Rock Island library schedules fun events

The Rock Island Public Library offers ways to explore new topics and have family fun at no cost. Events next week include a free musical performance, history events, health information, science fun, and art.

On Tuesday, June 25, the Rock Island Public Library presents a free performance by the Cherry & Jerry Ragtime Show at 1 p.m. at the Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30^th St., Rock Island. The one-hour show features ragtime, early blues, and jazz standards from the 1900s through 1920s. It’s suitable for all ages.

“Cherry & Jerry” is Isaac Cherry on percussion and Jerry Rabushka on piano. The upbeat performance takes Cherry and Jerry audiences on a walk back in time, from familiar tunes like The Entertainer, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, and St. Louis Blues to lesser-known songs that also sparkle.

Hear the likes of W.C. Handy, Scott Joplin, May Aufderheide, Irving Berlin, Charlotte Blake, Euday Bowman, and more. Jerry performs the original sheet music, while Cherry adds percussion via a setup of cajon box drum, cymbal, and bell tree. The St. Louis-based duo will also talk about how this music evolved as America’s first “pop” music, according to a library release.

On Wednesday, library board member Eudell Watts III, presents the first Hidden History conversation, also at the Watts-Midtown Branch. The branch name honors the many lifetime contributions of Watts and his late mother and fellow library board trustee, Lorene Evans Watts.

The 2 p.m. event on June 26 features a conversation about the parts of history that aren’t always front and center, such as the contributions of people of color in the American military. As a community leader, Eudell has long advocated for the recognition of African-American and Native American stories in our shared history. His talk is free and open to the public, and is aimed at adults, though all are welcome.

On Friday, children get a chance to play in mounds of dry-stacking foam blasted onto the Watts-Midtown Branch patio by Absolute Science. The free “Foam Blaster Party” is presented twice on Friday, June 28, with the 11 a.m. time strictly for children ages 5 and under. Children ages 6 and up get their turn at 12:30 p.m. Age restrictions for each event will be enforced to make sure that everyone has a good time.

Absolute Science’s Mega Foam Blaster pump builds a wall of foam out 40 feet, with a rotation of 180 degrees. The foam, which has a bubble bath-like texture, is non-slippery, non-toxic, non-staining, non-allergenic, and biodegradable. The foam eventually evaporates and is safe for the environment, including lawns and gardens.

On Saturday, June 29, teens ages 12 to 17 can make manuscript art in an “Art with the Figge” hands-on project. The free event takes place from noon to 1 p.m. at the Watts-Midtown Branch, and requires pre-registration. Teens can design their own manuscript letter or full-page document, in the style of the illuminated medieval manuscripts displayed at a current Figge Museum exhibit.

Participants will get a free group pass to the exhibit, which is on display through Aug. 11. Art with the Figge is part of the library’s Your Future in STEAM event series, which are funded by a Project Next Generation grant.

While at the library, patrons of all ages can check out the library’s Read, Renew, Repeat Summer Reading Challenge. Through July 31, the library is encouraging adults, children, and teens to read at least 1,000 minutes, which works out to about 16 minutes a day. Participants earn digital badges for meeting reading and activity goals, with virtual tickets rewarded to use toward prize drawings. Finishers (10 badges or more) can also claim a special prize.

Both online and paper-based reading challenges are available, and the reading challenge is open to anyone. Prizes must be picked up locally.

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