Quad Cities Live, Aug. 7

Live from the KWQC Broadcast Center in downtown Davenport with Morgan OTA and Kyle Keel. This is Quad Cities Live. Today on QCL, all things dinosaurs at the Putnam Museum's upcoming Dino Days. We'll have a breakdown of the new activities this year, plus fan favorite films on the newly updated giant screen. And big news for Riverfront Pops are region's party of the summer. Quad City Bank and Trust has renewed its long-term partnership with the event, what this means for everyone involved coming up. Also, Main Market QC, a vibrant upcoming outdoor market showcasing more than 60 vendors in the heart of downtown Davenport, all part of alternating currents. We'll have a preview just ahead. Hello and welcome to this Friday, August 7th edition of Quad Cities Live. Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm Kyle Keel. My co-host Morgan OTA has the day off. Well, the countdown is on for this year's alternating currents festival. The only by-state multi-city festival runs August 13th through the 16th. bringing more than 200 performances across 40 plus venues featuring a wide variety of music, comedy, film, and of course the visual arts. C.J. Parker is one of the countless performers throughout the festival, and he joins us once again to talk about the music aspect of alternating currents. C.J., welcome back to the show. Yeah, for sure. Thanks for having me. Yeah, obviously, you're a very well-known name here in the Quad Cities, you know, born and raised in Davenport. So tell us how your interest in music began and kind of how your career has evolved over the years. Yeah, so growing up in the Quad Cities, My parents also growing up in the Quad Cities. They met at Davenport North. They got married. And so I've been here all my life. I can't say I've been anywhere else. But, you know, so I've lived here forever. And music first started, my dad's a tuba player. So I started from him. I became a tuba player. My mom's a singer. And she loved Broadway. It's in the blood. Yeah, it's all in it. So yeah, started there. And yeah, never stopped. Yeah, you got a great voice. You've done a couple performances for us here on QCL. And you've got some performances coming up at all. alternating currents. So this will be, I understand, your fourth year performing. Yeah, fourth year alternating currents. So what makes alternating currents so special in your eyes? You know, I'm... I think alternate occurrence is different because it's not just about one thing. It's not just music. It's art in general. Absolutely. Right? It's movies. People are making short films. It's people making art just, you know, pictures and things like that. And there's so many different ways to be involved rather than just looking at one stage. There's a whole bunch of stages all around the Quad Cities. You can go and see music. You can go and see different art things happening. So it's more about the culture. of art in general rather than just music. Yeah, it might introduce someone to maybe a different form of art that they weren't aware of or a different genre of music maybe that they haven't heard before, but they could be just walking across one of the other events in one of the multi-cities that alternating occurrences is happening and come across something that they like to hear. So obviously we got the silent disco going on there at the Skybridge. That's always a big draw, some comedy shows. But let's talk a little bit more about the music aspect of the festival because there are quite a few genres represented.

Yeah, 100%. I do more of like a soul pop thing, but I remember walking through the city, maybe about a year ago. And I was like, what is that music I'm hearing? And I'm hearing a saxophone player playing along with the DJ, playing along with a guy that has a bunch of metal drums sitting next to him. And there's 400 people in this random part of the street just watching this happen. So I'm like, there's so many different things that I would have never thought I'd see in the Quad Cities. And I'm looking and I'm like, wow, this is amazing. to one genre. It's country, it's pop, it's R&B, it's a whole bunch of different stuff. Yeah, it's really something for everyone. And, you know, every year it seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Why do you think that is? I think it's because People want to get out and they want to see more than meets the eye, right? Sure. A lot of times people talk about, oh, I have to go to a big city, so to speak, to get a big city experience. I have to go to Chicago to get it. I have to go to Los Angeles to get it. But the things that I see when I go to those places are they're here. They're here in the Quad Cities. They're here bigger than you may see in Chicago, bigger than you may see in different areas. This area is unique in its own right. Absolutely. So we come down the Mississippi. People stop here just to see this. was telling friends that from out of town you got to come see alternating currents yeah big deal Yeah, it's becoming more and more of a big deal, and I think it's going to be a destination for many here in the years to come, if it hasn't already. So detail a little bit more about your shows. You can have a couple shows on, is it the 15th? Yeah. It's the 15th. It's a Saturday of alternating current. So you've got the Dackery Factory and Great River Brewery. Great River Brewery. So what can people expect as they show up for your... Funky. Funky. All right, there you go. If you're ready to dance, if you want to dance, like if you want to have a good time, we'll be at DackFACC up from 536 30. Yeah. We'll be at Great River Brewery. I'll have a full band with me. We'll have a bass player, guitar player. I'll be playing piano and doing all this stuff. And yeah, it'll be fun. Yeah, sounds great. Well, we'll look forward to that on alternating currents. And you have two opportunities to see CJ perform on Friday the 15th. That's in, is it Friday? 14th. The 14th. There we got it right on the screen. We got it right on the screen. Friday the 14th, the Dacquiry factory from 515 to 615 in the evening. And then CJ will be at Great River Brewery from 845 to 945. And you can see a full list online of the live performances happening during alternating currents simply by. visiting alternating currents.com slash lineup. CJ, always a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining us. Thanks, man. Appreciate it. Appreciate it. All right, well, it's more than just music at alternating currents. Next on QCL. We'll preview main market QC, where you can stroll and shop dozens of vendors. Quad Cities Live continues. Our preview of all the fun happening at alternating currents continues. As one of the Quad Cities' favorite curated shopping events, Main Market QC, will once again be part of the four-day festival. Stephanie and Mike Rutherford are a vendor at the market. And join us now with a little preview of what people can expect during alternating currents. Stephanie and Mike, thank you so much for being here today.

