Saturday, February 26, 2022
We are Popping Again!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Expect to be Inspired by February's Program
Feb. 8, 2022 – The Cedar Falls “Rough Risers” Kiwanis Club will be addressed this month by three local leaders, who will talk about their years of commitment to kids and what they’ve accomplished beyond the classroom.
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Dave Welter |
Dave Welter, a retired Holmes Junior High principal and high school varsity baseball coach, will be the club’s keynote speaker at its Feb. 16 meeting.
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Walk-Through of Robbery Investigation Kicks Off January Program
Cedar Falls -- Local Kiwanians went on a "job shadow" with Special Agent Scott Reger, a 24-year veteran of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), at their meeting last Wednesday.
Special Agent Scott Reger speaks last Wednesday. |
Reger kicked off Law Enforcement Month for the Cedar
Falls Kiwanis “Rough Risers” Club. Two more with public safety expertise will join
the group this week and the following one, before the club moves onto its February program, which will include speakers with experience in city government and education.
Cedar Falls Police Chief Craig Berte will join Kiwanians Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 a.m. at Lifestyle Inn, 5826 University Avenue, where weekly meetings are held, to talk about the city’s public safety officer (PSO) model, its role in helping protect citizens, and more about his law enforcement background.
The following Wednesday, Jan. 26, Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson will stop by a meeting to also share additional details about what his job involves.
** Click "Read more>>" below to learn about what Special Agent Reger shared with the group. **
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
The New Cedar River Experience Explained by Gary Kroeger
It’s very swim-ple! This development will create raging white water rapids for kayaking, calmer pathways for inner tube wading, and a swimmers paradise. They plan that this will create an attraction that will be a huge draw for enthusiasts of all ages.
It will be quite "swim-ressive!"
This project will cost $4 million. Cedar Falls needs to raise 25% of this total. Gary Kroeger and his Cedar River committee have already raised about 25% of needed funds and the rest will come from donations and grants.
This project's economic impact will be a boon for the local businesses and markets and enhance our quality of life.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Steve Smith Leads the North Cedar Neighborhood Renovation
North Cedar Neighborhood Association is headed up by a resident of that section of town, Steve Smith, who really cares about his community and the functionality of Cedar Falls.
Over time, North Cedar Falls has not been maintained and it is long overdue for a serious upgrade and update. When visitors travel into town from the North, the area really looks neglected and it is a bad reflection on the city as a whole. North Cedar's residents have decided to make a difference in their neighborhood.
Steve is out gathering financial support to change the direction and make improvements so it gives the city a good first impression and improves the quality of life for all residents.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Chuck Rowe Shares "Nonprofit Giving in a COVID World"
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Chuck Rowe - Director |
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Cindy Herzmann Dreams of Building an Accessible Park for Kids.
Wednesday, October 13 - I know that this sounds like fowl play, but why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!
Cedar Falls High School Senior, Cindy Herzmann who is working toward her Girl Scouts highest honor Gold Award, wants to construct an accessible playground at the Soccer Complex. This playground will enable kids of all ages and abilities can burn off energy while their siblings are playing soccer. She has already collected half of the needed funds and is soliciting for the remainder.
Ms. Herzmann is a motivated person. She is intending to enroll at Clarke University with a soccer scholarship. She wants others to have as enjoyable an experience as she has had and wants to leave her legacy with this needed project.
Written by Lynn Barnes
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Hank Jungling Tells Tales of Climbing Mt. Everest
Hank Jungling of Aplington doesn’t shirk when he challenges himself to climb Everest. He made up his mind that no mountain is high enough!
Hank and his daughter Vicky didn’t sweat the tall stuff for their trek! They climbed for 7 rainy days to the peak of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania along with 9 other hikers. After the climb, they took a wild safari tour ride to take photos afterwards. Their actions "peak louder than words" and Hank is 74 years young! What an amazing accomplishment!
