Fourth of July in Bettendorf, Iowa was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. As my husband and I were on a cross country drive from New York City to San Francisco we had passed fireworks stand and fireworks stand advertising M-80’s and other colorful explosives. We were in awe. Rich and I were so worried that we would not find a place to celebrate Americas Birthday as we usually do in our own small town of Placerville, California (population 30,853http://www.city-data.com/city/Bettendorf-Iowa.html ) which always has a local band concert and fireworks display following a hometown barbeque cook off. In our area of California will even “safe and sane” fireworks are banned and have been since we were children. “Safe and Sane" fireworks are smaller than sparklers and even sparklers are illegal in most parts of California!
As we tootled around town we stumbled across a “small town parade” which was bigger than the parades in our own small town. There were crowds of people crowded around the town square along the streets and although not all were watching (the kids were playing) everyone appeared to be enjoying the day. While talking to some locals we learned that Bettendorf was voted “one of the best places to live” the encouraged us to take a good seat to watch the parade that could last at least two hours or more. Further research proved that “In 2008 Bettendorf, Iowa was listed by CNN.com as one of the ten best places to buy a house in the United States.” (http://www.quadcities.com/about/history )
I leaned into a light post and stood on my tippy toes to watch all the different floats go by. They were so varied, an old fashioned milk truck, a trailer dressed up as a school house and so many others. There were hordes of people manning the floats it was amazing to me that such a small town (pop.33,0198) could have such a vast array of talent displayed and so many people watching as well. It was a taste of small town Americana and I was so enthralled. It was one of the best afternoons of my life. The sidewalks were 10 people deep on both sides for several blocks!
I was surrounded by people who were laughing and talking, children running through the crowds hollering to one another, live music on many of the floats and people just celebrating and having fun. My husband and I were ready to pack up and come to live here in Bettendorf, Iowa! If only we had jobs which allowed remote work!
After lunch at a local diner we traveled to the Isle of Capri Riverboat Casino and Hotel to find a room for the evening. While checking in Rich asked the bell hop if there were any fireworks displays that evening and he suggested we go to Middle Park to watch the show in a few hours. He did warn us to wear comfortable shoes because parking would be bad. The most remarkable part of this hotel was the friendly staff.
Off we went…as we drove through the neighborhood at a crawl due to the traffic we watched people from teens to adults igniting firecrackers and bottle rockets which we see at home only in the city-wide celebration. It was awkward for us we worried about fires and safety- had we become so safety oriented in California that we had forgot how to have fun? We watched and wondered as we drove. We parked about three blocks from the park and began walking with the same droves of people from the parade (I am sure of it). It still felt so warm and inviting as we chatted with family walking to the park. They had both grown up in Bettendorf and had been attending this show as long as they could remember. We asked them about the schools and the community and shared comparisons to our small California town. It seemed that the young father worked for his father on their farm and the wife did odd jobs in the town when she could find them to make ends meet. We contrasted this to our small town which is really just bedroom community for Sacramento almost everyone we know commutes.
Rich and I thought about the 4th of July at home. We usually go downtown and fight with thousands other people to have a space for our four lawn chairs. There is always bickering about who is saving places for people and then the show starts! And ends, it is over that quickly. We have wasted hours parking and walking just to be set free after ten minutes of fireworks and then we have to fight for two more hours to get back to the car.
Arriving at the park we found a bench and sat back to enjoy the show. What a show this was it lasted for over twenty minutes with deafening thunder and music blaring. There was several times that Rich stopped filming because his arms were tired or we were sure the finale had just happened but then it would resume with even more vigor.
When the finale finally did happen it made the ground shake with concussion and our ears ring from the reverberation in the park. It was amazing to hear the finale synchronized with “Stars and Stripes Forever” we were more proud to be American at that moment then usual and proud to have tasted a small bit of Americana that day.
I would recommend a stroll through Bettendorf, Iowa (or a lot of other small American towns) during a Fourth of July Celebration. It was full of flags, fun, and relaxing entertainment and was very low cost because our only expense was our food. So put on your walking shoes and go but don’t forget to ask the locals about their home. They are usually proud to share it with you and it give you a chance to brag (or dispel myths) about your own.
Works cited:
"Bettendorf, Iowa (IA 52722) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders." Stats about all US cities - real estate, relocation info, house prices, home value estimator, recent sales, cost of living, crime, race, income, photos, education, maps, weather, houses, schools, neighborhoods, and more. City-Data, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2011. Referenced at: http://www.city-data.com/city/Bettendorf-Iowa.html .
"History | Quad Cities USA - Guide to Davenport & Bettendorf Iowa and Rock Island & Moline Illinois." Quad Cities USA - Local & Visitor Guide for Quad City Region of Davenport & Bettendorf Iowa + Rock Island & Moline Illinois. Quad Cities Vistor Bureau, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2011. Referenced at: http://www.quadcities.com/about/history .
