My name is Rebecca Sullens. I moved to Cedar Rapids when I was 10 years old and although I wasn’t born here, I did most of my true growing up in this town. I made friends and had sleepovers and went swimming, but many times, like others my age, I complained that Cedar Rapids was a place with “nothing to do” and I’ve heard similar complaints since.

After attending college and acquiring interests beyond what teenagers wanted to do with their time (aka loiter at the mall and stay out passed curfew), I returned to Cedar Rapids and was surprised to find a lot of great recreational activities and professional opportunities that were available all along. I either just hadn’t known where to look and at the time or been mature enough to appreciate them. The biggest problem now is finding the time to go see them all; shows at Theatre Cedar Rapids, the display of antiques at the History Center, live music at CSPS or the sit-in lunch counters at the African American Museum.  These are just a few places that once I got inside, I was kicking myself for having missed out on them for so long and eating my own words about our town offering “nothing to do.” The real question is, “what would you like to do?” and if you can’t find it here, you may just need some help looking. And 16 years after moving to this town with complaints about it being boring, I now have the amazing job of working at Convention & Visitors Bureau in order to promote its vibrance!

This blog was started by CVB President/CEO Marilee Fowler when she started with the CVB 3 years ago and was written from her perspective as a new resident to Cedar Rapids. Now I hope to offer the perspective of a reformed Cedar Rapids skeptic, with the intent of igniting a fresh enthusiasm for our town among visitors and other longtime residents who might be under the mistaken impression that all there is to know about Cedar Rapids is that it ”stinks” in multiple senses of the word!

As I revisit area attractions through the eyes of a young adult, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to open your eyes to what’s new in our town and also to open your mind in order to see new worth in the “same old, same old” you might be used to driving by each day on your way to work. When was the last time you really experienced Cedar Rapids? Our museums aren’t just for the out-of-towners. Enjoy a staycation this weekend and become a tourist in your own town. Need a guide to help you see beyond the every day? That’s exactly what we do here at the CVB and our visitor center downtown or our website are great places to start to find what historical landmarks and cultural gems you have in your own back yard. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about some of my encounters as I set out to conquer Cedar Rapids with new meaning and wish that perhaps you’ll let today be the day  ”where your [Cedar Rapids] experience starts.”

Cedar Rapidians continue to amaze me with providing unique experiences.  On Friday, September 23^rd, the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library held their annual Brewnost.  This is a wonderful event held annually that provides an opportunity to experience many types of beers from around the world paired with wonderful food from local restaurants.  

The thing that made this year’s event so unique was holding it at the Cedar Rapids Kernels Baseball Stadium.  What a great combination….a beautiful fall evening (weather was perfect), a chance to visit with many friends, a great culinary experience being held a one of Cedar Rapids great venues and a way to support the NCSML financially. 

Start planning to attend the 2012 Brewnost which will be held at the newly moved and renovated National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. 

-Marilee

It is always exciting and challenging to host industry peers to our community.  The Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau did just that on September 21^st & 22^nd.  The Cedar Rapids Marriott Hotel was the site for the 2011 Central States Tourism and Travel Research Association’s annual conference.  We had people attending from 13 Midwest States to learn more about happenings and trends in the travel industry. 

Our challenge was to help provide the organization with a very knowledgeable conference as well as provide a lasting positive impression of Cedar Rapids.  Jan Stouffer from the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library was instrumental in helping us achieve the positive impression.  She shared with the conference attendees the story of the 2008 Cedar Rapids flood and how the whole community stepped up to bring the community back.  Jan’s information on how the decision was made to save the Museum and relocate it was most interesting to everyone. 

We then hosted an event in the Czech Village where people could tour the Museum’s “Rising Above” exhibit and experience local Czech food and drink.  At the end of the conference, many attendees shared with us how impressed they were with Cedar Rapids drive and determination to return as a vibrant community.  The final reward: many want to return to Cedar Rapids to visit the National Czech and Slovak Museum when it reopens.

View more photos of the conference here.

