CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Two entrepreneurs and leaders in Czech Village and New Bohemia received special recognition April 20, at an awards luncheon at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Don Barrigar and Mary Kay Novak McGrath were named the 2022 recipients of the Robert Chadima Visionary Award. The award is presented annually […]
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Category: Czech
Nearly lost: Rescuing a Czech work of ar...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A mural created more than 60 years ago depicting Czech arts and immigration has found a new home after facing an uncertain future. The mural — a two-section piece by the late artist Edwin Bruns, a contemporary of Grant Wood — is being installed in the Cherry Building, 329 10th Ave. […]
Czech Village shop moves to new location
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A shop at the entrance of Czech Village has relocated to a new site. After more than 6 years at 98 16th Ave. SW, The Create/Exchange is reopening at 615 Center Point Rd. NE. The unique craft supply upcycle and exchange store has filled a niche for crafters and creators with […]
End of an era: Final photos of Czech Vil...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The legacy of a Czech Village meat market isn’t lost on Steven Prochaska, who is closing shop on the last remaining one. His great-grandfather, Jerry Prochaska, a Czech immigrant to the United States in the early 1900s when he was just a toddler, eventually worked at Polehna’s Meat Market, an iconic […]
Czech festival in Iowa returns with trad...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Aside from gusty winds that played havoc with cash and sheet music, the weather could not have been more picture-perfect for the comeback of a long-running festival that was sidelined last year by the coronavirus pandemic and Iowa’s hurricane-strength derecho. Czech Goulash Day, celebrated in various forms for the past 99 […]
Cedar Rapids parish works to overcome de...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church is preparing a post-derecho comeback by hosting its popular festival, Czech Goulash Day, on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, after a one-year absence. Like many places in Cedar Rapids, the church sustained damage during the August 2020 derecho, including a severe hit to its Glovik Parish Center. The […]
Czech, Slovak culture celebrated as muse...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library celebrated the belated 25th anniversary of a monumental event with a weekend full of activities. On a chilly day on Oct. 21, 1995, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Czech President Václav Havel and Slovak President Michal Kováč visited Cedar Rapids to dedicate the museum’s […]
New businesses help energize New Bohemia...
By Cindy Hadish/for the Corridor Business Journal New businesses are bringing new energy to the Cedar Rapids Main Street District, as many owners seek to leave 2020 in the rear-view mirror. “This past year has been hard,” said Carol Elliott, owner of Aroma Artisan Pizza, which offers wood-fired pizza at the NewBo City Market, as […]
Photos: Czech Village hosts 2021 scaled ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Organizers hosted a scaled-down version of the popular Houby Days festival, one year after the annual event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Kicking off with a concert by the Czech Plus Band on Friday, May 14, 2021, the event continued into Saturday with street vendors, food and more. The […]
Czech Three Kings lore warns gardeners o...
Temperatures that soared into the upper 80s in Iowa and elsewhere in the Midwest this weekend are giving way to overnight lows in the 30s. While a hard freeze isn’t predicted, at least for now, it’s not unheard of to have a late-season frost in Iowa. Czech lore, brought to the United States by immigrants, […]