We will be brief
Most of you are seasoned subscribers, so we won’t take up too much of your time, but, we do have to highlight one thing!
It is fall, which means it is pumpkin patch and apple orchard season. (Yes, you can bring your pumpkin spice latter if you wish). We have a run down of the local farms that offer fall family fun and a couple of the apple orchards that are in the area as well.
Gif by starbucks on Giphy
Have fun this week.
Adventures Ahead📅📅
Check out some below happenings in the CR area!
Have an event suggestion? Just click here and let us know what it is.
Wednesday, 9/30
Baby & Toddler Story Time
Downtown Library, 9:30-10:30 am
Join us for this 15-minute story and song program for newborns to three-year-olds, followed by a 45-minute playtime.
Community Day
Eastern Iowa Diaper Bank (EIDB), 3:30-5:30 pm
We will give 50 free diapers (NB to size 5) to each family with children ages 0-4.
The EIDB is located at 420 6th St SE - please pull into the alley to the door on the side of the Sister Mary Lawrence Community Center (between 6th & 7th Street, and 4th & 5th Avenue). Please remain in your car and staff will assist you.
Please note that Community Day is for members of the community who are not participants of the Diaper Bank (getting points from YPN, Eastern Iowa Health Center, HACAP/WIC)
Thursday, 10/1
Music & Movement Story Time
Busse Library, 9:30-10:30 am
Join us for a fun-filled story time focused on making music and exploring movement. This program is designed for toddlers and preschoolers.
Symphony Kids Music Program
Marion Library, 10:30-11 am
Symphony Kids is a music literacy program provided by Ms. Amy from Orchestra Iowa. This is geared towards children and families who love music, rhythm, and rhyme and want a chance to learn more about the importance of music in early literacy.
Friday, 10/2
Early Learning Story Time
Busse Library, 9:30-10 am
Join us for a fun-filled story time for children ages 2-5, featuring stories, songs, movement, and bubbles!
Music on the Move with Lisa Klostermann
Hiawatha Library, 10-10:45 am
Get ready to sing, wiggle, clap, and play! Lisa Klostermann, Music Therapist and Early Childhood Music Educator, uses music and playful fun to help our youngest learners build musical and pre-academic skills.
Saturday, 10/3
Bird Banding
Indian Creek Nature Center, 8:30-11:30 am
Join an ornithologist for a special bird banding program. Drop in behind Penningroth Barn (6665 Otis Rd) anytime to watch the netting, banding, and releasing of birds from the Nature Center property. You’ll get a chance to see the equipment used, observe the banding process, and learn about the importance of banding. You’ll also get an up-close look at the birds!
Children and families are welcome to join in on the fun. Please park in the parking lot across from the barn.
This program is free and open to the public; free will donations to the Nature Center are welcome. FREE No registration required. Banding is a weather-dependent activity.
Poppy in the Park: An Interactive Storytelling Performance
Cleveland Park, 10 am-12 pm
Young audience members will have the opportunity to become part of the story through an engaging, hands-on theatrical experience designed to bring imaginations to life.
Join us beginning at 10:00 AM for yard games, music, craft activities, snacks, and beverages. The interactive performance begins at 11:00 AM, with the event concluding by noon.
Halloween Concrete Painting
Make/Believe CR, 1pm
Paint your own concrete decoration to take home! They will be pre-painted black or white.
$10 a piece
Sunday, 10/4
Hiawatha Farmers Market
Guthridge Park, 10 am-1 pm
Whether you’re shopping for the week or simply enjoying the atmosphere, the market is the perfect place to gather, explore, and support local.
Wild Edibles: Fall Edition
Wickiup Hill Learning Center, 2pm
Come learn about the many wild edibles that grow in our area. We will focus on foraging basics, safety, identifying plants, ethical harvest, and preparing wild edible plants. Take a short hike with the group to identify some of the wild edible plants that can be found and harvested in the fall. At the end of the program, you will even get recipe ideas and a chance to sample some wild flavors.
