Great Galena Balloon Race Kicks Off This Weekend

Are you looking for something to do this fathers day with the family? Now that things are open again, and people are out and about, it's the perfect time to take place in events like the Great Galena Balloon Race,

Great Galena Balloon Race weekend events will take place from Fri. June 18 through Sun. June 20, 2021 over the Father’s Day weekend and will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Camp Hertko Hollow.

This event is always the 3rd full weekend in June. That means it kicks off this weekend June 18th - 20th. It takes place at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa. There is something for everyone at this event!

Gates open at 5, and there is live music!

Friday - The Wundo Band

Saturday - Mama Tess & The Chain of Fools

6pm kicks off the Hot Air Balloons! While the Hot Air Balloon NightGlow is set to happen at 8:30. More information about these events can be found here.

New this year is the Great Galena Art Sale! You can find that on Saturday June 19th from 9 to 5pm in the big tent! There are countless other activities at this event for both kids, and adults!

You can also buy a balloon ride here.

Get our free mobile app

Admission is $5 per person at the gate, and it is Free Parking & Shuttle to the event field. (This is a cash only event. No Credit or Debit)

The Great Galena Balloon Race benefits JDRF and Camp Hertko Hollow. The event has raised more than $350,000 for kids with diabetes since the event began in 2002.

Million Dollar Quad Cities Home vs Million Dollar Los Angeles Home

We all know the joke about how much houses cost in LA. I decided that it would be fun to look at a million dollar home in LA and compare that to a million dollar home right here in the Quad Cities.

Here are the two spot we are comparing:

12513 Walsh Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Cost: $1,195,000

984 sqft | 3 Bed | 2 Bath

901 46th Street Dr, Moline, IL 61265

Cost: $995,000

15,291 sqft | 6 Bed | 11 Bath

Clearly one is a bit bigger than the other.

Iowa's Island City

There is something unique about every town, but there is really something special about Sabula, IA. Known as "Iowa's Island City," Sabula is the only town in the state of Iowa that is entirely on an island. While not a lot of people have been to, or live in Sabula, it is a quaint little town nestled right on the Mississippi River.

Before we show you around "Iowa's Island City," let me give you the history of Sabula. Sabula was established in 1835, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis. Isaac Dorman and a man named Hinkley crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on what is now Sabula. An Ohio couple, James and Margaret Woods would settle on Sabula about a year later in April of 1836. Their son, Dr. E. A. Woods would purchase Hinkley's interest in the claim. Charles Swan and W. H. Brown would soon purchase Dorman's interest. The three men, Woods, Swan and Brown later had the land plotted in 1837.

The idea behind plotting the land was because there was no town between Lyons (north Clinton) and Bellevue. The plot of the new town was recorded in Dubuque as this area was part of Dubuque county at the time, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

According to Island City Harbor's website, Sabula went through a few names before landing on the official town name. In 1837, Sabula was first called Carrollport. Residents of the town didn't like the name because there was a man's name who was Carroll who had a bad reputation. The town changed its name to Charleston, after early settler Charles Swan. The only issue was that there was already a town called Charleston in Iowa which caused much confusion.

In 1846 the settler’s decided to find a name. Island City Harbor's website says that because of it’s sandy soil, William Hubble suggested the town be called "Sabulum" which is Latin for sand. A party was being held around the time the town name was being discussed, when a woman, supposed to be Miss Harriet Hudson, suggested the town be called Sabula as it was easier to pronounce and sounded more elegant, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

Sabula did not actually become an island until 1939. According to Wikipedia, in the 1930's, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the lock and dam system. In 1939, Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL was built which caused the bottomlands west of the town permanently flooded. With the Mississippi River east of the town, this created the "Island City." A levee was built around Sabula in 1957 for protection, according to Island City Harbor's website. This also allowed for the south sand pit to be turned into a boat harbor.

I would like to thank my mom Beth, her fiancé Matt, my brother Nolan and my wife Ellie for accompanying me to Sabula. We always have a blast on our trips and this one was no exception.

It's now time to introduce you to Sabula, Iowa, Iowa's Island City.