Send us Fan Mail

Owner and founder of Blue Spruce General Store in the Quad Cities, Brandon Carleton, sat down on the "QC, That's Where" Podcast and reminisced on his journey of entrepreneurship. As he was thinking back on some of the creative endeavors, he said, "I'm learning more and more that there are some things you just don't have to ask permission for, you can just go do it."
That simple realization has led him to operating a bakery that started with a bread subscription service to a full-blown brick and mortar bakery, deli and grocery items. 
Carleton's business continues to grow as he and his teammates say "yes" to each other's ideas, go through trial and error and forge ahead with open minds.
Blue Spruce General Store is open in Davenport, Iowa with plans to expand into Rock Island, Illinois. 
#VisitQuadCities #QCRestaurantWeek #Bakery #Foodie

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

The Quad Cities region has hundreds of restaurants and hundreds of thousands of people who love to explore them. 
Two of those people are Dave and Laura Kilmer. The couple has made a tradition of exploring restaurants, both new and tried & true, photographing and noting their experiences and then taking their reviews to the popular "Quad City Food Lovers" Facebook group. 
"Quad City Food Lovers," originally named "Quad City Takeout & Delivery" spawned out of the COVID era to help both restaurants reaching out to customers and to residents looking for ways to safely reach outside of their homes for some variety in their meals. 
Laura and Dave have since become a well-known pair for their positive reviews. Little known secret, since the Facebook group states that any negativity violates their rules, Laura and Dave highlight the best and brightest  elements of each experience. 
They've got their top picks and some great tips on where you should go eat in the Quad Cities. 
QC Restaurant Week, which runs March 20-26, is an opportunity for restaurants to showcase themselves to a new group of diners. Quad Citizens are encouraged to use specials offered that week to explore new places, or patronize their favorites.
Browse all participating restaurants at QCRestaurantWeek.com 

#VisitQuadCities #QCRestaurantWeek #Foodie #TagTheQC #Breakfast #Lunch #Dinner #Dessert

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

The Quad Cities is closing in on a new community asset made to help honor and preserve history of the Civil Rights Movement in the Quad Cities. This event space will not only honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, but pull together stories and cultural history from decades of great people who helped build Davenport, Iowa and the Quad Cities into what it is today.
Watch the original video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TtB5vhjkhk
 
Friends of MLK CEO and Board Chair, Ryan Saddler, emphasized that the uniqueness of this space is that the celebration of Black History Month will be available year-round.
MLK Park will be located at 501 Brady Street. Friends of MLK partnered with Streamline Architects on the design of the park.
Saddler has been described by many as the driving force behind the park becoming a reality.
The park has been made possible with the collaboration of many groups and key people. The Putnam Museum President and CEO, Rachael Mullins, described how the museum and Friends of MLK have been working together to find, sort and preserve the history. As the event space opens, the Putnam will serve as a second space for the historical materials.
Jabari Woods, the Davenport Community School District's Director of Equity and Diversity said the MLK Park space serves as a beacon of hope. It's a place where people of all races can go to learn and be inspired.
Kyle Carter with the Downtown Davenport Partnership and Bruce Berger with the City of Davenport helped the park make strides by helping with logistics, city planning, coordinating finances and acting as a liaison between groups.
Berger is the city's Planning and Economic Development Director and Carter is the DDP's Executive Director.

All over the country, groups celebrate and honor the life of Dr. King, for instance with the newly unveiled statue in Boston. This park's indoor/outdoor event space will be available for groups, classes, kids, organizations and more.

#VisitQuadCities #MLKDay #MLKPark #MartinLutherKingPark #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #MartinLutherKing #MartinLutherKingJr

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

Looking at placemaking and civic pride in the Quad Cities, there's been a lot of progress. That's partly thanks to the entrepreneurship and leadership of Maria Ontiveros, president of Mercado on Fifth and Nancy Ballenger, vice president and general manager of Isle Casino - Hotel Bettendorf.
Mercado on Fifth is a weekly event that invites all ages to downtown Moline to celebrate and immerse themselves in Hispanic Heritage. 
The Isle is one of three casino properties in the Quad Cities, and recently joined forces with Caesar's Entertainment. 
They have both served on the Visit Quad Cities Board of Directors and each earned a Destination Impact Award. This award recognized their meaningful contributions to the region.

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

Every winter, Bald Eagles fly down from Canada to set up shop where they can fish and set up shop for the cold months. Many of them land here in the Quad Cities where the Mississippi River remains unfrozen. 
While they're here, visitors and residents enjoy the show in several viewing locations around the region.
Jody Millar with the Quad Cities Audubon Society gives the dos and don'ts of bald eagle watching and revisits her work on helping sustain the eagle population in the United States. 
She also explains the reason picking up Bald Eagle feathers is illegal.
#VisitQuadCities #BaldEagleWatching #BaldEagles #NationalBird #Population 

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

Ben Leischner, the Visit Quad Cities Board Chair and Kai Swanson, the board's Immediate Past Chair, got together to reflect on their responsibility as board members and the philosophy and impact of tourism.
 Ben and Kai share their personal experiences living and being in the Quad Cities. Ben from the perspective of a transplant and Kai, as a lifelong Quad Citizen.
#VisitQuadCities #BoardOfDirectors #Tourism #TourismMatters #BehindTheScenes

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

QC, That's Where

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

Joel Alexander spent some formative years in the Quad Cities. It's where he launched his career path by saying yes and showing up.
Today, he's a photographer and model living in Nashville. In this episode of "QC, That's Where," Joel reminisces on the path he's taken.  He notes some opportunities that sparked for him in the Quad Cities and got into the habit of recognizing, saying "yes" and showing up. 

#VisitQuadCities #QCThatsWhere #TagTheQC 

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

Charlie Cole is the brewmaster and General Manager at Blue Cat Brewing Company in Rock Island.  Cole and his team are continuing a QC tradition when Blue Cat was revived in the fall of 2021. 
Laugh along as Cole remembers his apprenticeship, learning under the instruction of a German brewer.  With equipment all labeled in German.
Cole has made a successful career out of brewing by embracing that experience, taking on several different brewing and head brewer positions and continuing his education in the craft.  He's even working on bringing a craft beer education program to the Quad Cities. 
"It's only gonna continue to grow," said Cole. "If there's more jobs and there's more people that are educated in our industry then it just allows more of the established breweries to grow and expand and for new breweries to open up." 
#VisitQuadCities #DrinkLocal #QCAleTrail

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X

Send us Fan Mail

Monta Ponsetto is a long-time Festival of Trees participant, volunteer, and decorator. She's seen the evolution of this fundraising event as it's grown, moved, and added new and creative elements.
In this episode of #SheQCThatsWhere, she describes designs from years past. One in particular is centered around a WWII scene, with a prop of real letters she used from a relative who served.
She also remembers magic moments, like the spontaneous singing from a girl nobody expected it from and the reunion of an elderly couple, apart for many months.
Get in the Christmas spirit and celebrate your favorite holiday with Festival of Trees!
#FestivalofTrees #Davenport #QuadCities #VisitQuadCities #TagTheQC #ChristmasSpirit #Holiday #Decorations #QCThatsWhere

QC, That's Where is a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities. Through the people, partnerships, and personalities woven throughout the Quad Cities region, you'll meet real Quad Citizens and hear the untold stories of the region.
Follow Visit Quad Cities on social media and never miss an episode of #QCThatsWhere.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X