 | What's Happening In Cedar Rapids | | Entertainment Guide For Cedar Rapids, IA |
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Cedar Rapids has plenty of museums and local attractions to keep you busy. There are many places you can take your children or just go yourself. Whether it is historical, playtime, shopping or learning, we have a little bit of everything!
Something missing? Email me!
African American Historical Museum
55 12th Ave SE 862-2101
blackiowa.org
New Exhibit
"No Roads Lead To Buxton"
This exhibit chronicles the history of a small Iowa coal town that was touted as a "black man's utopia" because of its integration and opportunity for African Americans in the early twentieth century
"Spirits and Sequins"
Spirits & Sequins is a display of nearly 30 Haitian drapos on loan from the Waterloo Center for the Arts.
French Colonists enslaved many people in west and central Africa and brought them to Haiti. In order to preserve their own beliefs, the Haitians associated African deities with Catholic saints. These spirits, or Ioa, are depicted in prayer flags called drapos.
"Learning Safari: The Big Redtail Regatta"
Mar 11 10:30 AM Westdale Mall Library
Find out who the Tuskegee Airmen were, and learn about the “redtail” planes they flew. Create redtail paper airplanes and compete in a paper airplane regatta & flying contest. Will your aircraft go the farthest or the highest?
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Bever Park Children's Zoo
2700 Bever Ave SE 319-286-5761
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Bloomsbury Farm
3260 69th St, Atkins, IA 319-446-7667
bloomsburyfarm.com
At Bloomsbury Farm we work hard to give your family an opportunity to laugh and learn, while engaging in a variety of fun activities.
We are also a great choice for private parties, groups, weddings and companies looking to have a fun-filled outing.
We are famous for our family farm. Our pumpkin patch and corn maze attract thousands of people every year.
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Brucemore 
brucemore.org
319-362-7375
The View From The Backstairs Tour
Apr 3, 10, 17 & 24 9:30 AM
The View From the Back Stairs tour offers visitors an opportunity to understand Brucemore from the perspectives of the many domestic servants who worked and lived at the estate between 1907 and 1937. Guests are led through the Visitor Center, the workers’ village, and the mansion by a guide dressed as an early twentieth century servant. The tour highlights the duties and daily lives of domestic and grounds workers employed at Brucemore. Also explored is the relationship these workers had with the Douglases, the second family to own Brucemore. Photographs and documents from the Brucemore archives provide a unique view of the grand estate and the servants whose efforts supported the Douglas family’s lifestyle.
Admission is $10 per person and $7 per Brucemore member. Space is limited. Call (319) 362-7375 for reservations or register online now.
Seasonal Landscape Hike - Spring
Apr 22 6 PM
Welcome the changing of the seasons by joining the Brucemore gardeners on for this 90-minute hike that will emphasize the renewal of spring through the sights and sounds found on the Brucemore estate. Experience a sea of budding bluebells, wildflowers sprouting, and the pond awakening after winter’s slumber. Brucemore gardeners take participants off the beaten path into the natural areas of the 26-acre estate.
The tour will explore current issues of preservation and public use as well as the seasonal chores spring requires. Hear stories of the spring activities of the Brucemore families, like picking wildflowers for May Day baskets, and much more! Participants will have ample opportunity to ask questions and seek advice about their own gardens.
Admission is $10.00 per person and $7.00 per Brucemore member. Space is limited. Please register online or by calling (319) 362-7375.
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Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
www.crma.org
Permanent Art In Roman Life
Permanent Mauricio Lasansky: Master Printmaker
Midwestern Visions: Grant Wood, Marvin Cone and Beyond
Spring Training Art Class-Ages 6-12
Choose from two identical weeks: March 16-18 or March 23-25. Ages 6-12 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and ages 13+ from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Spend your spring break with the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and The Shop Next Door!
Tuesday – Drawing
Make your own sketchbook
Learn to draw from a professional artist
Make a custom frame for your favorite drawing
Wednesday – Recycled Art
Find out what happens to trash we throw out
Meet an artist who creates sculptures from recycled trash
Create your own masterpiece from recyclable materials
Thursday – Fashion
Meet artists who create wearable art
Customize your own t-shirt
Created beaded jewelry to keep or give as a gift
Register your child now–space is limited! Call The Shop Next Door at 319.363.3177 or email Heather at Heather@BrewedAwakeningsCR.com. Camp will be held at The Shop Next Door: 111 13th Street SE, Cedar Rapids (directly behind Brewed Awakenings Coffeehouse).
