• The Iowa Wine & Beer Promotion Board has released a new brochure featuring 27 Iowa wineries and one brewery. Detailed maps show the locations of the facilities and the hours during which visitors can tour and taste fine beverages crafted in Iowa. Some sites offer tours of production facilities and vineyards. Iowa's expanding wine industry has taken root in all parts of Iowa, and 11 wineries have been added to the newest version of this brochure, including wineries in southwest, central, southeast, and northeast Iowa. Travelers will also find two wine trails listed: the Amana Colonies Wine Trail and the Iowa Wine Trail. A leader in grape production at the turn of the last century, Iowa is again enticing vintners from within its borders and from other parts of the country with an ideal climate and soil for producing grapes. The Iowa Wine & Beer brochure is available at Iowa welcome centers, most Iowa wineries, and at Millstream Brewing. The Web site for Iowa Wine & Beer (http://www.iowawineandbeer.com) features the same information and maps, along with links to individual Web sites for many of the establishments. Order a brochure online, by calling (515)242-4737, or by sending e-mail to (iowawineandbeer@iowalifechanging.com).
• Dick Stahl, well-know Quad Cities poet and the area's first poet laureate, is the grand-prize winner in this year's Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest. His entry "Ministry of Ice" concerns the life, death, and re-emergence of Father Fernando Manuel Garcia. Stahl earned the top prize of $250. He is a retired Davenport teacher who spent his initial two years of retirement as Quad Cities Poet Laureate under the sponsorship of Quad City Arts. Stahl continues his writing as the author of at least two recent books. The Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest awarded nearly $1,000 in cash and certificate awards. Entries for the 32nd Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest were received from across the United States. The poetry contest is a key activity for the Midwest Writing Center, headquartered at 1629 2nd Avenue, Suite 2, in Rock Island. For more information on the Midwest Writing Center, look at (http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org).
• On May 27, fourth graders at Buffalo Elementary School in Buffalo, Iowa, will help their school reduce the amount of stormwater that flows into the Mississippi River. The classes will help plant native flowers and grasses as part of River Action's Retain the Rain Program. In addition to solving an existing nuisance water problem, the project will hold back 2,150 gallons of stormwater runoff, cleansing it before releasing it back into the water table and ultimately into the Mississippi River. As part of the event, and in an ongoing effort to educate people throughout the Quad Cities about reducing stormwater runoff, River Action will conduct "mini classrooms" before each planting session. These brief sessions will focus on the physical and environmental concepts pertaining to stormwater reduction and the value of mitigation projects such as this one. The event will be held from 8 until 10 a.m. at Buffalo Elementary School. For further information or directions to the school, call River Action at (563)322-2969.
• Donations of used merchandise are requested and needed for the Quad City Symphony's annual Second Fiddle Sale and will be accepted for drop-off every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday through June 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the former ShopKo building, between Middle Road and East Kimberly Road in Bettendorf. The sale features gently used clothing, furniture, household items, linens, small appliances, books, children's clothing, sporting goods, toys, jewelry, antiques, collectibles, and more. Major appliances and lingerie are not accepted or sold. All donations are tax deductible and receipted at time of drop-off. Many volunteers are needed in the next few weeks for sorting merchandise, setup, and selling during the sale; contact Lisa at (309)799-9831 or (jcarstens1@aol.com) to help. All Second Fiddle Sale proceeds benefit the music-education programs of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association. For more information, call the Symphony office at (563)322-0931.
• This year's St. Ambrose University School of Social Work Social Justice Award was given to two Quad Cities social-service agencies during the university's Annual Social Justice Conference on May 13. Humility of Mary Housing of Davenport was honored for its commitment to empowering people to move forward in their lives by providing them with housing, resources, and support. Sandra Walters, executive director of Humility of Mary Housing, accepted the award on behalf of the agency. Transitions of Rock Island was honored for providing housing, employment training, employment, advocacy, counseling, therapy, and social support to persons living with mental illness. Gary Weinstein,Transitions' chief executive officer, accepted the award on behalf of the agency. The St. Ambrose University School of Social Work inaugurated the Social Justice Award in 1997. The award honors those individuals and social-service agencies within the greater Quad Cities area that have demonstrated a commitment to social and economic justice and to promoting the advancement of human rights.
