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Find more details about the weekend on the Facebook event page LAKE COOPER LOOP - RIVER & RAIL WEEKEND!

**PRE REGISTRATION**  You will find information about pre registration at www.virtualrailfan.com/events.  Early bird discount runs until July 16, 2021.

FRIDAY:

• 4-6pm - Meet & Greet and Area Showcase at Kingsley Inn: Mingle among other river and rail enthusiasts and see what our area has to offer!  Some booths include: Green Frog Distillery, Nauvoo River Experience, Eldon Iowa Depot Museum, Santa Fe Island & Northern Railway Co., Villages of Van Buren, Keokuk Tourism Bureau, Beautiful Nauvoo, Cobblestone Inn & Suites, Lee County Conservation and others!
• 6pm - Fish Dinner at the Fort Madison Elks Club (must pre-register)  You've seen the sign a million times on the VR cam, now you can try it!  All you can eat catfish dinner with 2 sides.  
• 7:30pm - A few words from Virtual Railfan and the River & Rail planning committee
• 8pm - Drinks at Lost Duck Brewing Company and River Rocks  Enjoy your evening.  We have a lot for you to see and do!

SATURDAY:

• 9-10am - Q & A With An Engineer at Cobblestone Inn & Suites Fort Madison, IA (must pre-register)  Meet with an area engineer and discuss his career in the locomotive industry!
• 8am-4pm - Train Spotting site at North Lee County Historic Society/Depot Complex - Fort Madison, IA
• 9-5pm - "Around The World in 80 Minutes" - Tour of the Hoffman Mansion - Hamilton, IL (pre registration preferred)   This palatial property sits on a fenced-in full city block overlooking the Mississippi River. A view of Keokuk, Iowa is seen from the back terrace.  Enjoy your 2 hour tour for $35 per person.  25 people may tour per session.  Sessions: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm.
• 1-4pm - FREE Drop in Canoe/Kayak Paddle Event: Come celebrate River and Rail Weekend with an easy paddle on the backwaters of the Mississippi River at the Heron Bend Conservation Area on Sat., October 2! Lee County Conservation will be providing 4-person canoes or single kayaks as well as life jackets for you and your family for no charge. This all-ages program is extremely safe as the water is only a few feet deep in this part of the river. Just follow the lane around the front of the Lee County Conservation Center down to the river. This event is free and no experience or registration is required. Just show up anytime between 1 and 4pm! Please wear a mask when social distancing is not possible. Contact Lee County Conservation with any questions at (319) 463-7673.
• 5-6pm - Cocktail Hour at the Keokuk Yacht Club - Keokuk, IA
• 5-8pm - Steak dinner from the Yacht Club's No Wake Grill
• 8pm - Live music by Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021

FORT MADISON

• OUR OLD FORT MADISON 9AM-5PM
• NORTH LEE COUNTY HISTORIC SOCIETY & DEPOT  10AM-4PM
• SHEAFFER PEN MUSEUM  10AM-2PM

MONTROSE

• MONTROSE SANDBAR 11AM-2AM
• GREEN FROG DISTILLERY  1-6PM
• FAT JIMMY'S SMOKEHOUSE 4-9PM

DONNELLSON

• APPLEBERRY ORCHARD  9AM-5PM
• HARVESTVILLE FARM  9AM-5PM

KEOKUK

​Find Iowa's state rock at Keokuk! Geode Festival will be the previous week, but you can stop by and see volunteers cracking Iowa's state rock at Estes Park, purchase geodes at the Tourism Bureau or even go out and hunt your own! Check out the Observation Deck with information  about Lock #19, passing barges and all things Keokuk.  For more information contact the Keokuk Tourism Bureau at 319-524-5599.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 2, 2021

FORT MADISON

• OUR OLD FORT MADISON  9AM-5PM
• NORTH LEE COUNTY HISTORIC SOCIETY & DEPOT 10AM-4PM
• SHEAFFER PEN MUSEUM 10AM-2PM
• RODEO MUSEUM  10AM-2PM

MONTROSE

• LEE COUNTY CONSERVATION **Special Event"  Kayak & Canoe Day on the Mississippi  1-4pm
• MONTROSE SANDBAR  11AM-2AM
• GREEN FROG DISTILLERY  1-6PM
• FAT JIMMY'S SMOKEHOUSE 4-9PM

KEOKUK

• OBSERVATION DECK 8AM-5PM
• TOURISM BUREAU 8AM-5PM
• VICTORY PARK  8AM-5PM  **Special Event**  Cracking geodes in the park

DONNELLSON

• APPLEBERRY ORCHARD  9AM-5PM
• HARVESTVILLE FARM  9AM-5PM

NAUVOO, IL

• BAXTER'S WINERY 9AM-5PM
• FUDGE FACTORY  11AM-5PM
• PRESS HOUSE WINERY 2-8PM