It wasn’t easy keeping up with Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher on Friday, May 27, as the city celebrated its long-awaited 52722 ZIP code day.
From all corners of the city of 40,000 residents, businesses and organizations welcomed visitors into their establishments for fun, discounts, and a chance to connect with new potential customers.
“This thing has just exploded,” the mayor said of the 52722 event during his stop at The Forge at Palmer Hills Golf Course, which was offering a $10 special to putt six holes and receive a commemorative Forge golf ball. Golfers who made a hole in one were rewarded with a free drink.
Just an hour later, the mayor found himself in the dunk tank in the parking lot of BankOrion, 1855 Middle Road, where it took 13 minutes for him to be dropped into the chilly water.
Aleshia Chiesa, the bank’s assistant vice president, marketing, said BankOrion likes to be an active participant in the communities in which they are located. In addition to the dunk tank, the bank offered snacks and branded items to customers and passersby.
“It’s just so much fun to see the mayor come out,” she said, noting that the 52722 party is a great opportunity “for customers and businesses to support a fun and citywide event.”
Mr. Gallagher said the response to the 52722 party was “unbelievable” and that more than 100 events or promotions had been planned around it.
While many of the promotions were just for May 27 only, some will last throughout the weekend or longer. TBK Bank Sports Complex and TBK Bank Entertainment Center are offering deals on food, drink, and entertainment through Monday.
A full schedule of 52722 events can be found at www.bettevents.org.
At Bettendorf Dental, 2515 Maplecrest Road, office coordinator Kelli Roeling-Cowan was preparing for visitors to take advantage of a selfie photo booth to show off their smiles. Anyone participating received free raffle tickets for handcrafted door wreaths and spritzer baskets.
“We really pride ourselves on branding as Bettendorf Dental because we’re here for the community,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone who lives in Bettendorf and in the Quad Cities is taking care of their smiles. We want the community to know, ‘Hey we’re here’. “
Greg Holst, the “head coach” at Happy Joe’s Pizza Bettendorf location at 2430 Spruce Hills Drive, anticipated a good crowd for 52722 Day on top of a usual busy Friday. Happy Joe’s has been at that location for more than 40 years, he said.
The restaurant is offering, through Sunday, May 29, a Little Joe one-topping pizza for the ZIP-code appropriate price of $5.27.
“We felt we needed to be a part of this in some way,” Mr. Holst said of the 52722 celebration. “We’re known to be very kid- and family-friendly.”
While the daytime festivities at many locations focused on family-centered themes, some restaurants were gearing up for night-time parties featuring live music and beers especially crafted to mark the occasion. Tangled Wood at 3636 Tanglewood Road is hosting “Zip-Stock” beginning at 4 p.m. Friday, with six hours of music and five breweries – Crawford, Nerd Speak, Twin Span, Adventurous and 5 Cities – on site.
The rare occurrence of what the U.S. Postal Service calls “Date meets ZIP” presented a perfect opportunity for Bettendorf to celebrate, Mr. Gallagher noted, because the entire city is covered by one ZIP code. And the timing was right, falling at the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend.
On Saturday, June 4, the party will end with the annual Be Downtown celebration from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 15th and State streets.
