Once on the brink of demolition, a building constructed over 100 years ago is about to be reborn as Cedar Rapids’ newest bar and music venue. First opening as the Ideal Theatre over a century ago, the building at 213 16th Ave SE will start a new chapter of its story, written by its new […]
Iowa history
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Your voice is valuable’: The LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library welcomes a new director
The LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library (LIAL) has a new interim director, Madde Hoberg. The former executive director Aiden Bettine founded LIAL in 2020 while working on the Transgender Oral History Project of Iowa. Bettine, then an archivist at the University of Iowa, realized there were no LGBTQ-specific collecting development policies in archives across Iowa. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Forty years after the Johnny Gosch disappearance, fear continues to fuel conspiracy theories in Iowa and beyond
Listen an audio version of this article here, or using the player at the bottom of the page. On Sept. 20, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Cedar Rapids as part of his reelection campaign. In it, he advocated for slashing taxes and “the simple values of faith, family, neighborhood and good, hard […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
‘It’s just the most Iowan thing’: A day at the Iowa State Fair with fair mega-fans, the Stumps
Since his freshman year of high school in 1969, Gary Stump has not missed an Iowa State Fair. “I had a girlfriend whose father worked at the fair and he got free tickets for everything,” Stump recalls. “And then when I was in college, a friend of mine worked there and he was able to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Contact Buzz: The history of the Iowa State Fair’s old, inclusive art show
Shawn Palek doesn’t enter competitions any longer. Lately, he prefers to sponsor shows and competitions for emerging artists, mentoring many. He continues to paint new works, with many murals to his credit. But in the early 2000s, the contemporary visual artist and arts advocate decided to venture into the Iowa State Fair Fine Arts Competition. […]
Posted inCentral Iowa, Central Iowa Community/News, Community/News
Deep in a Des Moines golf course sits a haunted observatory with a far-out history
The Drake Municipal Observatory is probably the only scientific facility of its kind more familiar to local golfers than local school kids. Since 1921, it’s sat between the green on the 17th hole of Waveland Golf Course and the tee of the 18th. It’s an anomalous presence among the fairways and the nearby tennis courts, […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
New opera ‘Orphan Train to Iowa’ brings a dark but hopeful history to the Coralville stage
A little-known piece of Iowa history is coming to the stage in a one-night-only opera from the Crescendo Children’s Choir. Child and adult singers, including professional opera stars, will perform Orphan Train to Iowa: For the Love of Pete on Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. The […]
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
University of Iowa Labor Center, slated for closure in 2019, celebrates 70 years
The University of Iowa Labor Center will celebrate 70 years of empowering workers in the Hawkeye State this Saturday, May 7. Surviving the threat of closure and a pandemic, the Labor Center continues to play a vital role in tackling the challenges facing workers statewide. “The Labor Center is our state university’s commitment to the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Before I-235, Des Moines’ Center Street district was a bastion of Black commerce and culture
By the time its final section opened to traffic in late 1968, I-235 was already part of the fabric of Des Moines. Cutting across the city and running just north of downtown, it’s the most traveled roadway in Iowa. But like many stretches of highway built through cities, the construction of I-235 did damage that […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Photos: Monuments to women’s history in Des Moines
This Women’s History Month, Little Village explored some of the DSM spots dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in the city. Photos by Britt Fowler Evelyn K. Davis Center For Working Families Evelyn Davis (1921-2001) supported working families in Des Moines by providing affordable childcare for 23 years. She was an advocate for families, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Cortado: Blues y poesía de Waubeek (Parte Uno)
Waubeek: blues y poesía Though he never made much money when he passed around the jar He could really play the blues. -Shemekia Copeland Son las once de la noche de un martes del 2017. Dentro del local hay apenas dos personas, el dueño del bar y un granjero. Este último viste overalls, polera blanca […]