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Del Carpenter Sails into our Meeting to Tell His Tales.
Del took up his passion in 1984 and rode the winds ever since. Del gave the Kiwanians a much folksy and beneficial life lessons on giving and serving during his presentation that he learned first hand over the years. When asked why he took up this passion of windsurfing; Del said,” It looks cool and difficult and you're too old to be graceful!”
Sea everybody real soon!
Written by Lynn Barnes
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Ron Michaelson Shares his Passion for Rocks
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Executive Director, Monica Boyer, Updates Us on CF Schools Foundation
Monica Boyer, the Executive Director of the Cedar Falls Schools Foundation, talked about the classroom excellence grants given to deserving senior students so that they can defray education costs going to institutions of higher learning.
The foundation also helps with funding things like the new swimming pool going into the new Cedar Falls High School which they contributed $92,000. Our Kiwanis Club has a self-sustaining scholarship fund with Cedar Falls Schools that provides monies for the High School seniors.
Written by Lynn Barnes
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Holly Johnson Shares the Story of Hawkeye Community Scholarship Fund
Wednesday, July 14 - High school student track stars looking for scholarships have many hurdles to overcome. Our Kiwanis Club provide scholarships to deserving students by setting up an Endowment Scholarship with Holly Johnson, who is the Executive Director of the Hawkeye Community Scholarship Fund. We started the fund in 2010 with monies generated from our famous Kettlecorn sales. Because of our generous yearly investments, we now have a self-sustaining investment for scholarships to give away to assist Hawkeye student educational needs.
Written by Lynn Barnes
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Wartburg College President, Dr. Darrel Colson, Shares his Dreams
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Women "Try Pie" to Learn about Running a Business.
Saturday, May 29, 2021
4th Street Cruise was a BLAST!!!!
The Cruise is BACK!!!!
We were pleased to enjoy popping Kettle Corn at the 2021 4th Street Cruise. It was good to get back to popping for the public and enjoy the camaraderie of working together to "fill those bags with love - and kettle corn."
Best part was that there were only 7 concession stands serving food along the 4th Street venue. We couldn't keep up with the demand for our golden nuggets. At times, we had 30+ people lined up for kettle corn. We even sold 15 bags to people driving by in the parade.
Believe it or not - we raised $2,263. Not Bad!!
This is a wonderful event because all of our funds will go to youth programs and schools throughout the Cedar Valley. Keep chomping that kettle corn!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Tony Reid Shares Stories from Being a Principal

Written by Lynn Barnes
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Rough Risers have a BUSY summer ahead
It has been a tough year since last March, but our Kiwanis Rough Risers have remained active.
This coming summer, we will be super careful but we are trying to develop strategies for sharing our kettlecorn while staying safe for the public and our club members.
Planned Service Projects:
- We will finish the YMCA shelter we built - cement is scheduled to pour in April.
- We plan to help the Y by refurbishing the outside of one of their storage sheds.
- May 7 - Popping for 2 schools
- May 22 - Annual Popper Cleaning
- May 29 - 4th Street Cruise
- June 5 - WalMart Popping
- June 25 - 27 - Sturgis Falls
- June 5 - Walmart
- TBD - FareWay on Greenhill
Thursday, April 1, 2021
April Programs will be Informative and Inspirational
Wednesday, April 7 - Business Meeting
Our club members get together to discuss what's happening now and make plans for the future. We talk about projects, kettle corn, finances, marketing, and a plethora of potential possibilities Steve will discuss the major freeze event of mid-February that caused natural gas supply shortages and extremely high natural gas prices. As a result, CFU customers will see higher utility bills beginning in April.Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Matthew Tolan Informs Us about Planning Roads in CF
Our Kiwanis club had a "very polite conversation" with Civil Engineer, Matt Tolan of the Cedar Falls Public Works Department. Matt had the inside track of the large project taking place on West First Street in Cedar Falls. They are updating and upgrading the entire roadway to create safer access to the city and to the downtown area. Many aspects have to be considered in a project of this magnitude for current and future needs. This construction is not finished yet, so more is still yet to come. Written by Lynn Barnes
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
JJ Lillibridge Shares Adventures with CF Park and Recreation Programs
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
UNI Volleyball Coach Bobbi Peterson Spikes it Again!!
