Welcome!
Join us Sunday, January 22nd from 1 – 4 p.m.
for the 5th annual Coralville WinterFest presented by Veridian Credit Union!
This is your chance to get out with the family and actually enjoy some fabulous winter activities in the Iowa River Landing. WinterFest has grown over the past few years providing a wide range of both indoor and outdoor activities. The Iowa River Landing district is conveniently located just off I-80 and First Avenue/Hayden Fry Way. Activities will take place on Quarry Road, inside the Johnson County Historical Society Museum, the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center (in the Exhibition Hall), Diamond Dreams, KCJJ Radio the Mighty 1630 and Vesta.
Travel back in time at the Johnson County Historical Society for some fun indoor wintertime activities. Make a historic craft based on Johnson County long ago and create a fun snowman mask from a paper plate to take home. You can also enjoy a tasty treat by making some maple syrup candy.
Learn how a 19th century printing press works by watching demonstrations and take home a memento of Coralville WinterFest printed on the machine.
Visit with Chérie Haury-Artz from the State Archeologist’s Office and learn about what they discovered in the Edgewater Creek area when the site of the Marriott was excavated. The discovery included evidence of very early civilazations in the area and you’ll be able to see replicas of many of the items representative of the time period including things like prehistoric gardening tools as well as samples of seeds and images of plants from that time period.
Visit a real Native American Tee Pee display and step in to see how cozy this kind of shelter can be. Listen to the authentic sounds of the Native American flutes and be charmed by the rhythm of the drum.
Visit with a ranger from Coralville Lake and view some of the many fossils that can be found in the Devonian Fossil Gorge. Also, check out what you can do outside at the reservoir in the winter!
Brad Freidhof, Naturalist for the Johnson County Conservation, will be on-hand to discuss Iowa wildlife species. A variety of Iowa mammal pelts will be on display for families to touch, along with materials to make tracks from common Iowa wildlife species. Stop by and try your hand at identifying some of Iowa’s wildlife species by their tracks.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Johnson County Historical Society
- Children’s Crafts
- Old fashioned candy making
- Corps of Engineers: Devonian Fossil Gorge Display and Flood Video
- Archeology of the Iowa River Landing with the Office of the State Archeologist
- Animal Tracking/Iowa Wildlife with Brad Friedoff
- Hawkeye Model Railroad Club Tours
- 19th Century Printing Press Demo
- Free Cookies courtesy of Perkins
Outside of the Johnson County Historical Society:
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Roasting Chestnuts
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Native American Teepee
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KGAN Weather Road Warrior w/Justin Roberts
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1:30 p.m. Ice Sculpting with Ron Hall & Dave Dettman
The Marriott Hotel Exhibition Hall will also be hosting various Arts, Crafts, and Activities. The organizations sponsoring these include: Iowa Children's Museum, Coralville Public Library, Summer of the Arts, West Music, Concession Stand, Iowa City Bird Club, Coralville Fire & Police Department, UI Baseball Team, and the Coralville Ecumenical Food Pantry.
The Only One: Exploring the Experience of Being a Minority in Iowa
The Johnson County Historical Society in Coralville has received a grant award of $10,000 from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of a project called “The Only One: Exploring the Experience of Being a Minority in Iowa”. This exhibit will be presented in partnership with The African-American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids.
The Only One exhibit focuses on exploring Iowans' different responses to a specific situation: Have you ever felt different from everyone else? Like you were the only one? Many Iowans can tell you firsthand what it is like to be the only minority on a sports team, the only female in a factory, the youngest employee in an office, and more. Through this exhibit, visitors will be able to explore the experience of being the only one through pictures, stories, and art. There will also be a place for visitors to share their own experience of being the only one. The exhibit will be opening January 19th at 5:30 PM.
If you have any questions regarding this exhibit, please contact JCHS at 351-5738 or email meagan@johnsoncountyhistory.org.
If you have any questions about what's going on at JCHS, call (319) 351-5738 or email us.
To get all of the latest information on upcoming exhibits, programs and JCHS news join our monthly e-newsletter!
Museum hours
Johnson County Historical Society Museum
860 Quarry Road, Coralville, IA 52241
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m - 5 p.m.
Sunday: Noon- 5 p.m.
Admission* : $5 per visitor
JCHS members: Free
Under 12: Free
* This price includes admission to the Antique Car Museum of Iowa
To schedule a group tour (self-guided or with a guide) please call (319) 351-5738 or email. (School and group rates available)
plum grove historic home
1030 Carroll Street, Iowa City, IA 52240
Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend: Wednesday-Sunday from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
After Labor Day Weekend to October 31st: Saturday-Sunday from 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Labor Day Weekend
Free admission
To arrange a group tour please call (319) 351-5738 or email.
1876 Coralville schoolhouse
310 5th Street, Coralville, IA 52241
Open by appointment only. Please call (319) 351-5738 or email to schedule a tour.
1855 johnson county poor farm & asylum
Corner of Melrose and Slothower Ave. (just west of Hwy. 218), Iowa City, IA
Open by appointment only. Please call (319) 351-5738 or email to schedule a tour.
