Celebrate Moline’s Birthday! They’ll Be 150 Years Young in August
The home of John Deere will celebrate its sesquicentennial in August with a weeklong party that you're invited to!
Moline's sesquicentennial celebration will be Aug. 22-29.
Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said in a video on the event's Facebook page, "the weeklong party will include historical tours, interactive art exhibits and a celebration of all the diverse immigrant communities that make up our great city."
There will be live music and the main party will be Thursday through Saturday on River Drive between 12th and 15th Streets, according to Geoff Manis, Moline Centre Main Street manager. It will also coordinate with the weekly Mercado on Fifth, which happens on Fridays on 5th Avenue west of 12th Street.
Moline's History
Moline (which got its name from the French word moulin, which means "mill", not as in the Nicole Kidman movie) used the Mississippi River to help power its mills and later became home to John Deere starting in 1848. As many of us know, the city became (and still is) a center of plow production, earning the nickname "Plow City". In 1872, voters made Moline into an incorporated city, which is the date that the sesquicentennial will be celebrating. John Deere himself was Mayor of Moline from 1873-1875 and his company's headquarters are still there.
Fast forward to now, there's no word yet on what bands, restaurants, or other details will be involved in the sesquicentennial celebration. But you can go ahead and circle your calendars for those days in August!