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Hey there, Iowa,
It’s been a soggy summer. But fear not: The heat and humidity will ease up, sooner or later, and we can look forward to crisp fall days and even crisper apples.
Autumn in Iowa is a great time to get out and experience the state’s true colors. Hillsides burst into oranges, reds and yellows along hiking and biking trails, and whole towns come alive with fall festivals, performances and more. The team here at ia has picked the juiciest finds for you to scroll down below.
Of course, this isn’t the last word on everything to do in the next few months. If you know of an event we've missed, please send your suggestions to editors@bpcdm.com. And remember: For more events in Central Iowa, subscribe to our dsmWeekly newsletter and quarterly dsm Season Previews.
Hailey Evans
Associate editor
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Dance to a different beat during Hispanic Heritage Month in Cedar Rapids. (Photo: Festival Latino of Cedar Rapids)
Around Iowa
Cultures collide in Cedar Rapids
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. So this year's Festival Latino of Cedar Rapids kicks off right on time, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 14 at the McGrath Amphitheatre. It's hosted by the nonprofit organization Latinos Unidos for Community Inclusion.
During the event, guests can immerse themselves in diverse food, art, music and dance from various Latin countries, represented by local volunteers and clubs. Watch the Parade of Nations and see how many flags you can identify, then head to the main stage to see a showcase of traditional dances and musical performances. There also will be activities for kids, including plenty of pinatas. Eat your way through a variety of food offerings or shop for souvenirs from artists and craft vendors.
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More Festivals
Princess City Carnival, Aug.16-17, Pocahontas. Dare to ride a few carnival rides and gorge on carnival classics like funnel cakes, caramel apples, cotton candy and more when the Scott Amusement Carnival comes to town for the weekend. It’s the same weekend as the Princess City Car Show, where you can admire classic and vintage cars or show off your own.
Cedar Valley Pridefest, Aug. 23-24, Waterloo. Cheer LGBTQ equity and inclusion during the two-day festival along West Fourth Street in downtown Waterloo. David Archuleta, Alisabeth Von Presley and others headline the main stage lineup, while more than 80 food, beverage, art and merchandise vendors line the block.
Onawa Harvest Festival, Sept. 5-8, Onawa. Enjoy food, music, artisan vendors and carnival rides during the ninth annual Harvest Festival in Onawa. Other activities include a pie-eating contest (pumpkin, of course), a floral arranging class, and wine and charcuterie tasting.
Fiesta Cultural de Clarion, Sept. 14, Clarion. Folk dancers, mariachi bands, a petting zoo and food trucks: Find them all at Gazebo Park in Clarion on the brink of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Apfelfest, Sept. 14, Amana Colonies. It’s officially apple season in Iowa. Enjoy harvest specialties like caramel apples, cider and apple doughnuts as you embark on the Apfelfest Sampling Stroll through town. Folks from Allen’s Orchard of Marion will also be on hand with fresh fruit to take home.
BrewNost, Sept. 20, Cedar Rapids. Sample fare from the city's best restaurants, local breweries and distilleries while supporting the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The event also features live music, auctions and raffles. Among the prizes: a trip to Prague!
AsianFest, Sept. 21, Cedar Rapids. Held throughout the NewBo City Market by the Iowa Asian Alliance, this festival is celebrating its 10th year. You’ll find food vendors, cultural performances, educational booths and more.
Oktoberfest, Oct. 4-6, Amana Colonies. Find a bounty of brats, brews and Bavarian competitions, including keg tossing, log sawing and yodeling. The musical lineup features great Iowa acts like Barefoot Becky & the Ivanhoe Dutchmen, plus the German folk group Alpensterne.
Harvest Festival Clear Lake, Oct. 5, Clear Lake. Spend the day shopping, snacking and enjoying the fall weather all day along Main Avenue, where you’ll find a farmers market, food and beverage samples, merchandise, live music, hay rides and more autumnal activities.
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The national tour of "Shrek: The Musical" visits Ames on Oct. 20. (Photo: CYork Photography)
Arts & Culture
Coming soon to a university near you
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More Arts & Culture
ArtSplash, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, Sioux City. The Sioux City Art Center hosts its 30th annual community festival with dozens of exhibitors, a full lineup of live performances and the concurrent Sioux City International Film Festival.