Wednesday, February 24 - There are no Cinderellas connected with the UNI Women’s Volleyball Team; because they have the legendary Head Coach Bobbi Peterson. She is not a pumpkin and the players don’t run away from the ball!
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Architect Brian Sanderman Shares the Plans and Visions for Our New Cedar Falls High School
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Wednesday, February 3 - Business Meeting
Our club members get together to discuss what's happening now and make plans for the future. We talk about projects, kettle corn, finances, marketing, and a plethora of potential possibilitiesMayor Green is a former US Coast Guard officer and has lived in Cedar Falls since 2004. He was President of the Overman Park Neighborhood Association for several years, then was elected to the City Council in 2017. He has served as Mayor since January 2020. He holds a degree in government/public policy from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and an M.A. in Instructional Technology from UNI. He will discuss current issues facing Cedar Falls.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Sunday, December 27, 2020
We are Grateful that Pastor Christine Kaplunas Shared with Us
Wednesday, November 25, 2020 - Pastor Christine Kaplunas of the Unity Presbyterian Church in Waterloo, Iowa, gave a Thanksgiving message to our fellow Kiwanis Club. She has a God-given talented gift for the musical arts and uses it to support children. She gives free lessons to disadvantaged kids called “No Strings Attached” where she teaches violin and other stringed instruments. She wants to spread this special calling to children, so that she can show her gratitude for what God can provide through her music teaching. God will provide benefits to all that love him. Written by Lynn Barnes
What did the Kiwanis Rough Risers Do During the 2020 Pandemic?
- Food Bank of Northeast Iowa
- Salvation Army
- Several childcare centers
We opened our own wallets and gave $1,400 in HyVee food cards to the tireless workers in the People’s Clinic for the amazing work they have done fighting Covid-19.
Though we were unable to pop much Kettle Corn, we still worked to help our community. When it is safe again, we hope to resume popping. In the meantime, we have a greater appreciation of the help we get from our sponsors, which enables us to Serve the Children of the Cedar Valley!
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Josh Sorenson Shares the Status of COVID Vaccines and How Health Insurance Affects Availability.
Mr. Sorenson informed the club of the latest COVID vaccinations and how they will probably be administrated and distributed. He had a personal connection with the pandemic since his grandmother had passed away from the disease. He described how his company offers a plethora of different kinds of policies to the public.
Written by Lynn Barnes
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Monday, December 7, 2020
There's a Difference between Joining and Belonging . . . See How this Applies to Our Club
Was just reviewing a presentation by Brad Boyd of Kiwanis International and found this page. It is meaningful.
Belonging is an emotional experience and it is up to us to provide that emotional recognition and support that can help someone feel a sense of belonging - to our club, our school, our church, our neighborhood, or ?
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Elisa Heying explains how Allen Child Protection Center Saves Kids
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Chef Wes Zeitz Tells Us What it takes to Run a Restaurant.
Chef Z began by sharing his background and what motivated him to get into the restaurant business. He told us about their presence on social media on Facebook and showed one of his videos of his cook trying to eat their Monster burger which was as big as his head.
