UPDATED: May 18, 2025, with photos of the second day of the festival, including the Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa pageant; kolache demonstration, cabbage roll contest, kolache eating contest and more. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Winds that whipped through the Houby Days festival in Czech Village didn’t dampen the spirits of participants. Gusts of up to 40 […]
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Category: Czech
Czech festival in Cedar Rapids to honor ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — For years, Marj Kopecek Nejdl designed logos for the annual Houby Days festival, and with her passing earlier this year, organizers saw it fitting to dedicate the upcoming festival in her memory. The 47th annual festival, set for May 17-18, 2025, along 16th Avenue SW in historic Czech Village, celebrates houby, […]
Gardeners tempted by warm weather should...
With warmer weather on the horizon, Iowans and others in the Midwest will be tempted to start their gardens, but a Czech legend warns against a late frost. Known under various names, including the Three Frozen Kings, the three icemen – tři ledovi muži – or Three Ice Saints, Three Frozen Men, Three Ice Kings […]
Czech clock tower in Cedar Rapids to rea...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — After a winter “slumber,” North America’s only astronomical clock will “reawaken” this Thursday, March 20, 2025, the first day of spring. The Buresh Immigration Clock Tower, located at the entrance of Czech Village on 16th Avenue SW, has been quiet during the cold Iowa winter, but the figurines will once again […]
Cedar Rapids Czech community mourns the ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Just last year, Marj Nejdl was honored with an exhibit of her exquisite Czech folk art at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Nejdl died Monday, March 10, 2025, after suffering complications from a stroke. She was 88. Designated a “Living Iowa Treasure” by the Iowa Arts Council, Nejdl […]
Cedar Rapids Czech School tradition retu...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A beloved Czech School tradition is being revived after it was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Czech School Chili Supper will be held Saturday, March 8, 2025, in the St. Ludmila Church Bingo Hall (lower level of church building) at 211 21st Ave. SW, from 4 – 6 p.m. Cost […]
Convent designed by acclaimed architect ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Clearing the way for “green space,” a mid-Century convent designed by acclaimed Cedar Rapids architect Leo Peiffer has been demolished. The Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission placed a 30-day hold on the demolition permit for the 1960s convent in October 2024, but the hold expired in November, and the building — […]
Cedar Rapids plans to remove Czech Villa...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — As the city of Cedar Rapids moves forward with plans to make major changes to the Czech Village area, some pieces of its past will be removed. Sidewalk tiles, advertising former Czech Village businesses and organizations, will be removed from a pedestrian walkway next to the former Sykora Bakery, 73 16th […]
Photos: Weekend holiday celebrations in ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Holiday events throughout New Bohemia and Czech Village offered an abundance of activities throughout the weekend. The annual Very Cherry Holiday, a holiday tradition since 2000, included studio and gallery tours, refreshments, a book sale, rides on the freight elevator with “Ella Vader” and “Luke Skylifter,” Christmas music by the Vintage […]
Czech holiday tradition celebrated in Ce...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A Czech holiday known as Svatý Mikuláš was marked on its traditional day on Dec. 6, 2024, in Czech Village. The tradition, known in the United States as St. Nicholas Day, is celebrated in the Czech Republic on Dec. 6, while Czech Village in Cedar Rapids has long held its annual […]