids Lab, on Wednesdays;
we will post a fun science experiment, craft,… Bettendorf
Public Library, 3pm Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep 30
Virtual Event – Read with Ranell, on Wednesdays; join
Miss Ranell on the Rock Island Library… Rock Island Public
Library - Downtown Library, noon Wed Sep 9 thru Wed Sep
30
Virtual Event – Storytime Live!, on Wednesdays; we’ll
read stories, sing songs, share interactive games… Davenport
Public Library - Main Branch, 10am Wed Sep 9 thru Wed
Sep 30
Virtual Event – Creativity Lab: Bulletin/Photo Boards,
for grades K-5; receive a packet prior to the program… Moline
Public Library, 3:30pm Thu Sep 10
Beginning Drawing for Children: Ages 5-6, Saturdays
thru Sept. 26; with instructor Pat Bereskin; an introduction…
Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 8:30am Sat Sep 12
Beginning Drawing for Children: Ages 8-12, Saturdays
thru Sept. 26; with instructor Pat Bereskin; an introduction…
Bereskin Gallery & Art Academy, 10am Sat Sep 12
Sunday Funday: Monarch Mania, free with $4-8
admission; for information, call 309-794-0991… Quad City
Botanical Center, 1pm Sun Sep 13
Virtual Event – Storytime for Littles, on Mondays; visit
our online program room to hear stories,… Moline Public
Library, 9:30am Mon Sep 14 thru Mon Sep 28
Virtual Event – Sew Fun! Baby Yoda Pencil Topper,
for ages 8-12; create a felt Baby Yoda pencil topper… Moline
Public Library, 3:30pm Tue Sep 15
Virtual Event – Teen Advisory Board Meeting, TAB
Members participate in an online teen programming,
volunteer-from-home activities… Davenport Public Library -
Main Branch, 6:30pm Tue Sep 15
Tween Book Club, join us to speak about your favorite
book; free; for… Silvis Public Library, 5pm Wed Sep 16
Virtual Event – Teen Online Book Club: Artemis Fowl,
we are currently meeting using Zoom, but teens can also…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch, 4pm Thu Sep 17
Virtual Event – Teen Online Library Anglerfish Hunt,
join Miss Amber on Zoom for the ultimate online scavenger…
Davenport Public Library - Main Branch, 6:30pm Mon Sep 21
Virtual Event – Stop Motion How-to: An Animation
Tutorial, this program will encompass a series of how-to
videos for… Bettendorf Public Library, 6pm Mon Sep 28
August 11 Crossword Answers
18 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com

Crossword TCH IT
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION • SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 Aug. 11 Answers: Page 17 WA

Schulz’s Review of
the Latest Movies On Demand

AD ASTRA
With Brad Pitt supplying extraordinary
nuance and soul, and the sound and
visuals at all times magnificent, James
Gray's science-fiction adventure is filled
with so many extraordinary elements
that I started to fear for my ocular
health, given that I was pretty sure I was
forgetting to blink.

IF BEALE STREET
COULD TALK
Thematically rich, beautifully acted,
and daring in both its visual and
emotional palettes, this James Baldwin
adaptation feels like a film that only
Barry Jenkins could have made, at least
with this blend of formal intelligence and
unembarrassed romanticism.

ACROSS 79. Travels a certain way 3. Glove material 64. "Thin Man" pooch
1. Ott and Brooks 80. Woolly 4. In a sophisticated way 66. Peak on Crete PADDINGTON 2
5. Dutch town 81. Word in place names 5. Biases 67. Cut Retaining every last ounce of the
9. Set of ten 84. Lepontine _ 6. S-X connection 69. From a distance original's hilarity and charm, Paul King's
14. _ Morgana 87. Print measure 7. Golden- _ 70. Force unit
18. Sloth 89. Plant exudation 8. French 72. "One of Ours" sequel finds the lovable children's-
19. Racer in a sled 90. WWII vessel: Hyph. philosopher _ Diderot writer _ Cather book character now living contentedly
21. City in New York state 93. Lies about 9. Composition for two 73. Kalamata _ in London with the Brown family, and
22. Sacred bird 96. Anatomical tube 10. LAX information 74. Wilde and Isaac
darned near everything about this
23. _ Hari 97. Antiquity 11. Commend 75. Refuges
12. Box elder, e.g. 76. Serviceable sprightly, inventive, bighearted follow-
24. Genus of oats 98. Part 3 of quip:
25. Consumed 3 wds. 13. Region of ancient 77. Tears to pieces up is magical.
26. Meathead 101. Fluorine and England held by 81. Dollop
chlorine the Vikings 82. Hautbois
27. Noted deadpan 14. Fine metalwork
comic: 2 wds. 103. Bug 83. _ -chef
30. Recluses 104. Uncanny 15. Border on 85. Affectation
32. Put forth effort 105. Astronomer 16. Antler prong 86. More healthy, in a way
33. Data, for short Carl Edward _ 17. Inquires 88. Lost
35. Pin 107. Valuable rock 20. _ and bobtail 91. Gardner's Mason, e.g.
36. Leans 108. Printer's proof 28. Discord personified 92. Yonder
39. "_ Irish Rose" 110. Bizarre 29. Custom 94. Given moniker
Catch your favorite movies
41. Arteries 113. Parts of a chair 31. Makes a cry like
an animal 95. Pilfer and shows from ABC, NBC, CBS,
45. Kills with laughter 118. End of the 99. Took by force
48. Start of a quip by
quip: 3 wds. 34. Flows
100. Announce
FOX, STARZ®, ENCORE® and more.