Thank you for inviting us. Yeah. We love it. Absolutely, absolutely. So you've been part of the main market QC. So first, let's talk about your business, Rutherford jerky. So we've been in business since 2016. Yeah. Our jerky is different from the other variety of jerkeys because it's made with ground beef. Okay. So it is 100%. There's not a lot of fat. It's easy to chew full of flavor. You can put it on a salad, cottage cheese, mac and cheese, baked potato. We have keto people that will take the chicken, the teriyaki, and they'll bread their chicken with it and put it in the air friar. So you're getting double the protein. Interesting. Okay. Okay. And Mike, I understand that you've been kind of dabbling and jerky even prior to 2016. Yeah, I've done it for a long time. Friends of mine said I needed to make it a business. We took some to the fair and sold it in a hurry and grew it into a business now. And here you are. So tell me your experience with Maine Market QC. What made you go to that market specifically? We decided to grow our business and everybody kept saying, come to the Quad Cities. Come to the Quad Cities. Because you're out of joy, right? Yes. We are out of the little town. Friedrich Merz County. Friedrich Merz County. And we had people asking us. And I'm like, okay, so I met. Rochelle Buckwater, the hostess with the Maid Market. Absolutely, yeah. We just connected and we've grown ever since. The first one, we had a standing line waiting to get our jerky. Wow. All right. Well, I'm going to give it a little bit of a taste. So you've got many different flavors here. So we've got mango habanero as well as the maple bacon that I'm going to try. Both I chose. I did choose the mango habanero. I love that flavor. But I'm going to try the maple bacon. What you say is one of your top sellers, right? It is. Maple bacon and prime rib are our top sellers. Maple bacon is like you're at grandma's eating pancakes and sausage and syrup. Very easy to chew, like you mentioned. It's not a tough texture like some jerkies are. Yes. So I can understand why that's something. So if you like a tougher jerky, you're not going to like this. But if you... I bet you you will. I bet you will, you will, but I understand what you're saying. It's loaded with flavor and easy to chew. It is. It is. So you'll want to come to May Market QC at alternating currents. So this is happening. It is happening the 15th. So August 15th. It will be Saturday. It will be on 2nd Street down by Pershing and Perry. And there are 60 vendors. We have local vendors. We have vendors that are coming from all over the Midwest. There will be ceramics. There will be woodmaking.

