ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

True fact: Pizza tastes better in the great outdoors. Photo: Wallace Centers of Iowa.

Enjoy pizza on the prairie in Orient

Sample some of the state’s freshest flavors this summer at the Wallace Center in Orient. On Friday nights from June 2 to Sept. 29, head out to the prairie for a homemade pizza experience.

There are a few picnic tables, but you’d be wise to bring lawn chairs or a blanket for a dinner of pizza made from scratch and loaded with fresh veggies and local meats. If you’re hungry for more, the kitchen also serves house-made sides and desserts made from the farm’s own produce. And there’s live music every week, so plan on making it a long evening.

Reservations are filling up fast for June and July. Keep an eye out for later dates in August and September.

Cheers: NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids hosts a cocktail contest. Photo: NewBo City Market.

Try a classic cocktail in Cedar Rapids

NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids is teaming up with Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery for the annual Cocktail Classic event May 23. Invited mixologists from the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area will create fun and flashy drinks using Cedar Ridge's award-winning Iowa Bourbon Whiskey, all to win bragging rights as the event’s best cocktail-er.

A panel of judges will convene to name the Classic Cocktail champion, but since this is a democracy, guests will also vote for the people’s choice winner. Tickets include a welcome cocktail, 10 samples to help you cast your vote, and a $10 voucher to use at other NewBo City Market vendors. Throughout the competition, enjoy live music from the local band Vibe.

Tiptoe through the tulips virtually with the interactive Tulip Tracker, courtesy of the Orange City Tulip Festival.

It's tulip time in Orange City, too

Don’t worry if you didn’t get your almond-paste fix in Pella last weekend. The Orange City Tulip Festival is coming up May 18-20. For more than 80 years now, the proudly Dutch town in northwest Iowa has celebrated spring with thousands of tulips, as well as daily parades, nightly musical theater, a carnival midway, a dozen replica windmills and, of course, plenty of delicious Dutch delicacies like Dutch letters, poffertjes and stroopwafels.

In recent years, the Old World traditions have been chronicled with decidedly new technology, an interactive Tulip Tracker that lets you see how all those lovely tulips are coming along. And as the Dutch always say, “April flowers and YouTube bring May flowers.”

The State Theatre in Washington, Iowa, is the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the world. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A new sequel in Washington's film history

Just as a plant can sprout from a single seed, a tradition can grow from a simple idea. Just ask a farmer — or a filmmaker. That’s the inspiration behind the inaugural Farm to Film Festival set for May 20-21 in Washington, Iowa.

Many, but not all, of the three dozen indie films in the festival’s first lineup focus on agriculture. There are titles like “Dairyland” and “Fields of Devotion,” but other subjects range further afield, like “Life in the Circus Arts” and a profile on the Des Moines lawmaker Ako Abdul-Samad and his early years with the Black Panthers. There’s a story to suit any interest.

Washington, of course, is the perfect place to host one of Iowa’s film festivals. It’s the home of the historic State Theatre, which the Guinness Book of World Records has declared the world’s longest continuously operating movie theater, dating back to 1897. And a local man named Frank Brinton was among the early impresarios who traveled from town to town in the 1890s and early 1900s to exhibit “magic lantern slides” and, soon after, the first moving pictures. He and his wife, Indiana, traveled the Midwest to screen films for captive audiences and test the new-fangled technology.

Heads up: Downtown Iowa City hosts a golf tournament. Photo: Iowa City Downtown District.

Two good reasons for a weekend in Iowa City

Downtown Iowa City hosts a double feature May 19 and 20, so why not go for both?

Take your wallet May 19 for the Downtown Summer Shop Crawl, where you can peruse local shops while sipping a seltzer, sangria or spritz. Participating stores will also offer special sales, and ticket holders receive a free tote bag to carry home their new goodies.

On May 20, downtown bars and restaurants host the annual Puttin’ Around Downtown mini-golf tournament. Registered teams of up to four can play courses at their own pace while enjoying some food and drinks at each destination. The various paths are designed and built by each participating venue.

In between events, you can stay downtown at the Graduate Iowa City hotel to keep things walkable, or out at the funky Highlander Hotel just off Interstate 80. In its previous life, the inn and supper club hosted the likes of Joan Baez, Mickey Mantle and Arnold Palmer.

What a rush: Water spills over the dam at Beeds Lake State Park in north-central Iowa. Photo: Iowa DNR.

State park spotlight: Beeds Lake near Hampton

Get away from crowded public pools this summer and escape to a lake with a waterfall. Beads Lake State Park is one of Iowa’s hidden gems, a lesser-known state park just north of Hampton in Franklin County. Visitors can hike or bike the 2-mile trail along the shoreline, admire the scenery, and spot the human-made waterfall at the base of the dam.

The Iowa DNR allows boating, fishing and swimming in the lake, and the stone shelter near the beach houses a dining area, kitchen and restrooms. Visit the Iowa DNR website to learn more and reserve camping spots.

Several vendors will sell food and snacks, and others will have art, health products, gemstones and crystals, and other vegan-friendly items.

Go vegan for a day in Fairfield

Vegans, carnivores, pescatarians, omnivores and anybody in between are all welcome at the Midwest VegFest this Saturday in Fairfield. This fully vegan festival is free to attend and features tons of food, sustainable products, live music and speakers.

The event takes place in and around Central Park, where you’ll find vendors and musicians from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you’d like to learn more about veganism, check out the presentations at Golden Magnolia Sanctuary just one block south. The community center will also host a silent auction, film screening and a dinner as part of the festival. There’s an afterparty, too, at the cafe Noble House Kava.