Speed into Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 3–7

On September 5 & 6, 2009, go-karts will rule the streets in down­town Rock Island, Illinois, dur­ing Labor Day Weekend. Since its inau­gural event in 1994, the Rock Island Grand Prix has worked its way up to becom­ing one of the high­lights of the kart-racing calendar.

The Grand Prix is the largest and safest go-kart street race in the world and is the only race in the United States that is sanc­tioned for inter­na­tional dri­vers. It is the pre­miere event in the coun­try and fea­tures the top dri­vers in kart­ing. Kartsport Magazine has called it the “best event in North America.” The Rock Island Grand Prix is now a FIA/CIK licensed inter­na­tional event and last year attracted more than 30,000 spec­ta­tors to the two days of racing.

A Junior Sportsman Can class and a TAG Junior class have been added to the 2009 race lineup.

A street race is a unique expe­ri­ence. Because it is a tem­po­rary cir­cuit, there can be no advance prac­tice. Teams must show up pre­pared to hit the proper setup and find the best lines around the track after only a few short prac­tice ses­sions. A street course is a great equal­izer. It’s just like rac­ing Formula 1 but on a smaller scale. Winning either the ICC or ICA World Street Championship, at one of the world’s pre­mier events, is a major honor for any team.

With thou­sands of spec­ta­tors lin­ing the streets, fans and dri­vers alike can min­gle in The District of Rock Island, the offi­cial host of the Rock Island Grand Prix. The District also offers restau­rants, pubs, a com­edy club, gal­leries, a din­ner the­ater, casino and live enter­tain­ment clubs all within walk­ing dis­tance of the race.

For more infor­ma­tion on the Rock Island Grand Prix, call The District at 309–788-6311 or visit their web­site at www.ridistrict.com or www.rockislandgrandprix.com.

In addi­tion to the Grand Prix, enjoy other activ­i­ties in the Quad Cities over the Labor Day Weekend. Check out the largest national antique motor­cy­cle event at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 W. Locust St. in Davenport, Iowa. The free Chief Blackhawk Antique Motorcycle Swap Meet on September 3–5, 2009, fills the fair­grounds with antique motor­cy­cle ven­dors from around the world, motor­cy­cle dis­plays, and a swap meet. Watch vin­tage motor­cy­cle ½ mile flat-track races on Friday, September 4th begin­ning at 6:30 p.m. For more infor­ma­tion and a com­plete sched­ule of events, visit www.chiefblackhawk.org

Enjoy the great music at the annual Barnes Family Bluegrass Music Festival on September 4–6, 2009, at the Mercer County Fairgrounds, 848 170th Street in Aledo, IL. There are eight dif­fer­ent bands com­ing from across the coun­try. For a com­plete sched­ule per­for­mance with times, visit www.barnesbluegrass.com

Sounds of Sinatra for Pops Concert Weekend, Sept. 11–13

Enjoy the smooth sounds of Sinatra and the Quad City Symphony at LeClaire Park in down­town Davenport, Iowa, for the annual Riverfront Pops Concert on Saturday, September 12, 2009.

It’s a fun evening for any age as more than 10,000 peo­ple visit the banks of the Mississippi River. The music begins at 6:30 p.m. and the LeClaire Park grounds open at 3:00 p.m. Concert-goers may pur­chase food and bev­er­ages at the park or bring their own pic­nic din­ner to enjoy on the lawn before and dur­ing the con­cert. Coolers are per­mit­ted and don’t for­get a lawn chair or blanket.

Steve Lippia per­forms the music of Frank Sinatra for the Pops Concert. He is one of the most promi­nent, in-demand vocal­ists and has quickly estab­lished his place among the finest inter­preters of “stan­dards” and tra­di­tional pop music in the nation. His show intro­duces a new gen­er­a­tion to this time­less music, while appeal­ing to long-time lis­ten­ers. As is tra­di­tion, the con­cert will end with the 1812 Overture, Stars and Stripes Forever, and fireworks.

