Red, White, and Boom!
July 4, 2022
Peek Maya hunting fireflies.One of the unique things about the Quad Cities is the combination of the four (technically five if you count East Moline) cities into one location. Because of this, the 4th of July turns into a two day event where each city puts on their own celebration with food trucks, live music, and a fireworks show.
Each year, Davenport is the first of shows with Red, White and Boom! starting at 9:30 p.m. This year, my fiancé and I grabbed our cooler and our dog Maya and enjoyed the show at the Centennial Park. We skipped the earlier festivities, eating dinner at a restaurant instead, and arrived around 8:45 to get comfortable. Parking by the park we chose was easier to maneuver than more crowded areas. We found a spot easily and only had about a five minute walk to the park. We decided to sit far away since this was only Maya’s second fireworks show. If your dog does okay with fireworks, this is a great park to sit in since it has an open field and you can sit farther away from the noise. Maya enjoyed hunting fireflies until the show began!
The fireworks are shot from a barge in the middle of the river creating a beautiful backdrop of colors over the well lit Centennial Bridge. Since the park was less crowded, we had an easier time getting out of the parking lot. While Davenport boasts that they have the largest fireworks display, we were honestly a little underwhelmed. In entirety, the show lasted about 20 minutes, the finale lasting about 30 seconds. We unfortunately decided not to attend Bettendorf’s show on the 4th so I can’t make a fair comparison of the two largest shows. Maybe next year!
On the day of the 4th, Alex and I woke up early to march in the Bettendorf parade. This annual parade sees a ton of families who enjoy the floats decorated for the march. The parade spans a mile and a half and includes floats from the Bettendorf high schools and local businesses. Alex and I assisted his brother’s family with their business's “Card my Yard” float. It started pouring rain just as we finished our walk and by that time, we were so hot that the rain was a welcome cool down!
Alex and I finished our holiday weekend with a drive to Iowa City. We were determined to enjoy a hike despite the rain happening at home. Iowa City sits a 50 minute drive down the interstate from the Quad Cities. We love to hike the trails at Lake MacBride where there are different difficulty levels for all hikers. We hiked the Hawk Ravine Nature Trail which . As a clumsy person, I would not recommend going after it's rained and the trails are slippery. If you're a confident hiker like Alex, hike away!
We continued our trip at the Raptor Center where you can see and learn about the birds they rehabilitate there. The center ends in a trail that has one of my favorite spots to look over the lake. I definitely recommend this path, although the center does become a little busier than other trails. The views of the lake are breathtaking.
Hiking Lake MacBride was one of the first dates Alex and I went on, so it was only fitting that he proposed as we sat on the rocks of one of our favorite overlooks! It was perfect and the view was incredible!
Overall, our July 4th was full of activities and surprises. We enjoyed a wonderful three day weekend!
The beautiful Lake MacBride…and my new ring!