The spirit of New Orleans comes up the Mississippi River this summer when The Downtown Rock Island Arts & Entertainment District presents Gumbo Ya Ya - Mardi Gras in The District on June 8-9. Enjoy Cajun food, Zydeco and Cajun music on two stages, bead tosses, and a French Quarter marketplace. Gates open at 5 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Hop on your hog for Mississippi River Motorcycle Rally at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 W. Locust Street in Davenport, Iowa, from June 13-16, for the largest gathering of motorcycles in the Midwest. Enjoy powerhouse bands, vendor booths, sportbike stunt show, and motorcycle races. General gate admission is $10.00 per person or $5.00 for motorcyclists who ride in.
Join the thousands of other bicycle riders for Ride the River on Sunday, June 17. This is the 27th year for the annual Father's Day tradition of biking through the Quad Cities. View the Mississippi River from both Quad Cities shorelines on the Illinois and Iowa side from the seat of your bicycle during this festive event that the entire family can enjoy. Register in advance online!
Enjoy more bands at the Hillcrest Music Fest on June 15-17, with country music on Friday and rock bands on Saturday. On Friday, the music starts at 5 p.m. and the bands include Wild Oatz, Dirt Road Rockers, Slough Buoys, and the Dani Lynn Howe Band. On Saturday, the music starts at 12 noon and the bands include Saints & Sinners, Wicked Liz & The Bellyswirls, Meet the Press, Dani Lynn Howe Band, and The Jimmy Van Zant Band. General admission for both days with free tent camping is $40.00 in advance, and $50.00 at the gate. On Sunday, there will be a Father's Day golf outing. Hillcrest Resort is located at 16260 East 350th Street in Orion, IL.
The Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf treats dads to some great BBQ during their Father's Day Grill Out & BBQ Showdown on Saturday, June 15th at 6:30 p.m. Help determine which BBQ Sauce is the best and enjoy music provided by The Premium Sellouts. Tickets are $20.
On Sunday, June 24, the Deere homes' gardens are in bloom and everyone is invited to Blossoms at Butterworth to see them in their glory. From 12-5 p.m., visitors can enjoy the splendor of Butterworth Center's impressive gardens with living history volunteers, old-fashioned music, games of the 1800s, jugglers, kid's activities, antique auto show located at the Deere-Wiman House, food vendors, free guided trolley tours through Overlook historic neighborhood, and festivities on the Butterworth Center and Deere-Wiman lawn.
The Juneteenth festival honors June 19, 1865, when the last American slaves were freed. This year's Juneteenth celebration will take place on Saturday, June 23, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport, Iowa. After the opening ceremonies, this family event has activities for children and adults, educational programs, and entertainment scheduled throughout the day.
Bishop Hill's Midsommar Music Festival is Saturday, June 23, with a strong line-up of musical performers. Highlights of this free all-day event in Bishop Hill, Illinois, include Main Stage performances, Music Workshops; Open jamming, a Swedish Maypole celebration at 4 p.m. and Old-Fashioned Barn Dance at the Colony School at 7 p.m.
Hawkeye Herman will be the headline act at its third annual Jewish Feast-ival on Sunday, June 24, at the Tri-City Jewish Center, 2715 30th Street in Rock Island, Ill. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with Hawkeye Herman performing twice during the day. The Jewish Feast-ival also features outstanding traditional food, live entertainment, an arts bazaar, family activities, cultural exploration, and a Mah Jongg Marathon. Admission is $2.00 with children under the age of 12 admitted free.
The annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival celebrates its 27th annual festival on June 29-July 1 with an all-star line-up of blues legends and up-and-coming stars. More than 10,000 festival enthusiasts are expected to partake in the three days of fun, food, and great music on the banks of the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is considered one of the top five blues festivals in this country and one of the top twenty in the world.
Summer Reading starts Monday, June 4 at all Rock Island Libraries, and with themes such as Reading is So Delicious, Feed Your Mind: READ and Books are Brain Food, the library is cooking up a summer stacked high with fun and reading.
The delicious selection of things for kids to do this summer at the library includes "all-you-can-eat" reading programs that reward entrants as they read. The Reading is So Delicious summer reading club offers reading logs for three age groups: A Read-to-Me club log for ages two to five, the I'm a Reader book club for ages six to eight, and the Ravenous Reader log for ages nine to 11. With each contest, children earn prizes for reaching age-appropriate reading goals at three levels, and an extra chance to win a Movie, Olympic or Outdoor Fun prize basket. Forms will be available at all Rock Island Libraries starting June 4.
Feed Your Mind- READ is the Teen Summer Reading club theme. Readers ages 12 to 18 turn in a reading card when they complete at least six hours of reading, or a program card for attending any one of 20 events. Participants can enter multiple times, and earn more chances to win books, DVDs, gift cards, or the grand prize, an Amazon Kindle® eReader. Teens can also earn gift cards for attending Iron Chef or Food Jeopardy game programs. Entry boxes and cards will be available at the June 4 Food Myths Kickoff (5:00 to 6:30 pm, Main Library), and at all Rock Island Library locations.
Adults 18 and up also have chances to win and take advantage of more free events, with the Books Are Brain Food reading club. The ample list of adult programs this summer include the Stephen Foster music program on June 5, food and fitness education, OverDrive demos, monthly independent movies, four "recipe club" cooking demos and recipe swaps, and a series of three "dinner and a movie" events, where participants can bring in carry-out food or a picnic while enjoying a food-related movie.
