Muscatine

Lets start a new discussion about Muscatine.  Did anyone go down to Great River Days?  I was unable to go because of work.  I just wondered how it went, since we had new management of GRD's this year.  KWPC appeared to really have covered it, according to their 8 o'clock news this morning.  Was it enjoyable, will you go again next year, if the same people manage it?  Shackman.

I take it that nobody, on this board, went to GRD's.  Must have been a complete flop, huh?  Shackman.

I can tell you the crowds were way down for the parade.  I don't know if that was because of the weather or lack of enthusiasm.  Business was way down for us, but then again we did not have the sidewalk sales that drew crowds into the downtown.  I did not get to the riverfront to see anything down there so I can not speak to that end of it.  I tried to have a sidewalk sale but the Muscatine police would not let me use the sidewalk.  I was told to take things off the sidewalk.  All in all I thought it was not as good as past years. 

My wife and I went to GRD and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was set up different from years past when everything was squished together in a small space.  The carnival was spread out and there were some nice kiddy rides available for children and that was nice.

The bandstand was set up on the grass beyond the basketball courts and that seemed to please everyone with most people sitting on the grass and others sitting in chairs they brought with them.  I am not into today's music so the bands will have to be critiqued by someone else.  I am not into Blues either but Ernie Penistan did impress me because he involved his audience and of course he is local.  And there were two  beer tents set up, one on each end of the bandstand area.  I noticed that the Pilot Club was running the beer tents this year.

They had a shuttle set up to take people to and from the bandstand area because it was a long walk to get there.  There were food stands set up in the area next to the basketball courts.

Saturday evening we chose to take a cruise on the Pearl Button paddlewheel boat and enjoyed that immensely.  I have been one who has made fun of that boat in the past but now I am more impressed with it.  It does add to the list of some things we can do around here.  The cruise was from 8:30 to 10:30.

I don't know what anyone else thinks but this was the best GRD's for us