Open to all ages. Cost $5. Register here.
Monday, 10/5
Baby & Toddler Story Time
Busse Library, 9:30-10:30 am
Join us for this 15-minute story and song program for newborns to three-year-olds, followed by a 45-minute playtime.
Welcome to Spooky Season
Hiawatha Library, 10-10:45 am
Local author Charlotte Gunnufson kicks off the spooky season with her new book, School Spirits! She’ll share her fun, not-too-scary story, and then send everyone on a ghost hunt!
Expressive Arts
Busse Library, 11 am-12 pm
Arts, movement, and music for youth and their caregivers at Busse Branch. This program is geared to pre-K to second graders.
Family Art Night: Pasta Suncatchers
Busse Library AND Downtown Library, 5:30-6:30 pm
Join us for Family Art Night this fall! Different art supplies will be provided each program for families to experiment and learn new concepts with.
Register for Busse here.
Tuesday, 10/6
Early Learning Story Time
Downtown Library, 9:30-10 am
Join us for a fun-filled story time for children ages 2-5. This high-energy story time features stories, songs, and bubbles!
Expressive Arts
Hiawatha Library, 10-10:45 am
Let's welcome our friend from Tanager Place! Discover the power of expressive arts —a creative program using books, dance, art, and more to help children and families build confidence, explore emotions, and strengthen inner resilience.
Preschool Play Day
Marion Library, 10:30-11:30 am
Preschool Play includes activities geared toward children between the ages of 2 and 5, as well as their caregivers. Drop in to play and explore!
Grown-Up Getaway… 99 problems and a kid ain’t one.
Zeppelins Bar & Grill
📍5300 Edgewood Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52411
No event this week, but we will highlight an oldie but a goodie! Zeppelins is a staple on the NE side of town (based on the mapped city quadrants, not the cardinal compass, more on that next week…), and we are sure many of our readers are familiar with it. But, we figured it is worth highlighting! It has been a while since we’ve been there.
2-for-1 happy hour (!!!) every day, that is tough to beat! Then just roll right into dinner. We recommend the cheese wontons as a snack, then for the main course we are big fans of the butterball turkey or voodoo chicken sandwich. But, truthfully, everything on the menu has been tasty.
We’ve always experienced cold drinks, good food, and great company here.
Knee-Slappers😂🤣
Kid Tested & Approved
Why did the clock get in trouble at school? ⏰
It kept tocking during class! 🤣
What do you call an owl who does magic? 🦉
Hoo-dini! 😃
Knock knock…. who’s there?
Pete…. Pete who?
Pete-za delivery! 😂
🥁ba-dumm, tsssst…. 🥁
Gif by WiseMonkeymeme on Giphy
Bon appétit! It’s time to eat!
Pineapple Terriyaki Chicken 🍍 🐔
We recently bought chicken at Sam’s Club… so like, we have 12 pounds of chicken we had to freeze. Instead of just plopping it in the freezer, we marinated a few chicken breasts for easy cookin’ later on! 3/5 family members scarfed this pineapple chicken meal down, with 4/5 saying they at least liked it. We’ll take an 80% approval rating.
Ingredients
2 lb chicken breasts, can leave full or diced (we diced after marinating and before cooking)
½ cup pineapple juice (we used canned pineapple and left the pineapple chunks in)
¼ cup soy sauce
1/ Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger (we used powdered)
½ tsp black pepper
Step 1
Mix all ingredients, except chicken into gallon freezer bag.
Step 2
Dump chicken into the mixture and ensure all pieces are well coated. Then seal the bag, and place into the freezer.
Step 3
Thaw the frozen marinated chicken before reheating. Then heat on stove top until chicken is cooked through.
CRFW Pro Tip 🧑🍳: Steam up some white rice to go with!
No photo of this tasty meal unfortunately… we made it last week before hectically running out the door, literally leaving dirty dishes strewn about (don’t worry, our dog cleaned them for us).
