CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mushrooms will take center stage during the Houby Days festival in Czech Village. The 48th annual festival, set for May 16-17, 2026, in the historic business district along 16th Avenue SW, celebrates houby, the Czech word for mushrooms. In years past, the morel contest was one of the highlights of the […]
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Category: Czech
Angels unveiled on Czech Village clock t...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Two marble angels will watch over Czech Village after their unveiling as the latest addition to the Buresh Immigration Clock Tower. Dozens of visitors and family members of donors gathered Friday, May 1, 2026, along with dignitaries as the angels, made of Carrara marble from Tuscany, Italy, were revealed on two […]
Czech ‘Three Ice Kings’ legend provides
Iowa gardeners have been on a roller coaster this spring, with record high temperatures followed by a blizzard in March, and a similar — though less drastic — situation on the way. According to weather forecasts, temperatures that reached the 80s this week will dip below freezing this weekend. The wild weather swings make the […]
New bookstore honors vision of ‘Angel of
UPDATE: The coffee shop portion of the business is opening Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. The entire shop will have business hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mary Kay Novak McGrath didn’t live to see her vision for a […]
Christmas traditions celebrated in Czech...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Czech celebrations of Christmas carried into Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, with more to come this weekend. The Svatý Mikuláš tradition, known in the United States as St. Nicholas Day, was marked on Dec. 5, 2025, the day before it’s traditionally celebrated in the Czech Republic. Czech Village in Cedar Rapids […]
Final days for longtime Czech Village sh...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A decades-old business in Czech Village is soon closing its doors. Czech Village Antiques, 82 16th Ave. SW, owned by Pam and Ken Lewis since 1989, will end operations Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, after the couple sold the buildings housing the business earlier this year. “Everything will be on sale and […]
Legacy continues as painting restored in...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Kristine Moore never met her great-grandfather, but knew the family lore surrounding the artwork he left behind in Czech Village. Klement Kalous, also known as Clint, Klint or Clement, immigrated to the United States from Bohemia when he was just 21 in 1913, leaving behind his four siblings. Documents uncovered by […]
New business opens in former Sykora Bake...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A new business has opened in the former Sykora Bakery building in the historic Czech Village business district. LoKey Hat Co., a custom hat boutique at 73 16th Ave. SW, opened its doors to the public on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. This is the second LoKey Hat Co. for owner Candy […]
Czech festival photos in Cedar Rapids, I...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — An annual festival drew crowds during an unseasonably warm day, as Czech Goulash Day returned to St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. The festival, on Sept. 28, 2025, featured its namesake goulash — a type of beef stew — along with popular Czech kolaches handmade by the experienced bakers of St. Monica’s Circle. […]
New Czech Village mural to be dedicated ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — “Moravian Madonna,” a larger-than-life reproduction of Joža Uprka’s painting, Girl in a Scarf, will be dedicated next week in Czech Village. Located on the historic Kosek Building, 87 16th Ave. SW, the mural will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell; Cecilia Rokusek, National […]