Registration is $75 per child for the week of your choice. Fee includes art materials, artist presenters, and delicious snacks from the Brewed Awakenings kitchen!
Free Signed Tour For The Hearing Impaired
Mar 25 7-8 PM
Join the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art for a special tour on Thursday, March 25th at 7:00 p.m. The tour is free and open to the public, and will be translated for the hearing impaired by Kirkwood’s Sign Language Interpretation students.
Doodlebugs Preschool Program at Hiawatha Public Library: Shape-Shiftin
Mar 26 10:30 AM
Learn about shapes, go on a shape-hunt, and even make samples by biting shapes from snacks!
SmArt Saturday...Get Smart About Art!
Apr 3 10:30-3 PM
An afternoon of free activities for kids and families! Gallery admission will be charged for adults.
Art Bites
Apr 7 12:15 PM
Join CRMA Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Sean Ulmer as he provides a visual twist to the classic sound bite in a 15-minute discussion of one of our exhibitions. Free gallery admission for this program only. The program will begin at 12:15 p.m. Feel free to bring your lunch and enjoy it afterward in our Bacchanale Room
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Cedar Rapids Scottish Rite Center
616 A Ave NE 364-2904
www.crscottishrite.org
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Coe College Permanent  Collection of Art
www.coe.edu
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Czech Village 
www.czechvillageiowa.com
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El Kahir Shrine Center
1400 Blairs Ferry Rd NE 319-395-0109
wlkahir.org
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Genealogical Society of Linn County
813 1st Ave SE 369-0022
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Grant Wood Studio and Visitor Center
www.grantwoodstudio.org
Guided tours on the hour
Open Fri-Sun 12 PM-4 PM
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Hawkeye Downs 
www.hawkeyedownsspeedway.com
Bingo every Thur, Sat at 6:30 PM Sun at 5 PM
Mar 8 Kirkwood Dog Classes
Mar 9 Kirkwood Dog Classes
Mar 10 Kirkwood Dog Classes
Mar 12 WMT Lawn & Garden Show
Mar 13 WMT Lawn & Garden Show, Midwest Appraisal Auction
Mar 14 WMT Lawn & Garden Show
Mar 15 Kirkwood Dog Classes
Mar 16 Kirkwood Dog Classes, Thiesen's
Mar 17 Kirkwood Dog Classes, Thiesen's
Mar 20 Wear's Auction
Mar 26 Gun Show
Mar 27 Gun Show
Mar 28 Gun Show
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The Carl & Mary Koehler History Center
www.historycenter.org
Admission: $5 for families, $3 for adults and $1 for students and seniors.
"Chautauqua Movement Exhibit"
"Union Station Fireplace"
"Danceland Ballroom Exhibit"
Civil War Re-enactors
Mar 13 10-2 PM
Visit with retired members of the 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment in uniform, and hear stories about crucial battles and events that took place during the Civil War. This will be their final appearance here at the History Center for this season.
Craft Quilt
Mar 20 10:30 AM
Each child will create a "quilt" to take home. The East Iowa Heirloom Quilters will present the workshop. The group will begin by examining comtemporary and historic quilts. Children will then glue fabric in traditional quilt designs.
Share Your Stories
Mar 20 2-3 PM
Come to this class and bring your favorite story to share with others in the group. This is a non-critical, fun and enjoyable time with others who are also aspiring writers and storytellers. Come and see what it's all about.
