“When Americans think of freedom, we usually imagine a contest between a lone individual and a powerful government,” writes Timothy Snyder in his treatise On Tyranny — an Antifa 101 reading assignment, if there ever was one. “This is all well and good. But one element of freedom is the choice of associates, and one […]
Maquoketa events
Posted inEastern Iowa
Photos: Iowans recreate Civil War encampments, battles and the Gettysburg Address at annual Muster on the Maquoketa
Iowa may have been the scene of only one minor skirmish during the Civil War, but historians and live-action roleplayers stage battles in the state annually to highlight Iowa’s larger role in the fight to end slavery and preserve the union. The Jackson County Historical Society gathered historians, schoolkids and dozens of Civil War reenactors […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Concerts and camping are a match made in heaven. And rural Iowa.
Backbone Bluegrass Festival 1358 110th St, Strawberry PointThe Backbone Bluegrass Festival has been around since 1981 and brings a mix of bluegrass, country and gospel acts to the northeast corner of Iowa. Held in Strawberry Point on the last weekend of July, this summer’s fest is Friday to Sunday, July 26-28. Aspiring musicians can check […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with: Tiffany Biehl, Codfish Hollow
Maquoketa music venue Codfish Hollow is renowned regionally and nationally for its iconic experiential events, starting with a tractor ride across the property from the parking to the barn. Musicians love the hospitality there, too, as much as audiences love the performances. Like many venues across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Codfish Hollow […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Interview: Kyle Kinane on punk nostalgia and self-deprecating humor, ahead of Turnbuckle
Kyle Kinane, a prolific stand up who has made his mark in comedy weaving together hilariously absurd stories of everyday life with a whiskey-soaked sense of wisdom and wonder, or as he once self-deprecatingly summed up his act, “Uncle Barbeque and his dum-dum stories,” headlines the Turnbuckle Comedy and Music Festival at the Codfish Hollow in Maquoketa May 26 and 27.
