Native Gardens opens to the strains of “Las Casitas del Barrio Alto” by Victor Jara. Keen-eared listeners will recognize the melody of Malvina Reynolds’ “Little Boxes” and while the Spanish iteration was written to critique socioeconomic disparities in Chile, it contains the same critique of upper middle class posturing as it’s sister song.
Things to do in Iowa City
Eastern Iowa’s queer softball league has had a home run of a year
It’s been a promising year for the Lambda Softball Association of Eastern Iowa (LSA). After a two-year process, LSA and Iowa City became the 48th member of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA). To become a member city, LSA had to meet with the NAGAAA board of directors and delegates from each member […]
Iowa City roller derby athletes show new batch of beginners how to roll (and fall)
It’s the second day of 101 Bootcamp. There are seven new recruits for the Old Capitol City Roller Derby (OCCRD) team. Tart of Darkness #323, Cara Delaney, straps on her knee pads and elbow pads, her wrist guards and mouth guards, followed by her skates and helmet. She glides around Scanlon Gymnasium comfortably, easy as […]
CAMBUS, the University of Iowa’s free transit service, celebrates 50 years on campus
CAMBUS began as six borrowed school buses, carting University of Iowa students east to west and back again across the Iowa River. Fifty years later, CAMBUS has 34 transit buses that give 3.5 million rides a year. And it’s still student-operated and fare free. “CAMBUS has become viewed as an essential service for the university, […]
Hawkeye basketball teams will take over downtown IC Friday; here’s the schedule and street closures
The University of Iowa women’s and men’s basketball teams will celebrate their 2022 Big Ten Championships this Friday with Hawkeye Hoops from Downtown. The players will compete on a full-size court, set up near the corner of Iowa Avenue and Clinton Street, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Hawkeye fans will have their chance to watch […]
This Iowa City house party will feature a mini-drone, robotic cars and DIY mechanical bees — all to spark kids’ interest in STEAM
Mini-drones, programmable robots and small cars will cruise around the Science and Technology House Party this Sunday at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center. The free event is hosted by the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department to showcase its newest technology and promote the fall and winter STEAM programming. “Something I care a […]
Photo Gallery: Iowa City Farmers Market celebrates 50th anniversary
There were ostrich eggs and balloon animals, in addition to the regular fresh vegetables, fruit and meat in the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp on Saturday, as the Iowa City Farmers Market celebrated its 50th anniversary. There was also live music, a raffle and other family friendly activities to mark a half-century mark of this Iowa […]
The Iowa City Public Library wants to know what the heck you experienced during the pandemic
For Candice Smith, the pandemic blurred the last few years. “It has wiped my sense of time from my brain,” she said. The pandemic was another heavy stone tied to the heels of an already terrible year. Smith was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer on April Fool’s Day in 2019. At the same time, […]
Anaïs Mitchell and Bonny Light Horseman kick off tour in Iowa City
After performing in the Iowa Arts Festival in 2017, singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell is back in Iowa City, kicking off her tour with Bonny Light Horseman at the Englert Theatre. Her recently released self-titled album, the first after a decade of work on the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, is a quiet, intimate return to a familiar […]
MLK Day in Johnson County will include opportunities for public service, as well as storytime and art events for kids
It’s been 54 years since Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the final speech of his life, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” King had traveled to Memphis, Tennessee at the beginning of April 1968 to support striking workers from the city’s sanitation department. The strike began after two garbage collectors, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, died […]
REVOICED, TikTok’s ‘new fave guy group,’ bring their vocal harmonies to the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (Updated)
Update: On Thursday night, the Nov. 20 REVOICED concert was canceled. The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts will be providing refunds to ticket-buyers. Anyone with questions about refunds should email the CCPA box office or call 319-248-9370. The Quire of Eastern Iowa will host a concert featuring the vocal ensemble REVOICED at the […]
Iowa City’s new board game cafe is now open
Iowa City already had excellent stores for gamers, but unlike a lot of other college towns, it didn’t have a board game cafe near campus. That changed on Saturday, as Fortuna Board Game Café officially opened its doors on the Ped Mall. Fortuna’s owner, Justin Ford, is originally from Michigan and has moved to Iowa […]