Iowa Vanguard Jazz Collective at the History Center First Tuesday of each month 7 p.m. Admission by Donation
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Indian Creek Nature  Center
6665 Otis Rd SE 319-362-0664
http://www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org
Maple Syruping For Preschoolers & Parents
Mar 9 9:30 AM
This unique, fun pioneer activity can only be experienced in late winter. Listen to an American Indian legend, tap a tree, learn how we gather and boil sap, and visit the Maple Sugar House to see how sap becomes syrup. The hour ends with a taste of our real maple syrup on ice cream! Call 362-0664 to register. $4/PERSON
Night Walks: Waning Crescent Moon Walks
Mar 12 7 PM
The waning crescent moon slips toward new moon as the earth turns toward the vernal equinox. A warming south wind softens the crust of snow. Animals migrate and spring peepers call. Join us while we wander the trails and take in the night sky. Dress warmly for these walks on Nature Center trails. We have an indoor alternative in case of cloudy skies. Call 362-0664 to register. MEMBER ADULT:$3-NONMEMBER ADULT:$5-CHILD:$1
It's Maple Syruping Time!
Mar 13 1 PM
Enjoy a guided maple syruping experience to learn about American Indian and early Colonial sugarmaking. Learn to identify a maple tree in winter, discover how maple trees make sweet sap, use the sugarmaker's tools to tap a tree, and visit a Vermont-style sugarhouse to learn how sap becomes syrup. End with a taste of maple syrup on ice cream. Call 362-0664 to register. $3/PERSON
It's Maple Syruping Time!
Mar 19 2 PM
Enjoy a guided maple syruping experience to learn about American Indian and early Colonial sugarmaking. Learn to identify a maple tree in winter, discover how maple trees make sweet sap, use the sugarmaker's tools to tap a tree, and visit a Vermont-style sugarhouse to learn how sap becomes syrup. End with a taste of maple syrup on ice cream. Call 362-0664 to register. $3/PERSON
It's Maple Syruping Time!
Mar 20 2 PM
Enjoy a guided maple syruping experience to learn about American Indian and early Colonial sugarmaking. Learn to identify a maple tree in winter, discover how maple trees make sweet sap, use the sugarmaker's tools to tap a tree, and visit a Vermont-style sugarhouse to learn how sap becomes syrup. End with a taste of maple syrup on ice cream. Call 362-0664 to register. $3/PERSON
Deep Nature: Photographs From Iowa
Mar 21 2 PM
Linda and Robert Scarth will show images from and discuss their recent book, "Deep Nature: Photographs from Iowa," published by the University of Iowa Press. The Scarths specialize in photographing the small, lovely flora and fauna that live in grass, under trees and along wetlands. This book celebrates the beauty of Iowa, especially when closely observed. The Scarths' book will be available to purchase. Call 362-0664 to register.
It's Maple Syruping Time!
Mar 26 2 PM
Enjoy a guided maple syruping experience to learn about American Indian and early Colonial sugarmaking. Learn to identify a maple tree in winter, discover how maple trees make sweet sap, use the sugarmaker's tools to tap a tree, and visit a Vermont-style sugarhouse to learn how sap becomes syrup. End with a taste of maple syrup on ice cream. Call 362-0664 to register. $3/PERSON
Burn School
Mar 27 10 AM-4 PM
Participants will learn about the history and role of fire in prairie, how to set goals and develop burn plans, safe techniques for prescribed fires, fire equipment, and how to conduct a prairie burn. Wear old, natural fiber clothing. Bring leather gloves, a water bottle, and a sack lunch. CALL 362-0664 BY 4 PM ON THURSDAY, MARCH 25 TO REGISTER. MEMBER:$10-NONMEMBER:$15
Green and Simple: Edible Landscaping
Mar 28 2 PM
Edible landscaping is about yards that taste as good as they look! Judy Kash will provide suggestions and encouragement for growing your own fresh food--even with limited time, experience, money, and garden space. Seed Exchange: Bring your extra garden seeds to trade with other gardeners. Learn how to save seeds for next year. Heritage Seeds from Seed Savers Exchange may be purchased. Call 362-0664 to register. MEMBER:$5-NONMEMBER:$8
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Iowa Islamic Heritage & Cultural Center
1335 9th St SW 319-366-3150
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Iowa Masonic Library &  Museums
www.gl-iowa.org
Free tours Mon-Fri
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Lindale Mall
4444 1st Ave NE 319-393-9393
lindalemall.com
Cedar Rapids Skyhawks Mall Show
Mar 13 9-5 PM
See model aircraft displayed at the Lindale Mall food court. Aircraft of all types including: Warbirds, Jets, Stunt Planes, and Helicoptors. Try your hand at flying on Radio Control Airplane simulators. Free magazines available and information on how to join the Cedar Rapids Skyhawks.
