River Action will honor several Quad Citians and local organizations doing extraordinary work related to the Mississippi River at its 25th annual Eddy Awards next month.
In a news release, River Action said eddy is defined as: 1. moving against the current and 2. a departure from the main current thought or life. And the Eddy winners represent both those definitions.
The awards are presented in six categories: Education (innovations, program, curriculum), River Activity (recreation, relaxation), Arts (performance, written word, fine arts), Stewardship (environmental enhancement of the river), and Revitalization (commerce, business, industry) and Special Recognition.
The 2024 Eddy Winners are:
- Education – Kelly McKay, Building Better Birders Workshops.
- Art – Musco Light and the City of Muscatine for Norbert F. Beckey Memorial Bridge lighting presentation.
- Stewardship – Ducks Unlimited for wetland restorations.
- Stewardship – Mary Lind, Keep Moline Beautiful Garden Guardian Program.
- River Activity – Quad City Health Initiative and Bi-State Regional Commission for QCTrails.org.
- Revitalization – Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, owners of The Last Picture House.
- Special Recognition – Jeff Nelson, CEO of MetroLINK, for his 40 years of championing sustainability.
View past winners of Eddy Awards here.
River Action, which celebrates its own 40th anniversary this year, will present the Eddy Awards at its Fish & Fire fundraiser on Thursday, May 2, at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf.
The nonprofit citizen’s action organization is dedicated to fostering the environmental, economic, and cultural vitality of the Mississippi River and its riverfront in the Quad Cities area.
To purchase Fish & Fire dinner tickets, visit River Action’s website. For more information, contact River Action at (563) 322-2969.