I struggle with this every year. There's always the 'usual' friend and family gatherings but sometimes, I like to step out of the ordinary and try something different. Here's a quick list of things you can get out and do here in the Quad Cities this Memorial Day weekend:

 

The Channel Cat Water Taxi starts for the season on Friday morning.  Here is the schedule of stops.  The Backwater Gamblers have their first waterski show on Sunday night at 6:30 pm and another one on Monday for the holiday.

 

The Quad Cities River Bandits have a seven-game homestand over Memorial Day Weekend. It starts with a 7 p.m. game on Friday with fireworks after the game.

 

Throughout the seven games, promotions include bobblehead giveaways, Bark in the Park on Sunday, $1 tickets for Military Monday, and more. The River Bandits play at Modern Woodmen Park in downtown Davenport, Iowa, with a new Ferris Wheel and other amusement rides.

 

Enjoy Heritage Days in the Walnut Grove Pioneer Village on Sunday and Monday in Scott County Park in Long Grove, Iowa. Period dressed “Friends” demonstrate old-world crafts like blacksmithing, weaving, and more.

 

Explore the village and enjoy food, children’s games, make-it-take-it crafts, and the Wild West Shootout Skits by the Wapsi Wranglers.

 

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse opens the Tony Award-winning “The Sound of Music” on Friday. With the well-loved, widely-known songs and one of the most inspirational finales, you will not want to miss this show.

Dirty Art is an interactive art event on Saturday from 12-6 pm in downtown Rock Island where you can be part of the creation of art and get your hands “dirty” in the process.

 

Dirty Art will feature interactive activities, live music, demonstrating artists, and more! Arts Alley will be full of a variety of children’s art activities. It can get messy here; rest assured that all of the paint used in the children’s area is washable tempera paint.

 

Over 100 growers, bakers, crafters, and artisans will have their wares for sale at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in Davenport. This is the largest Farmer’s Market in the Quad Cities. Hours: Saturday from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm and Sunday from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.

 

This is your last chance to visit Alien Worlds & Androids exhibit at the Putnam Museum and Science Center.  The last day is Monday at the Putnam is open that day.

 

A Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 10:45 a.m., Monday, May 25, at the Rock Island National Cemetery. Maj. Gen. Kevin O’Connell, senior commander, Rock Island Arsenal, and commanding general, Army Sustainment Command, will be this year’s speaker. The ceremony will also include patriotic music by the CASI New Horizons Band; a Memorial Day address by Scott Lamb, director, Rock Island National Cemetery; musical numbers by the 16th Street Singers from Logan Elementary; an Honor

Salute by American Legion Post 246; an Echo Honor Salute by the Vietnam Veterans of America Quad Cities Chapter 299; the National Salute by Alpha Battery 2/123rd Field Artillery Battalion; and TAPS by John Adams, American Legion Post 26.

Please Note: There will be no parking at the cemetery for this ceremony except for individuals who are wheelchair bound. Parking for all others will be behind Memorial Park in the large lot. Buses will be transporting people from the parking lot to the cemetery and will run 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors should arrive early to ensure enough time to park their vehicles and be transported to the cemetery. The public must enter the Arsenal through the Moline or the Rock Island gates. Anyone over 16 years must have current photo identification. For more information, call 309-782-2094.

 

On Monday, over 400 cyclists from throughout the U.S. will start/finish in the heart of the Village of East Davenport for the 50th annual Quad Cities Criterium. This is the second year racing on the historic, hilly course.

 

The course starts on 11th Street, then travels into the hills of the McClellan Heights neighborhood, before plunging back down 12th Street, and back to the start/finish for a total course distance of ¾’s of a mile. There are many races throughout the day.

 

There will be a monitored Kids Zone Play area with bouncy houses, and a kid’s race at 3:30 p.m. for boys and girls from 2-10 years. There is also a junior race between 10-18 years that drew 30 competitors last year.

 

The Quad Cities Criterium is the 2nd longest continuously running bicycle race in the U.S. The Quad Cities Criterium is included in the four Memorial Day Weekend Bicycle Races with Burlington, Iowa, on Friday night and Saturday and Muscatine, Iowa, on Sunday. For the first time, cyclists can compete for a three-day cumulative score called an Omnium, with a $1500 prize purse.

 

Monday, May 25: Memorial Day Services. 10:30am, Glendale Cemetery, 598 S 14th Street, LeClaire, IA. Veterans will place a wreath at the cemetery’s flag memorial. 11am, Bridgeview Elementary School, 316 S. 12th St. A service will be conducted with LeClaire Councilman and Army Sgt First Class, Justin Graff, speaking and the Pleasant Valley 9th Grade Concert Band performing.

 

Monday, May 25, 8:30pm: Lighting Dedication to celebrate the completion of the Scott County Freedom Rock. 8:30pm, south end of LeClaire Levee. A service will be conducted with LeClaire Councilman and Army Sgt First Class, Justin Graff and LeClaire Mayor, Bob Scannell speaking. The colors will be presented and there will be a prayer service and bagpipe performance. The completed Scott County Freedom Rock with landscaping will be lit for the first time.

For the complete story and other links to QC sites go to:  http://visitquadcities.com/blog/2015/05/memorial-day-weekend-activities/

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