Hey there, Cedar Rapids! 🎉
Holiday shopping, arts, history, and live entertainment are taking center stage across Eastern Iowa this Thursday! 🛍️ Browse nearly 40 local vendors at Mercy’s Mistletoe Market, celebrate the season at St. Paul’s 105th Holiday Fair, or explore New Bohemia’s First Thursday art openings. 🎨 Music lovers can enjoy the Beethoven Club’s program on Stravinsky, catch Jessica Mar’s hometown release show, or see Legally Blonde and Pippin on stage. 🏛️ History buffs can discover the Sinclair family at Brucemore, while curious minds explore a faculty lecture on health and disease. 🧶 Get creative with mini wreaths, fiber art, or a craft at the library, and connect with others at caregiver support groups, Dungeons & Dragons, bingo, or game night. There’s plenty to discover this Thursday!
A big shoutout to our sponsors, Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust for helping make Cedar Rapids Daily possible and supporting all the amazing things happening in our community.
☀️ CEDAR RAPIDS DAILY
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Your guide to what’s happening around Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa — in five minutes or less!
🌦️ FORECAST
A slight chance of showers, with a high of 54° and a low of 40°.
⭐ TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS
🛍️ Mercy Mistletoe Market
🎶 Beethoven Club Monthly Program
🧬 Liberal Arts Faculty Lecture
🏛️ Pack a Lunch, Unpack History
🎨 First Thursday Art Opening
🧶 Cats & Crafts: Mini Wreaths
🎭 Legally Blonde the Musical
🎭 Pippin
🎤 Jessica Mar: “Walla Walla” Release Show
🎄 St. Paul’s Holiday Fair
🌿 HEALTH, WELLNESS & FITNESS
🧘 Morning Stretch
🕗 8–9 a.m.
📍 Ely Public Library
Paula leads a mobility-friendly group exercise class incorporating elements of yoga. Bring your own mat if possible.
🪑 Chair Yoga
🕐 1–1:45 p.m.
📍 Cedar Rapids Public Library, Busse Branch | 💲 Free
Beginner-friendly chair yoga with Tammy Bayer, adaptable to different mobility levels. No experience necessary.
🎟️ Optional registration
🌿 Metta Yoga – Gentle
🕤 9:30–10:30 a.m.
📍 Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
Beginner-friendly meditative yoga for strength, flexibility, and relaxation. All abilities welcome.
💲 $15 per class or punch-card options
📧 harbaugh@hotmail.com | 📞 319-389-1463
👨👩👧👦 FAMILY & KIDS
🎵 Music & Movement Story Time
🕤 9:30–10:30 a.m.
📍 Busse Library
A fun story time for toddlers and preschoolers featuring music and movement.
🤝 Partners in Play
🕤 9:30–10:15 a.m.
📍 Hiawatha Public Library
A chance for little ones and caregivers to connect through play.
📚 Preschool Story Time
🕙 10–11 a.m.
📍 Ely Public Library
Stories, songs, and a craft for ages 3–5. Younger siblings are welcome.
🎼 Symphony Kids Music Program
🕥 10:30–11 a.m.
📍 Marion Public Library
Orchestra Iowa’s Ms. Amy introduces children and families to music, rhythm, rhyme, and early literacy.
🧸 Stuffed Animal Sleepover at the Library
🕕 6–7 p.m.
📍 Busse Branch
Enjoy a story, snack, and craft, then leave your stuffed animal for a library sleepover. Pick up your stuffy and photos of its adventures the next afternoon. Registration required.
🎟️ Register
📚 LEARNING, HISTORY & COMMUNITY
🧬 Liberal Arts Faculty Lecture with Blaise Boles
🕚 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
📍 Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Hall 2082 | 💲 Free
Biology professor Blaise Boles explores how microbial metabolites and diet influence health and disease.
🏛️ Pack a Lunch, Unpack History: Meet the Sinclairs
🕛 12–1 p.m.
📍 Brucemore | 💲 $10 general admission; supporters receive $5 off
Curator Jessica Peel-Austin shares archival discoveries about Caroline Sinclair and her family. Bring your lunch and explore the people and stories behind Brucemore.
🏅 NAACP CR 2nd Annual Recognition Luncheon
🕛 12–1 p.m.
📍 African American Museum of Iowa
Celebrate community leaders under the theme “Building Bridges, Creating Belonging.”
💲 $16
🎟️ Register
💼 Searching & Applying for Reliable Jobs Online
🕑 2–3 p.m.
📍 Busse Library
Learn job-search resources, how to avoid scams, and why monitoring your online presence matters.
🎨 ARTS & CRAFTS
🛍️ Mistletoe Market at Mercy Medical Center
🕣 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
📍 Mercy Medical Center | 💲 Free
Shop nearly 40 local vendors offering handcrafted gifts, holiday décor, jewelry, and more. Includes a bake sale and raffle.
🎼 Beethoven Club Monthly Program
🕙 10–11:30 a.m.
📍 Eastern Iowa Arts Academy
Carol Rezabek presents “Riot, Rhythm, and Revolution: How Stravinsky Redefined Dance,” with performances featuring works by Haydn, Hindemith, Shostakovich, and others.
🧵 Threading the Needle: Fiber Art in Iowa
🕛 12–8 p.m.
📍 Grant Wood Studio
Explore an all-Iowa juried exhibition celebrating fiber and textile art, its traditions, techniques, and contemporary themes.
🧶 Scrabble Club
🕐 1–4 p.m.
📍 Hiawatha Public Library
Challenge your vocabulary and enjoy friendly wordplay.
