Soar through the skies in Hageboeck Hall of Birds as we learn about our state bird, the Bald Eagle. Readings will be followed by activities to do at the museum and at home. Stories are geared to elementary-aged students.

Admission: The event is free and open to the public.

Accommodations: Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact sarah-horgen@uiowa.edu 319/335-0606.

Iowa City Farmers Market in Chauncey Swan Park features a plethora of locally grown produce, plus a bounty of bedding plants, hanging baskets, crafts, homemade pies and cakes, and more.

Hours: The market is open from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Oct. 30.

Market music: Enjoy funky market music 5-7 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 9-11 a.m. on Saturdays starting June 1.

Got the itch to enjoy the great outdoors? The University's Touch the Earth Outdoor Rental and Resource Center rents a variety of recreational equipment for camping, biking, and water activities. This is your go-to place for tents, stoves, sleeping bags, mountain bikes, tandem bikes, canoes, kayaks, and more.

The center, located in the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex on Prairie Meadow Drive, is open 4–7 p.m., Sunday and Monday, and Wednesday-Friday. On Saturdays, the hours are 8 a.m.–noon. 

More information:  recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/Facilities/OutdoorRentalCenter.aspx

What's happening? Local musician and former UI student Dave Zollo will perform on the Iowa City pedestrian plaza Friday, May 24, as part of the Friday Night Concert Series.

Zollo's music spans the genres of country, blues, folk, and rock. He sings, plays keyboards, and produces his own record label, Trailer Records. 

The Friday Night Concert Series is a free, family-friendly event held on the pedestrian mall north of the Sheraton Iowa City Hotel from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday nights May through September.

Upcoming Friday night performers include:

• May 31: Johnny Kilowatt with Gloria Hardiman
• June 14: Tallgrass
• June 21: The Fez

More information:  www.summerofthearts.org/festival-menu/concert-series/about.aspx

Time for the first splash of summer! Pack up the sun screen, the beach towels, and your favorite summer reading and head for the water. 

Admission: 3 years and older, $4.00; twilight rate (5:00-8:00 pm), $2.00. Reduced rate season passes and punch cards available.

More information: icgov.org/default/?id=1051

The Macbride Nature Recreation Area, which is managed by the UI Division of Recreational Services, is an excellent place to enjoy spring and summer weather. Located 15 minutes north of Iowa City off of Lake Macbride, the 485 acres of wooded land offers miles of trails for hiking as well as several good spots for camping and bird-watching.

More information:  recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/Facilities/MacBrideNatureRecreationArea.aspx

Nearby, Lake Macbride State Park nearby offers swimming, boating, camp site and picnic facilities.

More information about Macbride State Park:  http://www.iowadnr.gov/Destinations/StateParksRecAreas/IowasStateParks/ParkDetails.aspx?ParkID=610119

Administrative offices of The University of Iowa will be closed Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day.

Other University facilities also may be closed or operating on reduced schedules for the holiday:

• The Campus Wellness and Recreation Center (CWRC) will be open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• The climbing wall at CWRC will be closed.
• The leisure pool at CWRC will be open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• The natatorium at CWRC will be open 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• All UI libraries will be closed.
• The Iowa Memorial Union will be closed.
• The UI Museum of Natural History will be closed.
• Old Capitol Museum will be closed.

The UI Athletics Hall of Fame will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Take time out soon to play a round of golf at the University's 18-hole championship Finkbine Golf Course.

Finkbine—named for W.O. Finkbine, who donated the land to the University—is located about a mile west of the main campus at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Emerald Street in Iowa City.

From the championship tee, this scenic golf course stretches over 7,000 yards of rolling Iowa terrain, and plays to a par 72 with a USGA course rating of 74.1 and slope rating of 132.

Rates: For rates, see www.finkbine.com/course-information/rates/.

Call 319-335-9556 for tee times.

Where will vacation take you? Visit the UI Map Collection and ponder the possibilities.

Housed on the third floor of the Main Library, the University’s map library contains maps, aerial photographs, gazetteers, atlases, cartography references, and equipment for photo scanning.  

The collection is open to the public from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

County atlases from the 1870s to the 1930s are available for all Iowa counties on microfilm. A number of these atlases have been digitized for the Iowa Heritage Digital Collections and are available online at http://iowaheritage.lib.uiowa.edu/.

For more information about the UI Libraries Map Collection, see www.lib.uiowa.edu/maps or call 319-335-5920.

What's happening? To commemorate the fifth anniversary of Eastern Iowa's historic flooding, Legion Arts in Cedar Rapids presents Trouble the Water, a groundbreaking exhibit in which a dozen contemporary artists explore issues related to water: droughts and floods, climate events and climate change, as well as the economics, distribution, uses, and scarcity of this incomparable commodity. 