Ticket prices for the Pops Concert are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, chil­dren 12 and under free. To charge tick­ets by phone, call the Quad City Symphony at 563–322-0931  or visit their web­site at www.qcsymphony.com.  The QCSO cel­e­brates its 95th sea­son and was one of the first sym­phonies estab­lished west of the Mississippi River.

Discover the trea­sures at the free Beaux Arts Fair as artists come from across the coun­try to set up shop on the Figge Art Museum Plaza, 225 W. 2nd St. in down­town Davenport, Iowa. The Beaux Arts Fair is Saturday, September 12 from 10 am-5 pm and Sunday, September 13 from 10 am-4 pm.

Artists’ tal­ents range across the spec­trum with paint­ings of all medi­ums, includ­ing lim­ited edi­tion prints, pot­tery, stained glass, weav­ing, jew­elry, wood carv­ings, and hand­made wooden fur­ni­ture. This list only con­tains a sam­ple of what trea­sures can be found. There is also an activ­ity tent for chil­dren dur­ing this out­door arts fes­ti­val. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.beauxartsfair.com.

Spend time at Viva Quad Cities hap­pen­ing September 11–12 on the Bass Street Landing, at River Drive and 17th St. in down­town Moline, Illinois. Experience the music, food, and fun of the Hispanic cul­ture with live music and danc­ing, artists’ dis­plays, kid’s activ­i­ties, and dif­fer­ent food ven­dors. Hours – Friday 5–11 pm and Saturday 3–11 pm. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.vivaquadcities.com.

Go Up, Up and Away with Busy Sept. Weekend, Sept. 19–20

The Quad Cities boasts five major fes­ti­vals dur­ing the September 19–20 week­end. From adven­ture to art and kites to cul­ture, this week­end can enter­tain adults and kids alike.

The first annual Quad Cities Family Fun & Kite Festival is Saturday and Sunday, September 19–20 in Centennial Park, west of the Centennial Bridge in Davenport, Iowa.

This free, pub­lic event orga­nized by the Quad Cities Kite Club and Davenport Parks and Recreation fea­tures kite dis­plays, demon­stra­tions, kite mak­ing, and other fam­ily fun from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day.

Watch com­pe­ti­tions with tra­di­tional Rokkaku kite bat­tles, in which fly­ers attempt to bring down their oppo­nents’ kites, and bol rac­ing where par­tic­i­pants run against the wind pulling a para­chute style kite. Experience the beauty of mass ascen­sions where large num­bers of kites launch simul­ta­ne­ously and the fun of a candy drop when kites fly over an open expanse drop­ping candy in their wake.

Other fea­tured activ­i­ties include free kite build­ing for youth, stunt kite per­for­mances by 180Go!, giant 80-foot show kites, fun games with prizes, and appear­ances by the Quad Cities Juggling Club. Children and adults are wel­come to fly non-competition or power kites through­out the day. Bring your own kites or kites will be avail­able for sale from MidWest Kites. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.QCKites.com or call (563) 650‑4143.

Take on an adven­ture with the Taming of the Slough Adventure Race on Saturday, September 19. Avid rac­ers and week­end war­riors will be out for the race, cel­e­brat­ing the unique river recre­ation that Sylvan Slough and Sylvan Island in down­town Moline, Illinois, has to offer.

The action begins at the Quad City Rowing Club, 1701 1st Avenue with canoes and kayaks launch­ing at 7:30 am. After a one mile loop in Sylvan Slough, rac­ers tran­si­tion to the six mile moun­tain bike course on Sylvan Island, fol­lowed by a two mile run to down­town Moline. The race can be done indi­vid­u­ally or with a two, three, or four per­son team. It’s fol­lowed by a Post Race Party at Bass Street Landing in down­town Moline. Individuals and teams can reg­is­ter online at www.riveraction.org, or con­tact River Action (563) 322‑2969.

