Iowa’s northwestern Great Lakes region — sometimes referred to simply as “Okoboji” — offers endless summer fun for salty sailors and land-lovers alike. Take in a drive-in movie, visit a classic car or maritime museum, or simply spend the day sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing or swimming until the sun goes down. Distance from […]
Lake Macbride State Park and the Macbride Nature Recreation Area (MRNA) cover nearly 2,700 acres north of Iowa City, offering endless opportunities… […]
Spanning 2,001 acres in northeast Iowa, Backbone State Park was dedicated in 1920 as Iowa’s first state park. It is an otherworldly paradise named for its… […]
“Playing dress-up should be an everyday occurrence,” says Jensina Endresen, Iowa City’s queen of vintage furs and proprietress of BUSTLEWORSHIP. Born in 2012, BUSTLEWORSHIP’s mission is to breathe new life into closets everywhere through the re-use and re-design of vintage materials. “I have a deep commitment to artisanal restoration and reuse,” says Endresen. “And I […]
Most people go to great lengths to rid their yards of plants they deem to be “weeds.” These so-called weeds are invasive and unattractive and might as well just be wiped out, right?
An Iowa City herbalist group, Wild Rose Apothecary, is looking to change that perception; it’s their mission to inform weed-haters that wild-foraged herbs like dandelions, cleavers, plantain and chickweed actually have a place in our homes. […]
Do you like good, clean, organic food? Does supporting local charities and businesses give you the warm fuzzies? Are you a New Pioneer Co-op member who has received your annual dividend check recently and would like to use it to make a difference in your community? Then you might want to cover your ears. […]
The basic premise of a CSA is this: Patrons become members of a CSA by purchasing a share of a farm. In return for paid membership, they receive a weekly box of fresh food straight from their local farmer. The mutual advantages to this are countless but the most obvious benefit is, perhaps, reassurance. Not only does a CSA membership guarantee fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, honey and occasionally meat and dairy products to the consumer, but it also insures that farmers are able to support both the community and themselves. […]
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. In the middle of an Iowa cornfield, during one of the hottest months on record, Shumpei Yamaki has a fire burning. It is a fire of creation, one that burns the earth without destroying it, transforming the mud and clay into something else instead. Combined under the right conditions, earth and […]
As the weather warms and backyard gardens begin to sprout, locals are asked to consider a very basic question: Where does our food come from? To some, there’s an easy answer, which is “the grocery store.” It is, however, a bit more complicated than that. Eggs often have a starring role on many shopping lists, […]
The Amana Colonies are known to Iowans hither and yon as a mecca of cheese, wine, wool, barns and buggies. Certainly everyone knows that in the Amanas, there is an old church or two. What they might not know is that in one of these churches there lives a girl–a girl who sews; a girl […]
Whether or not we realize it, we are each given a canvas at birth. This canvas is one we wear, one we carry with us where ever we go. Some people choose to journey through life as a blank canvas. Others, however, choose to decorate their canvas with ink; to display their imaginations on the outside for the world to see. […]
There is an American Indian legend that says when a human dies, there is a bridge he or she must cross in order to enter heaven. At the head of the bridge waits every animal that person encountered during his or her lifetime. Based on what they know of this person, the animals will decide […]
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