February 8 is an excellent day for Iowans! It's National Iowa Day!

Now, this isn't the day that Iowa joined the U.S. That was on Dec. 28, 1846. Iowa is the 29th state to join the United States and is the world's leading producer of corn.

Iowa's claims to fame (as you may already know) include the invention of sliced bread and the iconic "Field of Dreams" movie in Dyersville. As a theatre kid of many years, one of my personal favorite Iowa ties is that it's the setting of the Broadway musical "The Music Man".

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Until the 18th century, Iowa was actually part of France. Iowa got its name from Iowa Native Americans, who lived here when European settlement moved Native American tribes eastward. It was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Around the 1830's, settlement of the Iowa Territory began. Now, Iowa has 99 counties.

Welcome to Iowa sign
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The motto of the Hawkeye state is "Our liberties we prize and our rights we wilt maintain." Hawkeye Point is the state's highest natural elevation point, rising to 509 meters above sea level.

According to research by CNBC, Iowa ranks 10th in Business (in terms of friendliness) and 17th in the Cost of Living. Other statistics show that Iowa ranks 26th in land area and 30th in Populus state.

The origin of National Iowa Day is unknown but it occurs every Feb. 8. If you need an extra reason to celebrate today, this is a perfect one. Cheers to Iowa folks!

Are You QC AF? Take The Test.

If you are from the Quad Cities, there are certain things you do and say that folks from outside the area might not understand. Weather you’ve lived here your entire life, or just a couple years, it’s time to put your QC to the test to find out if you are “QC AF”.
Below are 25 questions to test your knowledge and life experience of the Quad Cities. Keep track and see where you rank. Then share it, if you aren’t ashamed, to show how QC you are.

25-20 points – You are QC AF!
19-15 points – Reppin’ the QC strong.
15-10 points – Average. You put the “C” in the QC.
10-5 points – Do you even QC bro.
5-0 points – Move back to Chicago.

The Best Iowa Concert Venues

Now that we are going to shows again, we wanted to share the best concert venues in Iowa with you. Which venues need to be added to the list? Send the name and some photos of your time there to ryan.mccredden@townsquaremedia.com

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