Cedar Falls Historical Society

06/05/2026

Join us tomorrow (Saturday, June 6) for our *second* rendition of Adult Show & Tell, an intriguing afternoon learning about four distinct collections from the community!

Collections Manager, Julie Huffman-klinkowitz, will host again, and the collections of Kellie Smith, Linda Grimm, Russ Grimm, and Rich Congdon will be featured.

This event will take place at our 315 Clay St. classroom. It's free and open to the public, so bring a friend!

06/04/2026

On this day in history, June 4, 1984, an American classic was launched. Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen's seventh studio album was released.

The album was part of a large and extensive promotional campaign--five music videos, seven singles, and three dance remixes followed the album's debut. Born in the U.S.A. was a worldwide smash, topping the charts in nine countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. It was the best-selling album of 1985, and more recently, it has been recognized as one of Springsteen's best albums of all time.

The album was recorded in New York City with the E Street Band between January, 1982 and March, 1984. It was produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt, and Chuck Plotkin, with Columbia Records.

You can take a listen to the title track here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRx212PUa4g

Bruce Springsteen

06/03/2026

Today, June 3rd, is World Bicycle Day. We have celebrated World Bicycle Day every June 3rd since 2018.

The United Nations first adopted the holiday after a sociology professor named Dr. Leszek Sibilski and 56 nations supported the holiday being added. The holiday is meant to acknowledge the versatility and longevity of the bicycle. Cycling helps foster physical well-being as well as being good for the environment by helping cut down on greenhouse gas emissions!

You can also see many pop culture references to cycling such as the band Queen’s song ‘Bicycle Race” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GugsCdLHm-Q

Bicycles can also be used as a part of art, several sculptures have been made using bicycles! Iowa has a very special connection to cycling that has taken place every summer since 1973 with the oldest, largest, and longest recreational bicycle ride named the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI)! The route for RAGBRAI changes every year and last year one of the stops along the way was Cedar Falls!

Enjoy World Bicycle Day by taking a bike ride around town on one of the many trails! You can look at a trail map here: https://bhcmpo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-cvtrg.pdf

by Lindsay Nieland

06/02/2026

Did you know that June 2 is National Rotisserie Chicken Day? 🍗 🧡

National Rotisserie Chicken Day was founded by Boston Market Restaurants in April, 2015 to celebrate the tender, delicious flavor of rotisserie chicken. In May that year, the Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed the day to be observed annually on June 2.

Rotisserie chickens are often a great deal at grocery stores, often sold at a lower price than raw whole chickens. Some stores use rotisserie chickens as "loss leaders" to get shoppers into the store, banking on the shoppers buying other products (particularly higher-margin accompaniments to the chicken) while they are there.

That said, rotisserie chicken is a great base for all kinds of meals, from soups to salads, sandwiches to casseroles. Take a look at this collection from Southern Bite, for some great ideas--https://southernbite.com/top-10-rotisserie-chicken-recipes/

What is your go-to store for rotisserie chicken? And what is your favorite way to use it? 🧡🧑‍🍳🍗

Delicious and effortless! Explore these top rotisserie chicken recipes that utilize the delicious flavors and convenience of rotisserie chicken, including stromboli, enchiladas, soup, casseroles, and more.

06/01/2026

We still have spots available for our six days and five night trip to beautiful North Dakota in August, and there is just one month left to get registered and your deposit turned int.

Join us and be among the first to see the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, opening on July 4th this year. This trip is the perfect way to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday!

We will experience unique dining, captivating performances, visits to museums and a national park, and more!

Registration is now open, and your registration form and a 50% deposit are due by July 1st, 2026.

Forms are available to download from our website (https://irp.cdn-website.com/.../North+Dakota+bus+tour...), and paper copies are available at the Victorian House.

Price per traveler:*
• Single occupancy:
$3,275 member/$3,425 nonmember
• Double occupancy:
$2,475 member/ $2,650 nonmember
• Triple occupancy:
$2,175 member/ $2,280 nonmember
• Quadruple occupancy:
$2,130 member/ $2,250 nonmember

Please note: There is one woman looking for a roommate for this trip. Please let us know if you're interested!

