Rock Island Rock Fest draws hundreds to golf course for music, food, festivities

ROCK ISLAND — For a tiny town, Rock Island knows how to throw a big party. At the Rock Island Golf Course on Saunders Avenue at the end of town on Saturday, there was an entertainment stage, bounce houses, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, a wine and beer garden and even a performing clown to usher in summer and the coming Fourth of July holiday.

Beginning at 1 p.m., the Rock Island Rock Fest was the only place to be in the third-largest city in Douglas County, population just under 1,700. The festival was easy to find, with giant red arrows pointing the way to the golf course all the way from Highway 28.

With limited parking onsite, Link Transit provided special shuttles between a large park and ride lot at the entrance to town and the golf course that were packed with riders each time they came through. The spacious grass at the golf course provided plenty of room for people to set up blankets and chairs, with some even bringing tents for shade.

Rock Island Espresso was there, as well as Mountain Berry Bowls, R Shack BBQ, The Little Pineapple, Legend Designer Ice Cream, Dooley Dogs, a giant taco stand by local cooks and Unique Kettle Corn out of Moses Lake.

Local country musician Chris Ward, a retired law enforcement officer, opened the day’s music with a lively set of current country favorites, then was followed by the Fred Bauer Band playing rock, pop and country covers. Whisky Trail, this year’s winner of the Best Band award in a local popularity contest, was next, and finally the day’s headliner The Infinity Project, a spectacular tribute to the legendary band Journey. All of the day’s music was produced by RLS Productions.

For the kids, there were three giant structures from Trinity Inflatables to play in, on, around and through, as well as the Wenatchee Valley’s own L-Bow the Clown, who juggled fire, ate fire and blew fire to the amazement of the audience. L-Bow also made balloon animals for the little ones and made merriment throughout the event area.

At the end of the evening, there was an impressive fireworks display, with perfect viewing for those who set up blankets and chairs on the grass.

The weather was beautiful, the people waved American flags and enjoyed the music and food, and there was even a booth for official event merchandise bearing the name of the festival, which is now in its third year.

The Rock Island Rock Fest was presented by the City of Rock Island, the Rock Island Golf Course, and a host of sponsors.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media