Prairie Backpack
College Community School District’s “green” approach to distributing information from school sponsored activities and non-profit organizations.
Events
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CoderDojo with Henry Morray Blackout Poetry and Collaging
- Location
- Foundation 2 - 305 2nd Ave SE. Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.
- Audience
- K-5th students and families
- Cost
- Free
- RSVP
- Mar 21, 2026
- Organization
- NewBoCo
- Contact
- Ashley Turner
- ashley@newbo.co
- Phone
- (319) 412-5222
Information
CoderDojo is a free, hands-on program designed for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade who are curious about STEM. Children can explore a variety of science, technology, engineering, and math-themed stations at their own pace, with friendly mentors available to help them get started. It’s all about learning through creativity, curiosity, and play.
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Chick Fil A Westdale Spirit Night-Pay off Unpaid School Meal Balances
- Location
- Chick Fil A Westdale, 2610 Edgewood Road SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
- Audience
- All grades
- Organization
- CCSD Food and Nutrition Department
- Contact
- Ginny Scott
- vscott@crprairie.org
- Phone
- (319) 848-5337
Information
10% or more of attributed sales are directed towards paying off unpaid school meal balances.
April 27, 2026 5-8pm
Visit in person or order online. See the flyer for more details. -
5K4K9
- Location
- 3111 N 10th St Marion IA
- Audience
- All ages!
- Cost
- $25 for those over 18 and $15 for those participating in the kids' fun run.
- RSVP
- Apr 17, 2026
- Organization
- Marion Police Department
- Contact
- Willow Botsford
- 9073@marionpolice.com
- Phone
- (319) 377-1511
Information
5K4K9 fun run/walk hosted by the Marion Police Department. The family-friendly community event will be held at Linn-Mar High School and include bounce houses, a kids’ fun run, and the 5K event. Be sure to stick around to see the MPD K9s and their handlers in action. Event activities start at 9 a.m.
The cost is $25 for those over 18 and $15 for those participating in the kids’ fun run. Register via the city website at cityofmarion.org/5k4k9
Proceeds from this event will help support the Police Department’s K9 program and the creation of a new Crisis K9 team. The Crisis K9 is specially trained to provide emotional support and comfort to individuals, families and first responders during times of crisis. From traumatic incidents to community emergencies, this resource plays an important role in supporting both residents and staff. -
Prairie Show Choir Camp
- Location
- Prairie High School Choir Rooms
- Audience
- Entering (Fall 2026) 2nd - 9th Graders
- Cost
- $175
- RSVP
- Jun 15, 2026
- Organization
- Prairie Show Choirs/Prairie Music Association
- Contact
- Justin Sands
- jsands@crprairie.org
- Phone
- (319) 848-5340
Information
Join us for three days of singing and dancing at the Prairie Show Choir Camp, June 29-July 1. The camp is led by the Prairie Show Choir Directors, choreographer Jennifer Toney, and high school show choir students. We learn songs, choreography, and have fun sharpening our performance skills! Don’t miss it!
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Clover University Summer Day Camps
- Location
- Johnson County Extension Office (3109 Old Hwy 218 S., Iowa City)
- Audience
- Elementary school students
- Cost
- $33
- Organization
- Johnson County 4-H
- Contact
- Jillian Nafziger
- jmnaf@iastate.edu
- Phone
- (319) 337-2145
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The Corridor Jazz Concert
- Location
- Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids
- Audience
- students and families
- Cost
- $15 for adults, students are free!
- RSVP
- Mar 09, 2026
- Organization
- KCCK-FM
- Contact
- Dennis Green
- Phone
- (319) 329-2826
Information
21 High School Jazz bands (including Prairie Jazz Band one) perform in Iowa’s biggest jazz concert! The Corridor Jazz Concert matches high school bands with top adult players who have a professional recording studio experience and performance on one of the Corridor’s best stages. Eleven bands, including Prairie perform March 9 at the Paramount Theatre. The other ten take the stage March 10 in the Voxman Hall of Music at the University of Iowa.
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Stars Like the Sun
- Location
- The Eastern Iowa Observatory and Learning Center, 1365 Ivanhoe Rd, Ely, IA. 52227
- Audience
- K-12
- Cost
- Free
- Organization
- Cedar Amateur Astronomers
- Contact
- Gordon Baustian
- gordonbaustian@gmail.com
- Phone
- (319) 721-0659
Information
Begins at 7:30 PM. We learn in grade school that the stars are other suns, only very far away. Alternatively, the Sun is a star up close, where we can get a good look at it. That raises the question as to whether all stars are assembly-line copies of the Sun, or if there are large differences between them. Astronomy over the past 100 years has shown that stars vary enormously in their basic properties like temperature, mass (how much matter is in them), age, and diameter. Nonetheless, if we put the stars up on a big “plotting board”, we see that they organize themselves in groups. In this talk, I will discuss which group the Sun belongs to, and describe the intriguing quest for a “Solar Twin”. After the talk, if it is clear, we will use the observatory telescopes to look at one or two stars in the sky that are very similar to the Sun”.
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Red Shoe Run & Walk 5K
- Location
- Lower City Park, Iowa CIty
- Audience
- Families and participants of all ages
- Cost
- $20-45
- RSVP
- Apr 01, 2026
- Organization
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois
- Contact
- Heather Younker
- hyounker@rmhc-eiwi.org
- Phone
- (319) 500-7642
Information
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois proudly presents the 42nd Annual Red Shoe Run & Walk 5K!
This annual event raises critical funds and awareness to support our mission of keeping families close to each other—and close to the care they need—when they need it the most.
Participants can run, walk, or join virtually, making this a truly family-friendly event open to all ages and ability levels. Strollers and leashed pets are welcome. Race begins and ends at Lower City Park in Iowa City. On-site festivities include pre-race snacks, a kids zone, and awards for top runners across multiple age groups. After the race, stick around and enjoy a FREE lunch on us!
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MACR Sharks Swim Team — Evaluations for Spring/Summer are Underway
- Location
- Cedar Rapids Metro YMCA, Cedar Rapids, IA
- Audience
- Swimmers ages 6 and over
- Cost
- Varies by practice group
- RSVP
- Apr 06, 2026
- Organization
- Cedar Rapids Metro YMCA
- Contact
- Donald Pirrie
- iowayswimming@gmail.com
- Phone
- (319) 573-9294
Information
Ready to level up your swimming, make new friends, and be part of something bigger?
The MACR Sharks Spring & Summer Swim Season is the perfect opportunity for swimmers to grow their skills, build confidence, and experience the excitement of competitive swimming in a positive, team-first environment.
Practices are offered daily at the downtown YMCA for kids ages 6 and over. From novice swimmer to skilled competitor MACR has a practice group for your swimmer!
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ExploreU
- Location
- Iowa City West High School
- Audience
- Girls completing 6,7 and 8th grade
- Cost
- $120
- Organization
- ExploreU
- Contact
- Elizabeth Kleiman
- exploreustem@gmail.com
- Phone
- (319) 467-1906
Information
ExploreU is a week-long, STEM program for middle school girls completing 6th, 7th and 8th grade, held annually in the summer. The program is designed to help young girls learn math and computer science skills while having fun.
During the program, students use Scratch software to analyze patterns and learn the fundamentals of programming. This program teaches important mathematical and computational ideas while helping girls to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.
