Small-town Iowa celebrations are back! As we approach Fourth of July weekend, here are a few spots around the state to find some fun.

Independence: What a better place to spend Independence Day than the town that bears the same name? Events kick off Friday, July 2, with concerts, yard games and more. The celebration carries over into Saturday, July 3, with a reading of the Declaration of Independence, a parade, and in the evening fireworks over the Wapsipinicon River.

Clear Lake: Head to the north part of the state on July 2, 3 and 4 and check out the all-day Lakeside Vendor Market, with locally made crafts, plus food trucks, bingo, amusement rides and more. Live music begins at 7 p.m. on July 2 and 3. The lauded fireworks show starts at 10 p.m. on July 4 over the lake.

Storm Lake: In northwest Iowa, nearly 500 fireworks will light up the sky as a part of the Storm Lake Star Spangled Spectacular event. Activities take place July 3 and 4, including an artist showcase, live music, car show and vendors, among others. Fireworks shoot off at dusk on July 4.

Writer: Michael Morain
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

Some people think outside the box. In Waterloo, artists and city leaders are thinking outside the whole building.

Writer: Michael Morain
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

Raise a glass to the Wide River Winery: Its tasting room in Davenport won an award this month for historic preservation.

The little green building perches on a hill in the Village of East Davenport, a nationally designated historic district that started as a working-class neighborhood on the Mississippi River. The house was built in the 1850s and became a boarding house in the late 1800s, after the railroad came through. It passed from one owner to the next over the next century until the Clinton-based winery owners, Dorothy O’Brien and Charlie Pelton, turned the house into a good spot to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the world go by.

The transformation made use of State Historic Preservation Tax Credits, which enabled the owners to make various improvements. “New stairs, new walls, new electricity, new plumbing – we did it all,” O’Brien says. They added a new deck and patio, too, all while staying true to the house's historic character.

She delights in the fact that it “used to provide food, drinks and a place to rest for the railroad travelers,” she says. “And so here we are a few years later, providing food, drinks and a little vacation getaway, even if it’s only for an afternoon.”

The tasting room, formerly known as the Peter Lampe House, was one of 11 properties across the state that won awards during the recent Preserve Iowa Summit, presented annually by the State Historic Preservation Office. Next year’s conference is set for June 16-18, 2022, in Mason City.

Writer: Kelsey Batschelet

Covered in walnut trees and creeping vines, with a ceiling that was near to caving in, the Iowa City farmhouse on Foster Road appeared to be a lost cause. But Bobby Jett took one look at the house, tucked into a walnut grove, and had a vision.

“My dream was to return the house to its original footprint—exactly as it was when it was built,” says Jett, a photographer, gardener and baker who manages rental properties in Iowa City.

Constructed the same year Iowa City was incorporated—1853—the so-called Stonewall Acre farm was built with locally made red brick on 120 acres. Taking its name from the stone wall that enclosed the acreage, it came to be the longtime homestead of Norwood Louis and his wife, Betty.

By the time Jett discovered the house, it hadn’t been occupied for years. “The exterior is covered in stucco, which is the only reason it survived for me,” Jett says. He shared his vision for the farmhouse with Tim Schroeder, president of Neumann Monson architectural firm, who agreed to come out and take a look.

“It was this strange home, wrapped in overgrowth, with several additions on it,” Schroeder says of his first impression. “We decided to look past all of that and agreed to help restore it.”

Then for nearly two years, Jett and Schroeder, along with a team from Neumann Monson and contractor Smith and Wood Construction, applied their vision of simple, functional modernity while respecting the original design of the farmhouse.

“As a firm, we believe that what grounds us in Iowa is our pragmatic values—everything is boiled down to its essential parts,” Schroeder says. “Today’s architecture doesn’t look like yesterday’s architecture to us, so we sought simple solutions to bring them together in this home.”

Read more about this transformation in this ia magazine story.

In an effort to bring more art to Marshalltown, the Marshall County Arts and Culture Alliance has been bringing in Iowa artists to paint murals around town. The project, "Marshalltown Murals," has led to dozens of creations on downtown buildings, all with messages of unity and positivity.

New artists for a two-wall mural on the Tremont Building in downtown and the walkway into McGregors Furniture and Mattress will be announced soon. Past artists include Jenna Brownlee, a Des Moines muralist, Rebecca Wagner, Lauren Gifford and more.

Find more information here.