Music, games, food and prizes highlighted Bettendorf’s Be Downtown celebration on Saturday, June 4.
The annual event, presented by the Downtown Bettendorf Organization (DBO), brought a plethora of events to the lot at 15th and State streets in Bettendorf. Some of those events included a fitness workout, live music, a food truck and food booths, a hands-on science station by Absolute Science, a bags tournament and bounce houses for children.
Be Downtown also was the finale of the city’s Zip Code Day activities that began eight days earlier. Activities started Friday, May 27 – or 5/27/22 – the calendar date that matches the city’s 52722 zip code. Over the next several days, dozens of businesses and groups hosted activities to mark the celebration.
“It’s been an awesome week in Bettendorf,” Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher said as he attended the Be Downtown celebration. “All this has gone on without a hitch. I’m glad people are here at Be Downtown. I’m just hoping the rain holds off.”
A cool, cloudy morning and threat of rain greeted the opening hours of the celebration. Still, dozens of guests, many with their own lawn chairs, showed up to enjoy the events. The celebration kicked off with the classic rock music from the Panic River Band, and dozens of people competing in a bags tournament.
At the start of the festival, DBO Executive Director Ryan Jantzi said Be Downtown was also a celebration of the many accomplishments that have taken place in the downtown area. Some of those include new businesses coming to the area, new buildings going up and the completion of the new Interstate 74 bridge, which could be easily seen from Be Downtown’s celebration at 15th and State streets.
The celebration also included late-night music at three downtown Bettendorf businesses: Harley Corin’s, featuring the band Code 415; Riverside Grille with North of 40; and Purgatory’s Pub featuring Crooked Cactus and Toxic Blonde.
The Be Downtown celebration was presented by Ascentra Credit Union with additional sponsorship from the City of Bettendorf, Smart Lexus of the Quad Cities, Bettendorf Business Network, MidAmerican Energy, the Quad-City Times and K&K Hardware.
