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Photos: Lunar New Year celebration in Coralville

Iowa Children’s Museum event includes art activities, scavenger hunt and dance performance from Iowa City West High School’s Asian Student Union

By Josh Cobb, - Gazette correspondent

Feb. 18, 2026 2:09 pm

Three-year-old Ethan Lay of Coralville, Iowa, cuts a piece of yarn while making rainbows with his sister Sophia Lay (6) during a Lunar New Year celebration at the Children’s Museum of Iowa in Coralville on Tuesday February 17, 2026. Both Ethan and Sophia are wearing traditional Chinese clothing in celebration of the Lunar New Year. (Photo for The Gazette/Josh Cobb) — Ethan Lay, 3, of Coralville, cuts a piece of yarn while making rainbows with his sister Sophia Lay, 6, during a Lunar New Year celebration Tuesday at the Iowa Children’s Museum in Coralville. Both Ethan and Sophia are wearing traditional Chinese clothing. The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China and some other East Asian nations. Tuesday marked the start of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. (Josh Cobb/Freelance)

Members of Iowa City West High School’s Asian Student Union perform a lion dance during the Lunar New Year celebration at the Children’s Museum of Iowa in Coralville, Iowa, on Tuesday February 17, 2026. The Midwest Chinese Academy co-hosted the event with the museum. (Photo for The Gazette/Josh Cobb) — Members of Iowa City West High School’s Asian Student Union perform a lion dance Tuesday during the Lunar New Year celebration at the Iowa Children’s Museum in Coralville. The Midwest Chinese Academy co-hosted the event with the museum. In addition to the dance performance, the event included hands-on art activities and a museum-wide Chinese Zodiac Animal Scavenger Hunt. (Josh Cobb/Freelance)

Ellen Li, 5, and her friend Ensley Wiman (not shown) spend some time coloring while enjoying the Lunar New Year celebration at the Children’s Museum of Iowa in Coralville, Iowa, on Tuesday, February 17. The event included a Lion Dance, a scavenger hunt, and making Play-Doh Dumplings. (Photo for The Gazette/Josh Cobb) — Ellen Li, 5, and her friend Ensley Wiman (not shown) spend some time coloring while enjoying the Lunar New Year celebration Tuesday at the Iowa Children’s Museum in Coralville. (Josh Cobb/Freelance)

Five-year-old Pal Hang Byerly watches the Lion Dance put on by the Iowa City West High School Asian Student Union while enjoying the Lunar New Years Celebration at the Children’s Museum of Iowa with his mother in Coralville, Iowa, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The celebration was hosted by the museum and coordinated by the Midwest Chinese Academy. The Midwest Chinese Academy also hosts a mid-autumn festival and a dragon boat festival in the early summer. (Photo for The Gazette/Josh Cobb) — Pal Hang Byerly, 5, watches the Lion Dance put on by the Iowa City West High School Asian Student Union while enjoying the Lunar New Year Celebration with his mother Tuesday at the Iowa Children’s Museum. The celebration was hosted by the museum and coordinated by the Midwest Chinese Academy. The academy also hosts a mid-autumn festival and a dragon boat festival in the early summer. (Josh Cobb/Freelance)

Elora Evans, 3, from Coralville makes a Play-Doh Dumpling while enjoying the Lunar New Year celebration with her parents at the Children’s Museum of Iowa in Coralville on Tuesday February 17, 2026. (Photo for The Gazette/Josh Cobb? — Elora Evans, 3, of Coralville, makes a Play-Doh Dumpling while enjoying the Lunar New Year celebration with her parents Tuesday at the Iowa Children’s Museum in Coralville. (Josh Cobb/Freelance)

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