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By Brian Wellner
I've been to many festivals in the Quad Cities before, but none offered quite the cultural and musical variety as the five hours I spent last night in downtown Davenport.
Where else could I enjoy live blues and rock, see stand-up comedy, sample local brews, swing through an arts and crafts show and cap it all off with dinner and a movie, all within walking distance? And that's not everything.
The festival, called Alternating Currents, continues today and Sunday with more music, movies and shows as well as activities like rappelling off the 11-story Hotel Blackhawk. Hosted by the Downtown Davenport Partnership, the five-day festival brings together 100 events and performances at 16 different venues. Downloading the app makes it super easy to choose your adventure.
I began my Friday evening in the breezy courtyard outside the River Music Experience, 129 Main St., for a Live @ 5 session with the Ben Miller Band. The toe-tapping rhythms of the Joplin, Missouri-based bluegrass band who utilize instruments like a bass constructed from a weed eater string attached to a stick and a washtub echoed throughout the downtown and inspired someone in the audience to do a dance with a hula hoop.
What began as a crowd of dozens swelled to standing-room only and spilled outside the courtyard to the sidewalk. Anne Hoeper of Davenport, who sat in front of me, said she was enjoying the music while waiting for her husband, Mike, who wanted to check out the comedy acts at places like Mac's Tavern, 316 W. 3rd St., and the Front Street Brewery Tap Room, 421 W. River Dr.
“We love to see the variety of the things they have down here,” Hoeper said of the festival.
Near the entrance to the courtyard, the Figge Art Museum had installed a sign where people can fill in the blanks after the words “Before I die...” Answers ranged from “learn an instrument” to “travel to space.”
As the Ben Miller Band continued, I walked the short distance to The Current Iowa hotel, 215 N. Main St., and took the elevator to the rooftop bar known as UP Skybar and Lounge. The view from atop the eight-story building was impressive; downtown Davenport and the Mississippi River never looked more sun-drenched.
With a ukulele her instrument of choice, singer Rebecca Casad of Davenport and her accompanying musical partner Alan Morrison entertained with a set of fun and catchy tunes, some original and some covers of artists like Elton John and Jack White. Morrison accompanied her on acoustic guitar.
I took my glass of rose inside the lounge, which also boasted nice views through its giant picture windows. There, I met Gary Bunn, who said he had just moved to Davenport less than a month ago from Las Vegas and was impressed with the Quad Cities' local craft brewery scene. The retired Air Force veteran came here to visit his sister, and she encouraged him to stay. He's glad he did.
How do the Quad Cities compare to the Entertainment Capital of the World?
“Vegas has the national beers, but you guys concentrate on your local brews, which speaks more to the character of this city,” Bunn said. “Davenport has character and life.”
On my walk from The Current to the River Center, 136 E. 3rd St., I looked around the downtown and realized how much is available in just those few blocks, let alone elsewhere. The Adler Theater, for example, boasts a schedule that includes Jerry Seinfeld and Chicago. If Alternating Currents accomplishes one thing, it showcases some other aspects of downtown in addition to musical venues.
I went to the River Center hoping to catch some of Ellis Kell's Birthday Bash, which I heard was a huge event with a vinyl record sale, swap meet and live music that continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Instead, I got swept up in OMG Becky Fest, where 100 arts and crafts vendors and a dozen kid vendors filled the Great Hall.
David Van of Taco Cat Creations credits his past participation in OMG Becky Fest with getting his handmade pet toys into the Iowa market. He anticipates his Madison, Wisconsin-based business will do 75 shows by the end of the year, and OMG Becky Fest is “one of our best shows. Everyone here is receptive to what we do.”
So how does Van know he's got a winning toy on his hands? “We do a lot of product testing,” he said. “We have a research and development team comprised of seven cats.”
He also sells bow ties – for cats, that is. “They are a tremendous success,” he said.
OMG Becky Fest, which continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is family friendly. Megan Wadsworth of Eldridge brought her children to the event “to shop locally,” she said. “It really brings out the best of the Quad Cities. There are a lot of talented people. You can socialize with friends. The kids get to eat homemade snacks. It's just a good, all-around event.”
Katie Conger, who grew up in Davenport and now lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, handed out samples of her sugar cookies. She started Katydid Cookies three years ago when she baked cookies for a friend's birthday and they proved a hit.
“Everyone said you should do this as a business,” Conger said.
Featuring names like “unicorn” and “cereal cookie,” Conger's baked creations have been a hit at Becky Fest. At December's event, she says she sold out in 22 minutes. This time she brought 700 cookies!
From the River Center I hoofed it to the Freight House, 421 W. River Dr., where every table outside was full and the restaurants and bars were buzzing with excitement. I wanted to change it up from music to comedy and enjoyed several stand-up acts inside the Front Street Tap Room.
I ordered a “Raging River” ale to honor the city's flood-fighting efforts. With the Mississippi River cresting at 22.7 feet, this year's flood was the highest ever recorded in the Quad Cities, surpassing 1993's flood.
As I waited for the comedy acts to begin, I took in the view of the river, complete with other iconic Davenport symbols as the Centennial Bridge, the LeClaire Park band shell and Modern Woodmen Park. I forgot for a moment that I'm looking south across the river and not east, because the Mississippi uniquely flows east-west through the Quad Cities. It really is a beautiful riverfront!
Daylight was just a sliver as I stepped out of the Tap Room and I walked through illuminated city streets at night. Colorful lights danced off some of Davenport's tallest buildings and the music scene seemed to shift from courtyards and rooftops to alleyways and garages. The music became more rollicking.
Tucked in an alley beside the Front Street Brewery, 208 E. River Dr., the Avey Grouws Band entertained an enthusiastic crowd with a raucous set from their bluesy repertoire. The band formed in in 2015 in the Quad Cities and has had a successful run of concerts and festivals around the country.
About a block away, the Pollinators banged out a set of fierce tunes inside the Exit Realty Garage, which looks like a warehouse garage behind the Exit Realty storefront at 221 E. 2nd St. The Pollinators is an indie rock band from Moline.
I ended my evening with dinner at Armored Gardens, 315 Pershing Ave., and an outdoor screening of an old horror B-movie at the Raccoon Motel, 304 E. 3rd St., where three local comedians offered humorous live commentary in a Mystery Science Theater 3000 vein.
Visit alternatingcurrentsqc.com for more information about this weekend's events. The nonprofit Downtown Davenport Partnership is a division of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.