6 minute read
Uranium Derby,
Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, Wednesday, July 19, $9-12
For her directoral debut, New York-based artist and filmmaker Brittany Prater decided to turn her lens on her hometown in Iowa. You may be surprised to learn Ames played a role in the Manhattan Project, the United States’ secret program to develop the first atomic bomb. Prater, who hails from Ames, was surprised to learn this as well, and her first feature-length documentary utilizes interviews with experts and locals, archival footage, and both secondary and primary sources to investigate the clandestine production of nuclear bomb materials in and around the Iowa State University campus, for use by J. Robert Oppenheimer’s team. Prater follows evidence that suggests the Department of Energy is aware of 10 sites in Ames contaminated by nuclear waste in the ’40s, which may be connected to cancer clusters over the decades. “...[I]t becomes clear that the topic of nuclear waste was more successfully buried than the waste itself,” reads the film’s description. Funded in part by Humanities Iowa, the new documentary Uranium Derby will make a scene at the Varsity Cinema on June 19. Learn more at uraniumderby.com.
Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23 Toy Story, Varsity Cinema, $5
Community
Crandic
Saturday, July 8 at 11 a.m. All Ages Art: Patterns and Mandalas, Public Space One Close, Iowa City, Free
Sunday, July 9 at 12 p.m. Art Gardens School, Public Space One Northside, Iowa City, $10-50
Wednesday, July 12 at 12:15 p.m. Artist Talk w/Lianne Westcot, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free
Wednesday, July 12 at 5:30 p.m. Iowa City Pride Ride, Iowa City Bike Library, Free
Friday, July 14 at 6 p.m. Adult Craft Night: Mixed Media Mantras, Hiawatha Public Library, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Monarch Fest, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, Free
Sunday, July 16 at 11 a.m. Iowa City Flea Market, Public Space One Close, Free
Smoke Out Hunger, Cowles Commons, Des Moines, Sunday, July 30 at 11 a.m., Free-$50
The Food Bank of Iowa is at it again this year, presenting Smoke Out Hunger at Cowles Commons in the heart of Downtown Des Moines. This annual event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and welcomes individuals of all ages to indulge in unlimited barbeque prepared by local chefs, in addition to drinks, dessert, games and live music. Food vendors include Gateway Market, Jethro’s BBQ, Rolling Smoke BBQue, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Palms Caribbean Cuisine, Warehouse Barbeque, Sweet Swirls Ice Cream and more. Tickets for adults 21+ are $50, individuals ages 6-20 are $25, and kids 5 and under are free. All proceeds from Smoke Out Hunger benefit the Food Bank’s mission to end hunger in Iowa.
Harmony Festival, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, Saturday and Sunday, July 29
and 30, $65-99 Embrace the power of playfulness, movement, laughter and music at the Harmony Festival in downtown Cedar Rapids at the end of July. Attendees will be immersed in a weekend focused on health and joy, and they’ll partake in a variety of activities including yoga, meditation and sound healing. Expect two days of hearing from local sound healers, yogis, and mental health practitioners that’ll leave you feeling inspired, energized and refreshed. Before heading home on Sunday, try out yoga on the water with the SUP Yoga add-on at Prairie Park Fishery. If floating off the ground as you meditate is still a bit too advanced for you, try a bit of genuine floating yoga—on a paddleboard. Half-day Harmony Festival tickets are $65 each, and $99 for a full pass.
EDITORS’ PICKS: JULY 2023
Saturday, July 22 at 12 p.m. Circus Day, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free
Saturday, July 29 at 9 a.m. Art Market, James Theater, Iowa City, Free
Des Moines
Friday, July 7 at 5 p.m. First Fridays, East Village, Des Moines, Free
Sunday, July 9 at 12 p.m. Northside Market, Highland Park Historic District, Des Moines, Free
Monday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. Trivia Night, Confluence Brewery, Des Moines, Free
Friday and Saturday, July 14 and 15. Waukee Arts Festival, Centennial Park, Waukee, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m. FINEST Fest, Lua Brewery, Des Moines, $20-65
Saturday, July 15 at 6 p.m. Bondu Blues and Brews Festival, Bondurant, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 6 p.m. Water Lantern Festival, Riverview Park, Des Moines, Free-$68
Thursday, July 20 at 5:30 p.m. Botanical Dye Workshop, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, $55
Sunday, July 23 at 12 p.m. Vegan Summer Market, Cowles Commons, Des Moines, Free
Friday, July 28 at 5 p.m. Ceramics Bowl Exchange, Des Moines Art Center, Free
EDITORS’ PICKS:
CEDAR FALLS/WATERLOO
Saturday, July 8 at 4 p.m. Feelin’ Sour? Cider Beer & Sour Festival, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Waterloo, $10-50
Saturdays, July 8, 15 and Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. Block Party, Ferguson Fields, Waterloo, Free
Thursday, July 13 at 8 p.m. The Lonely Ones & 8 foundead, Octopus, Cedar Falls, $10
Opening Friday, July 14. Saturday Night Fever, Waterloo Community Playhouse, $10-25