🧵 Daytime Knit Wits
🕐 1–3 p.m.
📍 Marion Public Library
Bring your knitting or crochet for crafting and fellowship.
🎨 Next Chapter: Artful Afternoons – Open Studio
🕐 1–2:30 p.m.
📍 Northwest Recreation Center
Enjoy a relaxed afternoon of art and connection. All experience levels welcome; a new craft is featured each month.
🎨 Afternoon Art
🕒 3–4 p.m.
📍 Marion Public Library
Drop in for creative activities with provided arts and crafts supplies.
🧵 Teen Makers & Gamers
🕞 3:30–5 p.m.
📍 Cedar Rapids Public Library
After-school crafting and gaming for teens. This session features DIY 3D-printed fidgets.
🎨 First Thursday Art Opening – Some Assembly Required
🕕 6–9 p.m.
📍 Tree of Liminality, 301 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids
Farmhouse Art Collective presents collaborative surrealist-inspired creatures created from participants’ drawings.
🖼️ First Thursday in New Bohemia
🕔 5–9 p.m.
📍 The Cherry Building and Tree of Liminality
Explore free art exhibits throughout the historic New Bohemia neighborhood, including Casey Kasparek’s Lead with Love, local artists’ studios, a holiday art sale, and Some Assembly Required.
🐈 Cats & Crafts: Mini Wreaths
🕒 3–5 p.m.
📍 The Glittering Pear, Marion
Make a mini wreath with supplies provided. Proceeds support Unleashed Animal Rescue. All ages welcome.
💲 $10 | RSVP requested
🎄 St. Paul’s Holiday Fair
🕙 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
📍 St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Cedar Rapids
Shop the holiday bake shop, cookie walk, craft boutique, and fair-trade sale. The fair celebrates its 105th anniversary and supports local and global mission projects.
💙 SUPPORT & CONNECTION
💙 Grief Share Support
🕑 2–4 p.m.
📍 Calvary Baptist Church
A confidential 13-week support series for those grieving the loss of a spouse, with facilitated discussion, videos, and a workbook.
🎶 Together in Song Chorus – Fall Concert
🕝 2:30–3:45 p.m.
📍 DeWolf Family Innovation Center for Aging & Dementia
Enjoy the chorus’s fall concert, “The Voice of Life.” Cookies and coffee follow.
🗣️ English Practice Conversation Group
🕓 4–5:30 p.m.
📍 Busse Branch
Practice English and build confidence in a relaxed, welcoming group with guided conversation and activities.
💙 Caregiver Support Group
🕕 6–7:30 p.m.
📍 Marion Public Library
A safe space for caregivers of people with memory loss to share experiences, ask questions, and receive support.
🎭 THEATRE & LIVE MUSIC
🎤 Jessica Mar – “Walla Walla” Release Show
🕕 Doors 6 p.m.; show 6:30 p.m.
📍 The Ideal Theater & Bar
Jessica Mar returns to Cedar Rapids with a full band, including her father Jeff Weimer, for a hometown release show featuring originals, covers, and the first full-band performance of “Walla Walla.” All ages.
💲 $21.75 all-in
🎭 Legally Blonde the Musical
🕢 7:30–10 p.m.
📍 George Washington High School
Follow Elle Woods as she heads to Harvard Law, discovers her potential, and proves herself on her own terms.
🎭 Pippin – Kirkwood’s Fall Musical
🕢 7:30–9:30 p.m.
📍 Ballantyne Auditorium, Kirkwood Community College
Follow Pippin’s search for an extraordinary life in this musical by Stephen Schwartz.
🎟️ Tickets | Free for Kirkwood students, faculty, and staff
🎲 GAMES & NIGHTLIFE
🎲 Dungeons & Dragons at the Library
🕔 5–8 p.m.
📍 Hiawatha Public Library
Join an adult Dungeons & Dragons campaign on the first and third Thursdays of the month.
📚 Bookish Scarecrows
🕕 6–7:30 p.m.
📍 Hiawatha Public Library
Give old books a second life with a creative autumn craft.
🎲 Game Night with Think & Drink Entertainment
🕖 7 p.m.
📍 Spare Time Entertainment
Free team game night for all ages, with up to eight players per team and prizes.
🎤 Survey Says: A Friendly Feud Bar Game
🕖 7 p.m.
📍 Spare Time, Cedar Rapids
Guess the most popular survey answers in this free team game. Play solo or with up to eight people; prizes available.
🎟️ Public Bingo
🕕 6–9 p.m. (doors open 4:30 p.m.)
📍 El Kahir Shrine
Open to the public ages 12+. Food and beverages available for purchase.
💲 $6 entry packet
🧋 Tea and Tarot
🕕 6 p.m.
📍 ReAlive Metaphysical Shop
Practice tarot or other readings in a friendly group. Cash donations accepted.
🎳 Strikes and Slices
🕘 9–11 p.m.
📍 Spare Time Cedar Rapids
Two hours of unlimited bowling, shoe rental, and unlimited cheese or pepperoni pizza slices.
💲 $10.99 per person
Special Thanks
A big shoutout to our sponsor: Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust.
With five convenient locations across the greater Cedar Rapids area and yes, the best cookies on the planet, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust is a place where relationships and service truly matter. From personal to business banking, CRBT is here to support you every step of the way. Come meet the People you can bank on at crbt.bank. Member FDIC
Thank you for being part of the Cedar Rapids Daily community. We can’t wait to see you at these events! Until next time, stay curious and keep exploring.
Warm regards,
The Cedar Rapids Daily Team
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