After you’ve had an adven­tur­ous morn­ing, Brew Ha Ha light­ens up the after­noon with laugh­ter and lager from 1–5 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, hap­pen­ing along the Mississippi River at LeClaire Park in down­town Davenport, Iowa.

Wet your palate with more than 200 sam­ples of brews. The event will include com­edy, live music and food along with the oppor­tu­nity to learn more about ales, lagers, porters and pil­sners from dozens of brew­ers, plus non-alcoholic bev­er­ages and cheeses.

Admission to the Brew Ha Ha includes an event pro­gram, unlim­ited tast­ing, and tast­ing glass. Tickets can be pur­chased online at www.wqpt.org or by call­ing 309–796-2424.

Spend time brows­ing the artist’s booths at Riverssance Festival of Fine Art on Saturday and Sunday, September 19–20 at Lindsay Park in the his­toric Village of East Davenport in Davenport, Iowa. Hours are Saturday 10 am-6 pm and Sunday 10 am-4 pm.

The annual fes­ti­val fea­tures over 100 of the finest regional and national artists. Beyond the won­der­ful selec­tion of artists, the fes­ti­val also fea­tures a unique vari­ety of gourmet food, live musi­cal enter­tain­ment, a wine tast­ing, and a children’s art activ­ity tent—all on a scenic hill over­look­ing the Mississippi River. Admission is $3.00 for adults.

Visitors at the fes­ti­val will also enjoy the Village, which is the largest his­toric dis­trict in Iowa. The Village offers six-square blocks of unique restau­rants, pubs, and shops. A free shut­tle bus is also avail­able. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.midcoast.org.

Learn more about the Irish cul­ture at Erin Feis on Sunday, September 20 from 12 noon-7 pm on the Great River Plaza in The Downtown Rock Island Arts and Entertainment District in Rock Island, Illinois. Did you know that it is the half-way mark to St. Patrick’s Day?

It fea­tures food, drink, raf­fle, mem­o­ra­bilia, cul­ture dis­plays, and an excel­lent array of con­tin­u­ous Irish enter­tain­ment on two stages that con­sist of top Irish musi­cal groups and Irish Dancers. The Mullane Irish Dance Academy and Quad City Ceili Club will be appear­ing. It has events for chil­dren, includ­ing the Red Hair/Freckle com­pe­ti­tion and a kid’s parade at 4:10 p.m. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.stpatsqc.com.

Escape from the Usual dur­ing this Q-C Sept. Weekend, Sept. 25–27

You can escape from the usual in the Quad Cities dur­ing the week­end of September 25–27, 2009, whether you travel by air, on foot, back in time, or with the para­nor­mal with these four fun events.

The Quad Cities Hot Air Balloon Festival is full of fam­ily fun and enter­tain­ment on September 25–27 with kid’s activ­i­ties, food ven­dors, and, of course, many bal­loons to pho­to­graph and enjoy! It takes place at Kennedy Square on the Avenue of the Cities in East Moline, Illinois.

The event begins Friday night around 5:30 pm with a bal­loon launch. Watch the bal­loons inflate and fly. Then enjoy a Night Glow when the teth­ered bal­loons’ col­ors light up in the night. You can come up close to these gen­tle giants, take pic­tures and talk to the pilots dur­ing the Glow. Come out Saturday morn­ing to enjoy another flight. Saturday evening, the bal­loons again com­pete in a sin­gle tar­get com­pe­ti­tion flight and then return to the field for a Night Glow. Seeing a Night Glow is truly a unique expe­ri­ence! On Sunday morn­ing, the bal­loons will be teth­ered at var­i­ous loca­tions along the Quad Cities Marathon course. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.qcaentertainment.com.

