Photo Gallery: Gazette’s Best Photos for the Second Half of August 2025

Marion High School freshman Natalie Pope performs to the school song during their marching band exhibition show on the football field in Marion on Friday, August 15, 2025. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said they bring in new band members a few days before camp to go through marching basics. “We go through the process really slowly with them so they can get a feel for what it is,” Vander Wiel said, “We’re really upfront with them that it’s an odd activity to do. I’ll often say ‘it’s not an activity we would invent, if it didn’t already exist.’”(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Sophomore Emma Beltz and freshman Natalie Pope set up for the beginning of their halftime show at Marion High School’s football field in Marion on Friday, August 15, 2025. This year’s theme is “An American in Paris,” which features music from George Gershwin. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said this year’s ensemble has a lot of new faces. “It’s been really fun to see some of the younger kids really step up and fill in some of the leadership roles,” Vander Wiel said.(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Union’s Madison Martin (right) and #2 doubles partner Lauren Frush tap rackets during their match against Decorah’s Dylin (cq) Thompson and Kaitlyn Bjork at Union High School in La Porte City, Iowa, on Friday, August 15, 2025. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Decorah’s Olivia Huinker waits between points during her and her sister Grace’s #1 doubles match against Union’s Alivia Keegan and Adalynn Engel at Union High School in La Porte City, Iowa, on Friday, August 15, 2025. The Huinker sisters won. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Hermes Biomaterials founder Connor Thorpe poses for a portrait with a Petri dish of switchblade grass embryogenic callus at Hermes Biomaterials Lab in Ames, Iowa on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. Thorpe has been working on switchblade grass genome editing to improve biofuel production for the department of energy. Him and his team have been working on this project for nearly a year and a half. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Ryan McLaughlin wheels a dolly into Burge Hall for his daughter Audrey McLaughlin during University of Iowa’s move-in day in Iowa City on Saturday, August 16, 2025. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Alum member Kai Kelekomn raises his fist to fist-bump Kennedy High School industrial technology teacher Barry Wilson before the Palo Fun Days parade in Palo on Saturday, August 16, 2025. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Sarah Sturm of Durango, Colo. carries her bike during the core4 multi surface bike race in Johnson County, Iowa on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The race ran on an alternate route due to heavy rain the night before on a day where the heat index rose to more than 100 degrees. The men’s elite race was won by Julien Gagné of Quebec and the women’s elite race was won by Rosa Maria Klöser of Germany. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Vanessa Curtis of Iowa City (center) and Brianna Samuhel of Australia (right) make their way along a grass farm lane during the core4 multi surface bike race in Johnson County, Iowa on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The race ran on an alternate route due to heavy rain the night before on a day where the heat index rose to more than 100 degrees. The men’s elite race was won by Julien Gagné of Quebec and the women’s elite race was won by Rosa Maria Klöser of Germany. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Kristen Byrnes shakes a pear tree during Backyard Abundance’s Pear Shakeup at Wetherby Park in Iowa City on Sunday, August 17, 2025. Byrnes added that her favorite part of the event was climbing the pear tree. “I haven’t done that in a long time, and it was nice to have an excuse to get up in a tree again for a little while,” Byrnes said. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Western Dubuque’s Henry Gilberson watches his ball after teeing off during the boys’ golf Linn-Mar Invitational at Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course in Marion, Iowa on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Prairie’s Willa Brown reacts after missing a hit from Kennedy while playing in a doubles game at Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Construction continues on the Roundhouse as longtime resident Carroll Reasoner coasts past the site in Czech Village in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Reasoner, retired as University of Iowa general council, remembers in 1976 as an attorney at Shuttleworth and Ingersoll being taken to the original Riverside Roundhouse by senior partner Robert Daniel at 5:30am and working deals with the vendors. The construction of the new Roundhouse has already begun. The new structure carries on the tradition of the original Riverside Roundhouse, built in 1963, but heavily damaged in the 2008 flood. The new building is part of the city’s LightLine Loop project. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Regina’s Tate Wallace (right) hauls in a pass as he plays tight end during practice at the high school in Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Wallace is a highly-rated prospect, ranked as a 4-star recruit by 24/7 Sports. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Offensive coordinator Brad Tucker calls a play in the huddle during a football practice at Maquoketa Valley High School in Delhi, Iowa on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. The wildcats finished 9-2 last season and reached the Class A state quarterfinals. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Kindergartner Isabelle Tholen and her mom JoJo THolen say hello to Isabelle’s preschool teacher Jenny King during back to school night in Tipton, Iowa on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Iowa Department of Education enrollment data shows a decline of roughly 100 students over the last several years and projects a further decline of 150 students over the next five years. The district served just over 800 students in the 2024-25 school year. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Coe College's Kiera Vesterdahl (21) and Mount Mercy's Larrissa Betsworth (24) both go to stop the ball in the first half of the game at Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Regina Regals senior Reese Naeve smiles during a scrimmage against the Denver Cyclones at Liberty High School in North Liberty, Iowa, on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Naeve recorded 39 kills in the Regals’ four-set class 2A regional final victory over Pella Christian last year. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A farmstead is silhouetted as the sun begins to rise while the moon and the plants Venus and Jupiter are in near-alignment in the eastern sky over rural Homestead, Iowa, in Iowa County on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The celestial event is part of a rare six-planet alignment, providing a fantastic opportunity to see a "planet parade" in the eastern sky. The last such parade of 2025. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Williamsburg Raiders players are silhouetted baby the morning sun during football practice at Williamsburg High School in Williamsburg, Iowa, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Williamsburg Raiders head coach Austin Blythe during football practice at Williamsburg High School in Williamsburg, Iowa, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Taqiy Muhammad (left) and Ben Volta (right) of Mural Provisions in Philadelphia are reflected in the windows of the the Fulton Lofts building in Cedar Rapids as they work on installing the final panels of a mural on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. The mural is designed by Colombian artist Nathalia “Cleo” Gallego Sanchez. Sanchez was denied entry into the United States earlier this summer and opted to ship her mural to New York, where it was scanned and installed using a “Polytab” method. Polytab method allows installers to adhere the murals to the walls using acrylic gel medium. A varnish is added to seal the artwork and provide durability. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Janet Forrest dances to the band, Funk Daddies, during the Uptown Get Down at City Square Park in Marion on Thursday, August 21, 2025. Forrest said she was going to dance on the concrete, but decided to bring her dance floor to dance on top of the grass. She added that she has always loved to dance and has a degree in dance. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Lijun Chadima (CQ) of Cedar Rapids (left) talks with Tadeáš Kopřiva of South Moravia, Czech Republic about the design of her Moravian ornament piece during a Moravian Folk Art Workshop at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. The museum hosted three artists on Friday from the Czech Republic to teach Moravian folk art painting. Tadeáš Kopřiva is student leads workshops on traditional Moravian art at the Moravian Glory Foundation. Tadeáš enjoys working with youth and wants to become a teacher. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Springville’s Luke Lansing (44) carries the ball during a high school football game between Springville and Iowa Valley Iowa on Friday, August 22, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, takes a moment before speaking during the annual Ashley’s BBQ Bash fundraiser for Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday, August 23, 2025. The event, billed as the “party of the summer” in campaign text messages, featured remarks from several Iowa Republicans as well as Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and conservative television commentator Scott Jennings. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Amanda Smith pops bubbles with her daughter Camila Smith, 3, during CR Market After Dark in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Amanda said this is her first time at CR Market After Dark, and she’s enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Brittany Hood (right) dances with Shawna Bole and Rochelle Adams in the light tunnel during CR Market After Dark in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Next to the light tunnel was a DJ for community members to enjoy. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Cornell Ram's Justice Toledo (7) congratulates Cornell Ram's Fox Wight (9) on scoring a goal during their scrimmage game against Upper Iowa University in Mount Vernon on Sunday, August 24, 2025.(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Chris Bagley’s mother Christine Bagley takes a moment as she waits for the jury to come in and deliver the verdict for defendant Andrew Shaw at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. After several days of deliberating the jury found Shaw guilty of second-degree murder after hiring Johnny Blahnik Church and Drew Wagner to kill Chris Bagley. Blahnik Church received 57 years in prison and Wagner is serving 47 years. Shaw will face up to 50 years in prison. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