The University of Iowa's Public Policy Center and Iowa Flood Center invites you to attend a curator talk and reception in conjunction with the exhibit from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 30 at C.S.P.S. Hall, 1103 3rd Street Southeast in Cedar Rapids.

Admission: The event is free and open to the public. Directions to Legion Arts.

More information:  ppc.uiowa.edu/forkenbrock/five-years-out-trouble-water

What's happening? The Public Policy Center invites you to a symposium on the ongoing challenges of water management. Local leaders, policy makers, residents, and scholars will discuss what’s been accomplished as well as future challenges.

Admission: General registration is $35; $15 for students. Register online.

More information:  http://ppc.uiowa.edu/forkenbrock/five-years-out

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Liz Watson at (319) 335-6817 or elizabeth-m-watson@uiowa.edu.

What's happening? Former Iowa City student and dancer Alex Ko will talk and sign copies of his book, Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story. Alex Ko made his Broadway debut at age thirteen in the title role of Billy in the Tony Award-winning Billy Elliot: The Musical.

Ko studied dance from the time he was five years old, and at the age of twelve became the youngest student ever admitted to the University of Iowa Dance Department, where he received college credit with honors distinction. 

Admission: The event is free and open to the public.

Got the itch to enjoy the great outdoors? The University's Touch the Earth Outdoor Rental and Resource Center rents a variety of recreational equipment for camping, biking, and water activities. This is your go-to place for tents, stoves, sleeping bags, mountain bikes, tandem bikes, canoes, kayaks, and more.

The center, located in the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex on Prairie Meadow Drive, is open 4–7 p.m., Sunday and Monday, and Wednesday-Friday. On Saturdays, the hours are 8 a.m.–noon. 

More information:  recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/Facilities/OutdoorRentalCenter.aspx

Summer’s the perfect time get in shape! Make it easy on yourself—join Recreational Services. Membership gives you access to all the all recreation facilities on campus, including the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center (CRWC), Field House, Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex (HTRC), Fitness East and the Recreation Building.

Once inside, most activities, including swimming, fitness, racquetball, basketball, volleyball, and group exercise classes are included with the membership.

If you’re a student, membership is included in your tuition and fees. If you’re a faculty or staff member, the university will subsidize part of your fees. Learn about the details on the Recreation Services site.

What's happening? Angela Onwauchi-Willig will read from her book, According to Our Hearts. This landmark book looks at what it means to be a multiracial couple in the U.S. today. Onwuachi-Willig argues that housing law, family law, and employment law fail to protect multiracial couples.

Angela Onwuachi-Willig is a professor of law at the University of Iowa. Her articles have appeared in or are forthcoming in many prestigious law journals, including the Yale Law Journal, California Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, and Vanderbilt Law Review. 

Admission: The event is free and open to the public.

Listen online: A live stream of the event is available at www.writinguniversity.org.

What's happening? Join the Café Scientifique from 5-6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5 in Meeting Room A at the Iowa City Public Library to hear a panel of scientists discuss The Scientist and Public Responsibility: "Snail Sex, Sciences and Federal Funding."

Participants include Maurine Neiman, Vincent Rodgers, John Fingert and others.

Admission: The event is free and open to the public.

Accommodations: Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact vincent-rodgers@uiowa.edu or call 319-335-1219.

Take time out for a visit to the Macbride Raptor Project (MRP) located at the University of Iowa's Macbride Nature Recreation Area. The project is devoted to preserving Iowa's birds of prey and their natural habitats. 

The Macbride Nature and Recreation Area also serves as a home to several species of permanently disabled eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons. They are housed outdoors near the Nature Center, and the public is welcome to visit year round. April-October the hours are 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m, daily. Guided tours may be pre-arranged by calling (319) 398-5495.

More information:  recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/Programs/MacbrideRaptorProject.aspx

Directions to the Macbride Recreation Area: recserv.uiowa.edu/Apps/Programs/directiontomnra.pdf

What's happening? Rob Cline will read from Murder by the Slice on Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at Prairie Lights Bookstore in downtown Iowa City.

What’s the book about? Paul Chambers parlayed his philosophy degree into a steady gig--as a delivery driver for Passable Pizza. Following his personal rules for peaceful pizza delivery, Paul is content to read comics, care for his rabbit Spinoza, and hang out with his pizza courier comrades. Then he tries to deliver to a dead guy. Suddenly, everybody is after Paul.

Admission: The event is free and open to the public.

Join MusicIC for Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (A Soldier’s Tale) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 15 at the Englert Theatre. The production is directed and choreographed by George de la Peña, with Martin Andrews and three dancers. An ensemble of seven musicians conducted by Scott Dunn will play Stravinsky’s music.

Admission: The event is free and open to the public.

More information: www.uiowa.edu/musicic/