Need a rest stop? Try one of these trailside, parkside and lakeside restaurants for a cool drink, quick snack or heaping scoop of ice cream. 1. The Pedalers Fork Off of Cedar River Trail 2010 Sylvia Ave NE, Cedar Rapids You’ll deserve a stop at the Pedalers Fork after that climb! Nestled on a hill, […]
Eastern Iowa
‘Song of Myself’: An essay on running
The feeling of health, the full-noon trill, the song of me rising from bed and meeting the sun. We let technology guide us in many facets of our lives. We wake up to our smartphone alarms and go to bed staring at them, scrolling, usually knowing we are wasting precious time. Sometimes, possibly more than […]
Where you need to go and what ID you need to show to vote in Tuesday’s primary
Polls open for primary voters at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Anyone planning to vote later in the day needs to be aware that voting ends at 8 p.m., not 9 p.m. as had been traditional for decades in Iowa. The earlier poll closing time was one of several new restrictions on voting Gov. Kim Reynolds […]
Your Village: Does Iowa have a state sport?
There seems to be a new push to make the “Field of Dreams” some kind of big baseball location, which made me wonder if Iowa has an official state sport or if they’re going to make baseball the state sport? —RB, Iowa City Iowa doesn’t have an official state sport. Only 17 states do and […]
Iowa runners on running
Since the pandemic began, more people are running than ever. It is one of the most popular, and for many, accessible forms of exercise there is. Little Village asked a range of runners from Des Moines, the CRANDIC and the Quad Cities areas to comment on their experiences: advice for beginners, motivations to move, injury […]
Album Review: Mr. Softheart (formerly Hex Girls) — “Caravaggio”/“Flower of Tomorrow”
“I suppose the new direction is another pandemic story,” Nick Fisher offers as the impetus for the recent pivot of the band formerly known as Hex Girls. “I had begun writing lyrics to songs that seemed to lend themselves to a new project: The themes were darker, perhaps more complex. Personal grief, as well as […]
Album Review: MEKTOUB — ‘Elizabeth’
In 2019, frequenters of Goosetown Café mingled with friends of John Rapson to delight in the new band he had assembled: MEKTOUB. It was a trio, initially — Rapson on the keys, Ryan Smith on woodwinds and Nielo Gaglione on vocals and mandole. Together, the three produced a distinct style of improvisational music they describe […]
The Wesley Center ends its century-long affiliation with the United Methodist Church
The Wesley Center at the University of Iowa has ended its 109-year affiliation with the United Methodist Church. The board of directors of the center, which was founded in 1913 to minister to UI students, explained the decision in a message posted on Sunday morning on its website. For many years, it was through The […]
Early voting continues with weekend hours at the auditor’s office and satellite locations in Johnson County
Early voting in the Tuesday, June 7 primary ends at 5 p.m. on Monday, but this weekend the auditors’ offices in both Johnson County and Linn County will be open for people wanting to cast an early ballot. In Johnson County, early voters can exercise their franchise at either the auditor’s office in the county’s […]
A library card could earn you a free pass to museums, gardens and more in cities across Iowa
Library cards have always allowed you to read about other people’s experiences for free, and now they can help have your own experiences. Also for free. Adults with active library cards from the Iowa City Public Library (ICPL), the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL) and the Des Moines Public Library (DMPL) — as well as […]
As leaders debate action, gun reform advocates will don orange and demonstrate in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Saturday
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids will both have Wear Orange events on Saturday to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The Iowa City event in Wetherby Park (2400 Taylor Dr) begins at 2 p.m., and will include “speakers, kids’ activities, and a peace walk affirming commitment to a future free from gun violence,” according to […]
Brock About Town: Beauty tips to knock their socks off
Last night, I woke up in a cold sweat at precisely 3:42 a.m. The cause? Not a nightmare, or the debilitating existential dread that I used to regard as a symptom of an impending depressive episode, or perhaps some kind of voodoo curse, but I now understand to be a non-negotiable component of American life. […]

