BETTENDORF, IOWA (November 16, 2024) — Celebrate the official opening of Arts Alley, 1719 2nd Ave, in downtown Rock Island on Wednesday, November 20, 3:30-5PM. The unveiling reveals the more than $500,000 in improvements to the outdoor event space, which include large-scale murals, decorative lighting, retail vendor stalls and more.
Agenda
3:30PM Event Starts
- Caroling by Rock Island High School Chamber Choir
- Signature drinks by Icons Martini and Theo’s Java Café
- Opening of new retail vendor stalls built by Crawford Company, featuring Buttercupp Candles and Lagomarcino’s
4PM Special Remarks
- Mayor Mike Thoms, City of Rock Island
- Jack Cullen, Rock Island Downtown Alliance
- Dawn Wohlford-Metallo, Quad City Arts
- Atlanta Dawn, Muralist
- Dave Herrell, Visit Quad Cities
- Jen Lewis-Snyder, Quad Cities Cultural Trust with new OneSound Piano
- Rock Island High School Chamber Choir performance
4:30PM Tree lighting (just before sunset)
Guests will also have the opportunity to experience MetroLINK’s new Holiday Bus on site.
After the event in Arts Alley, the community is invited to head next door to The Urban Reserve for “An Elevated Unveiling” of the luxury rooftop event space that will feature a special selection of food, beverages and music.
The Arts Alley Holiday Market, presented by Valley Construction, will be open weekends 10AM-4PM, November 29 through December 22. Full details about the Arts Alley Holiday Market available here.
Background
Arts Alley improvements include a decorative walkway, lighting and signage; space for social gatherings and performances; retail vendor stalls for seasonal pop-up shop programs; and additional art installations.
Two large-scale wall murals were painted this summer by artists Atlanta Dawn of the Quad Cities and Nicole Salgar of Miami.
The total budget for the improvements to Arts Alley was $534,000, with half of the project being funded by a $267,000 State of Illinois Tourism Attractions grant. The City of Rock Island primarily funded the remaining costs with a combination of Downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District funds and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The City created Arts Alley in 1994 to fill a gap left by a demolished building and to establish a colorful pedestrian gateway between Rock Island’s riverfront and arts and entertainment district.
The Arts Alley improvements are part of the larger $8.7 million Rebuild Downtown project.