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National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library 
www.ncsml.org
4444 1st Avenue NE, in the corridor next to Younkers and behind Holley’s Store for Men 319-294-5354
Permanent Exhibitions
"Homelands: The Story of the Czech & Slovak People"
"Pack Your Bags:Journey To America"
Traditional Egg Decorating with Master Folk Artist Marj Nejdl
Mar 20 9 AM NCSML
Mar 20 1 PM NCSML Kosek Building
Learn the traditional folk art of egg decorating using the wax resist technique.
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Paul Engle Center
1600 4th Ave SE 360-5119
Named after a Cedar Rapids native and renowned writer, the Paul Engle Center for Neighborhood Arts provides accommodating space for men, women and children to interact, create, discover, express, explore and broaden the cultural and artistic talents of Wellington Heights and greater Cedar Rapids.
"Rendition"
Mar 12 6:30 PM
Potluck dinner and movie
Sponsored by:
Women For Peace
Arts Cinema~ Free Friday Night Flicks
A very timely film. Very current, speaks morally and ethically to our life and time with elucidation, depth and profundity with a BRILLIANT International Cast~
Imagine you have just been on a plane for 18 hours. You have been on a business trip to South Africa. You are a high-paid professional. You've lived in the US for 20 years. You are in your thirties, you have a wife a little boy and another baby on the way. One thing, even though you have a green card, you are
still Egyptian. On transit you are asked to come with 2 security guards, next thing you know you are overpowered, hooded and chained and after a brief ( but still reasonably civil) interrogation you are to be rendered! This is what happens to Anwar el Ibrahimi at the beginning of the movie. His is a story of
pain and ( literally )torture. It's one of several story lines. One follows his wife's attempts to get more information. One follows the (cold) bureaucrats behind the rendition. Another story deals with the family of the man who leads the interrogation of Anwar el Ibrahimi. There are some other stories too and by
the end they all neatly come together. Though the more famous actors like Reese Witherspoon ( as the distraught pregnant wife ) Jake Gyllenhaal ( as the CIA rookie forced to watch the interrogation in Northern Africa) and Meryl Streep (as CIA hotshot Corine Whitman) it is really the more unknown actors that carry
the story and give it it's heart. For me the actor playing the unfortunate Mr El Ibrahimi ( Omar Metwally ) was the heart and soul of this movie. His portrayal of a man in distress was shockingly well done. It's almost as if he was being
tortured for real! Also Israeli actor Yigal Naor was very impressive as the part worried family-man and part extremely cruel chief of torture. Viewing this film is very worthwhile.
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Science Station
sciencestation.org
 Main Level Lindale Mall
We're pleased to announce that our lower level location off Center Court has been converted into our Education Center and will soon be remodeled into classrooms for summer camp. This space will also be used for school groups and special programming.
Exhibit Gallery
Real World Robots is no longer with us, and we wish to thank St. Luke's Hospital for sponsoring this engaging exhibit and the Linn County Solid Waste Management Agency for partnering with programs. Now in that space in the changing gallery are 14 hands-on exhibits from our downtown location. Come and check them out sometime.
The "new" exhibits explore magnetism, electricity, weather, and several other physical science concepts, so we've restocked our bookshelves with new books on those subjects, along with other fun books filled with science experiments you can try at home. Other new merchandise will be arriving soon.
Throughout the school year, we will be closed on Mondays. Regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday from noon to 5 PM. (The office will still be open, in case you're trying to reach us.)
Every Thursday morning from 10-11 AM in our upstairs gallery, we feature Pre-School Power Hour, free with museum admission. The first and third Thursdays brings the Cedar Rapids Public Library's Story Hour our way. The second Thursday, we welcome the Edgar Wibble Puppet Theater. Other Thursdays, our education staff will entertain and inform the little ones with a hands-on program.
Rocket In-Service
NASA Education Specialists are visiting
Science Station to conduct a one-day
workshop on the Basics of Rocketry on April 24th!