122. Benefit 37. Roofing piece
27-Across: 3 wds.
123. Glittering headband 38. Glass used in mosaics 101. Wild ox of Asia Plus, watch over 19,000 titles
51. Mil. rank 102. Feeler
52. Youth 125. Old Chinese weight 40. "Arms and the
106. Ticket scalper, e.g. at the press of a button!
126. A state: Abbr. Man" playwright
53. Yellow gemstone 42. Pointers 109. Hunter in the
54. Brown with a 127. Tree trunk heavens
tinge of red 128. _ Downs 43. Diva's specialty WANT EVEN MORE? VISIT
44. A cheese 111. Gaseous element
129. "La _ Vita"
mediacomtoday.com
55. "_ _ of Two Cities" 112. Remove
58. Essayist's pen name 130. Plane part 45. Cliff
46. Indian water vessel 113. French cleric
60. Strike 131. Whirlpool 114. Crucifix
62. Everyone's uncle 132. Old American coin 47. Famed mission
115. Influence a character & CLICK ON TV EVERYWHERE!
63. Hotel chain 133. _ do-well 49. Parting expression
50. Mountain range in 116. Tent: Var.
65. Tending 134. Freshly 117. Impudent talk
toward an end southern Missouri
56. Lex Luthor's ex 119. Harvard rival
68. Way DOWN 120. Erstwhile
71. Part 2 of quip: 5 wds. 57. British PM
1. _ the word 59. "_ fair in love ..." 121. Distort
78. Contrarian 2. Related maternally 124. _ -com
61. Labor
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
Movie Reviews
Smells
Like Teens
Dispirited
THE NEW MUTANTS
Writer/director Josh Boone’s fledgling-
superhero saga The New Mutants is ironi-
cally titled considering there’s nothing
remotely new about it. Not the story, not
the storytelling, not the overall crummi-
ness of its execution, and certainly not the
film itself, which was originally planned for
release in the spring of 2018, and then was
delayed and re-scheduled and delayed and
re-scheduled until it was finally unleashed,
like a sacrificial lamb, on August 28. One
of the few personal perks to the cineplexes
being closed until very recently was that I
didn’t have to write disheartening pans on
awful movies over the past five months. But
some things, alas, are evidently getting back
to normal.
I suppose if you’ve always wanted to see
a version of The Breakfast Club with more
CG mayhem, less personality, and almost
nothing in the way of a joke, you could do
worse than this ‘90s-era X-Men offshoot,
though its hard to imagine how. After her
Native American community is wiped
out by a purported twister that looks and
sounds an awful lot like the work of some
monstrous, unseen beast, the tragedy’s sole
survivor – teenager Danielle Moonstar (Blu
Hunt) – is whisked off to a secret facility for
convalescence and analysis. Not psycho-
analysis, mind you, despite the inconse-
quential scenes of group therapy. Rather,
Danielle is being analyzed by the joint’s
only apparent employee (Alice Braga’s Dr.
Reyes) because the girl’s survival indicates
that she’s an X-Men-type mutant, albeit one
with initially undiagnosed abilities. She’s
not alone with the “good” doctor, however,
as four other youths are trapped with her:
Rahne (Maisie Williams), who can trans-
form into a wolf; Sam (Charlie Heaton),
who can fly really fast; Illyana (Anya Tay-
lor-Joy), whose heavily accented Russian is
clearly bi-mutant and can therefore teleport
and grow a sword out of her right arm; and
Roberto (Henry Zaga), who can turn into
a human torch. (Though not, for obvious
copyright reasons, the Human Torch.)
Anya Taylor-Joy and Chearlie Heaton in The New Mutants
Boone’s origin-tale narrative, which he
concocted with co-screenwriter Knate Lee,
invites us to wonder why this quintet is
being quarantined in a spacious boarding-
school-slash-laboratory that they’re unable
to leave, as an invisible force field prevents
escape. It also invites us to wonder what,
or who, is the cause of the real-seeming
nightmares that are causing actual physi-
cal pain for the kids and the destruction
of their surroundings. All I really won-
dered, though, was this: Have we OD’d on
comic-book-movie culture so much that
there are truly no good super-powers left?
Flying? Bursting into flames? Turning into
a freaking wolf?! These “gifts” are as bar-
gain-basement as miraculous abilities get,
so I guess it kind of makes sense that The
New Mutants feels not just generic, but sub-
generic – the sort of thing you’d find buried
in the $1.99 DVD barrel at your local mega-
mart. But that actually has less to do with
the mutants’ underwhelming powers than
with the largely dismal writing, direction,
and photography, the latter of which is so
routinely, unnecessarily dark it’s as though
cinematographer Peter Deming shot the
fi lm with his camera submerged in a full
cup of weak coffee.