-Marilee

Tuesday, August 30^th was a great day for Cedar Rapids!  The demolition has ended and the building has started for the new Cedar Rapids Convention Center Complex.  We were so fortunate to have Rebecca Blank, Acting U. S. Commerce Secretary, join us for this special ground breaking ceremony.  This project is receiving $35 million from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration – the agency’s largest such grant to a single community.

To quote, Acting Secretary Blank, “This project is not simply to restore downtown Cedar Rapids to what it was before the flooding, it will help revitalize the Cedar Rapids economy so it’s stronger, more diverse and enables Cedar Rapids to play a larger role in the whole region.”

The Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s role is having many groups booked for the new complex before the opening date.  So far we have secured the Iowa Library Association, the Iowa League of Cities and especially returning the Iowa Girls High School State Volleyball Tournament.  More to come…..stay tuned.

-Marilee

Sixteen months after arriving as a new resident to Cedar Rapids, I am still having first time experiences.  My most recent was to attend Cabaret in the Courtyard at Brucemore on Friday, August 12^th. The weather was a weatherman’s dream…..cool summer evening with a full moon.

The event was Divapalooza.   The Divas were Janelle Lauer, Jane Pini and Lynne Rothrock.   WOW!  What talent!   The Divas have the most incredible voices and their choice of music was so entertaining.  They could also be stand up comedians with the humor they brought to the Cabaret.   

Not to be missed this weekend at Brucemore Cabaret is Tenors Tonight.  I am sure that Jonathan Dyrland, Doug Elliott and Garrett Hufford will provide the same type of entertaining experience.

-Marilee

Watch this museum move on live web cams at www.ncsml.org

Summer is off to a good start in the Cedar Rapids area! To begin with Linn County, the City of Ely and the Linn County Trails Association celebrated the grand opening of the Hoover Nature. The long-awaited completion of the Hoover Nature Trail was made possible by the cooperation of federal, state and local governments, land owners and trail advocates.

The Hoover Nature Trail extends south from the Cedar River Trail in Cedar Rapids to Ely City Park. With the completion of the Hoover Nature Trail in Linn County, the trail system now runs non-stop through Linn County from Ely as the Hoover Nature Trail; through Cedar Rapids as the Cedar River Trail; and through Hiawatha, Robins, rural Linn County and Center Point as the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. The trail then continues north through the northeastern corner of Benton County and northward through Black Hawk County.

The Downtown Farmer’s Market is well underway with the next one planned for Saturday, July 2nd starting at 7:30a.m. Vendors are located along 3rd and 4th Avenues, 2nd and 3rd Streets SE. The markets provide street entertainment, cooking demonstration with many activities for children of all ages. Of course the best part is the fresh Iowa produce. I am looking for homegrown strawberries.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is on the move! It is the largest museum move in history. After extensive damage during the Floods of 2008, the museum is moving to a higher foundation. The world class museum and library will reopen in the summer of 2012. I would encourage everyone to stop into Czech Village and see this historic move in progress.

Cedar Rapids’ own Lady Liberty has been refurbished and rededicated. Lady Liberty statue is located on the First Avenue Bridge in downtown. Local Boy Scouts rededicated their gift to the citizens of Cedar Rapids. Another place to visit while downtown and a good reason to celebrate the flood recovery.

I arrived in Cedar Rapids one year ago this week.  I started writing this blog just to share with readers the many wonderful things to see and do in the Cedar Rapids area that are sometimes over looked as we live in a place and take them for granted.   On Friday, April 1^st (no joke) I continued to experience live theater like nothing else I’ve seen in Cedar Rapids.  I attended the SPT Theatre’s Tales from the Writers’ Room: Body of Work “Bottoms Up” performed at Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.  Once again I am amazed at the talent and creativity of the people involved with SPT. The writing, the music and the acting were hilarious and so entertaining. The best description I can give it is Cedar Rapids version of “Saturday Night Live.”

During intermission, SPT assisted with a fund raiser for Save the Children: Japan.  They encourage all in attendance to purchase an origami paper crane to help the Japanese language classes at Jefferson, Kennedy and Washington high schools to aid displaced Japanese children.

