CEDAR RAPIDS – Fans of farmers markets at the Riverside Roundhouse can help bring the venue back to Czech Village and enjoy a new music event at the same time. Czech Village Blues will be 6-10 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, along 16th Avenue SW in Czech Village. The event is a one-day blues […]
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Author: Cindy
Homegrown Czech in Iowa
Last year, I had a blast at the Wilber Czech Days in Nebraska, so I was disappointed to have to miss the festival this past weekend. Still, it wasn’t long before another opportunity for “Czechtivity” came along, as I like to call Czech activities in our area. The Czech Heritage Foundation‘s annual picnic was held […]
World’s largest tenderloin, giant Gunder
UPDATE (July 31, 2019) The Irish Shanti in Gunder stopped service as of earlier this summer and the business is being sold. Nathan Trappe of Allen Real Estate Company said a local group had been interested in reopening the restaurant, but that proposal didn’t come to fruition. For a private showing or more information, call […]
Thousands of fish killed in Cedar Rapids...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Iowa’s only urban trout stream suffered a setback this week, when more than 2,000 fish were killed after a break in a water main caused treated water to spill into McLoud Run in Cedar Rapids. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported the following on Tuesday, Aug. 1: A break in a […]
Photos: Proud mama lets her butterfly ch...
Like any proud new mom, I took lots of photos, but time with my “baby” was fleeting. See the black swallowtail in chrysalis stage. I was told that butterflies generally emerge from their chrysalis in the morning, so once I had found a swallowtail caterpillar and brought it, in chrysalis stage, onto my back porch, […]
Watch for Naked Ladies begins in Iowa
If you haven’t seen them already, be on the lookout in the next several days for Naked Ladies, also known as surprise lilies. They’re a bit ahead of last year in our neck of the woods in Cedar Rapids, but generally make their annual appearance in late July or early August. The “surprise” comes, as […]
Stirring up a hornet’s nest: what to do
Dawn Lively had a conundrum. Some type of buzzing, stinging insects had moved into a clothesline pipe near an area of the yard that she and her husband often used. Homeowners might attack any type of stinging insect with the deadliest force possible, but Dawn was looking for a more natural approach, especially if the […]
Swallowtail update: so then this happene...
Just one day after posting about my backyard buddy, the black swallowtail caterpillar stopped moving. Hours later, it formed a silken “harness” and began its metamorphosis on the way to becoming a butterfly by forming a chrysalis. Related: How to tell apart swallowtail and monarch caterpillars I understood that swallowtails like to wander far from […]
Battle of the cats: differences between ...
After successfully growing just one milkweed plant in my backyard last year, I was excited to have dozens dotting the yard this summer. But sadly, the plants remain pristine, with no sign of the munching monarch caterpillars that use milkweed as its sole food source, and the reason I wanted the plants to thrive. See […]
Iowa gives axe to Forestry Bureau; tree ...
Tree advocates in Iowa are calling for action after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources decided to cut its Forestry Bureau. The groups point out that the decision will not only potentially hurt Iowa’s woodlands and small business owners, but the state’s air and water quality, pollinator habitat and more. Read on for the statement from […]