The performances, sadly, aren’t much
better. Williams has a few moments of poi-
gnancy and is at least as solid as she was in
Arya Stark’s least interesting seasons on
Game of Thrones, and Braga is almost let off
on a pass given her startling resemblance
to Lena Olin, even if her presence suggests
that Braga was threatened with forfeiture of
her pay if she ever deigned to smile. Beyond
Taylor-Joy, though, who is spectacularly
irritating for hopefully the last time in this
talented performer’s career, everyone else is
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
By Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com
an earnest blank – and the same could be
said for the remedial plotting, the comic-
book-balloon dialogue, and even the mon-
sters, with even the skinny, fanged creatures
who assault Illyana looking like paler ren-
ditions of Tom Hardy’s Venom, only with-
out the eye slits. From beginning to end,
The New Mutants is instantly disposable
garbage, and even insidious garbage, con-
sidering that its badness just might con-
vince large numbers of otherwise-excited
movie-goers that ma-a-aybe re-entering the
cineplex right now isn’t the best of ideas.
THE PERSONAL
HISTORY OF
DAVID COPPERFIELD
If anyone tries telling you that giggling
into your face mask for two consecutive
hours is potentially dangerous, I’m here
to tell you that I giggled into mine for
nearly the entire length of writer/director
Armando Ianucci’s The Personal History
of David Copperfield, and I felt great. Two
19
days later, I still feel great. Not only that:
This busy, imaginative, deeply funny adap-
tation of Charles Dickens’ 1850 classic feels
almost restorative. For reasons that are both
specific and hopefully obvious, I literally
can’t remember the last time I had so much
fun at the cineplex.
Dickens’ riches-to-rags-to-riches-to-
rags-to-riches yarn is one that, to the likely
shame of my many English teachers over
the years, I never experienced in print. On-
screen, I gotta say, it’s utterly magical, telling
of young master Copperfield as the British
lad endures familial and professional hard-
ships on his way to becoming a proper, and
very rich, English gentleman. (Naturalistic
heartbreaker Jairaj Vincent plays young
Davy, and you’d regret his eventual absence
more if successor Dev Patel wasn’t in utterly
endearing, career-best form.) Yet while the
first-rate, mid-19th-century design is famil-
iar in that cozy, Masterpiece Theatre way,
this telling of Dickens’ story is period porn
with a pulse.
Without demolishing, and only rarely sub-
verting, the Dickensian charm, Ianucci and
co-screenwriter Simon Blackwell provide the
movie with a savvy, distinctly modern aura
that extends even beyond the color-blind cast-
ing of Patel and numerous other sensational
performers (among them Rosalind Eleazar as
devoted friend Agnes and the great Benedict
Wong as her enjoyably drunken dad). Ianuc-
ci’s David Copperfield looks like Howards
End yet plays like a more emotional, multi-
cultural Grand Budapest Hotel. And its plea-
sures beyond the delightfully reality-breaking
detours are copious, from Hugh Laurie’s
divine dottiness as the kite-flying Mr. Dick to
the unrepentant ickiness of Uriah Heep (Ben
Whishaw in a brave Moe Howard haircut) to
the incandescent sourness of Tilda Swinton as
Betsey Trotwood. That’s right, folks: We get to
enjoy Tilda Swinton on the big screen again!
That was never “normal” even pre-pandemic,
but man is it good to see her up there.
20 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
Real Houseknives
I was dismayed at how off-base you were
when I read your response to a woman want-
ing to give her female friend advice to stop
her from dating and hooking up so much
after her breakup. It’s common knowledge
that it’s men who go off on women for being
promiscuous and tell them to not dress sexy.
It’s one more form of patriarchal control.
Why blame women for this?
– Angry Woman Living in the Real World
When men at construction sites catcall
women, it generally isn’t with remarks like,
“If you had more self-respect, you’d wear a
nice, classy long skirt.”
There is a widely held belief that it’s mainly
men who try to curtail women’s sexual
expression – particularly that of single women
– raging at them for engaging in hookup-
athons or wearing skirts the size of an airmail
stamp. There are men who do this, especially
in repressive cultures, and even in our own.
But if you give this notion some thought,
with an eye to our evolved psychology, it
really doesn’t make sense. Men and women
evolved to have different mating strategies
based on their physical differences, such as
how women can get pregnant from sex and
left with a howling child to feed and care for.
This probably worked out better – meaning
an ancestral woman was more likely to leave
surviving descendants to pass on her genes –
if she didn’t end up a single mom digging for
grubs on the African savanna.
There’s a good deal of evidence that female
emotions evolved to push women to seek
commitment and feel bad when it doesn’t
seem to be there, even when they hook up
with a guy they know they want nothing more
to do with. Though many men want (or even-
tually want) long-term relationships, a man
can choose to dad up for a baby that results
from sex … or choose to be all “‘Bye forever!”
and still have a good shot at passing on his
genes. (Thanks, single lady grub-digging on
the savanna!)
