The Iowa Source

From time to time we've got projects that require specialized tools for a week—but not a lifetime. Problem solved!

Tool Lending Library: New Resource at Fairfield ReStore Fairfield has joined forward-thinking cities across Iowa and the country in offering a tool lending library, now available at the Fairfield ReStore. Tool libraries, sometimes called “libraries of things,” allow community members to share access to pricey home repair and gardening equipment, help...

And now ... the fabulous artists of Draw a Bird Day 2026!

The Bird Art Is In! Thank You, Readers! If you haven't seen the May issue of The Iowa Source on shelves yet, it's due to drop any minute! And we are pleased as punch to be featuring, on its colorful cover, art created by you ... our readers, friends, and community members, in celebration of Draw a Bird Day 2026 on April 8!…

A local micro-farm continues to expand its efforts in supporting households that want to grow their own food.

Wild Spirits Farm: Helping People Reconnect with Gardening On a chilly spring morning just outside Fairfield, Tiffany April Raines, owner of Wild Spirits Farm, carries trays of seedlings from the bright glow of the grow room into a heated hoop house for transplanting. Flats of kale, broccoli, cabbage, and cilantro sit in rows, ready to be transplanted into....

Do you ever fantasize about quitting it all and enrolling in an art class? Peruse this short list of area workshops as a primer for your palate ... er, palette.

Second-Chance Creativity: Rediscover Your Love of Art-Making On top of my actual job jobs, I’ve got a lot going on. The book I want to finish writing this year. The play I soon hope to direct. The monthly writers’ event I host. The board of directors I sit on. The improv class I enrolled in. Yeah, a lot of that stuff is…

Hal and Joan tick one off the bucket list—embarking on an adventure to capture some remote Alaskan magic on camera.

Alaska’s Auroras: Hunting the Northern Lights in America’s Last Wilderness I went to college at Penn State with a group of guys from Philadelphia, all survivors of an inner-city high school. My lust for adventure started early, and Penn State was my first big adventure. Not long after arriving, one of our group had the chance to go on a research project to the Brooks…

Sometimes a squeezy-soft feline friend is all that's needed for a feliz navidad. And now ... for some dewy-eyed and humorous cat "tails" ...

I Just Cat Help It: Have Yourself a Purry Little Christmas Deep in December’s small hours, I can feel her step softly across the covers, my downy white comforter collapsing with a quiet “puff” under each paw. Like she does every morning at 7:02 a.m., Gertie settles on top of me with half a meow, “Rhhh,” announcing her arrival while surrendering he...

In 2020, one of our publication's delivery guys retired. Enter my new culturally rich monthly adventure ...

Gratitude en Route: Tales from an Iowa Source Delivery Girl I wear many hats as senior editor of The Iowa Source magazine. I am editorial writer, events wrangler, local news herder, proofreading princess, and queen of the classifieds, not to mention the end-of-month invoice slinger. A hearty thanks to our awesome advertisers, who serve as the steady wind wit...