Next Week's Epic Iowa vs. Iowa State Faceoff

There wasn't a Cy-Hawk game in 2020 for Iowa and Iowa State, but don't get yourself down. There's a faceoff coming that REALLY matters.

Well, sort of matters. The 2021 2Dorks Celebrity Pinewood Derby features a true Iowa vs. Iowa State battle.

A car submitted by University of Iowa Football's Kirk Ferentz will be facing off against Iowa State University's Head Coach Matt Campbell and his Pinewood Derby car.

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One thing we noticed with Kirk Ferentz's office is that the most prominent things in his office is artwork created by what I assume were his grandkids.

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The 2Dorks Celebrity Pinewood Derby pits Iowa and Illinois celebrities against each other for two reasons: Bragging rights and Cub Scouts.

When Scoutmaster JR Girskis came to us in 2020 and asked if we had our old Pinewood cars from when we were in Cub Scouts, we didn't. His idea was to have us face off against a few local kids on their livestreamed Pinewood Derby, since the pandemic had essentially just started.

All of the cars built by the celebrities will be auctioned after the race, with all proceeds going toward the Illowa Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Some other celebrities who submitted cars include:

Allen Lazard
Johnny Lujack
Tim Dwight
Matt Campbell
Kirk Ferentz
Kasey Kahne

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The race will be streamed live on 2dorks.com, Wednesday, May 26th, 2021 from the Rock 'n Roll Mansion.

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Iowa's Island City

There is something unique about every town, but there is really something special about Sabula, IA. Known as "Iowa's Island City," Sabula is the only town in the state of Iowa that is entirely on an island. While not a lot of people have been to, or live in Sabula, it is a quaint little town nestled right on the Mississippi River.

Before we show you around "Iowa's Island City," let me give you the history of Sabula. Sabula was established in 1835, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis. Isaac Dorman and a man named Hinkley crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on what is now Sabula. An Ohio couple, James and Margaret Woods would settle on Sabula about a year later in April of 1836. Their son, Dr. E. A. Woods would purchase Hinkley's interest in the claim. Charles Swan and W. H. Brown would soon purchase Dorman's interest. The three men, Woods, Swan and Brown later had the land plotted in 1837.

The idea behind plotting the land was because there was no town between Lyons (north Clinton) and Bellevue. The plot of the new town was recorded in Dubuque as this area was part of Dubuque county at the time, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

According to Island City Harbor's website, Sabula went through a few names before landing on the official town name. In 1837, Sabula was first called Carrollport. Residents of the town didn't like the name because there was a man's name who was Carroll who had a bad reputation. The town changed its name to Charleston, after early settler Charles Swan. The only issue was that there was already a town called Charleston in Iowa which caused much confusion.

In 1846 the settler’s decided to find a name. Island City Harbor's website says that because of it’s sandy soil, William Hubble suggested the town be called "Sabulum" which is Latin for sand. A party was being held around the time the town name was being discussed, when a woman, supposed to be Miss Harriet Hudson, suggested the town be called Sabula as it was easier to pronounce and sounded more elegant, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

Sabula did not actually become an island until 1939. According to Wikipedia, in the 1930's, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the lock and dam system. In 1939, Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL was built which caused the bottomlands west of the town permanently flooded. With the Mississippi River east of the town, this created the "Island City." A levee was built around Sabula in 1957 for protection, according to Island City Harbor's website. This also allowed for the south sand pit to be turned into a boat harbor.

I would like to thank my mom Beth, her fiancé Matt, my brother Nolan and my wife Ellie for accompanying me to Sabula. We always have a blast on our trips and this one was no exception.

It's now time to introduce you to Sabula, Iowa, Iowa's Island City.