This means that casual sex is a mating strat-
egy that tends to be optimal for men in a way
it isn’t for women. Or, as evolutionary psy-
chologist David Schmitt puts it, “Men tend to
desire easy sexual access” to “large numbers
of sex partners.” In other words, they tend to
be up for casual sex with a slew of hot women
(or a slew of women with a pulse).
Getting back to your notion that it’s men
Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405. E-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com,
visit @amyalkon on Twitter, and listen to Amy’s weekly radio show at BlogTalkRadio.com/amyalkon. Order
Amy Alkon’s new book Unf_-ology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2018).
©2020, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. New column published weekly at RCReader.com
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
who tamp down women’s sexual expressive-
ness, sure, if a man’s married to a woman,
he might ask her to close up a few buttons
on her blouse before they go to some pervy
neighbor’s party. But say the woman in the
cleavage-a-boo blouse is not the man’s wife.
Even if the man is married and faithful, his
mind – his evolved psychology – probably
leads him to read her as a potential sex part-
ner and consciously or subconsciously store
her in memory as a “backup mate,” a sort of
sexual fold-up pocket umbrella. (Just in case!)
In other words, when a man isn’t in a rela-
tionship with a particular woman, why would
it possibly be in his self-interest to pressure
her to dress a little more, um, Amish casual,
and to keep her legs crossed until she’s Mrs.
Somebody?
Research supports this view. Social psy-
chologists Roy Baumeister and Jean Twenge
reviewed research on the “cultural” (mean-
ing “societal”) suppression of female sexual-
ity, which they define as “a pattern of cultural
influence by which girls and women are
induced to avoid feeling sexual desire and to
refrain from sexual behavior.”
They report that “the view that men sup-
press female sexuality” (like, for example, by
punishing women who make sex too available
to men) “received hardly any support and is
flatly contradicted by some findings. Instead,
Living
the evidence favors the view that women have
worked to stifle each other’s sexuality because
sex is a limited resource that women use to
Proof
negotiate with men, and scarcity gives women
an advantage.” (Women doing this are typi-
cally unaware of this underlying motive.)
Especially recently, people get outraged
when scientific findings don’t conform with
the ideology they hold dear. Th is is unfor-
Exhibit
tunate, because only by fi nding out the
sometimes counterintuitive, counterpro-
A Visualization
ductive, and surprising ways we actually of Hope
think and behave can we choose to act more
productively. SEPTEMBER 10-DECEMBER 6, 2020
Personally, knowing how pernicious,
sneaky, and underhanded female intrasexual
competition (women competing with other
women) can be makes me careful to be asser-
tive in healthy ways and, in social situations,
make sure other women feel included and not
left out. And really, if you look logically at who
benefits from getting hot women to de-hotify,
well, lemme know when you find a strip club
with dozens of men clamoring for the women
there to cover up their enormous breasts and,
for God’s sake, put on a pair of pants. Judy Heath, Bridge of Sighs, watercolor
Davenport, Iowa • 563.326.7804
www.figgeartmuseum.org
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “A new idea
is rarely born like Venus attended by
graces. More commonly it’s modeled of
baling wire and acne. More commonly it
wheezes and tips over.” Those words were written
by Aries author Marge Piercy, who has been a fount
of good new ideas in the course of her career. I
regard her as an expert in generating wheezy, frag-
ile breakthroughs and ultimately turning them
into shiny, solid beacons of revelation. Your assign-
ment in the coming weeks, Aries, is to do as Piercy
has done so well.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Every day
I discover even more beautiful things,”
said painter Claude Monet. “It is intoxi-
cating me, and I want to paint it all. My
head is bursting.” That might seem like an extreme
state to many of us. But Monet was a specialist in
the art of seeing. He trained himself to be alert for
exquisite sights. So his receptivity to the constant
flow of loveliness came naturally to him. I bring
this to your attention, Taurus, because I think that
in the coming weeks, you could rise closer to a
Monet-like level of sensitivity to beauty. Would
that be interesting to you? If so, unleash yourself!
Make it a priority to look for charm, elegance,
grace, delight, and dazzlement.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author
Renata Adler describes a time in her life
when she began to notice blue triangles
on her feet. She was wracked with fear
that they were a symptom of leukemia. But after a
period of intense anxiety, she realized one fine day
that they had a different cause. She writes: “When-
ever I, walking barefoot, put out the garbage on the
landing, I held the apartment door open, bending
over from the rear. The door would cross a bit over
the tops of my feet”—leaving triangular bruises.
Upon realizing this very good news, she says, “I
took a celebrational nap.” From what I can tell,
Gemini, you’re due for a series of celebrational
naps – both because of worries that turn out to be
unfounded and because you need a concentrated
period of recharging your energy reserves.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): “I like
people who refuse to speak until they are
ready to speak,” proclaimed Cancerian author Lil-
lian Hellman. I feel the same way. So often people
have nothing interesting or important to say, but
say it anyway. I’ve done that myself! The uninter-
esting and unimportant words I have uttered are
too numerous to count. The good news for me and
all of my fellow Cancerians is that in the coming
weeks we are far more likely than usual to not
speak until we are ready to speak. According to my
analysis of the astrological potentials, we are
poised to express ourselves with clarity, authentic-
ity, and maximum impact.
