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.

Tommy’s Restaurant continues Cedar Rapids growth with First Avenue opening

CEDAR RAPIDS — After years of change, a family restaurant returns to First Avenue for the first time in over 30 years. This time, with a new owner. Tommy’s Restaurant, a subtle fixture in the diner scene of Cedar Rapids for over 60 years, has kept itself going through several changes in ownership thanks to a close connection with customers. Now, at the helm of owners Steve Baker Jr. and Morgan Baker, a new vision for growth is taking hold. With a vacancy left by the departure of Outback Steakhouse, the owners are making good on a vision for growth through a new outlet on First Avenue — this time, a tad further east and south than the last time Tommy’s called the thoroughfare home. Next generation Tommy’s was the restaurant that got Steve Baker Jr. into the industry on his 14th birthday, when his father dropped him off for his first job in October 1991. “He said ‘it’s time for you to get to work,’” Baker said. “And so that’s how I started. For eight years, he worked at Tommy’s Restaurant until he decided it was time to learn a technical trade — 12-volt electrical systems for cars. “I

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.

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.

The Old Collins Road Hy-Vee Is Now a Massive New Fitness Center

Iowa’s first VASA Fitness is opening this week in Cedar Rapids. Here’s what you’ll find inside the massive new fitness center!

Chickens Can Come Home to Roost in Charles City After Ordinance Passes

Ownership of urban chickens in Charles City is legal after the City Council approved the third reading of an ordinance Monday (Oct. 5) night. The ordinance had to go through the approval process for a second time after it failed to advance past its initial second reading in August after a 2-2 vote, due to the absence of Councilwoman Krista Noah, a supporter of the ordinance. Monday night, a similar fate appeared possible with another supporter, Councilwoman Phoebe Pittman not in attendance for the latest vote.

VASA Fitness rebrands and plans nearly 20 new clubs in 2027

Rebrand includes redesigned website and members-only app. Expanded strength training with Life Fitness and Studio Pilates. Greenwood Village-based VASA Fitness announced a rebrand earlier this month that includes a redesigned website and mobile app, expanded fitness offerings and new club designs scheduled to debut in 2027. The company plans to...

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...

Regulars Keep Coming Back To This Marion, Iowa Cafe For All-Day Biscuits, Gravy, And Huge Home-Style Plates

Some breakfast places make you feel like a guest. Others make you feel like family before you even sit down. In one small Iowa town, there is a cafe where the hostess remembers your usual order, the plates arrive stacked high, and the same faces show up week after week just to say hello. The prices stay friendly, the food comes out fast and hot, and the atmosphere leans old-fashioned in the best way.

Five Restaurants Named Tenderloin Finalists

Iowa’s iconic breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is once again taking center stage as the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) announces the five finalists in its 2026 Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest. The five finalists, listed alphabetically, are:. Friends Hide-A-Way — Underwood. Landmark Grill & Grind — Williamsburg.

5 Mom and Pop Restaurants in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that Locals Swear By

Cedar Rapids, Iowa — a city stitched together by the slow bend of the Cedar River, where brick mills and painted murals stand as sentinels to resilience, and where the laughter of families and the hum of industry mingle in the summer air. Here, Czech heritage and Midwestern warmth meet in every handshake, every festival, every plate passed across a crowded table. The neighborhoods pulse with the stories of newcomers and old-timers, of artists and engineers, of dreamers who build and rebuild, again and again.

‘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...

This Tiny Eastern Iowa Diner Serves Plate-Sized Pancakes That Have Become A Local Legend

I thought I was ordering a pancake. Then the plate showed up, and suddenly that description felt a little dishonest. The thing stretched almost to the edges, with barely enough room left for butter and syrup. My first reaction was to laugh. My second was to start wondering whether ordering...

Wild bear raids Nexstar reporter’s garage fridge

"We caught him again."

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

Marion church holds annual pet blessing

MARION, Iowa — Faith Lutheran Church in Marion held its annual Blessing of the Pets Jubilee on Saturday, welcoming people and their furry — and not-so-furry — companions. Dogs, cats, hamsters, reptiles and other pets received individual blessings at the church. People also could bring stuffed animals...