For the first presentations in the company's 2023-24 season, the professional talents of Ballet Quad Cities will, for the fourth straight year, open with an outdoor celebration at Davenport's Outing Club, treating patrons to another series of thrilling vignettes in Ballet on the Lawn. This year, however, the dancers are doubling down on their family-friendly fun by preceding the August 27 productions with Children's Day at the Ballet, a youth-centric event culminating in the half-hour stage party Giraffes Can't Dance.

Two venues in downtown Rock Island will co-host one exciting literary event when the Midwest Writing Center presents readings and a release party for the annual literary magazine The ATLAS, the latest volume of which will, on August 17, be showcased in a late-afternoon event at the Rock Island Public Library and an evening celebration at the neighboring Rozz-Tox.

Taking place in conjunction with the exhibit Klassiks for Kinder: German Toys with Joy, on display at Davenport's German American Heritage Center from August 13 through January 7, an exploration of the German doll and toy industry from the Middle Ages to today will be presented in History of Toy Making in Germany, a fascinating live program delivered by Dr. Ellen M. Tsagaris.

German toys have had a significant impact on the world's toy industry, particularly in the areas of design and innovation, and through January 7, these wondrous innovations will be on display in Klassiks for Kinder: German Toys with Joy, an interactive, family-themed exhibition housed in Davenport's German American Heritage Center.