LEO (July 23-August 22): Of all the
mournful impacts the pandemic has had,
one of the most devastating is that it has
diminished our opportunities to touch
and be touched by other humans. Many of us are
starved of the routine, regular contact we had pre-
viously taken for granted. I look forward to the
time when we can again feel uninhibited about
shaking hands, hugging, and patting friends on
the arm or shoulder. In the meantime, how can you
cope? This issue is extra crucial for you Leos to
meditate on right now. Can you massage yourself?
Seek extra tactile contact with animals? Hug trees?
Figure out how to physically connect with people
while wearing hazmat suits, gloves, masks, and
face shields? What else?
VIRGO (August 23-September 22):
“Like any art, the creation of self is both
natural and seemingly impossible,” says
singer-songwriter Holly Near. “It
requires training as well as magic.” How are you
doing on that score, Virgo? Now is a favorable time
to intensify your long-term art project of creating
the healthiest, smartest version of yourself. I think
it will feel quite natural and not-at-all impossible.
In the coming weeks, you’ll have a finely tuned
intuitive sense of how to proceed with flair. Start
by imagining the Most Beautiful You.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22): I
propose we resurrect the old English
word “museful.” First used in the 17th
century but then forgotten, it meant
“deeply thoughtful; pensive.” In our newly coined
use, it refers to a condition wherein a person is
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
abundantly inspired by the presence of the muse. I
further suggest that we invoke this term to apply to
you Libras in the coming weeks. You potentially
have a high likelihood of intense communion with
your muses. There’s also a good chance you’ll
engage with a new muse or two. What will you do
with all of this illumination and stimulation?
SCORPIO (October 23-November 21):
Each of us has a “soul’s code”: a meta-
phorical blueprint of the beautiful person
we could become by fulfilling our des-
tiny. If our soul’s code remains largely dormant, it
will agitate and disorient us. If, on the other hand,
we perfectly actualize our soul’s code, we will feel
at home in the world; all our experiences will feel
meaningful. The practical fact is that most of us
have made some progress in manifesting our soul’s
code, but still have a way to go before we fully actu-
alize it. Here’s the good news: You Scorpios are in
a phase of your cycle when you could make dra-
matic advances in this glorious work.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22-Decem-
ber 21): “Life is the only game in which
the object of the game is to learn the
rules,” observes Sagittarian author
Ashleigh Brilliant. According to my research, you
have made excellent progress in this quest during
the last few weeks – and will continue your good
work in the next six weeks. Give yourself an award!
Buy yourself a trophy! You have discovered at least
two rules that were previously unknown to you,
and you have also ripened your understanding of
another rule that had previously been barely com-
prehensible. Be alert for more breakthroughs.
CAPRICORN (December 22-January
19): “If you’re not lost, you’re not much of
an explorer,” said rambunctious activist
and author John Perry Barlow. Adding to
his formulation, I’ll say that if you want to be a suc-
cessful explorer, it’s crucial to get lost on some
occasions. And according to my analysis, now is
just such a time for you Capricorns. The new terri-
tory you have been brave enough to reconnoiter
should be richly unfamiliar. The possibilities you
have been daring enough to consider should be
provocatively unpredictable. Keep going, my dear!
21
By Rob Brezsny
That’s the best way to become un-lost.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18):
“Dreams really tell you about yourself
more than anything else in this world
could ever tell you,” said psychic Sylvia Browne.
She was referring to the mysterious stories that
unfold in our minds as we sleep. I agree with her
assessment of dreams’ power to show us who we
really are all the way down to the core of our souls.
What Browne didn’t mention, however, is that it
takes knowledge and training to become proficient
in deciphering dreams’ revelations. Their mode of
communication is unique – and unlike every other
source of teaching. I bring this up, Aquarius,
because the coming months will be a favorable
time for you to become more skilled in under-
standing your dreams.
PISCES (February 19-March 20): In
June 1876, warriors from three Indian
tribes defeated U.S. troops led by General
George Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn in
Montana. It was an iconic victory in what was ulti-
mately a losing battle to prevent conquest by the
ever-expanding American empire. One of the
tribes that fought that day was the Northern Chey-
enne. Out of fear of punishment by the U.S. gov-
ernment, its leaders waited 130 years to tell its side
of the story about what happened. New evidence
emerged then, such as the fact that the only woman
warrior in the fight, Buffalo Calf Road Woman,
killed Custer himself. I offer this tale as an inspira-
tion for you Pisceans to tell your story about events
that you’ve kept silent about for too long.
Homework: Maybe sometimes it’s okay to hide and
be secretive and use silence as a superpower. Exam-
ple from your life? Visit FreeWillAstrology.com.
