National Cattle Congress: Iowa Time Machine October 10, 1910

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 10, 1910, the first National Cattle Congress (then Iowa Dairy Cattle Congress) came together in Waterloo. The iconic annual agricultural fair and year-round event space hasdrawn visitors from far and wide for over 110 years. After five previous dairy cattle congresses, other Midwestern...

Celebrate Fall at Red Rock Farms’ Fall Fest

We visit Red Rock Farms & Ruff House in Oelwein to see all the fun happening at Fall Fest, held every Saturday and Sunday through November 1!

Trunk-or-Treats, Parties, & Other Halloween Events in the Corridor & Cedar Valley

Halloween 2026 may still be a few weeks away, but the celebrations are happening here in Eastern Iowa all month long!

The 2026 Cedar Rapids Museum of Art Gala

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art’s annual Gala is Nov. 6. As the museum’s only fundraiser of the year, the event supports its educational and community outreach programs.

Reinbeck Public Library’s ‘Need One, Take One’ shelves benefit from Alliant Energy grant

REINBECK – This past August, the Reinbeck Public Library was awarded a generous $750 grant from Alliant Energy for its increasingly necessary Need One, Take One shelves. The Need One, Take One shelves are situated in the library’s entryway on the south side of the building, and offer 24/7 access to a selection of shelf-stable foods, dry goods, canned fruits and vegetables, as well as personal care and hygiene items. The shelves serve as a bolster to the Reinbeck Food Pantry located in City Hall, and offer a unique availability to the community with access on evenings and weekends.

Prospect takes third place at BOA

The Prospect Marching Knights (PMK) took home a third place finish at Bands of America (BOA) that happened on October third. They competed with 24 other bands that came from Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois, with the event being hosted at the University of Northern Iowa.

Theatre Cedar Rapids season begins with The Exorcist

Cast members share what audiences can expect as TCR brings the terrifying story to the Grandon Studio Stage Oct. 9–Nov. 1.

Dinnebier takes first place in Illinois

The UNI men’s and women’s golf teams were on the move last week to compete in two prestigious tournaments. The men’s team played in Madison, Illinois, on Sept. 28-29 in the SIUE Dolenc Invitational. That same day, the women’s team competed in the Diane Thomason Invitational in Pleasant Valley, hosted by the University of Iowa.

North Iowa gets a rare Carpenters concert experience in October

MASON CITY, Iowa — A tribute show celebrating the music of the Carpenters is coming to North Iowa Community Auditorium. The G.G. George Family and Henkel Construction will present "Carpenters: The Songs. The Stories." at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 on the NIACC campus. The performance is part of the 2026-2027 NIACC Performing Arts & Leadership Series.

Monday sports roundup — MCHS boys golf season ends at district meet, Lake Mills Invite cross country results

CEDAR FALLS — The Mason City High boys golf team had their season come to a close as they placed 12th at the 4A district tournament at Pheasant Ridge in Cedar Falls. Southeast Polk won the team title with a 290, while Cedar Falls and Dubuque Wahlert tied for second and qualified as teams for the state tournament with a 301. Nathan Berkley had Mason City’s low score with a 78. See the full results by clicking here.

Former Cedar Rapids Symphony director, conductor Richard Williams dies at 87

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Maestro Richard Williams, one of the most transformational directors of Orchestra Iowa in its 104-year history, died of intestinal cancer at his home in Santa Rosa, California, on Sept. 14. He was 87. Though his tenure was the shortest of all directors in Orchestra Iowa’s history, Williams led what was then called the Cedar Rapids Symphony through a remarkable transition from a community group to a professional metropolitan orchestra, positioning it for success decades after he departed. From 1970 to 1980, Cedar Rapids was but one stop in Williams’ illustrious career conducting orchestras around the world. Raised in Compton, California, he had almost no formal music training until he switched from a pre-medicine major in engineering to music theory and conducting at Long Beach State College. His first exposure to a live symphony orchestra was at 20 years old. “Like many children, I played piano when I was 5 years old but gave it up when I was 10,” he told the Des Moines Register. During his first year in Cedar Rapids, he turned a predominantly volunteer orchestra of about 50 members into a professional group of 86 through recruitment and auditions. About half the original

Your friendly local Spider-Man

As the semester begrudgingly pulls uphill, students at the University of Northern Iowa all need a boost. And sometimes that boost is your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man. If you have been to any football games or other campus events this semester, you most likely have seen the Panther Spider. In his...

Cedar Falls boys golf team qualifies for State Tournament

Berths to the boys State Golf Tournament were up for grabs Monday at District Meets across the state. In a District Meet hosted by Cedar Falls at Pheasant Ridge, Southeast Polk finished 1st, shooting a 290. Cedar Falls and Dubuque Wahlert tied for second at 301, and the second-place finish...

‘Beautiful and Haunting’ Works by UNI Art Professor on Display at Monmouth College

Beautiful, haunting dreams – the kind that stay with you well after you’ve risen for the day. The new art exhibition at Monmouth College, which features the work of a college art professor, Kenneth Hall, strives to create that sensation. Hall, a professor of drawing and painting at...

New Equipment Opens Door to Local History

The Howard-Winneshiek Genealogical Society recently completed a fundraising project to purchase a new ViewScan, computer and monitor for the public to use at the Cresco Library. The equipment is available free of charge to anyone interested in researching family history or learning more about the area's past. The new equipment...

Linn’s Haunted House carrying on tradition after founder Meryln Linn's death

North Iowa author puts local restaurants on the map

A North Iowa author hopes her latest book gives people a reason to try a new restaurant—and explore the community around it. Sarah Broers, who lives between Mason City and Rockwell, is the author of Unique Eats and Eateries of Iowa. She says the book focuses on the people and stories behind the food. Two Hampton businesses made the book: B&C Kitchen and God Fuel.

You’ll Feel Like You’ve Walked Into The Music Man At This Recreated Iowa Town Square

One moment you’re walking through an Iowa museum, and the next you’re standing on a recreated street that looks ready for a scene from The Music Man. At Music Man Square in Mason City, storefronts, signs, and period details recreate the small-town atmosphere that helped make Meredith Willson’s beloved musical feel so distinctly Midwestern.

Folk duo juni + betty to play Mason City's Artoberfest fundraiser

MASON CITY, Iowa — The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum will host its annual Artoberfest fundraiser on October 23. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $50 and can be purchased at the museum or on its website. The event is open to guests 21 and older. The fundraiser...