June 14, 2021 - Visitors to Davenport’s riverfront have more opportunities to enjoy an expanded palate of events, music, and food with the opening of two exciting attractions this weekend - a new ice cream shop and restaurant at the Freight House, Chill Ice Cream and Eats, and the new outdoor flexible event venue, Quinlan Court, located at River Drive and Brady Street.

“What an exciting weekend for Davenport’s riverfront,” said Steve Ahrens, Executive Officer for the Riverfront Improvement Commission. “The riverfront continues to be our prized defining asset where residents and visitors alike love to enjoy a myriad of events and activities, local food, and live music. The list of opportunities keeps  growing with the new additions.”

Quinlan Court, the new riverfront outdoor flexible event venue, is located along River Drive between Brady and Perry Streets and is a beautifully hardscaped area with programmable lighting and contains generous power capabilities for vendors of all kinds.  The space is able to fit 15 food trucks or 66 vendor stalls, and can also fit a large event tent or mobile stage.

Saturday’s official opening of the venue was followed by the initial Mercado En El Rio (Market on the River) filling the space with a variety of Hispanic food vendors, musical entertainment by Sonora Sazon de Antano, Ballet Folklorico dancers, and several Davenporters enjoying the new riverfront location. Mercado En El Rio will take place in Quinlan Court from 5:00p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month through October.
 
In addition to Mercado En El Rio, QC Empowerment Network will hold its Open Air Market (showcasing a number of unique products and vendors) in Quinlan Court from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of every month through September. The venue also will have vendors and classic cars during Red, White & Boom! on July 3.