New Column Published
Weekly at RCReader.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
1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700
22 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
MUSIC
Doppelganger, Doppelganger (advance singles)
Listen at doppelgangerqc.bandcamp.com/
album/doppelganger
D
avenport-based hyper-prog-metal
instrumental shredders Doppel-
ganger have been rolling out tracks
from their forthcoming self-titled album
since the first single “Plumbus” landed in
March of last year. (Yes, we see the Rick
& Morty reference here, guys.) The long
build-up to the proper album drop on Sep-
tember 25 makes sense in the context of
their beyond-detailed omni-metal song-
writing, because each four-minute-or-so
chunk of this material proves so dense and
constantly shifting that it contains its own
standalone narrative worth poring over.
With a composition style akin to build-
ing a ship in a bottle, every Doppelganger
track plays out in volleys of dizzying one-
off riffs and tightly tethered breakdowns
in the blistering tech-death style. The lack
of a vocalist here might work in the mate-
rial’s favor in a certain way, as bands in
Doppelganger’s extended orbit such as The
Faceless, Necrophagist, or Artificial Brain,
or much of the Prosthetic Records roster,
typically frost their labyrinthine deathcore
stylings in either guttural growls or affected
chipmunk falsetto highs (in the Rush ->
Coheed school). Doppelganger’s decision to
go full instrumental places the final prod-
uct with all its anthemic riffing and sudden
shifts of mood or tonality closer to the
realm of affective yet accessible progressive
metal – the kind of almost pop-adjacent
songwriting that inspires sudden surges
of dopamine with the onset of each new
passage. A band such as Scale the Summit
might be the most appropriate compari-
son, as both produce a brand of euphoric,
even cinematic instrumental metal that
sketches out its own drama in your mind’s
eye without relying on external input from
the human voice and lyrical content.
Of the tracks we have access to so far
from Doppelganger, the aforementioned
“Plumbus” might contain the most com-
positional surprises, though all are packed
with sudden left turns in their own way. The
track shifts from chugging, palm-muted
riffs and massive bursts of bass – all girded
by a rock-solid, technical drum perfor-
mance – into a double-time thrash sprint
planted under a huge guitar solo. With
the last minute of “Plumbus,” however,
Doppelganger careen into a section with
a prog-cabaret-type feel, with lightning-
speed chromatic runs performed on double
tracked guitars and a nearly ragtime key-
board arrangement. (Dare I invoke Scenes
from a Memory-era Dream Theater tracks
such as “Dance of Eternity”?) The fluid shift
from head-bang-ready death-metal pyro-
technics into the more gloriously demented,
almost carnival-esque coda makes twisted
sense, as every deviation is glued together
by virtuosic precision on guitar and a reli-
able grid from the rhythm section.
“Plumbus”:
doppelgangerqc.bandcamp.
com/track/plumbus
“Leech Life,” which the band previewed
near the end of last year, shows off yet
another style outside of the average tech-
death playbook with an intro that seems
adapted straight from Nobuo Uematsu’s
soundtrack to Final Fantasy 7, and with
its bone-thick slap bassline and myste-
rious, chimed keyboard lines (see FF7’s
“Midgar Slums” or “Under the Rotting
Pizza”). When multiple layers of guitar
show up within this back-alley funk-jam
vibe and start tracing the same pattern as
the bassline, it gets the heart racing. With
a track title such as “Leech Life,” seemingly
sourced from Pokémon (?), I don’t doubt
that video-game music runs in these dudes’
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
By Max Allison
blood. That connection contextualizes their
penchant for rapid emotional turns within
one track and cramming as many discrete
riffs into as little space as possible – both
prime video-game music strategies. And
cram they do, as there’s a good half-dozen
jackhammering riffs and tempo shifts that
they speed through before the track is over.
The last minute in particular stuns with its
never-ending torrent of 32nd note guitar
heroics, two-handed tapping, and over-
lapped twin lead melodies.
“Leech Life”:
doppelgangerqc.bandcamp.
com/track/leech-life
The most recent single “The Way She
Goes” just landed in August, almost a
year after “Leech Life,” but one imagines a
full-length album of this material isn’t the
sort of thing that comes together quickly.
Clearly, Doppelganger have woodshed the
shit out of their instruments and know
these extremely complex compositions
front and back. Perhaps just as importantly,
they didn’t skimp on the production value
at all, as evidenced by “The Way She Goes”’
effortless segues between more atmo-
spheric, almost post-rock evoking passages
of clean tone melody, and the punishing
heaviness of the distorted segments. I look
forward to hearing the rest of the album
when it drops in a few weeks, as these few
tracks alone contain enough detail to keep
me entranced.
“The Way She Goes”:
doppelgangerqc.bandcamp.
com/track/the-way-she-
goes
Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com
LIVE MUSIC
NOTE: All events listed are confirmed at time of publication. Check with the venue ahead of arrival to ensure status of each event.
THURSDAY
2020/09/03 (Thu)
(3)
Soul Storm – Schwiebert Riverfront
Park, 101 17th St., Rock Island IL
FRIDAY
2020/09/04 (Fri)
(4)
Caskey (6pm) – Gabe’s, 330 E.
