ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

Is this heaven? No, it's Lake Okoboji. Tell us about your favorite Iowa vacation for a chance to be featured in our newsletter. (Photo: Drew Dau)

Around Iowa

Tell us about your ia summer road trip

As you know, we always have ideas to explore Iowa. But our best recommendations come from you.

If you’re road tripping this summer — around the state or around the block — we want to hear about it. Where did you go? Why did you go? What was your favorite part and the best thing you ate?

Send a few paragraphs and some photos to editors@bpcdm.com, and we’ll publish our favorites in early September. Happy travels!

Hear live music from DJs and musicians, and watch performances, fashion shows and speakers at this year's Cornbred Cornbread Festival.

Arts & Culture

Celebrate Iowa’s corn-bred legacy

The Cornbred Cornbread Festival brings the best of Iowa culture in all its corny glory together in one spot on July 27 at Riverview Park in Des Moines. The festival seeks to “bridge the gaps between Iowa’s urban and rural cultures in education, agriculture, arts, innovation, technology, and careers,” according to the website.

During the event form 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., attendees will find a potluck showcase of food vendors, artists, tech demonstrations, live music, panel discussions, a ceremony honoring “Cornbred Certified” Iowans and other activities, all designed to acknowledge and celebrate our uniquely Iowan culture. Learn more on the event website, cornbreadiowa.com.

Taste your way through 13 food trucks and cast your vote for your favorite during the the Food Truck Fight on July 20.

Food & Dining

A feast of food truck fare worth fighting for

We all know the first rule about Fight Club, but we’re pretty sure that rule doesn’t apply to the Food Truck Fight in the Quad Cities. The event expanded from last year with a new location at the Rust Belt in East Moline, with even more food trucks competing for the winning title July 20.

Guests can purchase a $5 feature item from each truck to taste-test the goods and vote for their favorite. Each truck’s regular menu items will also be available. Iowa competitors include Hibachi Time and VERSUS from Dubuque, Cedar Valley Fish Market from Waterloo, Koppes Kreations from Cascade, and more. Find the full list of food trucks and purchase tickets online.

The rushing waters at Macbride Falls are the perfect place to cool off after a hike through Lake Macbride State Park. (Photo: Travel Iowa)

Destinations

Cool off at an Iowa waterfall

Iowa isn’t exactly famous for its mountain streams, but several of our state parks and lakes offer a refreshing retreat. Here are three we like from Travel Iowa’s list of “14 wonderful waterfalls” across the state.

Union Grove Lake Waterfall
Find this cascade tucked away in Union Grove State Park in Gladbrook. Follow the trail marked “waterfall” and cross Deer Creek on the edge of Union Lake — you’ll hear it before you see it. During the summer, visitors can wade up to the falls and enjoy a refreshing respite from the sun.

Macbride Falls
While Lake Macbride State Park in Solon offers a plethora of outdoor activities spread across its expansive 2,180 acres, one of its hidden gems is Macbride Falls. Visitors can indulge in fishing, boating and swimming in the lake, or lounge on the rocks as white water from the falls rushes past.

Boone River Waterfall
Nestled within the scenic beauty of Briggs Woods Park in Webster City is a series of captivating waterfalls along the Boone River. Just a short distance from the park’s 70-acre Briggs Woods Lake, these cascades offer a picturesque escape. The sandy beach of the lake beckons sun-seekers and water enthusiasts, and some visitors opt to explore the pools above and below the waterfalls.

Balloons fill the sky for the National Balloon Classic in Indianola. (Photo: Catch Des Moines)

Arts & Culture

In Indianola, a sky-high interest rate in inflation

The same day the Olympics start in Paris, a French tradition is coming here. The National Balloon Classic, July 26 through Aug. 3 in and above Indianola, continues a legacy that brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier launched in 1783 at Versailles with the first human-piloted balloon. (On an earlier flight, the co-pilots were a sheep, a rooster and a duck.)

Here in Warren County, the nine-day festival that started in 1970 draws balloon pilots and enthusiasts from around the world, who annually send 100-some balloons into the sky during morning competitions and late-afternoon exhibitions. Fans gather at the balloon field in the evenings for live music, fireworks and the Nite Glow, when dozens of tethered balloons light up like giant lanterns.

Meantime, this year’s Sky Parade is set for 5-8 tonight around the town square. If the weather holds, balloons will fill the skies while locals and visitors alike will fill the shops and restaurants down below.

The Burger & Co. location in Spirit Lake serves up handmade patties and toasted buns on their pet-friendly patio. (Photo: Burger & Co.)

Food & Dining

Try these three spots to find the best burger in Iowa

Iowa ranks high among the top 10 beef producing states in America, so it’s fitting that the state is home to so many top-tier burger joints. From simple classics like a bacon cheeseburger, to more creative options such as breakfast patties served on glazed donuts, you can find the perfect burger to satisfy your cravings. Here are some of the best in the state, according to our friends at Travel Iowa.

Burger & Company, Spirit Lake: Burger and Company’s flagship location is in Nashville, but thankfully there’s a location in Spirit Lake. Burger & Co.’s thick patties are handmade and stacked high on golden buns, served with BC sauce alongside a pile of fries. We recommend trying a milkshake on the pet-friendly patio.

Allycatz Grubhouse, Denver: Fortunately, Allycatz Grubhouse is located in Denver, Iowa, not Denver, Colorado. Their extensive menu offers a wide variety of options, including seven unique ½-lb burgers, six signature sauces like Meow’in’ Mayo and Cyclone Sauce and fries or seasoned tots.

Milk and Honey, Harlan: Looking for farm-to-table options? While Milk and Honey in Harlan specializes in breakfast and lunch options, they also serve burgers so good that you just might consider ordering one at 8 a.m. This spot uses fresh, local ingredients for both their traditional options like the hamburger and bacon cheeseburger, as well as more unique offerings like the brunch burger or bean + beet burger. As a bonus, you can enjoy your meal in the comfortable dining area of the former lobby of the famous Saylor Hotel in Harlan’s historical downtown.

Floods have damaged thousands of homes in Spencer and Clayton counties. (Photo: Eric Johansen)

Around Iowa

Northwest Iowa appeals to summer visitors to support flood recovery

For more than a century, throngs of visitors have flocked to the Clay County Fair every September for exhibitions, contests, carnival rides and live music. It’s the biggest county fair in Iowa, annually drawing crowds of more than 300,000.

But this year may look different. While Northwest Iowa is still reeling from the recent floods, leaders from the Clay County Community Foundation have sent an appeal for help from anyone who has enjoyed the famous fair and Iowa’s Great Lakes in neighboring Dickinson County.

“Spencer is the home to the cherished Clay County Fair, a symbol of our heritage and community spirit, and is a stop for many on the way to the Okoboji Lake resort area, a summer retreat that brings joy to countless families. These landmarks and the people who make them special are now facing unimaginable hardship,” according to a statement from the foundation’s executive director, Terri Batschelet.

Donations to the county’s disaster recovery fund will help cover the costs for emergency shelters for displaced families, as well as work to clean up and rebuild homes and community infrastructure.