ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

Big Grove Brewery won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for its trademark Easy Eddy craft IPA. (Photo: Travel Iowa)

Cheers! Iowa beers earn national recognition

Three Iowa craft breweries and an Iowa craft cidery were awarded medals at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival. At the event earlier this month in Denver, judges evaluated more than 8,800 entries from breweries across the country to rank them in 105 categories.

"Once again, Iowa breweries are clearly demonstrating that some of the best craft beverages in the country are brewed in Iowa," Iowa Brewers Guild Executive Director Noreen Otto said.

The Iowa winners were Easy Eddy from Big Grove Brewery, based in Iowa City; Decorah Nordic Gruit from Pivo Brewery in Calmar; Lavender Haze from SingleSpeed Brewing, based in Waterloo; and Cedar Valley Blend from Paha Cider Co. in Waverly. Easy Eddy won gold and the rest won silver medals in their respective categories.

Find award-winning beers on tap, plus ciders, seltzers, NA beverages and more during the 712 Brew Fest in Sioux City.

Thirsty for more? Sioux City offers a beer festival, too.

The annual 712 Brew Fest is on tap from noon to midnight this Saturday at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The celebration offers beer enthusiasts an impressive array of options — in all, more than 100 beers to sample. Drafts originate from Iowa, the Midwest and the country, including Big Grove Brewery, which just won a national award at the Great American Beer Festival (noted above).

Not a beer fan? Head for the ciders, seltzers and nonalcoholic beverages. Plus, food trucks offer local cuisine. And a bonus: You can even take the festival home in a six-pack from your favorite brewer. Find all the details and tickets online.

Classic Gothic horror tales from Edgar Allan Poe come to life during a storytelling performance by Darrin Crow. (Photo: U.S. Signal Corps/National Archives)

'Morbid Curiosities' in Council Bluffs

Calling all “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” fans: See some OG scary stories from the king of Gothic horror, Edgar Allan Poe, performed by a master Iowa storyteller, Darrin Crow, during the free “Morbid Curiosities” event at the Council Bluffs Public Library Oct. 30. Crow weaves together a biography of the 19th-century poet with some of his most famous works, including “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Just in time for Halloween.

Who's driving this thing? Could it be ... vengeful spirits from the railroad's past? (Photo: Old Threshers)

All aboard! Ride the haunted rails in Mount Pleasant.

You’ll need to channel Thomas the Tank Engine and muster up your courage to ride the Ghost Train of No Return. (“I think I can … I think I can …”) The Midwest Central Railroad has organized the Midwest Haunted Rails for Halloween for more than 30 years in Mount Vernon and has teamed up with the Old Threshers to offer unlimited rides on a “ghostly trolley” and “haunted carousel.”

If you go for the final weekend, 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, head to McMillan Park. Then, after the rides, maybe you should venture into the nearby Thrashers House of Terror … if you dare.

Comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias and a few thousand of his closest friends. (Photo: Gabriel Iglesias)

Gabriel Iglesias brings smiles to Cedar Rapids

Renowned comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who also goes by “Fluffy,” brings laughs this Friday at 8 p.m. to Cedar Rapids with his “Don’t Worry Be Fluffy” tour. Iglesias’ tour will zip around the country and the world, including visits to New York, California, Canada, Sweden and Belgium.

He has almost 8 million subscribers on YouTube, has sold out Madison Square Garden in New York and played the main role in a Netflix sitcom called “Mr. Iglesias” that ran for three seasons. His show comes to Iowa for just one night in the Alliant Energy PowerHouse. Find all the details and tickets online.

The Indigo Girls make a tour stop in Cedar Falls this November. (Photo: Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center)

Catch the Indigo Girls in Cedar Falls

The Indigo Girls have had a lot to say since they released their first big album in 1989, and they’ve said it, powerfully, through music. Hits like “Closer to Fine,” “Kid Fears” and “Galileo” delivered thoughtful messages through catchy harmonies that made Emily Saliers and Amy Ray one of the most popular folk duos in the country. With their advocacy for immigration reform, LGBTQ equality and other causes, they’re heirs to earlier folk legends like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.

These days, they’re touring in support of their latest record, “Look Long,” and plan to visit Cedar Falls for a concert on Nov. 1 at the University of Northern Iowa’s Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Deb Talan opens the show.

Take a night hike and try to spot some owls in Briggs Woods Park. You might get lucky and meet an endangered barn owl. (Photo: Joshua J. Cotton)

Take a night hike in Webster City

If you think wandering the woods at night is just for scary movies, think again. Follow Hamilton County park ranger and naturalist John Laird on an evening hike through Briggs Woods Park in Webster City Nov. 2 and enjoy some nighttime nature.

During the “Owl Prowl & Stargazing Night Hike,” hikers will learn to use binoculars and flashlights to observe different stars, constellations, planets, orbiting satellites and the moon, and discover the kinds of owls that call Briggs Woods home. At the end of the hike, rangers will try to call some owls out of the shadows to say hello.