Soon the sleepers shall wake. That sounds like the beginning of either a sermon or a horror story, but it’s not. It’s just an entomological fact. As spring gives way to summer, trillions of cicadas will emerge from their underground burrows throughout the South and in parts of the Midwest, including Iowa. Those cicadas are […]
Your Village
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Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: A first-of-its-kind caucus is upon us
By the time January is half over, we’ll know whether every poll published about the Iowa Republican Caucus was correct and Donald Trump has won the first contest in his effort to Grover-Cleveland himself into a nonconsecutive second term. It’s not entirely impossible that another candidate won’t win, but disgraced former president, and one-time Ottumwa […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Why there’s a statue of a nude woman facing the Iowa State Capitol
My friend says he read somewhere that Des Moines has the most erotic statue in the world. I moved here a few months ago, and have seen zero erotic statues. Do you know what he’s talking about? —CG, Des Moines It’s probably not the most erotic statue in the world, but in his iconic memoir […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Community/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Why is there an elementary school named after Nixon in Iowa?
Have a question about what’s going on in your community? Ask Little Village. Submit your questions through the Your Village feature on our homepage, or email us at editor@littlevillagemag.com. There’s a Nixon Elementary in Hiawatha?????? Why would they name a school after Nixon?? —GM, Coralville, via the Your Village feature on LV’s homepage. Timing, they […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: A history of Rusty the Giant Sloth
Have a question about what’s going on in your community? Ask Little Village. Submit your questions through the Your Village feature on our homepage, or email us at editor@littlevillagemag.com. Why isn’t Rusty the Giant Sloth the official state fossil? —ME, Iowa City, via the Your Village feature on LV’s homepage The short answer is Iowa […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Why is Quaker Oats dropping Aunt Jemima?
Have a question about what’s going on in your community? Ask Little Village. Submit your questions through the Your Village feature on our homepage, or email us at editor@littlevillagemag.com. So Quaker Oats is finally dropping the Aunt Jemima brand. What’s the origin story there? I’ve read a lot of debate about it. And did they […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: How is Iowa City recycling adapting to COVID-19?
Have a question about what’s going on in your community? Ask Little Village. Submit your questions through the Your Village feature on our homepage, or email us at editor@littlevillagemag.com. Have there been any changes to Iowa City’s recycling program to protect workers from COVID-19? —Anonymous, Iowa City, via the Your Village feature on LV’s homepage […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: The story of Emma Harvat, Iowa City’s history-making mayor
Have a question about what’s going on in your community? Ask Little Village. Submit your questions through the Your Village feature on our homepage, or email us at editor@littlevillagemag.com. I’d like to know more about Emma Harvat, the first woman mayor of Iowa City. —Rebecca, Iowa City Her name does live on in Iowa City […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Whatever happened to the area’s last strip club?
I remember there used to be a strip club in Coralville, but it closed down. How could the only strip club near a big university go out of business? —Anonymous There are lots of ways for a strip club to go out of business, but Dolls Inc in Coralville is probably the only one driven to extinction by a rainforest. Or rather, plans for a massive indoor rainforest.
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Why is George’s Buffet called ‘George’s Buffet’ when it doesn’t have a buffet?
“Why is George’s called ‘George’s Buffet’ when there’s no buffet?” – Elizabeth, Iowa City. At this point, the most accurate answer is probably “tradition.” Apparently, when George Kanak opened the bar in February 1939, he meant to make it stand out from other bars that served food by offering a full buffet. But if George’s ever had
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: Is it Lake Macbride or McBride?
According to the maps I find online, the lake in Lake Macbride State Park is Lake McBride. Are they named after the same person? Or did Macbride get the park and Macbride Hall at UI named after him, and McBride basically didn’t get anything other than me, years later, doubting his existence? —Matt, Iowa City
