Arts
If Music And Art Take You To Your Happy Place, You’ll Find Plenty To Smile About In The Cedar Valley.
You can start with a musical or theatrical performance at Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the University of Northern Iowa Campus in Cedar Falls. More than 150 performances take place each year throughout the three performance halls, the largest seating up to 1,680.
Recent performances include Lily Tomlin, “The Nutcracker,” “RENT,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Riverdance,” and “The Price is Right Live!”.
Other venues include Waterloo Community Playhouse, one of the state’s oldest community theater organizations; Lampost Theatre & Coffee Co., the beautifully renovated 500-seat Oster Regent Theatre listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Additionally, you can head up to Waverly and enjoy great performances in Kohlmann Park, or at Wartburg College. Waverly, Iowa has proudly supported a semi-professional symphony orchestra for well over a half-century. Founded in 1952, the Wartburg Community Symphony is comprised of Wartburg College students and community and professional musicians.
Another long-standing tradition in the Annual KBBG Parade in Waterloo, Iowa. The parade celebrates the rich diversity in the Cedar valley and empowers communities through communication and education. #LiveTheValley
Experience film, poetry, musical events, and art classes at Hearst Center for the Arts & Sculpture Garden or view the permanent collection and regional, national, and international exhibitions. Stroll through art galleries, including the most extensive collection of Haitian art in the world at Waterloo Center for the Arts.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony offers both traditional orchestral favorites and innovative programming throughout the year. When the weather is warm, enjoy an outdoor concert or festival at the 1,200-seat RiverLoop Amphitheatre on the banks of the Cedar River in Waterloo utilized for performances, celebrations, and festivals. RiverLoop is where you’ll enjoy summer concerts by the Waterloo Municipal Band.
When the weather is dreary, do you get cabin fever? Cure it by visiting a museum such as Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Grout Museum of History and Science, John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, Carl A. & Peggy J. Bluedorn Science Imaginarium, or the Bremer County Historical Society Museum.
If you’d rather join in and make your own art, join a Cedar Valley Drink & Draw. Do you like to make things? Join The Cedar Valley Makers on the TechWorks Campus in Waterloo to get creative in a fully equipped industrial makerspace. Or check out The Hive, a DIY space stocked with equipment and tools at Waterloo Public Library.