A girl creates large bubbles at the bubble-making station during the Be Downtown celebration on Saturday, June 1, at the 15th Street Landing in Bettendorf. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Owen Bush was having a great time Saturday, June 1, at the Be Downtown celebration at Bettendorf’s 15th Street Landing. He was enjoying an icy treat from the Kona Ice truck and looking forward to one of the big events of the annual celebration. “I want to see the wrestling,” said the 8-year-old Bettendorf boy […]
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Owen Bush was having a great time Saturday, June 1, at the Be Downtown celebration at Bettendorf’s 15th Street Landing.He was enjoying an icy treat from the Kona Ice truck and looking forward to one of the big events of the annual celebration. “I want to see the wrestling,” said the 8-year-old Bettendorf boy just before professional wrestling matches began.
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Owen Bush, 8, of Bettendorf, shows the icy treat he got from a Kona Ice truck on Saturday, June 1, during the Be Downtown celebration at the 15th Street Landing in Bettendorf. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Two wrestlers from the Honor Among Wrestling organization fight over the title belt during Bettendorf’s Be Downtown celebration Saturday, June 1, at 15th Street Landing. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Ava Layn, lead singer of the band BTDT, sings during the Be Downtown celebration on Saturday, June 1, in downtown Bettendorf. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
The crew at the K&K Hardware table shows some of the free food being offered to people at the festival.
This cake was on display at the celebration as a way to honor Bettendorf's birthday.
A girl makes bubbles during the celebration.
People gather to watch a professional wrestling match during the Be Downtown celebration.
Giant bubbles are made at the bubble-making station at the Be Downtown celebration.
People gather to listen to a band at the celebration.
Owen’s mother, Liz Bush, said she was happy to see the many other activities during the day’s festival.“It’s nice to get out and see something happening in Bettendorf. It’s been fun, despite the rain,” she added.Hundreds of people braved the occasional raindrops and cloudy skies to enjoy the annual Bettendorf celebration that brought in almost something for everybody. In addition to professional wrestling from the Honor Among Wrestling organization, the festival had music, food, a bags tournament, chalk art, large bubbles being created by kids – and their parents – at a series of bubble-making stations, and much more.One of the top goals of Be Downtown is to show people that downtown Bettendorf is a vibrant place for people to live, visit, shop and play, said Ryan Jantzi, executive director of the Downtown Bettendorf Organization, the host group of the festival.“We like all the energy we’re seeing here today. …. There’s some good energy happening in downtown Bettendorf,” he added.The free Be Downtown celebration attracted hundreds, despite some rainy weather during the early part of the fest. (Much of that rain was done by 1:30 p.m.) In addition to the host, the Downtown Bettendorf Organization, the event was sponsored by Ascentra Credit Union and the Bettendorf Business Network. Additional sponsorships included the City of Bettendorf, Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf, K&K Hardware, MidAmerican Energy, Quad-City Times, Smart Lexus of the Quad Cities, Townsquare Media and University of Iowa Health Care.In addition to the many activities, visitors at the Be Downtown fest patronized food trucks and vendors at tables and in trucks. For example, the Corn Crib Nursery truck had plants for sale; popcorn was for sale at the G’s Gourmet Popcorn table; and bottles of wine were for sale at the Olathea Creek Winery and Vineyard table.One of the other most popular tables was K&K Hardware’s. A crew from the downtown Bettendorf business was kept busy giving away free samples of food during the celebration. Some of the goodies being handed out included pork chops, pulled pork and chicken fajitas.“When you got free food, you got to get people in here,” said K&K co-owner Casey Keller, while serving up food. “The day started out strong, but slowed down because of the rain.”In fact, one of the most often repeated phrases used during the celebration was: “Thanks for coming out in the rain.”
