CEDAR RAPIDS – Clouds put a damper on the day, but attendees found a silver lining at the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s Solar Eclipse Viewing Party. Hundreds of people gathered on the downtown library’s rooftop on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, to try to catch a glimpse of the eclipse and watched the NASA livestream in […]
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Tag: Iowa
Longtime Brucemore garden tradition come...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Earlier this year, Brucemore ended its annual plant sales and now, the long tradition of the Brucemore Garden and Art Show has ended, as well. Typically held in late August, the event featured presentations by Master Gardeners and other guest speakers, food demonstrations using in-season produce, guided tours of the historic Brucemore […]
Where can you experience the total eclip...
You don’t have to fly your Learjet to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun. (Apologies to Carly Simon.) A narrow swath of Iowa will be in the “path of totality” during the eclipse, happening Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. Other portions of Iowa are in the 90 percent or greater range of […]
Photos: Czech Village Blues in Cedar Rap...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Iowa’s homegrown musical talent was spotlighted during Czech Village Blues, along with internationally renowned blues slide guitarist Joanna Connor. Saturday’s concert in Czech Village, a collaboration between the Linn County Blues Society and Friends of Czech Village, was a fundraiser to help reconstruct the Riverside Roundhouse. Czech Village Blues included the LCBS […]
Homegrown Czech in Iowa
Last year, I had a blast at the Wilber Czech Days in Nebraska, so I was disappointed to have to miss the festival this past weekend. Still, it wasn’t long before another opportunity for “Czechtivity” came along, as I like to call Czech activities in our area. The Czech Heritage Foundation‘s annual picnic was held […]
World’s largest tenderloin, giant Gunder
UPDATE (July 31, 2019) The Irish Shanti in Gunder stopped service as of earlier this summer and the business is being sold. Nathan Trappe of Allen Real Estate Company said a local group had been interested in reopening the restaurant, but that proposal didn’t come to fruition. For a private showing or more information, call […]
Photos: Proud mama lets her butterfly ch...
Like any proud new mom, I took lots of photos, but time with my “baby” was fleeting. See the black swallowtail in chrysalis stage. I was told that butterflies generally emerge from their chrysalis in the morning, so once I had found a swallowtail caterpillar and brought it, in chrysalis stage, onto my back porch, […]
Watch for Naked Ladies begins in Iowa
If you haven’t seen them already, be on the lookout in the next several days for Naked Ladies, also known as surprise lilies. They’re a bit ahead of last year in our neck of the woods in Cedar Rapids, but generally make their annual appearance in late July or early August. The “surprise” comes, as […]
Battle of the cats: differences between ...
After successfully growing just one milkweed plant in my backyard last year, I was excited to have dozens dotting the yard this summer. But sadly, the plants remain pristine, with no sign of the munching monarch caterpillars that use milkweed as its sole food source, and the reason I wanted the plants to thrive. See […]
Iowa gives axe to Forestry Bureau; tree ...
Tree advocates in Iowa are calling for action after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources decided to cut its Forestry Bureau. The groups point out that the decision will not only potentially hurt Iowa’s woodlands and small business owners, but the state’s air and water quality, pollinator habitat and more. Read on for the statement from […]