City of Dubuque assistant engineer Bob Schiesl looks at the flood pump station model in Coralville on Monday, August 25, 2025. Schiesl said the flood pumps will have built-in hatches to make maintenance and cleaning easier. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Coe defensive back CJ Johnson (4) poses for a portrait during Coe College football media day at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Audrey, Gideon, Rachel, and Mary Phillips pick out library books during a visit by the Marion Library’s Bookmobile to Thomas Park in Marion, Iowa on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The service, which began in December, aims to make the library more accessible to residents who may not have easy transportation to the library and features a variety of both fiction and nonfiction offerings for all ages. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Eleanor Porter, 7, of Illinois slides down an inflatable slide in the kids zone during FRYfest at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. Her and her family are in town for the weekend to attend the Iowa football home opener game against Albany. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

A butterfly lands on the sand at Lake McBride State Park in Solon, Iowa on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids Jefferson's Uweza Kalolero (3) reacts after realising he had scored a touchdown during a game between Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Cedar Rapids Washington at Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, August 29, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Lifeguard Ashlyn Bolsinger, 17, uses her rescue tube to held herself from the rain during the Dive After Dark at Bowman Woods Pool in northeast Cedar Rapids on Friday, August 29, 2025. The rain did not dampen the spirits of community members. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Joy Soliman, 15, drops grapes into a bucket at Cedar Ridge Distillery in Swisher on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Cedar Ridge Distillery wine maker Kent Folker said they’ve had some community members who enjoyed picking grapes so much that they decided to work at the winery. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Connor Frankeneerg, 12, pets therapy dog Fannie Mae during the Adaptive Sports and Recreation & Inclusive Wellness Clinic at Guthridge Park in Hiawatha on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Frankeneerg’s grandma, Joy McCormick, said they enjoyed learning about all the options for inclusive events and sports while they were at the clinic. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Alivia Smith throws a weighted ball for ‘superhero training’ with Can Play executive director Melissa Clarke-Wharff during the Adaptive Sports and Recreation & Inclusive Wellness Clinic at Guthridge Park in Hiawatha on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Clarke-Wharff said Can Play adapts to each person’s abilities. “We’re showing that you can play any activity or sport, but we adapt the pace and style of play, and work with what they have,” Clarke-Wharff said. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Luke DiBell, 5, of Cedar Rapids smiles as bubbles are blown on him during a foam party at The Play Cafe in Marion, Iowa on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. The Play Cafe owners Brandon and Kelly Marsh took over the business in May of 2025. The couple hosts various events for children like foam parties and tea time at the center as well as open play. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)