Alley Art Festival, Sept. 21, Sioux City. Stroll through downtown to see more than 140 murals, old and new, during this family-friendly celebration of creativity.
Art in the Garden, Sept. 21, Jefferson. Head to downtown’s Thomas Jefferson Gardens to enjoy artists’ booths, “chalk the walk” art, food trucks, live music and more.
Lincoln Highway Arts Festival, Sept. 21, Mount Vernon. Dozens of artists, musicians and other creative folks showcase their work in the annual street fair hosted by the Mount Vernon Area Arts Council.
Pear Fair, Sept. 21, Cedar Falls. The local Mohair Pear gallery overflows its brick-and-mortar space for its annual outdoor art fair on College Hill.
Okoboji Writers’ Retreat, Sept. 22-25, Okoboji. There’s still time to enroll in the ever-evolving retreat for authors, journalists, poets, songwriters and various other creative wordsmiths. The annual event started in 2021 and has grown ever since, now with 70 workshops, 25 panels and more than 50 professional speakers.
Greater Quad Cities Renaissance Faire, Sept. 28-29, Davenport. Head out to Credit Island for two days of time-traveling fun for the whole family.
PocaHAUNTus, Oct. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, Pocahontas. Considering the town name, a haunted house event was probably inevitable. But folks from the local chamber of commerce and fire department have gone above and beyond, winning a 2024 Iowa Tourism Award for an “outstanding niche market initiative.” The website promises (threatens) a “terrifying experience,” with strobe lights, fog machines and a mandatory signed waiver from all who enter. Yikes.
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Take your honey out for a special dinner at Lone Oaks Farm. (Photo: Getty Images)
Food & Dining
The buzz about a honey dinner in Winterset
Even as you read this, diligent bees are working to prepare a sweetly unique dinner at Lone Oaks Farm north of Winterset. At the Honey Dinner, Oct. 10, guests will sample four artisanal honeys, both on their own and incorporated into dishes throughout the multicourse meal.
The tastings will be led by “honey sommelier” Katie Flinn of Milk & Honey Orchard and Apiary in Indianola. She first got into honey during her Air Force service, when she collected honey jars from around the world, and then continued with a “honey sensory education” program in Italy. Now she’s in a program through Boston University, working toward a Ph.D. in gastronomy with an emphasis in food anthropology and honey culture.
The menu will be overseen by Aaron Holt, who runs his family’s 61-acre organic Doolittle Farm in Story City. He has worked at several prominent restaurants in the area, most recently at RoCA, and was named the Iowa Restaurant Association’s Chef of the Year in 2018.
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More Food & Dining
Pizza on the Prairie, every Friday through September, Orient. Start off the weekend right with a trip to the Wallace Centers of Iowa, where you can enjoy wood-fired pizzas made from ingredients grown right on the Wallace family’s historic farm. On Sunday, Aug. 25, head out early to watch Renaissance man Chad Elliott paint an open-air painting before he performs a an outdoor concert. You can preorder your “Paint the Park” picnic online.
Adel Sweet Corn Festival, Aug. 10, Adel. Start fasting now: The 45th annual celebration features all the free sweet corn you can eat. Before and after the feast, enjoy the parade, concerts, street party and plenty more.
Montrose Watermelon Festival, Aug. 15-17, Montrose. For almost 80 years now, the riverside town in Iowa’s southeast corner has hosted a community festival with watermelon-eating contests, a carnival, a parade and plenty of live entertainment.
Brine and Dine Mason City, Aug. 24, Mason City. Sometimes, it’s not so bad to be “in a pickle.” Try a whole range of pickle-inspired dishes and drinks at more than a dozen local restaurants, bars and even Birdsall’s ice cream shop.
Food Truck Festival, Aug. 31, Waterloo. This relatively new annual tradition has already become a highlight of the city’s summer calendar, when a fleet of food trucks will entice visitors to a moveable feast at the RiverLoop Expo Plaza.
Iowa Craft Brew Bash, Sept. 1, Amana. Millstream Brewing Co. hosts one of the biggest beer bashes in Iowa, with samples of beer, cider and other concoctions from more than 50 breweries and distilleries across the state.
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Cone Mountain Bike Park opened in June in Sioux City. (Photo: Sioux City Parks and Recreation)
Around Iowa
Climb every mountain bike trail in Sioux City
It took millions of years for wind-blown dust to form the scenic Loess Hills that hug Iowa’s western edge. Sioux City’s Cone Mountain Bike Park went up a lot faster.
