Muscatine's Second Almost Friday Fest Canceled

Mother Nature isn't looking to party tonight in Muscatine. Due to storms rolling through eastern Iowa into western Illinois, officials from Keep Muscatine Beautiful have announced that the second Almost Friday Fest is canceled. Personally, that part that makes me mad is I was skipping sand volleyball to go and have a blast. Thanks, Mother Nature!

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In a social media post on Thursday, officials from Keep Muscatine Beautiful announced that they are canceling the second Almost Friday Fest event of the summer.

Officials said in the post that the good news is that they have rescheduled tonight's performance, Tim Stop, for September 24th. They will have their final Almost Friday Fest on September 23rd and their first-ever Friday Fest on Friday, September 24th.

Even though tonight's Almost Friday Fest, officials say to expect an even bigger Almost Friday Fest on July 22nd.

According to the flyer posted on the Keep Muscatine Beautiful Facebook Page, patrons can expect live music at each event, food vendors, a beer and wine tent, kids play area and other vendors. Admission for Almost Friday Fest is free, but proceeds made go towards a permanent amphitheater in Muscatine.

Here is a list of the rest of the dates and the musical acts that you can see at Riverside Park this summer:

July 22nd - Big Time Grain Co.
August 26th - After Shock
September 23rd - The Dweebs

Movie night will be an extra event on July 22. The first one was scheduled for tonight, June 24th. Duck Derby will be an extra event on August 26 and Relay For Life will be an extra event on September 23.

Octoberfest will happen at Riverside Park on September 24 and 25.

More details can be found at almostfridayfest.org.

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.

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