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 […]
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Tag: Houby Days
Giant mushroom appears in Czech Village ...
By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Czech Village has found a silver lining from last year’s derecho. The hurricane-strength windstorm uprooted trees and created havoc throughout Iowa, hitting the Cedar Rapids area particularly hard. Trees that toppled in Czech Village damaged restrooms next to the Kosek Bandstand, but one of those is now serving […]
Morel mushrooms pop up as signs of hope ...
Even in these uncertain times, Iowans are finding one thing to look forward to: mushroom hunting. Already, some morel hunters are finding the sponge-like delicacies in the southern half of Iowa, despite snow last week throughout the state. Social distancing in light of the coronavirus pandemic just means that solitary mushroom hunting, or in very […]
Houby Days canceled in Czech Village due...
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 […]
Czech Village Houby Days photos: mushroo...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Occasional downpours put a damper on the 42nd Annual Houby Days in Czech Village, but intrepid Czechs and friends-of-Czechs made the best of the weekend’s weather. Saturday’s Houby Days Parade, sponsored by the Czech Heritage Foundation, battled through early morning showers that led to sunshine and warm temperatures later that day. Learn […]
Ideal morel conditions lead up to Czech ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Rain and cool temperatures have given Iowans nearly a month of ideal morel mushroom weather, just in time for the Houby Days festival, from May 17-19, 2019. The annual event, in its 42nd year, celebrates all things houby — the Czech word for mushroom — along 16th Avenue SW in Czech […]
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 […]
Morel mushrooms and Czech traditions to ...
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – An annual three-day event that celebrates the morel mushroom kicks off Friday, May 18, in Czech Village. Last year marked the 40th anniversary of Houby Days and this year promises more music, food and fun, beginning with the Taste of Czech on opening night at the National […]
Houby Days 2017 photo gallery
CEDAR RAPIDS – It literally rained on our parade at this year’s Houby Days in Czech Village, but the annual festival offered many bright spots, as well. For those most interested in the event’s namesake mushrooms, winners were announced in the morel contest: Team TMT (Tom Slade, Morgan Driscoll and Tyson Gosnell) won both the […]
Houby Days festival to celebrate 40 year...
Back in the day, mushroom hunters would bring coolers full of morels to sell on street corners during Houby Days, an annual Czech Village celebration in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Laws in recent years have restricted those sales, but Houby Days (Houby is the Czech word for mushroom) continues its annual tribute to the beloved morel […]