Then he educated us about what it takes to run a restaurant. He said that he was working 80 hours a week but as he has developed his team, he has been able to cut that down to only 55 hours. The margins in a restaurant are very small and the key is planning. Labor and Food are his greatest expenditure and he works hard to support his employees and "buy the best food he can afford." It's an on-going educational process. He is proud of their policy to cook fresh - "everything is made by hand from scratch." Z's Eatery has a delicious menu for us to enjoy.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Zoom into October's Amazing Roughrisers' Programs
Our club members get together to discuss what's happening now and make plans for the future. We talk about projects, kettlecorn, finances, marketing and a plethora of potential possibilities
Chef Wesley Zeitz has invited us into Z's Eatery and Draught Haus in Indianola. He will share culinary tales from Burgers to Ribeyes and Pesto Alfredo to Planked Mahi Mahi. Beyond this, he will share tales of what it takes to open and operate a restaurant in midst of a pandemic.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Leigh Zeitz Awarded the Hixson Fellowship Award for Service
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Leigh Zeitz (with wife Kathy) receiving the award. |
Monday, September 14, 2020 - The Cedar Falls Rough Risers Kiwanis Club has given its highest award to Leigh Zeitz, honoring his years of work with Kiwanis helping the children of the Cedar Valley. Zeitz, who is an associate professor of Educational Technology at UNI, was given the George F. Hixson Fellowship award, and the Rough Risers donated $1,000 to Kiwanis International’s Children’s Fund in his honor.
Zeitz has been a member of the Rough Risers Club for 28 years. He has served as president and built and maintains the club’s website at https://cfkiwanisroughrisers.blogspot.com/. He fully understands the mission of our club, which is “Serving the Children of the Cedar Valley,” so he takes the initiative on many other projects. For years he has raised money for the local Grin and Grow Daycare by riding RAGBRAI; he raised more than $15,000 over the 19 years he has ridden RAGBRAI.
Another of Zeitz’ favorites is the annual Gift of Giving, sponsored by the Jaycees and the Rough Risers. About 100 needy children gather at the UAW hall and ride buses with adults (Jaycees, Rough Risers, and UNI volunteers) to Blain’s to purchase Christmas gifts for their family with money provided by the sponsors. Then they return to the UAW Hall for pancakes and sausage prepared by the Rough Risers while Santa Claus mixes with the kids. Santa looks suspiciously like Dr. Zeitz, we think.
When we pop Kettlecorn (and we will again, when normal times return!) you can often find Zeitz as our lead salesman, explaining that the extra special taste of Kettlecorn is charity – the fact that all our profits go to local organizations helping children. He also helps solicit our wonderful sponsors who double the money we raise.
But during these past six months, Zeitz has been invaluable. When we were forced to cancel our in-person meetings, Zeitz put our meetings on Zoom. Half of our members had never been on Zoom before but he taught us all. He even arranged a fun joint meeting with another Kiwanis Club in Nebraska, also on Zoom.
Kiwanis Rough Risers meet each Wednesday morning at 6:45 by Zoom. After a brief fellowship, we have a 30-minute program informing us about something interesting going on locally so we can be better-informed citizens of our community. If you wish to be our guest at a meeting or join our club, please contact Jim Larson at djlarson@cfu.net.
Written by Tony Reid
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Kelly Stern Shares Cedar Falls Public Library's Stories
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Staci Mueller Tells Us Tales of Tall Grasses
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 - When I see tall grass at my home, I’m reminded that I fought the
lawn and the lawn won!Staci Mueller Outreach Coordinator of the Tall Grass Prairie Center at UNI explained that’s what Iowa has been for eons; a virgin tallgrass prairie eco-system with fertile fields that were perfect for growing crops. As the prairie was converted to agriculture, the farmers were able to feed the world with their produce.
Now there is a movement to return back a portion of the cropland, farmland, and roadway ditches to 75 native grasses. The Tall Grass Prairie Center is experimenting with different seeds for research and restoration to develop stronger species to grow in harsher environments and show how it use to look in the Midwest hundreds of years ago. These prairie plants are responsible for the rich cropland that farmers make their living on.
Thank you Staci for all that you and your Center do to preserve our lands.
Written by Lynn Barnes
Here is a link to an 11-minute virtual tour of the Fall Prairie Walk