As I reflect on the evening, the scene I most enjoyed was the “Dog Park” performed by Adam, Jason, Kim, Mary and Tim.  Please visit the SPT Theatre website www.spttheatre.ortg to learn more about these actors and other members of the SPT founders and writers.

The next performance will be The Writers’ Room Body of Work “Blink of an Eye” to be performed on June 3^rd & 4^th at Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.  Get your ticket now!

Last Saturday, March 19th, I had the pleasure to attend the Eastern Iowa Figure Skating Club’s “My Favorite Things” ice show at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. This show was filled with very talented skaters and singing talent. As a part of the show Cedar Rapids native Tim LeDuc and his Pairs Partner Cassie Andrews performed some incredible skating routines. Also joining the cast were North Atlantic Senior Men’s Silver Medalist Michael Quadrino and Broadway performers Anthony Rapp, from “Rent” as well as Catherine Blades and Daniel Quadrino from the musical “Bye, Bye Birdie.”

The title “My Favorite Things” was certainly the perfect name for the show because it did include such a diversity of music that appealed to all age groups. I was so impressed with the talent our local skaters. Not to be over looked was the choreography, the beautiful costumes and the dedication from ALL the people that gave of time and talent to make this such an incredible show.

Bravo! I will look forward to attending next year.

Last weekend I had two very special girlfriends come to Cedar Rapids to visit me. I soon discovered there were so many places I wanted to show them, it was going to be difficult to get it all in. We started Friday evening with dinner at Zin’s. As always the food was magnificent. They really enjoyed the “small plate” format and the chance to experience several dishes.

We started early on Saturday in Marion. This community has so many wonderful unique shops that we were on our way to shopping. One of my favorite places is Campbell Steele Gallery. This gallery, located in a beautiful building constructed in 1894, exhibits original fine art by regional, national and international artists.

Wood fired pizza at Cedar Ridge Vineyards

The next stop was the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. I wanted to see and understand the devastation of the 2008 flood. For many people living outside of Iowa, they had seen and read so much about the disaster but could not comprehend how tragic it was until they saw the exhibits at the Museum. Again shopping continued in the Museum’s wonderful gift shop.

Shopping for us really worked up our appetites. The next stop was the Cedar Ridge Vineyard. Since it was a cold, snowy day, we could not have found a better place. We started by sampling their many wonderful wines. A wood-fired pizza went very well with our wine selection. Before we left, we certainly had to sample their well known bourbon whiskey. Adding to our shopping were several bottles of wines and spirits.

With our stomachs full, we were back to shopping. No Cedar Rapids trip is complete without stopping at Lindale Mall. Again, loaded down with more shopping bags we were exhausted.

Needless to say we certainly did not get close to seeing and doing everything Cedar Rapids has to offer (including shopping.) We are already planning their return trip this summer.

Upon arriving in Cedar Rapids in April 2010, I could not believe all the stories, pictures, exhibits and media coverage I saw and read of the Floods of 2008. As a former Iowan, I had followed the national media coverage in 2008 very closely. What a difference to arrive and hear the stories first hand from the people that lived it, including the Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau staff.

The feature of Iowans that I have always loved and admired is the strength of character to pick ourselves up and start over. Cedar Rapidians are prime examples of this remarkable character.

On Saturday, January 22nd I attended the “Signs of Progress” community event honoring many of the men and women that came together to aid their families, friends and strangers during and after this terrible disaster. It was a wonderful event to recognize some of the many community heroes and to pat ourselves on our backs for the accomplishments that have been made in last two and a half years.

Cedar Rapids is a vibrant and resilient community. The work has just begun to rebuild and the opportunities are limitless. It is not too late to be a part of making our hometown the best place to live in the State of Iowa and the United State of America.

 

Theatre Cedar Rapids

To learn more about the “Signs of Progress,” please visit the website www.signsofprogresscr.com or pick up a Signs of Progress brochure and map at the Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 119 1st Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids.