In popular imagination — or at least in ads trying to exploit people’s imagination — hot air ballooning usually happens above the dramatic landscape of the American southwest or romantic vineyards, never over more prosaic locations like Kalamazoo, Michigan or Indianola, Iowa. But Kalamazoo hosted the first National Hot Air Balloon Championship 60 years ago, […]
Recreation
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s ‘chocolate milkshake’ water, expensive to filter and a menace downriver, comes courtesy of Big Ag and its allies in the statehouse
Ten years ago, the state of Iowa published its Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS), a plan to reduce the amount of nitrate and phosphorus polluting not just the state’s waterways, but that of everyone downstream from Iowa, until the pollution flows into the Gulf of Mexico, where it helps create the massive dead zone that forms […]
Posted inCommunity/News
From going net-zero to replanting post-derecho, Indian Creek Nature Center is ready to celebrate 50 years of history in Cedar Rapids
If it’s your first time driving on Otis Road, you might be taken aback at the sight of a large modern building nestled among the trees. The building, aptly named Amazing Space, houses an exhibit of Indian Creek, a small gift shop and, most importantly, the Indian Creek Nature Center (ICNC). The completion of the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘She’s a baller, she’s a go-getter, she’s fierce’: How Cara Viner grew from beginner to owner at Hot House Yoga
A hint of incense and a comforting wave of warm air are guaranteed upon entering Hot House Yoga in Iowa City. The local business has been a staple of the area for decades, but it’s recently come under new ownership. Cara Viner is the new owner of both the Iowa City Hot House and the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Essay: A Floridian encounters beauty, love, bad weather and discomforting deja vu in Iowa
I knew nothing about Iowa before I knew it was taking my partner away from me. The original plan was to break up at the end of the summer, before college; four years later, we’ve somehow made the long distance work. The first time I visited Billy in Iowa was fall 2019. Since then, I’ve […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
A twist on the typical tennis format helps some Iowa players ratchet up the intensity, or join in for the first time
Anne Pham bounces a tennis ball on the ground. The score in her singles set is 0-2. She looks across the court at her captain, Michael Boyer. “Hey, I’m ready to come out whenever,” she declares. “No, you gotta stay in,” Boyer says. Pham had already played several sets of singles over the previous two […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City fencing coach Judy O’Donnell invites all ages to poke fun
Iowa City Fencing Center founder, director and head coach Judy O’Donnell moved to Iowa in 2000, when her husband took a job at the University of Iowa. Ten years later, after advising for the university’s club fencers and taking on more private students than she had room for, O’Donnell opened the Fencing Center. “You can […]
Posted inCommunity/News
This 14-year-old archer from Waverly is hitting the mark in an elite, precision sport
Three years ago, if you asked Hunter Telleen’s loved ones which sport he’d excel at in high school, archery would likely never have crossed their minds. They’d probably have guessed cross-country or track, pointing to the records Hunter set running meets as a 7th grader at Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School. Buck hunting, a hobby the […]
Posted inRecreation
Live, laugh, LARP: Iowans wield foam weapons and forge fellowships through Belegarth
In a sunny clearing at Vander Veer Botanical Park, two sides draw their foam weapons and charge. This is Belegarth, a medieval-themed combat game. “Exercise is boring,” said Mazog, a Belegarth player of over 20 years. “Fighting is not boring.” Belegarth falls under the umbrella of Live Action Role Playing (LARPing). There are other types […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa state parks preserve lush corners of a landscape 98% altered by agriculture
Since the onset of Americanization during the early 1800s, Iowa’s environment has changed more than any state in the union. Over 98 percent of Iowa’s lands were altered in service of agriculture. Forever spreading fields of corn and soybeans line highway shoulders, stretching out east to west, north to south. The state ranks second to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Table tennis takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master, according to Des Moines’ highest-ranking player
Every week, the Four Mile Community Center echoes with the sound of hollow plastic balls smacking against wood, signaling match time for the Des Moines Table Tennis Club. For over three decades, the club has introduced new players to the game, building a community around rubber-coated paddles. The Des Moines Table Tennis Club was formed […]
Posted inCommunity/News
In need of some emotional healing? Join the herd, recommends this Iowa City therapist
Since 2006, fresh off earning her degree, Natalie Benway-Correll has worked as a LISW (licensed independent social worker) in Iowa City. But a couple of years ago, her experiences as a therapist during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a search for something more. “During the pandemic, I was seeing — based on all the conversations […]
