Be Downtown event features live music, bags tournaments, pro wrestling & family fun

Saturday, June 1, 2024 | 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. | 15th St. Landing

A free, family-friendly event featuring multiple bags tournaments with cash prizes, live outdoor music, pro wrestling, food and drink vendors, children’s activities and more!

Come celebrate the City of Bettendorf’s birthday, meet new friends and discover what’s new in Downtown Bettendorf. Make a #BettonDowntown for a great celebration.

Bands, pro wrestling & entertainment all-day

New this year is pro wrestling with Honor Among Wrestling (HAW). Three QC-based rock bands will take the stage throughout the day: BTDT, Heads in Motion, Threat Level Midnight. Late-night live music will continue at downtown establishments. 

Two bags tourneys

Tournaments will be held at 12 and 3 p.m. Bags will be run by 4-City Cornhole Club.

Registration will be on-site 1 hour prior to each tournament.   

Each tournament will have cash prizes of $300 for 1st, $200 for 2nd and $100 for 3rd place finishers. Did we mention it is free to play? 

Food & beverages

Food trucks will serve food Noon to 6 p.m. including:

  • Verde, a contemporary Mexican restaurant located at The Bridges, will offer food and an outdoor bar for alcohol and other beverage sales.
  • Smokin’ Goodness
  • Wolfe It Down Pizza

Shopping & vendors

  • Buff City Soap
  • Cribs Flower Truck
  • K&K Hardware
  • Olathea Creek Vinyard & Winery
  • Shameless Chocoholic
  • University of Iowa Healthcare

Family Fun Zone

The K&K Family Fun Zone will run from Noon to 6 p.m. and have bounce houses, bubble stations and a hands-on science experiment.

Be Downtown coincides with the City of Bettendorf’s 121st birthday. There be giveaways and a special appearance from Mayor Bob Gallagher to lead everyone in singing “Happy Birthday” to Bettendorf.  The City will have a fire truck, police squad cars, snow plows and recycling trucks on display.

Free parking

Parking for the event includes on-street parking on State and Grant Streets plus at multiple lots in downtown Bettendorf, including:

  • 15th St. and Grant St. (TBK Bank building lot) available after 1 p.m.
  • 18th and Mississippi St. (Asbury Methodist Church lot)
  • 18th St. and Grant St. (City of Bettendorf lot)
  • Bettendorf City Hall
  • Street parking
  • Motorcycle parking on 15th will also be available

Patrons are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

Sponsors

Be Downtown is presented by Ascentra Credit Union & Bettendorf Business Network with additional sponsorship from the City of Bettendorf, Isle Casino Hotel, K&K Hardware, MidAmerican Energy, Quad-City Times, Smart Lexus of the Quad Cities, the Stations of our Quad Cities, Townsquare Media and  University of Iowa Health Care.

Additional event details can be found on the DBO Facebook page.

Full event line-up

11 a.m. – Sign-up for Bags Tournament

Noon – K&K Family Fun Zone opens, food trucks open

Noon – Bags Tournament #1

Noon – BTDT band

2 p.m. – BTDT band

2:05 p.m. – Honor Among Wrestling (HAW) pro wrestling

3 p.m. – Bags Tournament #2

3:05 p.m. – HAW pro wrestling

3:10 p.m. – Threat Level Midnight band

5:10 p.m. – Threat Level Midnight band

5:15 p.m. – HAW pro wrestling

6:15 p.m. – HAW pro wrestling

6:30 p.m. – Heads in Motion band

9 p.m. – Heads in Motion band

poster for be downtown event in downtown bettendorf

Band bios

BTDT

BTDT has been turning heads since they formed the band at the ripe old ages of 11-13! Talented beyond their years and ultra competitive. BTDT, (formerly Been There Done That) has a long list of accomplishments including: 2018 Winner of Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association’s Youth Rocks Contest, Winner of 2016 & 2019 QCRA Battle of the Bands, Secured a spot on 97x’s 40th Anniversary album and a spot on i-Rock 93.5’s Local Stage CD, as well as a bonus track. BTDT’s lead singer was a co-winner of 2020’s Voice of the QC contest and the band opened for the local iHeart Radio Socially Distant Festival. These talented artists have collectively found their signature sound with their own brand of power pop/rock and crowd pleasing covers. BTDT features Ava on lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Katie on lead guitar, Izzy on bass & vocals and the newest member, Carson on drums & vocals. BTDT may be young, but they’ve been playing venues from The Capitol Theater, The Rust Belt and various festivals and watering holes around the midwest. They perform for all generations of music lovers and continue to have an exciting future ahead. The band’s first EP “Pretty Lies” was recorded at Catamount Recording Studio. A portion of their catalog and their latest album “Blame the Stars” are available across all digital music platforms.

Threat Level Midnight

Spanning six decades of music, Threat Level Midnight has something for every rock enthusiast! From Elvis to Foo Fighters, Eagles to Audioslave and the Cars to Red Hot Chili Peppers. TLM’s deep library of covers will keep everyone entertained and guessing what song comes next. Led by Princeton’s own, Cale Bowe, TLM is a 4-piece band from the Quad Cities that will keep you dancing and singing all night long to favorites and forgotten gems.

Heads in Motion

Heads in Motion is a Quad Cities based Talking Heads tribute dedicated to free-spirited and energetic concert experiences. Composed of musicians from distinct backgrounds, HiM is an 8-piece tour de force of intensity and sound modeled after the Stop Making Sense era of Talking Heads. Whether you prefer live shows or studio deep cuts, all fans are guaranteed to be filled with the spirit of Talking Heads.

heads in motion band