Washington St., Iowa City IA
The Frazer Project – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 W. Locust
St., Davenport IA
Lexi Parr Band – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Live @ Five: Hal Reed & Mississippi
Journey (5pm) – RME Courtyard, 131
W. 2nd St., Davenport IA
Molly Durnin – The Tangled Wood,
3636 Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
Richie Lee – Rhythm City Casino Resort
Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Rob & Gary of the Night People – The
Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge, 3402
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Scott Stowe (6:30pm) – The Faithful
Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N Cody Rd,
LeClaire IA
Virtual J.A.M. Session: Avey Grouws
Band (6pm) – The Redstone Room,
129 Main St, Davenport IA
SATURDAY
2020/09/05 (Sat)
(5)
Bitter Sweet – The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., Davenport IA
CJ Ryder & Past Masters – Rhythm City
Casino Resort Rhythm Room, 7077
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
John Born – Bootleg Hill Honey Meads,
321 E. 2nd St., Davenport IA
Richie Lee & the Fabulous 50’s
(7:30pm) – Junior Talley as Elvis
(10pm) – Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
Russ Reyman Request Piano Bar – The
Phoenix Restaurant & Martini Bar, 111
West 2nd St., Davenport IA
The Stone Flowers – The Tangled
Wood, 3636 Tanglewood Rd.,
Bettendorf IA
SUNDAY
2020/09/06 (Sun)
(6)
Jim Ryan (2pm) – Len Brown’s North
Shore Inn, 700 N. Shore Dr., Moline IL
North of 40 (4pm) – Parkside Grill &
Lounge, 2307 5th Ave, Moline IL
Pappa-Razzi: Annual Labor Day
Sunday Fun Day (6pm) – Green Tree
Brewery, 309 N. Cody Rd., LeClaire IA
Ruby & Donovan Sunday Fun–Day
(4pm) – The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Steve Grismore Jazz Trio (5pm) –
Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ, 300 Potter
Dr., Bellevue IA
Virtual J.A.M. Session: Jenny Lynn
Stacy (5pm) – The Redstone Room,
129 Main St, Davenport IA
WEDNESDAY (9)
2020/09/09 (Wed)
David Cavanaugh (6:30pm) – The
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N
Cody Rd, LeClaire IA
THURSDAY
2020/09/10 (Thu)
(10)
Eddy Lee Ryder (6pm) – Bishop Hill
Creative Commons, 309 N Bishop Hill
St., Bishop Hill IL
Phyllis & the Sharks – Schwiebert
Riverfront Park, 101 17th St., Rock
Island IL
FRIDAY
2020/09/11 (Fri)
(11)
Crooked Cactus – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Douglas & Tucker – The Tangled Wood,
3636 Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
Live @ Five: The Bobby Ray Bunch
(5pm) – RME Courtyard, 131 W. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Pat Foley – The Grape Life Wine Store &
Lounge, 3402 Elmore Ave., Davenport
IA
Sushi Roll – Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
SATURDAY
2020/09/12 (Sat)
(12)
Aaron Kamm & the One Drops –
Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington St., Iowa
City IA
Code 415 – The Gypsy Highway Bar &
Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., Davenport IA
Crooked Cactus – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Dan Fennesy – Bootleg Hill Honey
Meads, 321 E. 2nd St., Davenport IA
Fresh Wax: Dark Spectrum w/ Retinal
Tear – Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave., Rock
Island IL
Heads In Motion: A Talking Heads
Tribute – The Tangled Wood, 3636
Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
Nuclear Plowboys – Len Brown’s North
Shore Inn, 700 N. Shore Dr., Moline IL
Quad City Bank & Trust Riverfront
Pops Presents Landslide: A
Symphonic Tribute to the Music
of Fleetwood Mac – Rock Island
Arsenal, , Rock Island IL
Russ Reyman Request Piano Bar – The
Phoenix Restaurant & Martini Bar, 111
West 2nd St., Davenport IA
Sushi Roll – Rhythm City Casino Resort
Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Tony Hoeppner & Friends – Green Tree
Brewery, 309 N. Cody Rd., LeClaire IA
SUNDAY
2020/09/13 (Sun)
(13)
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (2pm) – Len
Brown’s North Shore Inn, 700 N. Shore
Dr., Moline IL
Livestream Concert Series: Dexter
O’Neal & the Funk Yard (6pm) –
Orpheum Theatre, 57 S. Kellogg St.,
Galesburg IL
WEDNESDAY (16)
2020/09/16 (Wed)
Mo Carter (6:30pm) – The Faithful Pilot
Cafe & Spirits, 117 N Cody Rd, LeClaire
IA
THURSDAY
2020/09/17 (Thu)
(17)
Class of ‘82 – Schwiebert Riverfront
Park, 101 17th St., Rock Island IL
SEPTEMBER 3–30, 2020
Send your live music events to calendar@rcreader.com
Deadline 5 p.m. Thursday before publication
FRIDAY
2020/09/18 (Fri)
(18)
A.D.D. – Rhythm City Casino Resort
Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Ave.,
Davenport IA
Bobby Ray Bunch – The Tangled Wood,
