ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

The Dobson pipe organ at the University Dubuque has more than 3,000 pipes. (Photo: University of Dubuque)

University of Dubuque shows off its pipe organ

By Emmett McMenamy

In 2021, the University of Dubuque commissioned a new pipe organ. The instrument was part of the 2011 plans for the university’s Heritage Center, and the space for it was just waiting, empty since the center was built in 2013.

It took a few years to procure enough funds, but construction of the 3,033-pipe organ by the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders from Lake City, Iowa, began in 2018. Now that it’s complete, the university brings in one professional organist every semester to show off the magnificent instrument in its John and Alice Butler Pipe Organ Recital Series. This semester, the English organist David Briggs plans to play a repertoire that spans five centuries at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6.

Briggs’ interest in organ music started as a boy, when he sang in the choir at Birmingham Cathedral. Since then, he’s played around the world, including in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the annual Festival of Nine Lessons of Carols for a worldwide broadcast. Since 2017, he’s been the artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, but he still plays more than 50 concerts a year in London, Paris, Toronto, Berlin — and Dubuque.

“All of the organists we bring in are wonderful and nationally known, and some internationally known,” said Victoria Molle, the Heritage Center’s co-director.

She said the University of Dubuque is eager to offer music from accomplished organists who can pull out all the stops. “We’re here to feature our pipe organ because it is such a wonderful instrument,” she said.

Tickets and details are online.

Lace up: The Iowa Trail Run Series starts next month.

Take to the trails for a run ...

Explore the great outdoors all around Iowa, all year long, during the eighth annual Iowa Trail Run Series.

It’s a running fan’s dream. The series kicks off in Des Moines (April 5) and offers eight more runs over the next few months in Sugar Bottom near Solon (April 19 and Oct. 5), plus Ledges State Park near Boone (June 7), Ames (June 21), the Annett Nature Center in Indianola (Aug. 16), Yellow River State Forest near Harpers Ferry (Sept. 21), Jester Park near Granger (Sept. 28) and the Waubonsie State Park near Hamburg (Nov. 9).

Runners can choose to run as many sites as they’d like, and each place offers routes of varying distances. There are races for kids, too — a perfect opportunity to get away from screens and burn some energy outside.

Cyclists from several states tried out the rugged new trails at Cone Mountain Bike Park’s opening in June 2024. (Photo: Sioux City Parks & Rec)

... or on your bike

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 2024, 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. Or almost all levels.

“I’m not that brave,” said Ward Franz, who promotes sports tourism for Explore Sioux City.

But the very features that scare him off — twisty turns, narrow bridges, harrowing jumps — are what attract thrill-seekers from far and wide. During the opening weekend, Franz spotted license plates from as far as Colorado and Montana. He hopes the new park, where visitors can rent bikes on-site and practice on a “tot track” for beginners, will turn Sioux City into a mountain-biking destination like northwest Arkansas.

“When you see what Bentonville and other places have done, it’s just amazing,” he said. “I’m excited to see where it goes from here.”

In a literal sense, it goes far and wide. 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.

Construction crews are connecting more than 100 miles of recreational trails over the next few years. The multiphase plan includes:

The Big Sioux Pedestrian Bridge, which will connect Sioux City to Dakota Dunes, South Dakota.

The Loess Hills Scenic Trail, from Sioux City to Sergeant Bluff.

The PlyWood Trail, which will cut through Plymouth and Woodbury counties to link Sioux City, Hinton, Merrill and Le Mars. (For motivation, remember: Le Mars is the Ice Cream Capital of the World.)

Caption (Photo: Julien Dubuque International Film Festival)

Find a film festival in April

All kinds of movies from all over the world are coming to a theater near you in the next few weeks. The state’s steadily growing calendar of film festivals includes well-established events as well as newer offerings that focus on a particular theme.

Washington, April 12-13: Farm to Film Festival. The historic State Theatre, the world’s oldest continuously operating cinema, hosts a relatively new festival that aims to “harvest stories and cultivate dreams.” The free event showcases indie films about a broad range of thought-provoking topics and themes.

Des Moines, April 15-18: Des Moines Latino Film Festival. The $1 film fest at the Varsity Cinema explores untold stories from Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the United States, and celebrates Latino culture through food, art, music and live performances for viewers.

Dubuque, April 21-27: Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. Hundreds of U.S. and international filmmakers gather each year at Iowa’s biggest film festival for screenings, workshops and lively parties. Over the years, the event has welcomed everyone from “Game of Thrones” creator George R.R. Martin to Jon Heder, who played Napoleon Dynamite.

Iowa City, April 25-27: Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival. The 20th annual “IC Docs” fest is organized by University of Iowa students and showcases short films (30 minutes, tops) from all over the world.