After eight wonderful months in Cedar Rapids, I am still having first time experiences. On Thursday December 2nd, I have the good fortune to attend the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert at the U. S. Cellular Center. I have loved their music for years and this was my first opportunity hear them in person. What a wonderful evening.

This was also my first time to attend a performance at the U. S. Cellular Center. I’m so glad I did before the building closes for renovations. The building has served many audiences over the 30+ years with a variety of wonderful entertainers. Last night the legend continued.

I was most impressed with the Venue Works staff and how well they made the event so enjoyable for everyone. I am very excited to attend more events especially after the renovations are complete.

A few years ago I attended my first auto race at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. My son-in-law was racing at the time so it was quite exciting to attend. Now that I am living here, I returned last Friday night to experience the racing excitement again. I was not disappointed! Hawkeye Downs has been a popular venue over the years for visiting regional and national series, including ASA, IMCA, NASCAR, UMARA, USAC and the American Indy Car Series. There is still time to attend stock car racing on Friday, September 3rd and one I find most interesting is “Race’Em or Wreck”Em” on Sunday, September 5th. Hawkeye Downs also provides motorcross racing on September 11th and October 2nd.

Racing events aren’t the only events happening at Hawkeye Downs. This facility has a variety of activities for all interests. Other events include gun shows, swap meets, antique shows, craft shows and not be forgotten is bingo! Hawkeye Downs is also a great venue for private parties and events.

Check the website, www.hawkeyedownsspeedway.com for all upcoming events. I plan to.

We are all familiar with “Music Man” and Meredith Wilson’s ties to Mason City but are you familiar with Cedar Rapids resident I would title Mr. History Man? This person is Mark Stouffer Hunter. He is the most knowledgeable person that I have met regarding the history of our community. I recently had the chance to do the Cedar Rapids Downtown Walking Tour with him. He shares information about the buildings, architecture of the buildings and the business owners who constructed these magnificent facilities. He also relates interesting stories such as the arrival of the railroads, the library, schools churches and more.

One story that I found most interesting about the arrival of the railroads was that the city fathers decided to close Fourth Street and to allow for the railroads to enter the downtown. With the arrival of railroads, Cedar Rapids flourished and grew.

Another story that Mark shared was about when to our city fathers were designing the community. They felt it was necessary to make First Avenue very wide to impress people upon their arrival. First Avenue still remains the same width and has never had to be widened.

You too can experience Mark’s historical downtown walks. He conducts the tours on the fourth Saturday of each month between May and September. The tours depart from the Carl & Mary Koehler History Center at 1:00pm. The tour is $7 for adults, $6 for History Center members and $5 for children ages 8 and up. Tickets may be purchased at the History Museum.

Mark’s wife, Jan also provides a similar guided walking tour of the Historic Czech Village. Her tours are the first Saturdays of the month and depart from the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library’s Kosek Building at 1:00pm. Tickets are available at the NCSML Museum.