Need to know Nuggets
Weather Report ⛅⛈
Wednesday, 9/30 | 71℉/63℉ | 🌧 |
Thursday, 10/1 | 68℉/51℉ | 🌧 |
Friday, 10/2 | 65℉/47℉ | ☀ |
Saturday, 10/3 | 66℉/50℉ | ⛅ |
Sunday, 10/4 | 66℉/42℉ | ☀ |
Monday, 10/5 | 62℉/46℉ | ☀ |
Tuesday, 10/6 | 65℉/50℉ | ⛅ |
The rain returns for the end of this school/work week, but the sun returns for the weekend! Next week is also looking nice!
Weather courtesy of KCRG.com
News Worthy Nuggets
Some interesting local stories from the past week:
Leaders formally announce $15 billion ‘mega-steel’ plant coming to Eastern Iowa - from Corridor Business Journal
Tiffin Fire Department creating EMS Division to Address Growing Population, Recruitment Challenges - from KCRG
Spotlight for fall!
Family Farm Hangouts
Fall around Cedar Rapids is seriously the best, especially when you head out to the amazing apple orchards and pumpkin patches around the CR area. You can spend an afternoon picking juicy apples right off the tree, wandering through corn mazes, and hunting for your dream pumpkin. Grab a cup of fresh cider and a warm cider donut while you're there—you'll definitely want to make it an annual tradition!
1. Allen's Orchard
Website: allensorchard.com
Location: 5801 N 10th St, Marion, IA
Dates & Hours: Open daily (late August – late autumn), 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (U-Pick closes at 4:30 PM).
Prices: Free admission and free parking. Apples and farm market items are sold by weight or piece.
Unique Offerings: Over 30 apple varieties, famous fresh apple cider donuts, pies, slushes, farm animals, and yard games.
2. Bloomsbury Farm
Website: bloomsburyfarm.com
Location: 3260 69th St, Atkins, IA
Dates & Hours: Mid-September – October 31st. Fridays (1:00 PM – 5:30 PM), Saturdays & Sundays (10:00 AM – 5:30 PM).
Prices: ~$21.95 at the gate (ages 3+); online tickets are discounted (~$13–$18). Free for kids 2 & under.
Unique Offerings: 10-acre corn maze, giant jumping pillows, zip lines, pumpkin cannons, apple blasters, and "Scream Acres" haunted attractions.
3. Bass Farms
Website: bassfarms.org
Location: 840 Bass Lane, Mount Vernon, IA
Dates & Hours: Mid-September – November 1st. Daily from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Flashlight maze runs daily starting after 6:00 PM.
Prices: Farm market entry is free. Activity area pass: $10 (weekdays) / $12 (weekends). Flashlight maze pass: $9.
Unique Offerings: Mini-golf course, nighttime Flashlight Corn Maze, tractor-drawn hayrides, jumping pads, and specialty ice cream.
4. Bart's Farm and Pumpkin Patch
Location: 7307 Alburnett Rd, Marion, IA
Dates & Hours: Mid-September – October 31st. Monday–Friday (3:00 PM – Dark), Saturday & Sunday (9:00 AM – Dark).
Prices: Free admission and free parking. Corn maze, pony rides, and pumpkins are priced individually.
Unique Offerings: Low-key traditional farm feel, classic hayrides, pony rides for kids (weekends), and a giant corn maze.
5. Wilson's Orchard & Farm
Website: wilsonsfarm.com
Location: 4823 Dingleberry Rd NE, Solon, IA
Dates & Hours: Open mid-August – November. Wednesday–Sunday from 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM.
Prices: Free admission to walk the grounds; pay for what you pick or purchase.
Unique Offerings: Tractor trailer rides through the creek valley, an on-site craft hard cider brewery and smokehouse, U-pick produce, and a seasonal bakery.
That’s it for this week.
That’s all we got for you guys! Well, we do have one more thing.
Don’t forget to check your sump pump.
YOU ARE GONNA NEED IT THIS WEEK.
Seriously, the rain keeps coming…. but remember, like we recently told you, better than snow. 😉