In June, during the grand opening that capped off a half-dozen years of planning and work, professional mountain bikers pumped up the hills and rocketed back down, careening around hairpin turns and flying skyward off ramps. They raced through several routes, from roughly 1.5 to 3.5 miles, designed for bikers of all levels.
The new mountain bike park is just one component of a massive project to develop the Siouxland Regional Trail System. In 2022, a $7 million Destination Iowa grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority shifted the project into high gear.
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More Outdoor Recreation
Bike Trail & History Tour Ride, Aug. 17, Jewell. Learn a little local history, and burn some calories along the way, during a guided bike tour. For bonus points, pedal on to Ellsworth and back for a 34-mile round trip.
Bike Van Buren XXXVIII, Aug. 17-18, Keosauqua. The route through the scenic Villages of Van Buren County changes from one year to the next, so start in Keosauqua and pick up a map. From there, explore the towns that date to the 1840s, tucked in some of the most beautiful wooded hills in Iowa.
Trailside Tastings, Aug. 29, Cedar Rapids. Stroll through the prairie at the Indian Creek Nature Center, where local food vendors and musicians will set up booths along the trail.
University of Okoboji Oktoberfest Bike Ride, Sept. 28, Okoboji. The tagline says it all: “Bikes. Beers. Boji. Barrels of fun!” Head back to “school” with an 18-mile ride on the scenic trails and roads near West Lake Okoboji. Afterward, enjoy live music and various competitive shenanigans that involve bean bags, beer kegs and rubber duckies.
Whiterock Wander Equestrian Clinic, Oct. 12, Coon Rapids. There’s nothing like a horseback ride to enjoy the fall foliage at the Whiterock Conservancy.
Luminary Night Hike Hamilton County, Oct. 24, Fort Dodge. Follow the lanterns along the trail for a nighttime hike through Briggs Woods Park. Naturalists will be on hand to share a few tips about the flora and fauna, including owls.
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The Old Capitol on the Pentacrest. (Photo: Thinkiowacity.com)
Destinations
Fun and games in Iowa City
Iowa City is a great place to visit at any time of year but especially during the first weekend in September, when this year's Cy-Hawk football matchup lands on Sept. 7. No matter if you're a Cyclone or a Hawkeye, the city’s countless charms will keep you entertained long after the teams score their final points. Here’s our guide for an action-packed weekend.
STAY: If you’re looking to park it downtown, the Graduate Iowa City hotel is our favorite option for a walkable weekend, and it’s just 20 minutes from Kinnick Stadium. The space is decked in Hawkeye regalia, including vintage-look wrestling posters and silhouettes of the late Gene Wilder, who earned a theater degree from the University of Iowa in 1955.
EAT: The famous alumnus is further honored in the Graduate’s restaurant, the Wilder, which opened in May 2023. Their specialty gameday menu includes house wings, truffle parmesan pretzel fingers and sweet corn nachos. On a non-gameday, you can still clinch a W if you order the Iowa Gold burger, with Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions on a Jiyu-wagyu beef patty.
In the Northside neighborhood, just north of downtown, the Webster serves “relaxed but refined” American cuisine like whole Wisconsin trout with snap peas and buttermilk, and asparagus agnolotti with ricotta and black truffles. It’s run by chef Sam Gelman, who worked as sous chef at Momofuku Ko in Manhattan under celebrity chef David Chang before returning home to Iowa City.
If you’ve had a bit too much tailgating and need something comforting, head to Bluebird Diner for breakfast all day with staples such as omelets and eggs Benedict. Then pop next door to Wild Culture Kombucha for a flight of potable probiotics.
DO: Independent boutiques abound around town. There are more than 60 options, including clothing, books, jewelry, botanical shops and gifts. Our favorite spot for gifts is RSVP in the Northside neighborhood, where you’ll find cards, candles, jewelry, handbags and other easy-carry items. Pick up a new read from Prairie Lights Books & Cafe — you’re in the UNESCO City of Literature after all. And if you’re feeling artsy, tour artist studios and exhibitions at Public Space One or stop by the Stanley Museum of Art on campus.
This article has been updated from its original version, written by Beth Eslinger in 2022.
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