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Seminole Valley Farm Museum
1400 Seminole Valley Rd NE 319-378-9240
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Tree of Five Seasons
1st Ave & 1st St NE
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Ushers Ferry Historic Village
www.cedar-rapids.org/ushers
Usher's Ferry Theatre Company Melodrama: Lovely Mary From Usher's Ferry
Mar 18-20, 25-27 7:30 PM
Ushers Ferry Theater Company presents an original old fashioned Melodrama written by the Ushers Ferry Theater players. Cheer the Hero and Boo the Villain as the lovely Mary Usher struggles to save her family's sawmill from the nefarious Horace Flinthart. Will dashing hero Harry Stoutheart arrive in time to save the day? Will Osgood Shepard get his due for driving a stolen beer wagon without a license? Will Patina the maid ever get the house clean? Come to the show and find out!
Easter Egg Hunt & Easter Tea
Apr 3 10:45 AM
Celebrate Easter with an egg hunt at Ushers Ferry! The Village will open at 10:45 a.m. and the day will begin with the egg hunt at 11:00 a.m. followed by storytelling with the Ushers Ferry storytellers, a coloring contest and Easter Egg Games. Village interpreters will demonstrate Easter Crafts such as egg dying and decorating. Children may dress in their Easter best and participate in the Easter Bonnet Parade around the Gazebo.
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Child (12 yrs and under) $5 for CR residents, $7 for non-residents. Adults Free
A special Easter Tea is available to those attending the Egg Hunt for a fee of $4 per person. (The fee is the same for both adult and child. All children must be accompanied by an adult). The Easter Tea includes Tea and crumpets, old-fashioned Easter Parlor games and live music in one of the Village's Historic Buildings. Seating is limited. Pre-registration is required!
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Westdale Mall
2600 Edgewood Rd SW 319-390-4759
shopwestdale.com
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Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center 
10260 Morris Hills Rd, Toddville 892-6485
linncountyparks.com
Every Sunday 1-4 PM Learning Center Exhibits
Science For Squirts: Spectacular Spiders
Mar 10 10 AM
Meet our friendly and fuzzy Wickiup Hill spider, sing some spider songs, and eat a spider snack! For children ages 3-5. Register by March 3 online or by calling 892-6485. Cost is $2/child.
The Astronomy Of Star Trek
Mar 13 7:30 PM
In the early years of the Space Age, Gene
Roddenberry envisioned a time when humankind peacefully traveled to the stars and explored our galaxy while last year a feature movie breathed new life into the decades old adventure. Beam over tonight for an encore and updated talk about where the writers got the science right and where they got it a bit wrong. Weather permitting, observing through CAA telescopes will follow. Donations accepted. Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center
1365 Ivanhoe Rd
Sandhill Crane Bus Tour
Mar 20 7 AM-9 PM
Each spring up to 500,000 sandhill cranes can be found along the Platte River between Kearney and Grand Island, Nebraska. Seeing this large group of cranes and hearing their rattling calls is a spectacular experience. The cranes stage at this area to refuel on their northward trip to their breeding grounds. The Linn and Buchanan County Conservation Departments are cosponsoring a bus trip to Kearney from March 20 - 22 to view this spectacular migration. We will also make stops at the Iowa State Historical Museum in Des Moines. We will spend one night and part of a day in Omaha visiting the Durham Museum. We will also visit the Nebraska Natural History Museum in Lincoln. The trip will culminate with an evening observation of the cranes as they return to roost in the Platte River.
Hunter Education Class
Mar 29 6:30-9 PM
Are you a youngster who’s interested in doing some hunting? Are you an adult interested in heading west for a hunting trip? If your answer is “yes,” then you may be interested in attending these classes. Classes will be held at Wickiup Hill from 6:30-10 p.m. each evening. If you want to obtain an Iowa hunting license and you were born after January 1, 1972, it’s mandatory that you complete hunter education training. The class is free as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources provides all course materials. Attendance at all three classes is necessary to receive certification. Participants must be 12 years old to use their certificates. To register, go online to the DNR Training Center at https://ww.iowadnr.gov/ training/ and search for Linn County classes.
 
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