The biggest hassle in creating an outdoor party to celebrate the first anniversary of the Freight House was finding a time to have it, Jeff Johnson said.

"We had to find a weekend where there was nothing going on - no baseball games, no major concerts, no festivals," said Johnson, co-owner of the Davenport entertainment complex. "There's not a lot of weekends in the Quad-Cities where there's nothing going on."

He finally found a hole in the Q-C entertainment schedule on Friday, when "Summer's Last Bash" will celebrate the anniversary.

Featured entertainment is Jimi Jamison, former lead singer of Survivor, who performs at 10 p.m. Local acts Funktastic 5 (at 6 p.m.) and Lynn Allen (8 p.m.) are also on the bill.

In between is entertainment as well. Comedian John Bush (performing this weekend at Penguin's Comedy Club) is the emcee, and between-act entertainment includes strongman Mike Gillette, a Cedar Rapids-based dance troupe and the winner of the Q-C's Next Top Model contest, who will be chosen in finals tonight at Nan's Piano Bar.

"My pet peeve is going to concerts and not having things happening," Johnson said. "There's always going to be something happening."

Johnson is estimating 3,000 people attending. In a last-minute change, those who bring their own blankets or lawn chairs to sit behind the reserved seats will be admitted for free.

The four parts of the remodeled Freight House - Penguin's, Nan's, Ripley Street Grille and Balls & Pucks Sports Cafe - opened last year.

Johnson terms the location a success, despite weather last year that forced many events from their homes in nearby LeClaire Park.

"The flood last year killed us," he said.

The Freight House is planning no major changes, he said, but beefing up its catering to make a presence at local festivals.