Enjoy a free, delicious Thanksgiving meal

This weekend is the 34th annual Thanksgiving Meals at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. Curbside service is available at the Center, located at 630 9th Street on November 17, 18 and 19th, which is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Meals include turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce and dessert. When you arrive in the parking lot, simply state how many meals you'd like. For more information, visit mlkcenter.org/events

Free leaf pickup

The City of Rock Island is providing leaf collection for its residential refuse customers through Friday, December 8. Free yard waste bags can be picked up at the Public Works office, located at 1309 Mill Street; South Rock Island Township office and Rock Island Township office.

Support small businesses this year on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 

To encourage shopping at local, small businesses, “That Dam Shopping Trip” has returned. Ten businesses on both sides of the dam will offer sales and prizes as they welcome customers to our downtowns on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, November 24th and November 25th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Participating businesses include Skeleton Key Art and Antiques, Coleman Florist, Big T Wear, Brick and Motor Boutique, and a pop-up location of Clean Bee in Rock Island. Davenport businesses include Abernathy’s, Figge Art Museum store, Chocolate Manor, Doodads and Theo & Co.

For more information, check out That Dam Shopping Trip on Facebook at www.facebook.com/damshopping.

Winter Nights Winter Lights at the Botanical Center

Come to the Quad City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Avenue, to stroll through gardens illuminated with more than 225,000 glowing lights. The lights will be turned on this Friday, November 17. For more information on the 7th annual Winter Nights Winter Lights events, go to www.qcgardens.com