Community

Iowa native Joe Clarke’s latest Backrow Studios film, “Alta Vista,” with Eastern Iowa ties, moves from the indie festival circuit to online availability.

Homeschool families are invited to join a naturalist and learn about the owls of Iowa this Friday at the Hurstville Interpretive Center, part of the KinderNature series.

She’s no Slytherin. Paloma Bribriesco simply loves reading — so much so that the 6-year-old read 519 books in 2021. Harry Potter, graphic novels about refugees and nonfiction books about the environment were all part of her reading list.

As the Cedar Rapids Public Library celebrates 125 years, patrons can see the library’s history and evolution on display starting Jan. 15.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Linn County is offering a free virtual eight-week educational course for family members of adults living with mental illness. Registration is required by Monday and the course begins Jan. 5.

The men were four of 35 Iowans honored for courageous responses during incidents in 2020 and 2021. The list includes 22 civilians and 13 first responders.

Ava and Henry are 2021’s top girl’s and boy’s baby names respectively at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids, but those names fell down the ranking when including lists from other UnityPoint hospitals in Eastern Iowa.

Starting Monday and through Jan. 31 at Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control, cat adoptions fees are only $25, a fraction of the normal amount. Adoption fees include spay or neuter, initial vaccinations, dewormer, flea/tick treatment and microchip.

The Field of Dreams Movie Site will play host to the American Cornhole Organization’s first-ever Go The Distance Festival on Aug. 26-28, 2022. There will be at least 32 cornhole courts and several singles and doubles competitions. The top 64 teams are guaranteed prize money.

The Badge 713 Mental Health Scholarship was recently established to offer financial support for individuals in need of mental health services locally. The fund aims to be an extension of the public service first responders provide to their community, officials say.

The Marion Heritage Center and Museum is officially open to the public again, with a new exhibit that includes information and a detailed timeline of clean energy history in Marion and the state of Iowa.

The Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department has earned an Environmentally Responsible Management certification from the Sports Turf Managers Association, one of only 45 facilities worldwide to do so. Iowa City currently holds the record for having the most fields/complexes certified.