3636 Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
Chuck Murphy – Hawkeye Tap Sports
Bar N Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave.,
Davenport IA
Dave Ellis/Rich Fricke Duo (6pm) –
Kavanaugh’s Hilltop Bar & Grill, 1228
30th St., Rock Island IL
Live @ Five: John Resch & Doggin’ Out
(5pm) – RME Courtyard, 131 W. 2nd
St., Davenport IA
Moonshine Run – The Gypsy Highway
Bar & Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
The Talfins – Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
SATURDAY
2020/09/19 (Sat)
(19)
A.D.D. – Riverside Casino and Golf
Resort, 3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
Blues Rock-It – 11th Street Precinct,
1107 Mound St., Davenport IA
Ginuwine – Juvenile – Chingy –
Random Tanner – The Rust Belt, 533
12th Ave., East Moline IL
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6:30pm) –
Tuggers Burger Bar & Ale House, 201
N. Main St., Port Byron IL
Jimmy Welty Trio – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Lewis Knudsen – Bootleg Hill Honey
Meads, 321 E. 2nd St., Davenport IA
Northern Parallels 044: Mike Derer
– Higgy – Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Ave.,
Rock Island IL
QCSO Signature Soirée: Moonlight
Sonata (5:30pm) – Figge Art
Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport IA
Russ Reyman Request Piano Bar – The
Phoenix Restaurant & Martini Bar, 111
West 2nd St., Davenport IA
Tony Hoeppner & Ron Wilson – The
Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge, 3402
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Toxic Blonde – The Gypsy Highway Bar
& Grill, 2606 W. Locust St., Davenport
IA
River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020
Vice Squad – The Tangled Wood, 3636
Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
SUNDAY
2020/09/20 (Sun)
(20)
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (2pm) –
Tycoga Vineyard & Winery, 2585
195th St., DeWitt IA
Hector Anchondo Band (2pm) – The
Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 W.
Locust St., Davenport IA
Livestream Concert Series: Harry
Tonchev & Andy Crawford (6pm) –
Orpheum Theatre, 57 S. Kellogg St.,
Galesburg IL
WEDNESDAY (23)
2020/09/23 (Wed)
Jordan Danielsen (6:30pm) – The
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N
Cody Rd, LeClaire IA
THURSDAY
2020/09/24 (Thu)
(24)
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo – Jim’s
Knoxville Tap, 8716 Knoxville Rd.,
Milan IL
Minus Six – Schwiebert Riverfront Park,
101 17th St., Rock Island IL
FRIDAY
2020/09/25 (Fri)
(25)
50 Shades of Rock – The Gypsy
Highway Bar & Grill, 2606 W. Locust
St., Davenport IA
Blues Rock-It – Parkside Grill & Lounge,
2307 5th Ave, Moline IL
Class of ‘82 – The Tangled Wood, 3636
Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
Digital Circus 2020 – Billy Bob’s QC,
1722 2nd St., Rock Island IL
Greg & Rich Acoustic Duo (6pm) –
Sugar Maple Golf Club, 19283 E.
1600th St., Geneseo IL
Lindsay Bowman – Rhythm City Casino
Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore
Ave., Davenport IA
Live @ Five: The Dawn (5pm) – RME
Courtyard, 131 W. 2nd St., Davenport
IA
The Mighty Blooze Hounds –
Riverside Casino and Golf Resort,
3184 Highway 22, Riverside IA
23
North of 40 – Hawkeye Tap Sports Bar N
Grill, 4646 Cheyenne Ave., Davenport
IA
SATURDAY
2020/09/26 (Sat)
(26)
The Blackstones Acoustic Trio – The
Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge, 3402
Elmore Ave., Davenport IA
Funktastic Five – The Gypsy Highway
Bar & Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
Have Your Cake – The Tangled Wood,
3636 Tanglewood Rd., Bettendorf IA
Lindsay Bowman – Riverside Casino
and Golf Resort, 3184 Highway 22,
Riverside IA
Michael Charles – Flatted Fifth Blues &
BBQ, 300 Potter Dr., Bellevue IA
Rob Dahms & Gary Pearson of the
Night People – Bootleg Hill Honey
Meads, 321 E. 2nd St., Davenport IA
Russ Reyman Request Piano Bar – The
Phoenix Restaurant & Martini Bar, 111
West 2nd St., Davenport IA
Tangled Reality – Green Tree Brewery,
309 N. Cody Rd., LeClaire IA
ÜberCool Band (noon) – Schuetzen
Park Historic Site, 700 Waverly Rd,
Davenport IA
SUNDAY
2020/09/27 (Sun)
(27)
Ron Tegeler Jazz Trio (5pm) – Flatted
Fifth Blues & BBQ, 300 Potter Dr.,
Bellevue IA
MONDAY
2020/09/28 (Mon)
(28)
Yak Attack – Gabe’s, 330 E. Washington
St., Iowa City IA
WEDNESDAY (30)
2020/09/30 (Wed)
Bobby Ray Bunch (6:30pm) – The
Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits, 117 N
Cody Rd, LeClaire IA
Dave Ellis (6pm) – The Gypsy Highway
Bar & Grill, 2606 W. Locust St.,
Davenport IA
24 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 27 No. 977 • September 2020 Know More, Do More • RiverCitiesReader.com