obviously our jerky. There will be probably sourdough bread. Rochelle puts a very good variety of vendors together so you're not getting the same thing. Yeah, I know it's carefully curated and it's not only local vendors but you've got regional vendors as well. Yes. Absolutely. So what's your favorite part about being a part of made market? Made market. I would have to say the people. We have grown each year with it. we now have a following of people just come and they want their jerky so like we're up there with the cheesecake and flattery chocolates yeah i mean hey you got the sweet and the savory right yes like i'm like yes that's like everything that a small business would want absolutely is to be able to get their product out to the consumers but yet you're small enough with that vendor event that you feel like a family because you have certain vendors that are always there yeah and you can support each other. Yeah, it's great to see local businesses supporting other local businesses, that's for sure. Mango Hopping Now, by the way, very good, not too spicy. Had my water on standby just in case. Well, May Market and QC at alternating currents is happening Saturday, August 15th from 10 a.m. before p.m. in downtown Davenport, located on East 2nd Street between Pershing Avenue and Perry Street. It's fun for the whole family. Most importantly, in Mission is Free. Stephanie and Mike, thank you so much for being here today and sharing some of your jerky. Good flavor. Thank you. Also, be on the lookout. Mike is starting a new endeavor. Oh, yes. So he is, it's called Joy Boy Barbecue. So. They will have a trailer and they will be hooking you up with some barbecue and some fried fish. All right. We'll have to have you back on QCL for that. Yeah. All right. Thanks so much. Thank you. All right. Well, the summer celebrations continue after alternating currents next on Quad Cities Live. We'll preview this year's Riverfront Pops with Quad City Symphony Orchestra and the special relationship between Quad City Banking Trust. You're watching Quad Cities Live. Dubbed the party of summer, the Quad City Bank and Trust Riverfront Pops concert returns to Leclair Park in Davenport, performed by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. The annual event takes place on August 22nd and here to talk about the relationship between QCBT and QCSO. Our Laura Divid, Akision. Did I get it? Well done. I did. Okay. President and CEO of Quad City Bank and Trust. We'll call you Divid, though. And Brian Baxter, Executive Director of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. Thank you both for being here. Brian, thank you for coming back for a second day in a row here on QCL. I'm so happy to be here. Yeah, well, this is really exciting because we're talking about this great relationship between Quad City Bank and Trust and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. So Laura, earlier this week. You actually announced that Quad City Bank and Trust is going to be sponsoring the Riverfront Pops concert for the next five years, correct? Correct. We're so excited to do so.

We are in our 15th year now. Yeah, incredible. So this will take us to 2031, which feels farther away than five years. When I said 2031 in my head earlier, I'm like, yeah, that does seem like it's very, very much far in the future. But apparently it's only five years away. It'll be here before we know it, right? Yeah, it's a real year. And we are thrilled to partner with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra because it means for us that not only does our brand get associated with an iconic Quad City summer event. But it's all the other things that the symphony does that we get to partner with that brings this cultural icon to the youth to our community for Quad City Bank and Trust we care about our quality of life here in the Quad Cities and so the more we can support organizations that not only fix what needs to be fixed but also supports our community and our quality of life. That keeps the Quad Cities just a vibrant place to be. And who doesn't want that? So we're excited to be part of it. Sounds like it's along the lines of your mission at Quad City Bank and Trust. And Brian, how does it feel to have the support or the backing, I guess, of Quad City Bank and Trust not only for the last 15 years, but really for the next half a decade ahead? Yeah, it's so meaningful. And to have a partner with Quad City Bank and Trust or like Quad City Bank and Trust, it means everything. because then, as Divitt said, not only does it help to bring the concert to life and bring all of these people from our community and many well beyond the community for this concert. makes that happen, but like music education is so important for our community and the support that Quad City Bank and Trust provides helps to support so many of our programs throughout the year. Like for example, Symphony Day where we bring six or seven thousand, fourth and fifth graders from across the community into have a really interactive educational experience with the orchestra and to really help bolster all the music programs at every school on both sides of the river, every part of our community. means a lot. Most definitely, and I wanted to talk more about that educational impact because a lot of the proceeds from Riverfront Pops, it goes directly back to those programs that you have year-round, right? Right, right. It helps to support everything we do. You know, as a nonprofit, as a symphony orchestra, we rely on a lot of different types of revenue. And so having support like the corporate support from Quad City Bank and Trust enables, like everything we do, helps to enable all of it. And in particular, the education programs, it's really, really meaningful. 350 lesson students. We don't turn any student away. I think last year we had around 75,000 in need-based aid alone that went out to these students. So the Quad City Bank and Trust support plays a huge role in that. Yeah, and real quick, we kind of touched on it yesterday, but talk more about the performance dedicated to The Who. The Who! Yes, here we are. Yeah. Yeah, the iconic band, The Who, Pinball Wizard, my generation. I mean, there's so many great songs that are going to be a part of this. So the really fun thing, the thing that I love is the way this.

Symphony brings to life these songs in a new way. So it's a really fun experience and everyone's singing along and dancing and they've got their food setups. Everyone's out in the lawn having all their different picnic setups of various, like very elaborate to less elaborate. It's a lot of fun. And we'll kick it off with the Youth Symphony again speaking of education. They kick it off with a pre-show, really fun pre-show. And we close with a huge patriotic fireworks set. Stars of Stripes Forever, 1812 overture, celebrate America 250 as well. So we got it all wrapped into one big event. Yeah, and David, before we leave, I do want to mention Quad City Bank and Trust expanding its footprint in the Quad Cities at the near the TVK Bank Sports Complex. Yeah, we're thrilled about that too. Yeah, it's a rather large building going in, but we want to showcase our brand of the Quad Cities, but that building is also... going to house our holding company, which most people don't realize is located right here in the Quad Cities, QCRH. And we have a thousand people working for QCRH throughout the Midwest. And people forget that that's part of the backbone of Quad City Bank. So we're very proud of that. All right. We'll look forward to that. Well, Quad City Bank and Trust Riverfront pops, or Riverfront pops, rather, happening Saturday, August 22nd at Evanport's LaClair Park. Bill Gates will open at 4 p.m. And as we mentioned, the Youth Orchestra Performance will be at 6.30. followed by The Best of the Who at 730. You can get your tickets at QCS.org. Brian Divid, thank you for being a part of QCL. Thanks for having us. Thank you. All right, well, next on Quad Cities Live, Dino Days makes a return to the Putnam Museum and Science Center to find out what's new this year coming up.