05/31/2026

Assisted by our trusty maintenance man, Jim Weber, we've put together another timeline for 2026. It features one of his passions--CARS! Join us each month for another "120 years of cars" post.

Here is the next in our series—the 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe.

The Ford Motor Company introduced the De Luxe Ford line in 1938. It was offered as an upscale “bridge” model between the Standard base model and the Lincoln luxury brand, in response to the distinct lines of General Motors and Chrysler.
In 1939, before World War II, Ford had five car lines--Ford, De Luxe Ford, Mercury, Lincoln-Zephyr, and Lincoln. After World War II, things were scaled back to Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln, with increased Mercury sales cancelling out the De Luxe line.

Ford produced six Deluxe body styles in 1940: the Coupe ($721) and Business Coupe ($745), the Tudor ($765), the Convertible Coupe ($850), the Fordor ($810) Sedan, and the most expensive Deluxe Station Wagon ($950).

Ford design chief, E.T. “Bob” Gregorie under the direction of Edsel Ford, gave the Ford Deluxe line a new look in 1940. The familiar Ford V8 chassis continued to ride on the same 112-inch wheelbase, but a stabilizer bar was added to the front suspension, and the hydraulic brakes were upgraded with bigger drums.

Another new development was the “Finger-Tip Shift” system, where the shift lever was mounted on the steering column. This allowed more room and comfort for three-across seating. Front vent windows appeared for the first time in 1940, allowing Ford to discontinue the traditional crank-out windshield. Sealed-beam headlights were also new that year.

The new instrument panel incorporated a horizontal layout for the speedometer and gauges, and included a 30-hour clock built into the glove compartment door. The interior Maroon and Rose Sand color scheme (a signature in all Deluxe models) was carried through to the steering wheel.

The 1940 Deluxe Coupe is one of the most coveted and collectable of classic Ford V8 automobiles today.

Image:
Courtesy of Mac's Motor City Garage

05/30/2026

Welcome to Vinyl Memories: Spinnin’ Through Time, a monthly series.

May Selection: “Time After Time” 🕰️— Cyndi Lauper (1983) 🎶

Released in 1983, Time After Time showcased a gentler side of Cyndi Lauper’s bold pop style. Harmonizing emotion, vulnerability, and timeless pop melodies, the song became one of the decade’s most beloved ballads and continues to resonate with listeners across generations.

What is your favorite Cyndi Lauper song? ✨

#1983

Image Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Klaus Hiltscher and tagged with “codex”. License: All Rights Reserved.

by Valerie Zubrod

05/29/2026

Join us next Saturday, June 6 at 2:00 pm, for our *second* rendition of Adult Show & Tell, an intriguing afternoon learning about four distinct collections from the community!

Collections Manager, Julie Huffman-klinkowitz, will host again, and the collections of Kellie Smith, Linda Grimm, Russ Grimm, and Rich Congdon will be featured.

This event will take place in our 315 Clay St. classroom. It's free and open to the public, so bring a friend!

05/28/2026

Back in April, we were treated to an afternoon of improv where Lorem Improv Dolor, under the direction of Dr. Doug Shaw, performed scenes that were taken from local newspaper headlines.

Here is another installment of our "Ripped from the Headlines" series, featuring an actual headline from the show (from the July 14, 1899 Courier): "Killed by a Kissing Bug."

05/27/2026

Today is the the 147th day of the year! And on this day in history--May 27, 1933--Walt Disney released for general audiences a short film, “3 Little Pigs.” It originally premiered just two days earlier on May 25, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This little cartoon classic was directed by Burt Gillett, and won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons in 1934.

In 1994, members of the animation field voted the short #11 on the 50 Greatest Cartoons of All Time list, and in 2007, Three Little Pigs was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leAh00n3hno.
Feel free to sing along to "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" 😝🐷🐷🐷🐺

Three Little Pigs is an animated short film released in 1933 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Burt Gillett. Based on a fairy tale o...