CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — For the second year in a row, rain dampened the Freedom Festival Parade, but showers let up in time for the parade to begin. More than 60 units were registered for the parade through downtown Cedar Rapids on Saturday, June 25, 2022. This was the second-year comeback for the event, which […]
Cedar Rapids protester injured as crowds...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — One person was injured after witnesses say a truck ran into a peaceful protest as it was ending in Cedar Rapids. Hundreds of protesters had gathered June 24 near downtown Cedar Rapids after the Supreme Court announced the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that effectively legalized abortion in […]
“Economic sense” Iconic building to be r
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Plans are underway to transform a site where neighbors turned out in force against a proposed convenience store into the headquarters for Eastern Iowa Food Service and a Dunkin’ shop. The former BetterLife building, 1900 First Ave. NE, built as headquarters for the Western Fraternal Life Association in 1958, would have […]
Midsummer Garden Arts Fair planned at hi...
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A free event will spotlight a hidden gem in Cedar Rapids, as supporters plan to revitalize the historic Shakespeare Garden in […]
Photos: Iowans march for gun reform
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Iowans took to the streets to demand changes in gun laws in the wake of a number of recent mass shootings. More than 200 people gathered at Greene Square in downtown Cedar Rapids to listen to speakers and urge elected officials to do more than offer their thoughts and prayers after […]
Kolach Festival making comeback in Cedar...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Like many events that were put on hold for the pandemic, the St. Ludmila’s Kolach Festival plans a return for 2022. Volunteers bake thousands of the popular fruit-filled Czech pastries for the festival, scheduled this year from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 11, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. […]
Photos: First Pride Parade in Cedar Rapi...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A parade that advocates tried for years to offer in Cedar Rapids finally came to fruition. More than 30 entries participated in the inaugural Pride Parade on Saturday, June 4, 2022, with an estimated 3,000 spectators lining Third Street in southeast Cedar Rapids through New Bohemia, after the threat of rain […]
Memorial Day 2022 marked in Iowa
During Memorial Day services across the state, Iowans joined the rest of the nation in honoring service men and women killed during wartime and other loved ones who have died. In Cedar Rapids, events on Monday, May 30, 2022, included a service and free tours of exhibitions at the Veterans Memorial Building downtown, and an […]
Photos: Downtown Farmers Market 2022 ope...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — After resorting to a drive-through market in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a shortened season last year, the 2022 Downtown Farmers Market kicked off May 28 with crowds of customers and picture-perfect weather. Organizers estimated 15,000 people would attend the opening day of the market, featuring more than 150 […]
Moving on: Cedar Rapids restaurant reloc...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — In the five years since opening her dream restaurant at the edge of downtown Cedar Rapids, Jess Johnson has endured the pandemic, Iowa’s hurricane-strength derecho and almost a year of road closures that continue to nearly envelop her business. Even as her restaurant, Runt’s Munchies, has managed to survive, Johnson decided […]