Family Friendly & Free – Johnson County Fair 2010

If you haven’t made it to the Johnson County Fair yet there’s still time. Since I have a soft spot for kids I was there yesterday for Kids Day and below is a slideshow of some of the snaps I took. Just in case you haven’t made it over there yet and want to know what’s going on if you scroll down a bit you’ll find the schedule for today and tomorrow. One word of caution. It is hot. Dress accordingly and wear a hat. I didn’t yesterday – Not a smart move! Don’t know where it’s at? Here are the Directions to Johnson County Fairgrounds.

Wednesday July 28 – Senior Day

• Classic Car Display
• Pickleball Demonstration
• 5.00pm Banned Wagon Group
• 7.00pm Bill Riley Talent Contest

Thursday July 29 – Veterans Day

• Chainsaw Display & Auction
• Pie Contest & Auction
• 6.30pm Skid Steer Rodeo
• 7.00pm Extra Credit Project Band
• 9.30pm Fireworks

You’ll find more information at the Johnson County Agricultural Association website JohnsonCoFair.com.

Fun & Free: Johnson County Fair

Summer is a wonderful time in Iowa City with free, family friendly events constantly popping up on the calender. Today I’m here to tell you about the upcoming annual Johnson County Fair scheduled from July 26 through July 29, 2010. This is a popular event through all age groups with 70,000 people visiting the fair every year. A number that’s climbing. No surprise there – Children and tractors, that’s a winning combination right there! Directions to Johnson County Fairgrounds.

The theme is Living and Learning at the 2010 Johnson County Fair. And now without further ado, here’s the schedule for events throughout the week:

Monday July 26 – Teen Day

• Classic Tractor Display
• 5.00pm Kiddie Tractor Pull
• 6.30pm Truck & Tractor Pull
• 8.00pm Pumptown Family Band

Tuesday July 27 – Kids Day

• Recycle Guy
• Burn Unit Puppets
• Robotics Exhibit
• Hawkeye Cheerleaders
• Herky
• 8.00pm Jake McVey

Wednesday July 28 – Senior Day

• Classic Car Display
• Pickleball Demonstration
• 5.00pm Banned Wagon Group
• 7.00pm Bill Riley Talent Contest

Thursday July 29 – Veterans Day

• Chainsaw Display & Auction
• Pie Contest & Auction
• 6.30pm Skid Steer Rodeo
• 7.00pm Extra Credit Project Band
• 9.30pm Fireworks

You’ll find more information at the Johnson County Agricultural Association website JohnsonCoFair.com.

New Movies & Things to Do in Iowa City & Coralville This Weekend

It’s Friday and time to look at things to do this weekend in Iowa City. Two new movies this week. On July 14 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice came out on general release. Walt Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub – You’d think that would be an automatic hit. Or not… The reviews are tepid and it doesn’t quite live up to the expectations you might have for this collaboration. Fortunately that’s not the only new movie out this week and Leonardo DiCaprio’s new movie Inception is looking good to wow audiences when it comes out today. Rotten Tomatoes thinks it’s “smart, innovative, and thrilling” – High praise indeed! Not surprising to me. DiCaprio seems to be like fine wine and improves with age, (imho).

You can check out the schedule for movies at the Coral Ridge Movie Theatre in Coralville and the Sycamore Cinema in Iowa City

As part of Iowa City’s Summer of the Arts Program we have all kinds of things going on outdoors this weekend too. What’s even better is that these events are FREE!

Friday you can catch The Recliners and Turkana at the Ped Mall. The show starts at 6.30pm and ends at 9.30pm.

Saturday MidWestOne Bank’s Free Movie is Bring it On. It’s showing after sunset at the University of Iowa Pentacrest, outside of Macbride Hall in downtown Iowa City. Before the movie you can see a special performance by the Hawk All-Stars and West High Cheerleaders.

