Amana News

RAGBRAI offers a week to appreciate some of the comforts taken for granted back home.

Country Coach helped raise $27,411 during its recent four-day Midwest Rally in Amana, Iowa, to help flood relief efforts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Proud lifelong Story County resident Cindy Rude has been an optimistic and cheerful presence as the Cambridge Postmaster for 15 years.

* The Brett Family will perform five shows today through Saturday at the Old Creamery Theatre, 39 38th Ave. in Amana. Performances will be at 3 p.m. today and at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The family of five, going on their 10th season as the top morning show in Branson, performs barbershop, country, gospel, patriotic, bluegrass and a cappella-style music. Their show has spent the past six years on PBS television. The Brett Family's fast-paced musical variety show is full of music and dance, showcasing classic favorites from the 1930s to present. In addition to the show, patrons can purchase dinner in the theater's courtyard, where they can chat and dine with The Brett Family. Ticket price is $31.50 for the show and $16.50 for the meal. For tickets, call 800-352-6262 or visit www.oldcreamery.com. * John Price, an alumnus of the University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program, will read from his memoir during WSUI's "Live from Prairie Lights" series, at 7 p.m. today at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St. Price, the author of 'Not Just Any Land: A Personal and Literary Journey into the American Grasslands,' will read from 'Man Killed By Pheasant: And Other Kinships,' which in addition to his life, creates a vivid picture of life in the rural Midwest. Price is a member of the English faculty of the University of Nebraska, Omaha. His essays have appeared in Orion, the Christian Science Monitor, Creative Nonfiction, 'The Best Spiritual Writing 2000,' 'In Brief: Short Takes on the Personal,' Isotope and 'Healing: 20 Prominent Authors Write About Inspirational Moments of Achieving Health and Gaining Insight.' For more information, call 337-2681. * WSUI's "Live from Prairie Lights" will feature a reading by Iowa City activist Gregory Johnson at 7 p.m. Friday at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St. Johnson will read from his new book, 'Put Your Life on a Diet: Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet,' which outlines ways people can live simpler lives while reducing stress and causing less harm to the environment. The book focuses on the areas of housing, food, technology, utilities and transportation. Johnson is the founder and director of Resources for Life, an outreach and public interest organization based in Iowa City. As a technology consultant, he works for the University of Iowa as well as clients served by his consulting firm, the Technology Services Resource Group. His home, the Mobile Hermitage, has received national media attention. The Mobile Hermitage is a low energy small home that was designed and built by Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. For more information, call 337-2681. * Sports Illustrated editor Charles Leerhsen will present a free reading during WSUI's "Live from Prairie Lights," at 7 p.m. Monday at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St. Leerhsen will read from 'Crazy Good: The Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America.' Dan Patch was a race horse that at one time drew an estimated 60,000 people to a single event in 1903. Born crippled and nearly euthanized, the horse went from pulling a grocer's wagon to racing, setting the world record for the mile. Leerhsen's previous work includes 'Press On,' co-written with Chuck Yeager, and 'The Last Great Ride,' co-written with Brandon Tartikoff. For more information, call 337-2681. * Fiction writer Michael Pritchett will read from his new novel, "The Melancholy Fate of Captain Lewis," at 7 pm. Wednesday at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St. This WSUI 'Live from Prairie Lights' event, hosted by Julie Englander, is free and open to the public. The novel chronicles the life of Meriweather Lewis, of Lewis and Clark, through the viewpoint of Bill Lewis, a high school teacher. Pritchett is also the author of an award-winning collection of stories, 'The Venus Tree.' He is the winner of the 2000 Dana Award for a novel-in-progress, and his stories have appeared in Passages North, Natural Bridge, New Letters and other magazines. He teaches fiction writing at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. For more information, call 337-2681. * Katie Ford will read at 7 p.m. Tuesday from her second book of poetry, "Colosseum," at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St. Ford's book focuses on ruin, in both the ancient world and the present. Ford, who was displaced from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, wrote about that catastrophe and others in history. The book suggests that fates are intertwined and that devastation does not discriminate. Katie Ford is the author of 'Deposition.' Her poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, and Poets & Writers. She has taught at Loyola University, Reed College, and now at Franklin and Marshall College. She lives in Philadelphia. The reading is free and open to the public. For more information, call 337-2681.

The Old Creamery Theatre will present "Talley's Folly" today through July 20 at the Ox Yoke Inn, 4420 220 Trail, Amana.

OXFORD -- On April 15, 18-year-old Coe College student Dylan Campbell was jumping on an inflatable obstacle course during a spring festival when he fell off, hitting the ground with the back of his neck.

Three Wayne County men have been arrested on suspicion of growing marijuana in Iowa County, Iowa.

The Clear Creek Amana School District community is kicking off fundraising efforts to help an alum who was seriously injured.

Teresa Albert made the hard decision to change the annual Tour de Brew route. Traditionally, riders bike from Iowa City to Millstream Brewery in Amana.

Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen kick off the entertainment on the Tama County Courthouse square for RAGBRAI XXXVI on July 23.

The Firecracker 4th Tailgate Show will kick off from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Festhalle Barn in Amana.

A pancake breakfast and 5K fun run and walk Friday will benefit Dylan Campbell, an 18-year-old Coe College freshman who was seriously injured in a freak accident April 15 during a student-sponsored, ...

Two Iowa companies have announced plans for a 100-room hotel and conference center near the fourth and fifth holes at Amana Colonies Golf Course.

Because of flooding, the Old Creamery Theatre Company will open 'Henry and Ellen' at 3 p.m. today at the Ox Yoke Inn Restaurant, 4420 220th Trail, Amana, in place of the Depot Stage.

With the early crest of the Iowa River and more roadways being opened in Eastern Iowa, we are making plans to bring UI Hospitals and Clinics back up to full operations beginning Wednesday, June 18.

Staff can get information on KCRG-TV Channel 9 WMT Radio KXIC Radio KCJJ OR CALL the hospital's Flood Information Line 319-384-6203 or 800-868-8442 for information.

Flooding continues to affect many roadways in the state, according to Iowa Department of Transportation officials.

CEDAR RAPIDS: Linn County Emergency Management Coordinator Richard Mahaney said downtown Cedar Rapids should be generally protected - if its levee system holds - and assuming floodwaters don't reach higher ...

Down an Iowa road, the gravel churns under our wheels. We drive toward what looks like an immense gray Butler building.

A new state law is causing school boards across Iowa to find ways to adjust how long some members will serve.