Join the spec­ta­tors along the route and watch as over 4,000 run­ners com­pete in the 26.2-mile course across two states, four cities, four bridges, and uses exist­ing run­ning and bik­ing trails along the Mississippi River. The Quad Cities Marathon course is “run­ner friendly” and labeled flat and fast. The John Deere Commons area in Moline, Illinois, is the Start/Finish Line for all the events. The Marathon begins at 7:30 a.m. and offer prize money that will be shared between the top finishers.

There is a com­bi­na­tion of five running/walking events including:

• Quad Cities Marathon – USATF cer­ti­fied 26.2-mile course through Moline, Bettendorf, Davenport, and Rock Island.

• KJWW ½ Marathon – 13.1-mile course fea­tur­ing same start/finish as marathon.

• Rock Valley 5-Person Marathon Relay – same course as marathon with dis­tances rang­ing from 3.3 to 6.3 miles.

• Palmer Chiropractic 5K – out and back course open to all ages and abil­i­ties includ­ing run­ners and walkers.

• Happy Joe’s Kids Micro-Marathon – for kids of all ages offer­ing three dis­tances: ¼-mile, ½-mile and 1-mile; all fin­ish­ers receive rib­bons and goodie bags. This run is on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

• Isle Mile Walk for Prostate Cancer – a non-competitive one-mile walk to raise funds for aware­ness, education.

For more infor­ma­tion on the Quad Cities Marathon or to reg­is­ter, call 309–751-9800 or visit www.qcmarathon.org.

You’ll find your­self trans­ported back to Europe dur­ing the Renaissance time at this excit­ing fes­ti­val in the Quad Cities. The Four Kingdoms Renaissance Festival is September 26–27, 2009, at the Camelot KOA Campgrounds, 2311 78th Ave West out­side of Rock Island, Illinois.

The mile and a half long fair fea­tures over 15 enter­tain­ment acts, Viking long­ship rides, food court, beer gar­den, feats of skill on horse­back at 12:30 p.m. each day, and a full con­tact joust at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day. There will also be 40 mer­chants giv­ing demon­stra­tions in a vil­lage bazaar sim­i­lar to a mar­ket from the Renaissance. It’s a recre­ation of the skills and the ambi­ence of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. Admission for the day is: $10 adults, $5 chil­dren ages 8–13, chil­dren 7 and under are free. Two-day passes are $16 adults, $8 chil­dren ages 8–13. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.fourkingdoms.com or call 309–796-4241.

Listen to spooky sto­ries at Ghost Tales on the lawn of the his­toric Colonel Davenport House on Arsenal Island on Saturday, September 26, 2009, at 7 pm. Come before the main event to get a guided tour of the Colonel Davenport House from 5:45–6:45 p.m. Admission is $3 adult, $2 youth, $10 fam­ily. Concessions avail­able. Don’t for­get a blan­ket or lawn chair. Guests must enter Arsenal Island via the down­town Moline, Illinois, gate. Attendees ages 16 and older must show U.S. photo I.D. since the Island is a work­ing mil­i­tary facil­ity. For more infor­ma­tion, visit www.davenporthouse.org.

For infor­ma­tion on the Quad Cities, con­tact the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800–747-7800 or visit their web­site at www.visitquadcities.com.  The Quad Cities is located on the Mississippi River and is made up of the river­front cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline, East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois. The area is just a 2-½ hour drive from Des Moines, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois. It is eas­ily acces­si­ble via I-80, I-74, I-88 and sev­eral major state high­ways.

The Quad Cities is located on the Mississippi River and is made up of the river­front cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline, East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois. The area is just a 2-½ hour drive from Des Moines, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois. It is eas­ily acces­si­ble via I-80, I-74, I-88 and sev­eral major state high­ways.

Related posts:

1. New Mississippi River Travel Guide Series Starts with Quad Cities
2. Spooky, Scary October Events in the Quad Cities
3. Eagle Watching in Illinois
4. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island hold first pub­lic night tours September 24 and 25
5. Maine Set to Host United States’ Largest Open Lighthouse Day