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 […]
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Tag: Czech
St. Ludmila volunteers bake thousands of...
By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS – Even as kolache sales kick off early this Friday for the St. Ludmila Kolach Festival, Karen Billick can be assured there will be customers waiting even earlier. Drive-up kolache sales run 6-9 a.m. that day, but, “they’ll be here in line at 5 a.m.,” said Billick, who oversees the […]
Old and new: Photographer creates unique...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Slovak photographer Monika Klučiarová has long been passionate about taking photos of newborns, and had always held a fascination with Slovakian folk costumes, called kroje. Combining the two created a unique art form “that merges the innocent beauty of newborns with the treasured works of our ancestors,” Klučiarová said during the opening […]
Czech koblihy and other signs of the sea...
March is a busy month for Czechs in Iowa. The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library hosted a potluck for members of the museum and the Czech Heritage Foundation that coincided with Masopust, a carnival celebrated before the beginning of Lent. To help celebrate, museum President/CEO Cecilia Rokusek used a family recipe for koblihy, […]
The Czech artistry of Marj Nejdl
Marj Nejdl is a Master Czech Folk Artist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who generously gives of her time and talent. She and a friend, Pat Martin, have collaborated on a book that explores Nejdl’s art, including her batik, or wax resist, Czech egg decorating. Related: Marj Nejdl teaches Czech School students the art of egg […]
Midwestern native chosen to lead Czech m...
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, named a new president and CEO today. Cecilia Rokusek will succeed Gail Naughton, who retired earlier this summer after 16 years of leading the renowned museum. Related: Gail Naughton’s Memorial Day remarks See other Czech news in Iowa, here, and learn more […]
Photos: Houby Days 2018 in Cedar Rapids,...
CEDAR RAPIDS – It was nearly a clean sweep in the morel contest during this year’s Houby Days, a three-day festival that celebrates the springtime mushroom and the city’s Czech heritage. Mike Haugsted of Cedar Rapids won the largest, smallest and best mushroom displays in the annual contest. Brody Driscoll of Hiawatha broke Haugsted’s streak […]
Three Kings Czech legend warns of late-s...
Don’t let Iowa’s picture-perfect weather fool you. Even in May, we could still experience a night or two of frost, as noted in a Czech tale brought to the United States by immigrants. According to the Three Kings legend, the three kings or saints – Pankrac on May 12, Servac on May 13 and Bonifac […]
Photos: Iowa’s diverse cultures celebrat
TAMA – Food, ethnic costumes and art brought diverse groups together on March 19 to celebrate cultural connections. South Tama Elementary was the site for “This is Us: Celebrating our Diverse Community,” featuring a potluck dinner, fashion show and art exhibit. Representatives from Meskwaki, Czech, Hispanic and Somali cultures highlighted their cultural dress and even […]
Unconventional Czech tradition kept aliv...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Czechs in Cedar Rapids are carrying on the longtime Mardi Gras-style costume ball tradition known as Šibřinky. Hosted by Sokol Cedar Rapids, the event has been celebrated the past several years at the St. Wenceslaus Church gym – including one on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018 – after decades at the former Sokol […]