Also on Saturday Poetic Rebound presents A Night of Dance from 6.30pm – 9.00pm. Location: Black Hawk Mini Park outside of Iowa Artisans Gallery at the corner of Washington and Dubuque Street.

You can find more info at Summerofthearts.org

Free Summer Playgrounds Events & Activities in Iowa City

Summer has finally arrived. The days are long and the kids are bored… If you live in Iowa City and have children completing grades K-6 the Summer Playgrounds Program is the perfect solution for you… And the best part is it’s free! It offers supervised activities in sports, games, arts and crafts, nature and other special events.

Events and activities are in full swing and will go on from Monday through Friday until August 6, 2010. Although it’s primarily for children completing K-6 younger children may attend with a participating adult. Parents should register their children on the first day of attendance. If it rains the events will be canceled. For questions please call Iowa City Recreation Division @ 319-356-5100

Creekside Park: 9:30-11.30am & 1:00-3.00pm
Fairmeadows Park: 9.30-11.30am & 1.00-3.00pm
Wetherby Park: 1.00-3.00pm
Willow Creek Park: 9:30-11.30am & 1:00-3.00pm

Click on the markers on the map below for the address, driving directions and more information about the parks.

Fun & Free: Iowa City Aerohawks RC Air Show July 11, 2010

Iowa City Aerohawks Radio Control Air Show, Sunday July 11, 2010 – 1.00pm – 4.30pm – Hebl Ave, Iowa City (Plenty of free parking available)

When it comes to family friendly fun entertainment it doesn’t get any better than this! The Iowa City Aerohawks are holding their Annual Radio Control Air Show on Sunday July 11. Events include a freestyle flying competition, helicopter demonstration, candy bomb drop for the kids and much more… And best of all it’s free!

If you were at the 4th of July Parade in Coralville last week you’ll know The Aerohawks had an impressive float with the most amazing model airplanes on show. Now’s your chance to see them in action! Gates open at 12.00 noon and the fun begins at 1.00pm. Bring a chair, there’s so much going on you won’t want to leave until it’s all over at 4.30pm. Directions: Melrose Ave, 2+ miles west of West High School.

New Movies this Weekend – And then there’s The World Cup…

It’s Friday and time to look at new movies this weekend. By the looks of things Steve Carell has landed himself another hit with Despicable Me. Who would have thought that the Daily Show would spawn such a huge box office success? I mean, I love Jon Stewart, but cable tv and the big screen are two different worlds. I think it’s pretty phenomenal that someone who started out in “fake” news has made it big time in quite a different arena!

You can check out the schedule for movies at the Coral Ridge Movie Theatre in Coralville and the Sycamore Cinema in Iowa City

Now to the movie… It seems Mr Carell’s gotten so big he’s made it to the elite club of actors who lend their voices to an animated character. You know only the really good ones get to do that, don’t you? In Despicable Me he plays an evil super villain, Gru, who is planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. Of course when three little girls show up in his life it turns out he’s not quite the villain through and through after all. Sounds like good family fun to me. And in 3D too. As an added bonus it has another great character actor lending his voice with Russel Brand too. There has to be at least one Brit in it, right? It seems there’s always one in every film – Or TV series comes to that. At least that’s my observation, or am I just sensitive to it? I don’t know, it seems to me there’s always one Brit anyway…

The other new movie this week is Predators. What can I say? I’m sure just like Twilight it has a cult following. This time apparently after other sub par sequels this one goes back to its roots. Who knows? It’s another cult movie. You probably already have an opinion. You don’t need mine.

That’s it for movies. Of course it is also World Cup Final weekend. We have a European Final. Not quite the European Final I was hoping for, but it will be exciting all the same. The team that gets the Cup this time round will win it for the first time. We all know I’m a stats person, so let me blind you with my knowledge on the winners up to now:

There have been just 7 countries that have won the World Cup in its 80 year history.

