Money Smarts Blog
Celebrating 4th of July in the Quad Cities
Jul 1, 2021 || Kristen Anderson, Content + Communications Strategist
When I think of the 4th of July, a lot of fond memories come to mind. Doing sparklers with all my cousins while grandpa tended to his homemade ice cream on the patio…having water gun fights out at a family friend’s farm, and 10 of us kids running around for what seemed like hours just dousing each other. A couple of kids would get lucky and get the “super soakers”, and man did we run from them! The 4th is a special holiday for many - a chance to get together with family and friends and simply celebrate. I chatted with some colleagues to find out their fondest memories…
Watching the fireworks finale from the back window of our car as my dad drove away to "beat the traffic". We still give him a hard time about that!
Watching the East Moline Parade with family and taking pictures of my granddaughter in her "Americana" outfit every year. She'll be 10 this July.
Watching the fireworks in Geneseo at Richmond Hill. The excitement leading up to the fireworks was the best...once they started I had to watch from inside the car because I was so scared they were going to land on me!
As we head into the holiday this year, we hope you can enjoy it with family and friends. And if you're looking for something to do, here's a few ways you can celebrate:
- July 1-4 - River Bandits vs. Cedar Rapids Kernels – IH members enjoy BOGO (buy one get one) on tickets to all 2021 regular season home games! If you want to buy tickets for the July 3 game (can you say MEGA fireworks show after?) get your tickets soon! They expect to sell out.
- July 2 – Geneseo Fireworks Show – fireworks start at 9 PM.
- July 3 – Red, White and Boom – the fun starts at 6 PM with fireworks to follow at 9:30 PM. Click the link to view all the details and prime viewing areas around the QC!
- July 3 – Bettendorf 4th of July celebration – the parade starts at 10 AM with a festival to follow.
- July 3 – Orion Fireworks Festival & Lighted Parade – the fun starts at 5:30 PM and runs through the fireworks display at the end of the evening.
- July 3 - DeWitt IA Fourth of July Parade - parade starts at 6 PM.
- July 3-4 – East Moline’s Independence Day – fireworks celebration begins at 6:30 PM on Friday and the 39th Annual Firecracker run starts at 7:30 AM on Saturday with plenty of activities to follow that day.
- July 4 - Big Bang Boom at Lake Storey in Galesburg – enjoy fireworks synchronized to music that is broadcasted over the air.
- July 4 – Kewanee Fireworks Spectacular – the fun begins at 7:30 PM with fireworks going off around 9:45 PM.
- Entire month of July - BOGO (buy one get one) on admission to participating QC pools! Check out our Member Advantages for more details and those participating pools.
No matter how you celebrate this year, we hope it’s a blast. Stay safe!
