Coralville Courier

The City of Coralville offers several public facilities where residents can cool off when outdoor temperatures are on the rise.

Coralville Pools

The Coralville pools are open for recreational swimming, with modifications to pool capacity and hours, reservations for summer camps and day care groups, and extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Coralville resident-only early admission is available daily at the Coralville Community Aquatic Center from noon to 1:00 pm. Social distancing is encouraged. For swimmer safety, masks are not allowed in the water or on the splash pad.  To prepare for a visit to Coralville pools, see the summer 2020 pool information at www.coralville.org/pools.

Coralville Community Aquatic Center:
Coralville’s outdoor pool features zero-depth entry, three slides (including a space bowl and an open flume body slide), diving boards, and a splash deck with fountains and play structures.

• 1513 7th Street, 319.248.9330
• Monday-Friday: 12:00 pm-4:15 pm
• Monday-Thursday: 5:30 pm-8:00 pm
• Weekends: 12:00 pm-6:00 pm
• Coralville resident-only early admission: Noon-1:00 pm daily
• Admission: $5.00 per person weekdays until 4:15 pm and all day weekends; $4.00 pm per person after 5:30 pm Mondays through Thursday; free admission for children under the age of two.
• Learn more at www.coralville.org/aquaticcenter 

Coralville Indoor Pool: 
The Indoor Pool is 25 yards long and 8 lanes wide and features an additional shallow end, a 14-foot tall poolside climbing wall, separate wading pool, and a whirlpool spa. The pool includes lap swim, open swim, and family swim times.

• 1506 8th Street, 319.248.1750
• Admission: $4.00 per person; free admission for children under the age of two
• Learn more and view hours at www.coralville.org/indoorpool

Coralville Recreation Center

The Recreation Center is air conditioned and offers a number of indoor recreational opportunities, including facilities for basketball, racquetball, or volleyball; an exercise room; a game room full of entertaining activities, including foosball, pool, and video games; vending machines; and a bottle filler. Drinking fountains are not available.

• 1506 8th Street, 319.248.1750
• Monday-Friday: 7:30 am-5:30 pm (access limited to the exercise room and daily departmental programming only)
• Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 5:30-8:30 pm (open gym and drop-in)
• Saturday: 8:00 am-5:00 pm (open gym and drop-in)
• Learn more at www.coralville.org/parksandrec

Coralville Public Library

The Library is closed for drop-in service, but offers computers available for use in the Library, which is air conditioned.  To make a one-hour reservation in the computer lab, call 319.248.1870. 

• 1401 5th Street, 319.248.1850
• Learn more at www.coralvillepubliclibrary.org

Girl Scouts is launching a free “Make New Friends” virtual event series to ensure that all girls are prepared to start kindergarten with confidence. The COVID-19 pandemic and transition to virtual learning and activities has disrupted important educational milestones, particularly for children entering kindergarten this year. Social and emotional learning is important for success in kindergarten, and as the experts on girls’ leadership and development, Girl Scouts is uniquely poised to lead fun and impactful events that help girls make new friends while boosting their social skills, self-confidence, and experience in a classroom or virtual setting.

One of the largest girl-serving organizations has designed a specialized, engaging four-part virtual event series that is free and open to all girls who are entering kindergarten. Girls will:

• practice interacting with other girls, exploring new ideas, and gaining the courage to ask questions about what they see;
• explore emotions and learn how being persistent can help them achieve their dreams;
• use their senses to process the world around them while practicing reasoning and problem-solving skills; and
• learn how to listen to a story, identify key characters, follow a plotline, and then share what they learned.

Knowing that social and emotional learning and development are some of the strongest predictors of academic success and healthy relationships, Girl Scouts has designed fun activities for girls to meet these critical milestones. Events will include activities for girls to explore the solar system, create an inspiring drawing to represent their dreams and remind them to be persistent, and much more.

All girls and their families, not just members of Girl Scouts, are invited to join the virtual programs. To register, for an upcoming event, visit www.tinyurl.com/gseventbrite:

July 20-23, 2020 from 6:00-6:30 p.m.

July 27-30, 2020 from 6:00-6:30 p.m.

July 28-August 6, 2020 from 6:00-6:30 p.m.

The fifth annual Monarch Festival will be held virtually this August. By moving from a one-day event to a four-day online series, both children and adults will have more opportunities to learn about the beautiful monarch butterfly. 

This year's Monarch Festival will feature new material, videos, lessons, and activities dedicated to the Danaus plexippus (the scientific name for Monarch butterfly) and how Iowa City residents can help support the butterfly and boost its declining population.

The festival will also have a drive-thru, no contact pick-up for free monarch-related craft projects for children. Registration for these kits will be posted closer to the festival. 

Videos and activities will be shared on City social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, Instagram) and at icgov.org/ICMonarchs on the first four Sundays of August: Aug. 2, Aug. 9, Aug. 16, Aug. 23. 

Content for the festival will focus on activities for children, information for adults, and a video series showing the monarch life cycle that will educate all ages.

The Monarch Festival is part of Iowa City’s commitment to creating an environment that allows monarchs to thrive and reproduce in our community.

The population of this unique, vibrant butterfly has declined by more than 90 percent in the past two decades. Iowa City has taken several steps to help support the monarch. To learn more about the initiative and how you can help, visit icgov.org/ICMonarchs. 

We at ICPL are excited to announce a new ongoing reading program, Read Woke. Provided in partnership with Beanstack, the online platform we use for all our reading programs, and activist librarian Cicely Lewis, Read Woke is designed to challenge people to educate themselves about others through deliberate, thoughtful reading. Started in 2017 as a way to help her Georgia high school students, Lewis determined that in order to be Woke a book must meet one of the following criteria:

• Challenge a social norm
• Come from the point of view of an oppressed group
• Provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised
• Seek to challenge the status quo
• Shed light on an issue that many may not be aware of or perceive as important

The Read Woke challenge can be accessed through ICPL’s Beanstack website at icpl.beanstack.org and all reading done for Read Woke counts for our current Summer Reading and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten programs as well.