Brazil – 5 times

Italy – 4 times

Germany – 3 times

Argentina – 2 times

Uruguay – 2 times

France – 1 time

England – 1 time

On Sunday either the Netherlands or Spain will be added to this list. Spain are the favorites and after their game against Germany in the semi-final I’d probably agree with that. EXCEPT, the World Cup is different. The final of the 2006 World Cup was watched by an estimated 260 million people. That’s pressure. Giants in the game crumble and surprises are the norm. We’ll see…

New Movies & Things to Do in Iowa City & Coralville this 4th of July Weekend

It’s Friday and it’s 4th of July weekend – Lots of choices for things to do in Iowa City and Coralville this weekend… In Iowa City we have the Toyota-Scion Jazz Festival – a 3 day event from July 2 – July 4. In Coralville the 4th of July celebrations started yesterday already making it a 4 day extravaganza.

With all this going on, is anyone thinking of going to the movies this weekend? It’s my regular day for looking at new movies so let me give you the lowdown on what your choices are this weekend just in case you are. As far as new movies are concerned, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has been out a couple of days now and is sure attract a lot of attention – 4th of July weekend or not! I haven’t seen any of the Twilight movies, but then I’m not a teenager. I’m definitely not in the demographic they are shooting for! They have quite a cult following so I’m sure they’ll do well. Apparently Eclipse, the new sequel has pleased the critics more than New Moon, the last offering. I don’t think it really matters though. Cult followers won’t care. They’ll think it’s great no matter what.

The other new movie is The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The movie is based on the successful Nickelodeon TV series and it seems the controversial Mr. Shyamalan messes up badly taking it to the big screen. Who knows, maybe it’s got a forgiving cult following too who will look past the poor interpretation of the source material. It wouldn’t be the first time critics got it all wrong!

You can check the schedule for movies at the Coral Ridge Mall Movie Theatre in Coralville and the Sycamore Mall Cinema in Iowa City…

The weather is perfect and there’s fun stuff going on in both Iowa City at the Jazz Festival and in Coralville at 4thFest. And if neither of the above movies are your cup of tea Toy Story 3 is a safe bet for a fun time. The way things are going it might end up being the movie of the year!

Whatever you’re doing this 4th of July weekend I hope you have a wonderful time!

4th of July Celebrations Downtown Iowa City

One of the highlights of the year takes place in Iowa City this 4th of July weekend with the Toyota-Scion Jazz Festival. This is part of the Summer of the Arts program that provides support and promotes the arts and cultural events in the area.

Apart from the opportunity to enjoy some good jazz music, there’s also the chance to enjoy some high cuisine on Culinary Row. Good music and good food, what more could you possibly want? Oh, I know… good weather! Well it seems we’ve got that one covered too with sunshine and temperatures forecast in the 80′s for the next couple of days. Shh… We don’t want to jinx it!

The tradition of the Summer of the Arts is to provide free, family-friendly fun events. FUN Zone will have some fun activities for kids between 4.00pm – 9.00pm on Friday and 12.00pm – 9.00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Live music starts Friday July 2, 2010 at 4.30pm with the United Jazz Ensemble on the main stage and the last performance is at 8.00pm with Bob Washut and the Dream Band, also on the main stage.

On Saturday July 3 the live musical performances begin at 1.30pm and the last performance of the day is at 8.00pm on the main stage with Roswell Rudd’s Trombone Tribe.

The same goes for Sunday with live music starting at 1.30pm and the last performance at 8.00pm on the main stage is Dr. Lonnie Smith. It goes without saying that there will be a firework display celebrating the 4th of July after dark. It will take place at Hubbard Park and scheduled to happen after the musicians have finished their performances at the Jazz Festival.

Where exactly is all of this happening? Downtown Iowa City, along Clinton St and Iowa Ave. The main stage is at the Old Capitol building. You will find a complete schedule of events with details about who is performing along with where and when, plus a list of the vendors on Culinary Row on the Summer of the Arts website.