Fridays, July 14 and 21. Cinema on the Cedar, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. Extravision and Emily Otis, Octopus, $10
Sunday, July 16 at 1 p.m. Artisans in the Garden and Summer Expo, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, Free
Wednesday, July 19 at 8 p.m. Comedy Open Mic, Octopus, Free
Thursday, July 20 at 5:30 p.m. Pint Night Ride, SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Waterloo, Free
Friday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. RiverLoop Rhythms: Brad & Kate, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Free
Friday-Sunday, Aug. 4-6. Iowa Irish Fest, Lincoln Park, Waterloo, $15-40
EDITORS’ PICKS: QUAD CITIES
Friday, July 7 at 5 p.m. Noche de Lucha Libre, Mercado on Fifth, Moline, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 12 p.m. MoTown Craft Beer Festival, Bass Street Landing, Moline, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 7 p.m. Drag Roulette, Clock, Inc, Rock Island
Cedar Rapids Pride Festival, NewBo City Market, Saturday, July 8
at 12 p.m., Free June may be over, but Pride celebrations in Iowa are continuing into this next month. Cedar Rapids’s annual Pride Festival is happening at the beginning of this month. This year’s festival theme is “Stand Strong, Stand with Pride.” Be sure to catch one of the many performances on the festival’s mainstage. School of Rock, the Blake Shaw Jazz Band, Nikkie H. & Crew, in addition to several drag shows will be taking place throughout Saturday. In the evening, head over to CSPS Hall for a late show featuring RuPaul Drag Race winners Kylie Sonique Love & Violet Chachki. General admission tickets for CR Pride’s Late Show at CSPS are $40.
Fiesta: A Celebration of Latino Culture, Waterloo Center for the Arts,
Saturday, July 15 at 3:30 p.m., Free The Waterloo Center for Arts is teaming up with community organizations and businesses to host an event celebrating Latino culture in the Cedar Valley. Head to the RiverLoop Amphitheatre early for kids activities, a pinata, dance performances, taqueria trucks, Latinx food vendors and a fashion show. Get ready to dance to the Parranderos Latin Combo, a Latin music group based in Des Moines that explores musical styles such as Salsa, Cumbia and Samba. Live music begins at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 9, 12 p.m. Rock Island Artists’ Market, Skeleton Key Art 7 Antiques, Rock Island, Free
Tuesday, July 11 at 5 p.m. Schaa-Bo’s Korean Fusion, Nerdspeak Brewery, Bettendorf
Tuesday, July 11 at 6 p.m. Stimulus-Free Open Skate, Eldridge Community Center, $6-8
Thursday, July 13, 6:30 p.m. Curator Talk: Benjamin L. Clark on the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Free
Thursday, July 13 at 6 p.m. Teen Open Mic Night, Moline Public Library, Moline, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Sunflower Days, Pride of the Wapsi, Long Grove, Free-$14
Thursday, July 17 at 6 p.m. SPECTRA Reading Series, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, Free
Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Howl At The Moon, Tangled Wood, Bettendorf, Free
Tuesday, July 25 at 7 p.m. Environmental Book Club: Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, River Action, Davenport, Free
Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.
OUTLETPROGRAMME Presents: Eli Wallace + Glurge + Chachka, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, $10 —Sarah Elgatian
EDITORS’ PICKS: FAIRFIELD
For more events and specific details on each of the above events, visit: fairfieldjournal.org
Friday, July 7 at 6 p.m. Fairfield First Friday Gallery Walk, Free
Saturdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 at 8 a.m. Fairfield Farmers Market, Howard Park, Free
Sundays, July 9, 16, 23, 30 at 12:30 p.m.
Community Potluck, Phoenix Rising Hall, Free
Wednesdays, July 12, 19, 26 at 8 p.m. Open Mic, Café Paradiso, Fairfield, Free
Walcott Truckers Jamboree, Iowa
80 Truck Stop, Walcott, Thursday-Saturday, July 13-15 at 9 a.m., Free
This annual event features activities for adults and youth and includes food and entertainment. The “World’s Largest Truckstop” will serve as the venue for an antique truck display, super truck beauty contest, a pork chop cook out, live music, trucker olympics, fireworks and over 175 other exhibits and activities pertaining to the live and leisure of trucks and truckers. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Summer Theatre Camp: The Little Mermaid, Sondheim Center for Performing Arts, Fairfield, Monday-
Friday, July 17-21, $100
Students ages 8-14 will learn basic performance skills, songs and dance routines at Evelyn Gamrath’s summer camp. Registration includes all materials, costumes, scripts, and makeup. No theater experience is necessary; preregistration is required. Students will perform to the public on Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. Summer Outdoor Concert Series, Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, Free
Friday, July 14 at 8 a.m. Mira’s Cafe Grand Opening, Fairfield, Free
Friday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. Mostly True, An Evening of Storytelling for Adults, Phoenix Rising Hall, Fairfield, $10 suggested donation
Friday, July 21 at 8:30 p.m. Summer Movie in Central Park, Fairfield First Fridays, Free Fairfield Journal