Participants earn a digital badge for each book read from one of ten different diverse voice categories. Earn three badges from each category to complete the program! If you have questions regarding your Beanstack account or this new program please do not hesitate to contact the library at 319-356-5200 or by using the Ask Us feature at https://www.icpl.org/services/ask.

Be sure to check ICPL’s Staff Picks page for great Read Woke recommendations!

“Read Woke is a movement. It is a feeling. It is a style. It is a form of education. It is a call to action; it is our right as lifelong learners. It means arming yourself with knowledge in order to better protect your rights. Knowledge is power and no one can take it away. It means learning about others so that you can treat people with the respect and dignity that they deserve no matter their religion, race, creed, or color.”

Join the movement. Heed the call. #ReadWoke

Join the Coralville Library on Facebook Live for a sing along with Lori Lynn of Overall Buddies.… Read on

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – The Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department will open the Noelridge Farmers’ Market, on the corner of Collins Road and Council Street NE, on Wednesday, July 1 at 4:00 p.m. The market will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. through October 16. This is a controlled walk-up market, where vendors will be spaced and patrons will be required to follow social distancing guidelines.

The Noelridge Market offers fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and crafts to local consumers. It is certified by the Iowa State Agriculture Department to accept IFMNP checks from the WIC Program. Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition checks, listed as WIC/Senior IFMNP, are also accepted.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The Cedar Rapids Firefighters Foundation has canceled the 2020 Fire Bowl due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.  The Fire Bowl was scheduled for August, however, COVID-19 remains a serious consideration for event organizers.  Many of the participants are first responders, which puts them in direct contact with the public, including potential COVID-19 patients.  Many families including children, parents, and grandparents, enjoy coming to the Fire Bowl as spectators.  The event organizers wanted to make sure that first responders and the community stay safe, therefore canceling this year’s event.

The Fire Bowl started in 2010 as a charity 7-on-7 flag football tournament. After six successful years, the Fire Bowl evolved to a new format. A 6-on-6 sand volleyball tournament debuted in 2016. This shift allowed for more participants and brought new energy to the event. Each year, the Fire Bowl directors choose a nonprofit beneficiary for the proceeds generated from the event. Past recipients include Make-A-Wish Iowa, Safe Sleep Task Force of Eastern Iowa, and Folds of Honor, among others. In a short time, this event has raised more than $150,000 to support these worthwhile organizations assisting children of Eastern Iowa. Foundation directors realize that there are many charitable organization that could use support each year, so they choose a new cause to support. The 2019 donation supported Make-A-Wish, an organization that plays a unique and vital role in helping strengthen and empower children battling critical illnesses.

The 2021 Fire Bowl will support the Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity, which hosts many beneficial events for children in Cedar Rapids.

For more information about the Cedar Rapids Firefighters Foundation and the Fire Bowl, please visit http://crfirefoundation.org.

The City has canceled the two Party in the Park events scheduled for June 25 and July 2, 2020.

Following a recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases in Johnson County, and after careful consideration for the health, safety and well-being of our community, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department decided to cancel the events.

The programs were scheduled for Thursday, June 25, and Thursday, July 2, 2020, at Mercer Park and Terry Trueblood Recreation Area respectively. Whether or not future Party in the Park events will take place will be decided at a later date.  

All Iowa City residents should continue to wear a cloth mask or face shield when in public, or when social distancing is not possible. 

For all Iowa City COVID-19 news, updates and resources, visit our web page at icgov.org/Coronavirus. 

Girl Scouts is inviting all kids to get outside and get creative! Throughout the summer, families can join virtual programs to learn how to create homemade sidewalk chalk. After the program, kids are encouraged to beautify their neighborhoods by cleaning up any litter and then coloring uplifting messages and fun designs on their sidewalks. With the mission of making the world a better place, Girl Scouts are encouraging small steps kids can take to be engaged and active in their communities.

All girls and their families, not just members of Girl Scouts, are invited to join Chalk Your Walk virtual programs to learn how to make homemade sidewalk chalk. To register, for an upcoming event, visit www.tinyurl.com/gseventbrite:

July 2, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 7, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 11, 2020, from 10:00-10:45 a.m.

July 15, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 20, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 23, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 28, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 30, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

July 31, 2020, from 6:00-6:45 p.m.

Participants will need to have flour OR cornstarch, water, food coloring, and brush ready!

For a listing of all local virtual events, challenges, and activities, visit www.girlscoutstoday.org/virtual or www.facebook.com/gseiwi. 

A four-piece sculptural art piece titled “Emergence” was recently installed in Creekside Park by Iowa artist Cara Briggs Farmer of Synergy Metalworks.

The project is a collaboration with the Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee, the Parks and Recreation Department, Backyard Abundance, and neighbors of Creekside Park.

The artwork was designed to complement the Community Orchard which is located on the western edge of the park. Backyard Abundance met with Creekside neighbors to envision and create the orchard and Briggs Farmer met with neighbors last spring to design the artwork.

The result is two five-feet-six-inch tall stainless steel flower mandalas featured at the entrance into the orchard area through the pollinator beds, as well as two 8 feet tall shocks of stainless steel stylized prairie grasses which provide a backdrop for seating at the front of the orchard.

The title for this piece, ‘Emergence’, is a direct response to our current COVID-19 crisis and the hope that when neighbors can finally fully emerge from quarantines and congregate in groups, these sculptures will stand as a warm welcome back to our communal spaces.