CEDAR RAPIDS — Like many event organizers making difficult decisions, the Czech Village Association has opted to cancel this year’s Houby Days, which had been scheduled for May 15-17, 2020. “After 42 years , it is with great sadness, that we announce the cancellation of the 43rd Annual Houby Days Festival scheduled for May of […]
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Category: Czech
Czech Village celebrates Christmas tradi...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A Czech celebration known as Svatý Mikuláš was particularly timely this year in Czech Village. The tradition, known in the U.S. as St. Nicholas Day, is celebrated in the Czech Republic on Dec. 6, which coincided perfectly with the Friday night the Czech Village Association annually holds its festivities. Related: Learn […]
Piecing together a faux Bohemian kroj
Buying a kroj wasn’t on my radar when I visited the Czech Republic several years ago. The traditional folk costumes, with elaborate designs worn in years past for weddings and other celebrations, are now uncommon in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, outside of dance troupes or folk festivals. Being involved in Czech-American organizations, we’re occasionally […]
Replica in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, torn down...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A crowd marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by tearing down a smaller version built by students. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library partnered with Metro STEAM Academy, Iowa BIG High School and Alburnett High School to build the 60-foot-long wall earlier this year. […]
Photos: 2019 Goulash Day and CzechFest
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mother Nature can put a damper on a festival, no matter how carefully planned the event might be. Such was the case with CzechFest in Czech Village, where Jennifer Stewart, owner of The Create Exchange, 98 16th Ave. SW, volunteered countless hours to organize the annual festival, only to see rain […]
CzechFest and Goulash Day offer double d...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Two festivals have joined forces to provide a day of Czech family fun, with the St. Wenceslaus Church Goulash Day and CzechFest in Czech Village, both on Sunday. Sept. 22, 2019. While the two still operate independently, free hayrack rides across the Bridge of Lions will allow visitors to easily participate […]
Photos: Dinner on the Bridge of Lions in...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Organizers couldn’t have asked for a better night to launch a new event for the Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street District. Clear skies and temperatures in the 70s on Friday, Sept. 6, provided the first Dinner on the Bridge of Lions with a picture-perfect evening. Main Street Executive Director Abby Huff […]
Rural Iowa parish keeps Czech-flavored f...
NOTE: The 2020 Fall Festival has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. CHELSEA, Iowa — Carefully kept records describe dinner donations from parishioners of St. Joseph’s Church for its annual Fall Festival. “Mrs. Anthony Novak: strudel, kolaches, potato salad, cream. Mrs. Jos. Musil: meatloaf, sauerkraut, potato salad. Mrs. John Sichra: loaf of rye bread, […]
Quaint Iowa town hosts vibrant Czech cel...
Like many small Iowa towns, Clutier helps keep its community alive with an annual celebration. With a population of just over 200 people, Clutier is located in east-central Iowa, in an area fondly dubbed the “Bohemian Alps” and more formally as the Scenic Czech Trail. Related: Find three cultures along the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway […]
Celebrating 150 years: Photos of Czech S...
CEDAR RAPIDS — In its early years, the Czech School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ended sessions with an ice cream social, a tradition that continues today. Past students recalled the socials held along the banks of the Cedar River, behind the school on Second Street SE. The school building is no longer used for Czech […]