The Kalona Days celebration is this weekend, June 17-18. The Kalona Chamber of Commerce has a wonderful lineup of free family-friendly events.  Friday night starts with an evening Farmer’s Market and a movie on the lawn at the Library. Events will continue on Saturday morning with the Fun Run and through the day at the Chamber, Downtown B Avenue, and the KCTC Lot on the corner of 6th and B Avenue.  You can find a full list of events in The News or online at www.kalonachamber.com.

Student-Built Home Remodel Project:  The student-built project is moving along through the hard work of our students.  We currently have students from Mid-Prairie, Lone Tree, Solon, Durant and Cedar Rapids Prairie.  As you can imagine a remodel project with has a lot of moving parts and the group has worked well together to come up with a plan that can be implemented successfully in short order.

One of the goals of the project was to provide real hands-on experience for students in the trade industry.  To do this we needed to have our local trades group step up and be willing to work with students on the remodeling project. 

We have had overwhelming support from our local trade businesses who are willing to step up and not only meet an aggressive timeline but to offer the training experience and allow the students some insight into their profession.

Affordable housing is a second goal of the project and in July we will look to provide more information on the eligibility requirements.  We will be using the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) to assist in administering income eligibility. 

Washington County and their partnership with ECICOG can/will assist with the purchase of the home.  The eligible homebuyers can apply for assistance through the program that can help with up to $ 25,000.  This can be applied forward up to 50% of the down payment, inspection services, and closing cost for income-eligible buyers.  For more information on the program, you can go to www.cityofkalona.org or www.ecicog.org.   

Should you have questions on the Student project or would like to know more on how you might assist or contribute please call City Hall at 656-2310. 

Mayors Classic Car Cruise:  On June 23rd Mayor Mark Robe will be hosting his annual Mayor’s Classic Car Cruise.  The event will begin at 5:00 pm starting at Sinclair Tractor and winding through the streets of Kalona finishing up at the KCTC lot at the intersection of 6th and B Avenue.

For more information or a map of the route please go to www.cityofkalona.org or on our social media page. 

Open Burning:  During April and May in the spring and October and November in the fall residents on Thursday through Saturday from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm can burn yard waste.  Yard waste must be dry and free of grass clippings.

Curbside Leaf Pickup:  This fall we will be offering three curbside leaf pickups for residents.  As we get closer, we will work on communicating the date ranges as well as the rules and regulations for the program.

City Brush Pile:  We have a brush pile behind our city shop at 711 A Avenue that is open to the residents of Kalona for non-commercial use.  Residents are allowed to bring in and drop off brush that is less than six feet in length and six inches in diameter. (No leaves or yard clippings).

Please call city hall to set up a time at 656-2310 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.  On the first and third Saturdays, the area will be accessible to the public from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Golf Cart / ATV Registration:  Registration is required to operate a Golf Cart / UTV on city streets.  The registration application can be found online and once completed you can bring your cart/UTV into city hall during business hours 8:00-4:30 m-f for physical inspection and we will issue the registration sticker.  Registration is good for the calendar year, so we encourage you to stop in and get your 2022 registration sticker.

Please register your cart / UTV to avoid any fines and or loss of cart / UTV privileges. 

Community Awards:  Since 2011 we have annually recognized those in our community that has had a positive impact in making Kalona great.  This year we will again be awarding the 2022 recipients at the Kalona Fall Festival on Saturday, September 24th on the main stage. 

To nominate someone, you can go to www.cityofkalona.org and find the nomination form.  We will be accepting nominations through Friday, August 26.  We have also included on the website a full list of past recipients of the award.