Numerous Iowa gardeners have noticed a change in the color of their lilacs this spring. Normally purple lilacs, to quote Procol Harum, turned a whiter shade of pale. The perfumed blossoms, a springtime favorite, still carried their fragrant scent, but didn’t look as colorful as in previous years. Linn County Master Gardeners covering the “hortline” […]
Plant sale has connection to history
A plant sale in Iowa City, set for this Friday, May 20, has a connection to the past. P.E.O. Chapter HI will offer a variety of plants at its Second Annual Sale from 1-4 p.m. at 500 St. Thomas Ct., just off Rochester Avenue in Iowa City. The P.E.O. recently received plants with a special […]
Finding morels and photos of Houby Days ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The line to buy morel mushrooms stretched a half-block to Sykora Bakery when the sponge-like delicacies went on sale the Saturday morning of Houby Days. Organizers were scrambling to bring in more morels after 120 pounds of the popular item sold out, and hoped to have the mushrooms for sale again […]
First lob hit in Country Club rezoning r...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Cedar Rapids Country Club’s request to rezone property for a new tennis facility is on hold, for now. With only five members voting due to conflicts with four City Council members, the council voted to table the club’s request to rezone more than 184 acres at 27th Street Drive SE, […]
Houby Days set for comeback in Czech Vil...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After canceling the 2020 event due to the coronavirus pandemic and holding a scaled-back version last year, supporters are eager to see a return of the popular Houby Days festival to Czech Village. Still, the closure of the 16th Avenue Bridge of Lions due to construction, and other work along the […]
Old-fashioned soda fountain evokes bygon...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mary Kay Novak McGrath recalls an era when at least two soda fountains served up sodas and other sweet treats in Czech Village pharmacies. “I grew up with great memories of going to get a cherry Coke or Green Rivers,” she said, citing drugstores in Cedar Rapids. Fast-forward decades later and […]
Gardeners ready to dig into spring plant...
Gardeners who time it right just might be able to make it to all of these 2022 Eastern Iowa spring plant sales, many of which are happening on the same day. This spring has been exceptionally cool, but planting season will soon be underway, with the sales also timed to hit just before Mother’s Day. […]
Czech legend of Three Frozen Kings offer...
Few days have tempted gardeners to plant early in Iowa this spring. With daytime temperatures hovering in the 50s and nights even colder, already into May, many gardeners are waiting for more conducive weather. Related: Slow start to morel mushroom season Still, with 70-degree days (hopefully) on the horizon, a Czech legend offers a warning […]
As farmers market season kicks off in Io...
Changes are underway at farmers markets in the Corridor, as the outdoor season kicks off in May. One longtime market is ending, while others that arose in the wake of the pandemic are on the rise. The Mount Vernon Farmers Market, a mainstay in Mount Vernon for about two decades, decided to end its run […]
A century later, neighborhood corner sto...
By Cindy Hadish/for the Corridor Business Journal Curtis Odom was happy to buy bacon and a dozen eggs during a quick stop not far from his home in northwest Cedar Rapids. The North Liberty business owner had driven by the Cultivate Hope Corner Store, 604 Ellis Blvd. NW, almost daily in his commute, and finally […]