July 4th Celebrations at S.T. Morrison Park Coralville, Iowa

In the almost eleven years I’ve been living here Coralville has grown in leaps and bounds. During all that growth I’m happy to say it hasn’t lost any of its charm or sense of community. At this special time of year you can definitely see that Coralville is built on hometown tradition. It’s always been that way and this year’s 4th of July celebrations are no exception.

The Independence Day celebrations begin on July 1, 2010 making this one long and fun weekend for all. Almost all of the celebrations take place at or around S.T. Morrison Park in Coralville. The event kicks off at 3.00pm on July 1 with the Carnival by Star Amusement with the Carnival opening daily through July 4 at noon.

On July 2 you can enjoy a picnic dinner from 5.30 to 8.00pm at Morrison Park  with grilled food from Hy-Vee available for purchase. There will be free entertainment from 6.00pm to 9.30pm with the Stars of Tomorrow Showcase when area talent performs for an opportunity to play in Nashville.

On July 3 bring those lawn chairs and enjoy two free concerts. The fun begins at 6.00pm with The Mayflies and they’re followed at 8.00pm by The Nitty Gritty Dirt band. (I actually remember listening to them in my youth… Uh Oh, I think I’m giving away too much there!)

Of course the biggest day will be on the 4th of July when you can fortify yourself with a pancake breakfast at Northwest Junior High from 8.00am until noon and get ready for a busy, fun filled day. Noon is when the 4th Fest Parade starts. All day long there will be activities for families to enjoy and in the evening you can enjoy more free music followed by fireworks after dark.

For a more detailed list of activities on this 4th of July weekend you can check out the schedule of events and parade map @ Coralville.org

Photos of downtown Coralville, including Morrison Park

THE Movie of the Year… And the World Cup Heats Up… Fun Times!

If you thought last weekend was a great weekend for movies then you’re in for a real treat this week! The most anticipated new release of the year is coming out today and according to those who are “in the know” it lives up to the hype and some! Toy Story 3 is what I’m talking about of course. In 3D no less… Really cute story line too. If you’re like me you’re probably wondering where they could go with Woody and Buzz. Well, let me just tell you the makers had the genius idea of telling the story of what happens to toys when their owners grow out of them… Expecting to land in the attic the toys get shipped off to Sunnycare Daycare and it’s there the fun begins. Of course they’ve introduced some new characters into the mix to keep it interesting. Of course Woody doesn’t stay put and goes on walkabout. Looks like they’ve figured out all the right buttons to press, doesn’t it? I’m sure they have and I’m sure they’ll be rewarded at the box office!

You can check the schedule at the Coral Ridge Mall Movie Theatre in Coralville and the Sycamore Mall Cinema in Iowa City…

Jonah Hex is the other new movie out today. Josh Brolin plays the disfigured gunslinger/bounty hunter on his biggest adventure yet. The reviews are somewhat lacking. (And I’m being polite). Maybe the villain of the piece, played by John Malkovich can save the day… I wouldn’t hold your breath though. There are too many good movies out at the moment to imagine this one making any headway. (What do I know though, it’s not my kind of movie in the first place – blood and gore are not really my thing).

That’s the big screen covered. On the little screen things are starting to get interesting with the World Cup. France seems to be losing ground and on it’s way out of the tournament. Spain, one of the favorites got off to a rocky start losing their first match. The three countries that matter in our house are all playing today. Germany kicks off at 6.30am. They blew everyone out of the water with they first match. Let’s see if they can deliver a repeat performance.  England on the other hand needs to kick it up a notch, as does the USA. By the end of the day we will know whether they’ve managed to do that… By next week we will have sorted out the riff raff and should be seeing some quality soccer football… If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about. Tune in. A major tournament like this feeds on itself and as excitement breeds more excitement the games get better and better. Don’t take my word for it. Watch it and figure it out for yourself!

Here’s the schedule. Time shown is South African time – 7 hours ahead of us. (With an icon to change the time zone too).