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Cedar Rapids’s Favorite Newsletter

Cedar Rapids news, events, and recommendations delivered free every morning.

Cedar Rapids, IA
39Events this week
12Free things to do
87New spots
82New stories

● Checked this morning, before the 6 AM send.

This week in Cedar Rapids

Five picks from this week's calendar. See all 39 events, day by day →

42nd Rockwell All Employee Craft Fair

Thursday 9am · Radisson Hotel Cedar Rapids · Free

Safe Movements: Winter Safety

Thursday 12pm · Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center

Scary Scams

Thursday 1pm · Gathering Place Iowa City · Free

Trick or Treat w/ TGV

Thursday 4pm · Marion

BINGO - PUBLIC INVITED!

Thursday 6pm · Cedar Rapids

New in Cedar Rapids

Places that opened, reopened, or earned a mention this month — the ones we'd go back to.

Izumi Sushi & Hibachi

Restaurants

Rolls, sizzle, repeat: Craving a low-key feast that doesn’t skimp on freshness?

izumirestaurant.com ↗

Lightworks Cafe

Cafes

Third-wave fuel, anyone: Lightworks Cafe keeps Cedar Rapids caffeinated with third wave, craft-oriented brews, direct trade single origin coffee from Onyx and Ruby, and Rishi tea, plus from-scratch lunch that doesn’t phone it in.

lightworkscafe.com ↗

Scrapmania

Hobbies, Books, & Crafts

Craft your weekend plans: Scrapmania is the local happy place for paper people, with card kits, album kits, classes, and in-store or hotel crops to keep you creating.

shop.crscrapmania.com ↗

Cedar Rapids’s best businesses

Every spot worth knowing, in one place.

The restaurants, shops, and services the newsletter recommends, all in one place — every listing checked, and paid pins marked every time.

Browse Cedar Rapids’s best →

Most read in Cedar Rapids

The five stories Cedar Rapids readers clicked most this month, from the daily editions.

  1. Now Open - Eastern Iowa's New Bars & Restaurants in 2026

    New bars & restaurants have opened in Eastern Iowa in 2026, with several expected to open in the future.

    Full story at y105music.com ↗

  2. UPDATE: No one hurt after fire, explosion Quaker Oats in downtown Cedar Rapids

    No one was injured or killed in an explosion and fire at the Quaker Oats facility in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon.

    Full story at kwqc.com ↗

  3. Iowa regulators conducting checks as Cedar Rapids casino prepares to open

    The new Cedar Crossing Casino in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is set to open on November 19th.

    Full story at radioiowa.com ↗

  4. This Marion Restaurant's Closing Announcement Came as a Shock

    West End Diner in Marion, a popular restaurant and coffee shop, has announced it will close in early November.

    Full story at y105music.com ↗

  5. Iowa nursing homes lead the nation in short-staffing violations • Iowa Capital Dispatch

    Iowa's nursing home inspectors issued more citations for insufficient staffing last year than any other state in the nation, according to a review of federal data.

    Full story at iowacapitaldispatch.com ↗

Explore Cedar Rapids

The rest of what BaseLocal keeps current for the city.

Cedar Rapids eventsAll 39 events this week, day by dayThis weekend in Cedar RapidsThe 11 things worth your weekendFree things to do12 free events happening this weekRead the latest editionSee exactly what lands in your inboxIowa City25 miles away — nearby on BaseLocalWaterloo49 miles away — nearby on BaseLocalMuscatine51 miles away — nearby on BaseLocalCedar Falls54 miles away — nearby on BaseLocal