The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids marked the first day of spring Thursday with a ceremony to “awaken” the museum’s clock tower. Noon Thursday was the first time the orloj — an astronomical clock — played music since it was shut down for the winter months.
The clock tower in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village — which features the only astronomical clock in North America — will “awaken from its winter slumber” Thursday with a ceremony and reception.
Also, Cedar Rapids opens budget survey, Iowa City seeks input on 5-year plan
No, it’s not a typo. Lion Bridge Brewing has launched Iowa’s first line of THC beverages in a new size and strength since the passage of a new state law regulating them.
Nearly 30 years after President Bill Clinton, Czech President Václav Havel and Slovak President Michal Kovac visited the museum for a dedication in 1995, their modern counterparts returned Friday to dedicate the only Prague-style astronomical clock in the United States.
Friday, businesses announced a way of encouraging customers to come to New Bohemia and Czech Village despite the construction fences deterring them.
Jim Miller has resigned as executive director of The District: Czech Village and New Bohemia to pursue a new role within a local social services organization. His departure marks the third resignation of Cedar Rapids core district directors in the last year.
Known as the “Angel of the Village,” Mary Kay Novak McGrath died in February before a dream of a plaza in Czech Village in honor of her late parents could be brought to life. But a plaza and garden were dedicated in their memory Thursday.
Houby Days is a Czech celebration that honors the Czech and Slovak tradition of hunting and gathering mushrooms in the spring. In Cedar Rapids, Czech Village was the center of the 46th annual Houby Days this weekend.
Blockbuster exhibit at National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library timed for 50th anniversary year.
Mary Kay Novak McGrath, the ‘Angel of Czech Village’ in Cedar Rapids, has died at age 69 of pancreatic cancer. McGrath was a “visionary with a heart and soul for Cedar Rapids” who fueled the historic neighborhood’s revitalization.
After decades as a folk artist, a Czech descendant and Cedar Rapids “Living Iowa Treasure” display’s her life’s work in various mediums at the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library.
The legacy of a nostalgic storefront in the Czech Village has come to an end.
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