Villages of Van Buren - Event Calendar

Mark Your Calendar for 2023 

• April 28-30 ~ Villages of Van Buren Virtual Auction
• May 26th ~ Villages Folk School Memorial Day Weekend BBQ 
• May 28th ~ Rollin on the River
• May 27th-28th ~ Bentonsport Flea Market & Craft Show
• Jun 2nd-4th ~ Birmingham Homecoming
• Jun 9th-11th ~ Farmington Strawberry Festival
• Jun 10th ~ Fly Van Buren
• Jun 10th ~ Pearson House Heritage Day
• Jun 17th ~ Douds Field Day
• Jun 24th-25th ~ Iowa Barn Foundation Van Buren County Barn Tour
• Jun 24th ~ Bentonsport Heritage Day
• Jul 1st ~ Bonaparte Independence Day Celebration
• Jul 4th ~ Keosauqua 4th of July Celebration
• Jul 15th-24th ~ Van Buren County Fair
• Aug 12th ~ J40 Farm Crawl
• Aug 19th-20th ~ Bike Van Buren XXXVII
• Sep 1st-2nd ~ Stockport Lions BBQ Days
• Oct 13th-15th ~ Scenic Drive Festival
• Nov 3rd ~ Villages Folk School’s Bottomless Soup Supper
• Nov 25th-Dec 31st ~ Christmas in the Villages
• Dec 1st-3rd ~ Festival of Trees

Join the Bonaparte Fire Dept. 5-8pm for their Annual Catfish Dinner. Serving: whole catfish, potato salad and baked beans for a free will donation. 

Corn Hole Tournament (BYOB)
5:15pm Sign Up
5:30pm Start Time
30 teams max, $20 entry fee per team, and all proceeds go to Bonaparte Fire. No pre-register and trophies sponsored by Tugboat Transportation.

Raffle tickets are available by calling 641-777-9764

All Proceeds of the dinner & raffles are going for equipment upgrades for the Bonaparte Fire Dept.

Get Those Easter Baskets Ready! Kids 0-10 years.

• Keosauqua Lions Easter Egg Hunt: 9am
  Lacey-Keosauqua State Park Lodge, 22026 Iris Trail
• Milton Easter Egg Hunt: 10am-Noon
  Milton Shelter & Playground on Hwy 2 (Across from Milton Creamery)
• Morris Park Easter Egg Hunt: 11am
  10938 Timber Rd, Stockport
• Cantril Easter Egg Hunt: 1:30pm
  Waubonsie Park, 601 W. North St.
  Sponsored by Cantril Grass Roots & Friendly Four Corners 4-H

Explore Lindsay Wilderness and discover different bird species during a mile hike starting at the South Entrance of Lindsay in Bonaparte.

This mile hike will have various terrain types from moderate to difficult. The trail is gravel and in timber, so proper hiking attire and bug spray is recommended. A limited number of binoculars are available if you don't have your own.

>>Rigistration is Encourages<<

You'll love this amazing mouth-watering BBQ Chicken!  

5-7pm: $8 for a quarter of chicken and $12 for half a chicken. Meal includes baked beans, coleslaw and roll. 

7pm: Live Auction starts!

Proceed will be used to finance Farmington Strawberry Festival activities on June 9, 10 and 11, 2023.

The Villages Folk School specializes in providing learning experiences in traditional arts and skills while drawing upon the uniqueness of each of the eleven historic Villages of Van Buren County, Iowa.

Classes are held in a peaceful rural setting, so students can return to a simpler time and witness the importance of the artisan in village life. 

• Rug Weaving Class with Teri Showman

Pre-registration is required for classes.
Register for April Classes

Lots of great deals!

Simply Irresistible: 8am-4pm
Individual Baked Goods, Breads, Coffee, Tea, Soda Antique, Vintage and Collectibles Native Iowa Wine (Wine Tasting), Christmas and Valentines items 20% off.

Holmes Leather Crafting: 9am-4pm
10% of everything in the store!

Waterfront Place: 10am-4pm
Lots of great deals on a unique variety of antiques and collectibles.

The Villages Folk School specializes in providing learning experiences in traditional arts and skills while drawing upon the uniqueness of each of the eleven historic Villages of Van Buren County, Iowa.

Classes are held in a peaceful rural setting, so students can return to a simpler time and witness the importance of the artisan in village life. 

• Leather Crafting for Beginners with Stuart Holmes

Pre-registration is required for classes.
Register for April Classes

A fun-filled family-friendly event of musical entertainment and comedy! Features many local entertainers from the Tri-Sate area. 

Doors open at 5:30pm, show at 7pm.
$15.00, Call 319-520-5385 for tickets. 

A soup supper will be served at 5:30 pm in the cafeteria prior to the show. A variety of soups, sandwiches, and desserts will be available. Free-will donation

All proceeds from the event benefit the Bonaparte Community Improvement Association.

The community of Eldon, Iowa, home of the little white house in Grant Wood’s most famous painting American Gothic, celebrates Gothic Days in June. The American Gothic House Center invites students and members of the public to participate in our annual art contest.

Click HERE for the Art Contest Official Entry Form and Rules

Join Historic Hills Scenic Byway on April 28-29 for the annual Byway Spring Shop About. The event will include small businesses from Donnellson to Drakesville including local boutiques, spas, home primitives, hardware stores, and even historical businesses along the way!

Gather up your family and spend the weekend shopping local and supporting the small businesses that give back to your communities!

The Byway Spring Shop About will be hosted along the 110 miles of Historic Hills Scenic Byway and any community member or business is welcome to participate to be a part of the route! It’s a great excursion that can involve the young and old, gather up a group of family and friends, and carpool to your favorite local businesses.  

Items up for bid will begin loading on our Facebook page at 2pm on Friday, April 28. All items will be available for bidding through Sunday, April 30 closing at 6pm.

Items up for bid are donated by and will feature area businesses and services. Proceeds will help support the mission of the Villages of Van Buren, a non-profit organization.

Rules:
* Post your bid in the comments. The highest bid at 6pm Sunday wins.
* The highest bidder at 6pm on April 30, will be contacted on the page about the win.
* The winning bidder will pick up the item at the Welcome Center no later than May 12th. (Other arrangements MAY be possible for some items. Message Villages if you need to make other arrangements.)
* The winning bidder will pay at pick-up with cash or check. (If other arrangements are made, this will include payment arrangements as well.)

The Villages Folk School specializes in providing learning experiences in traditional arts and skills while drawing upon the uniqueness of each of the eleven historic Villages of Van Buren County, Iowa.

Classes are held in a peaceful rural setting, so students can return to a simpler time and witness the importance of the artisan in village life. 

• Blacksmithing: Beginning (Multi-Day 29th-30th) with Bill Printy & Mark Heisdorffer
• Soap Making with Heather Nelson

Pre-registration is required for classes.
Register for April Classes

Come on out and join the Birmingham Fire Dept. for a free-will donation breakfast dinner. Serving pancakes, sausage, biscuits & gravy, and beverages.

Feel Free to check out the equipment on display and see what has been updated!

Funds raised from this event will go towards replacing our SCBA packs.