• The Illinois House of Representatives has been considering a pair of bills seeking to ban firearms. The first, HB 1098, introduced by Representative Elaine Nekritz, seeks to ban .50-caliber rifles. The second, HB 2414, introduced by Representative Edward Acevedo, seeks to ban numerous semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, as well as .50-caliber rifles. You can get contact information about your elected representatives at this Web site: ((http://www.illinois.gov/government/gov_legislature.cfm).
• AIDS Project Quad Cities offers free and anonymous HIV testing. You can find out more by calling (309)788-5698. Also, check out its Web site at (http://www.aidsprojectqc.org) for a great deal of information on the organization, its events, AIDS, and more.
• Dick Stahl, well-know Quad Cities poet and the area's first poet laureate, is the grand-prize winner in this year's Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest. His entry "Ministry of Ice" concerns the life, death, and re-emergence of Father Fernando Manuel Garcia. Stahl earned the top prize of $250. He is a retired Davenport teacher who spent his initial two years of retirement as Quad Cities Poet Laureate under the sponsorship of Quad City Arts. Stahl continues his writing as the author of at least two recent books. The Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest awarded nearly $1,000 in cash and certificate awards. Entries for the 32nd Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest were received from across the United States. The poetry contest is a key activity for the Midwest Writing Center, headquartered at 1629 2nd Avenue, Suite 2, in Rock Island. For more information on the Midwest Writing Center, look at (http://www.midwestwritingcenter.org).
• On May 27, fourth graders at Buffalo Elementary School in Buffalo, Iowa, will help their school reduce the amount of stormwater that flows into the Mississippi River. The classes will help plant native flowers and grasses as part of River Action's Retain the Rain Program. In addition to solving an existing nuisance water problem, the project will hold back 2,150 gallons of stormwater runoff, cleansing it before releasing it back into the water table and ultimately into the Mississippi River. As part of the event, and in an ongoing effort to educate people throughout the Quad Cities about reducing stormwater runoff, River Action will conduct "mini classrooms" before each planting session. These brief sessions will focus on the physical and environmental concepts pertaining to stormwater reduction and the value of mitigation projects such as this one. The event will be held from 8 until 10 a.m. at Buffalo Elementary School. For further information or directions to the school, call River Action at (563)322-2969.
• Donations of used merchandise are requested and needed for the Quad City Symphony's annual Second Fiddle Sale and will be accepted for drop-off every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday through June 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the former ShopKo building, between Middle Road and East Kimberly Road in Bettendorf. The sale features gently used clothing, furniture, household items, linens, small appliances, books, children's clothing, sporting goods, toys, jewelry, antiques, collectibles, and more. Major appliances and lingerie are not accepted or sold. All donations are tax deductible and receipted at time of drop-off. Many volunteers are needed in the next few weeks for sorting merchandise, setup, and selling during the sale; contact Lisa at (309)799-9831 or (jcarstens1@aol.com) to help. All Second Fiddle Sale proceeds benefit the music-education programs of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association. For more information, call the Symphony office at (563)322-0931.
• This year's St. Ambrose University School of Social Work Social Justice Award was given to two Quad Cities social-service agencies during the university's Annual Social Justice Conference on May 13. Humility of Mary Housing of Davenport was honored for its commitment to empowering people to move forward in their lives by providing them with housing, resources, and support. Sandra Walters, executive director of Humility of Mary Housing, accepted the award on behalf of the agency. Transitions of Rock Island was honored for providing housing, employment training, employment, advocacy, counseling, therapy, and social support to persons living with mental illness. Gary Weinstein,Transitions' chief executive officer, accepted the award on behalf of the agency. The St. Ambrose University School of Social Work inaugurated the Social Justice Award in 1997. The award honors those individuals and social-service agencies within the greater Quad Cities area that have demonstrated a commitment to social and economic justice and to promoting the advancement of human rights.
• The Illinois House of Representatives has been considering a pair of bills seeking to ban firearms. The first, HB 1098, introduced by Representative Elaine Nekritz, seeks to ban .50-caliber rifles. The second, HB 2414, introduced by Representative Edward Acevedo, seeks to ban numerous semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, as well as .50-caliber rifles. You can get contact information about your elected representatives at this Web site: ((http://www.illinois.gov/government/gov_legislature.cfm).
• AIDS Project Quad Cities offers free and anonymous HIV testing. You can find out more by calling (309)788-5698. Also, check out its Web site at (http://www.aidsprojectqc.org) for a great deal of information on the organization, its events, AIDS, and more.
