MOLINE, Ill. — A unique sport with a foothold in the Quad Cities is celebrating 100 years of the regional league.
Rolle Bolle is a sport native to Canada and the upper American Midwest, and one of its major leagues, the Western Illinois League, turned 100 years old.
The anniversary also saw a tournament that gathered competitors from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Canada in preparation for the World Rolle Bolle Tournament that's coming up this weekend in Annawan.
The Quad City area is one of rolle bolle's biggest hubs, according to the community.
The sport operates similarly to bocci ball or horseshoes, where players bowl beveled, curving bolles toward a stake, and the team with the closest bolle takes the point.
Originating in the Flanders region of Belgium, the sport was introduced in North America in the late 19th century, and has been played in some areas of the upper midwest and Canada ever since. The Western Illinois League was later founded in 1922.