Today, everyone is Irish. No doubt there are plenty of ways to celebrate your newfound heritage, including the annual SaPaDaPaSo Parade through downtown Cedar Rapids. But just how much do you know about the Emerald Isle? Max hit the street to find out which leprechauns could earn their pot of gold. And, by pot of [...]

Sam Fathallah is known around the Linn-Mar High School community as “the video guy.” Considering the camera he nearly almost always has handy and the more than 150 videos on his YouTube channel that boast a collective 124,000 views, it is clear how he’s earned the moniker. His signature style is now well-known on campus. [...]

MARION — “Happy birthday, Abe,” I say, greeting Lance Mack in the food court at the Marion Hy-Vee. “Why, thank you,” he replies. “I feel good for a man of 204.” Yes, today is Presidents Day, the Federal holiday that celebrates the births of George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12, 1809), [...]

Cake or pie? Choose your side. The war starts now. The words scribbled in blue chalk, scrawled on the cement parking lot of Iowa City’s Bread Garden Market, caught my eye last summer. I never found out who declared the cake-pie war, but the Gazette features department had no trouble taking sides in this delicious [...]

Have you ever pondered what snacks you would bring along when time traveling? Or whether currency will be needed in the future? For the past 100 weeks, Tony Parsons of Iowa City and William Wright of Coralville have tackled these topics and more during their podcast — The Magical Talking Hat — an hour-long romp [...]

DJ Pauly D is coming to the Eastern Iowa Sports Complex on Friday, so multimedia journalist Max Freund took to the streets of Cedar Rapids to give away two tickets to the person with the most impressive Jersey Shore knowledge. Think you know a lot about t-shirt time? Check out the video to see who [...]

Kent Smith’s gloved hands remain clasped at his waist as he waits patiently beneath the flashing bulbs of The Englert Theatre’s marquee. When the multitudes of theatregoers descend upon him, he calmly, deftly, springs into action. More shepherd than doorman, he directs traffic, flitting between the five front doors. A lady in red darts inside [...]

With the unexpected announcement that Hostess will be closing its operations, Max Freund went on a hunt for the elusive Twinkie, DingDongs, Donettes and HoHos. Armed with a bag of what may be the last of the iconic goodies, Freund took to the streets to get the peoples’ take on the closures.

The dim glow of a microwave. A meager meal of previously frozen turkey and mashed potatoes. Thanksgiving for one conjures isolating imagery such as this. Or not? I say being solo for the season doesn’t have to mean a dinner devoid of delicious dishes. Buttery mounds of mashed potatoes, succulent slices of roast turkey and [...]

Standing in his workshop surrounded by dozen of machineries, different types of shoe soles, and accessories, Richard Foens, owner of Smitty’s Shoe Repair, fixes about 30-50 pairs of shoes a day on average. Foens says that things are different today compared to when he first started fixing shoes about sixty years ago. “When I started [...]