Quad Cities Live continues. Prehistoric fun is returning to the Putnam Museum and Science Center next weekend from interactive activities to movies on the giant screen. There is plenty of family fun at Dino Days. Scott Peake from the Putnam Museum and Science Center joins us right now with a preview of the big events. Scott, welcome back to the show. Good to be here. Yes, great to see you, and I know you're a busy man getting ready for Dino Days. It's back a little later than usual in the summer, but it's going to be bigger and better than ever, right? That's right. So we decided that it would be nice to have an event at the end of summer right before school. Yeah. And that's where it always used to live, but then it got moved somehow. We put it back there. Okay. And... Dinodice has always been kind of an add-on experience to the museum. Yeah. And this year we decided that we were going to go full bore. Yeah. And it's going to be in the Grand Lobby, take over the whole place. We're going to close for regular admission. Okay. But that doesn't mean you can't come. Yeah. Just get that lovely... ticket to come and do all the activities. Yeah, so there's a few different tickets that you can get. You can get a general ticket, which gets you the activities, but you also have VIP and Ultimate VIP tickets as well. Yes, that's right. What does that get you? That's right. So the Ultimate VIP gets you this new experience you have this year, which is a hatchery experience. A hatching experience. So you kind, it's sort of like adopt a dinosaur sort of thing, but you get to watch it hatch out of this. Dinosaur nest. Interesting. Yeah. All right, so that'll be a $75 ticket. Then you've got the VIP ticket, which includes all the activities. a movie on the giant screen of your choice and the VIP seating and a t-shirt. That's right. Yep. Okay. And then $25 ticket includes the movie and all activities. All activities. And then there is an event-only ticket that's 15. Okay. That just doesn't, you don't get the movie. Okay. So it's basically like you can go to the museum, which is normally, you know, 12. Yeah. 10 and 12. And you get the whole museum. So you can see everything. Absolutely. And do all these fun dino experiences. Yeah. Let's talk about some of the new experiences that people can expect at Dino Days this year. So aside from the hatchery thing, which is that add on. This year we, and this is what we were kind of working on today. Yeah. There's going to be this big dino cave where kids can go in and kind of like paint on the walls. Oh, they'll love that. So I'm making part of that right now. Yeah. But then we've got another area where kids can be creative so they can go and create a dinosaur costume of their making. And so then they'll do a big parade around the museum. A lot of be cool. So they'll be fun. Yeah. So since this is kind of like our Polar Express.

format and that has a cocoa bar we thought what what could we do instead yeah and so we have a build your own pudding sunday dirt dirt and gummies and all the all the fun there sounds like a lot of fun and then messy fine we always have a dino dig as part of the experience yeah yeah but we're building this big dino dig in the grand lobby oh wow so they can go in and dig and all that sort of stuff so it just there's all sorts of different things Sounds bigger and better, that is for sure. And talk about the movie showing on the giant screen, and I should add the newly improved giant screen, because you made some renovations last time that happened was a decade ago? Yeah, so it was converted. You know, we never want to talk about how we lost the IMAX affiliation, but whatever that happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And there was a digital conversion, and now it's going to be a laser projection. Laser projection, okay. Literally this week, they're putting it in. Okay. And I was supposed to go to a training after this for it, but there was a little delay. Okay. So that's tomorrow morning. But anyway. But, I mean, it's that brand new. Yes. And it is wildly different in terms of bigger, brighter, clearer, sharper, all of those things. Well, it'll be ready just in time for Dino Days, which returns to the... Putnam Museum and Science Center, August 15th and 16th for more information about the activities that we talked about, as well as the movies showing on the giant screen or to purchase tickets. You can head to Putnam.org. Scott, as always, thanks for joining us. And I look forward to all things new at Dino Days. Of course, yeah. Appreciate it. And thank you for watching Quad Cities Live. I hope you have a great weekend, and we will be back here Monday afternoon at 3. Happy Friday.