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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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. -
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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Prairie School Foundation: Dueling for a Cause
- Location
- Olympic South Side Theater
- Cost
- $35/ticket
- Organization
- Prairie School Foundation
- Contact
- Alicia Tjelmeland
- Phone
- (319) 848-5200
Information
Join us for a Tailgate Dinner and cash bar followed with entertainment provided by Dueling Pianos!
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Project Creating Responsive Action Through Empowering Resources and Strategies (CRATERS)
- Location
- University of Iowa's College of Public Health 145 North Riverside Drive Iowa City, IA
- Audience
- middle school and high school students
- RSVP
- Mar 27, 2026
- Organization
- The University of Iowa-College of Public Health
- Contact
- Ebonee Johnson, Ph.D.
- ebonee-johnson@uiowa.edu
- Phone
- (319) 335-5188
Information
Mental Health Training Developed For Teens By Teens
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Prairie Poms Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Junior High Tryout Signup!
- Location
- Prairie HS South Gym
- Audience
- High School, Middle School, 6th Grade
- RSVP
- Feb 22, 2026
- Organization
- Prairie Poms
- Contact
- Prairie Poms
- Phone
- (319) 551-4089
Information
Register for our 2026-2027 Prairie Poms Teams! Our Varsity team competes locally, regionally, and nationally. Our Junior Varsity and Junior High teams will compete locally and regionally. We are looking for students with a passion for dance and the willingness to work hard and be part of something GREAT! Our season begins in the Summer once school has ended and goes through Winter with breaks in between. Varsity and Junior Varsity perform on the sidelines at all Varsity home football games and Varsity performs at 2 halftimes. Junior High will join HS teams on the track for the Homecoming game. This is a great opportunity to be competitive in dance through your school and represent Prairie with pride! Register today to get your information packet.
Tryout Meeting – February 26th
Clinics – March 2nd and 3rd
Tryouts – March 5th -
Horseback Riding Lessons and Weekend Trail Rides!
- Location
- Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca Sandy Beach Rd. NE Solon IA. 52333
- Audience
- 4th through 12th grade
- Cost
- $60
- RSVP
- Mar 22, 2026
- Organization
- Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca
- Contact
- Jonathan Temme
- barnmanager@iodiseca.org
- Phone
- (319) 848-4187
Information
Come and take horseback riding lessons at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca and learn to not only how to ride horses but also how to take care of them!
Come out to Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca over the weekend and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Coralville Reservoir on the back of a horse!
