Are you tired of overpriced movie tickets and the same old blockbusters? Come check out Cinema Fairfield, the community-supported non-profit movie house! With a rotating lineup of new releases, classic gems, and locally-made films, there’s always something exciting to catch on the big screen. So come on out, indulge in the magic of movies, and take a cinematic journey.
200 N. Main St
Fairfield, Iowa 52556
The Bonnifield Log House is thought to be the oldest existing two-story log house in Iowa. The cabin was built in 1838 by Rhodham Bonnifield and his sons and served as the unofficial Methodist church. It was also a stopover place for many official guests, such as territorial politicians, governors, delegates to Congress, and judges who found hospitality in the Bonnifield home as they were traveling through the Iowa territory. Indeed it was Mrs. Bonnefield who is credited with naming Fairfield, suggest that it was a fitting name for the beautiful prairies that made up the area.
In 1908, the cabin was moved and refurbished by the Old Settlers Association, without who’s help the cabin surely would have not survived. The cabin’s current location in Waterworks park on the north side of Fairfield. Visitors are able to get a glimpse into the past as the exterior is open to the public for viewing at all times. The interior, however, is not open but we have included a few photos below to give you an idea of its layout and furnishings.
Waterworks Park
N. B Street
Fairfield, Iowa 52556
The Hudson Collection at ICON Gallery
ICON Gallery is pleased to announce the significant exhibition Anonymous Shiva Linga Paintings: The Hudson Collection, a selection of Tantric images made by anonymous painters from Rajasthan, India. The exhibit opens on First Friday, March 1st. This exhibition has been made possible by the very generous donation of the Hudson Collection to ICON’s permanent collection by Patricia Hudson, James Hudson, and Thomas Hudson. Additional support for the exhibition was provided by David T. Hanson. This is possibly the finest collection of Shiva Linga paintings in the country. A portion of this collection was included in the prestigious 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.
On Thursday, March 14th, University of Iowa Professor Frederick Smith, will give a lecture “The Form of No Forms: Placing Shiva Paintings in Context” at ICON. Professor Smith gave this lecture in Pennsylvania when the collection toured the country in 2013.
“We are extremely grateful to the Hudson Family for gifting this prize collection to ICON,” says ICON Director Bill Teeple. “NY gallery owner Hudson passed way in 2014. He was a friend to Fairfield and ICON. I feel that he is happy that his personal collection has found a home at ICON.”
Each of the 67 paintings in the exhibition depicts the “Shiva linga” on a page-size sheet of antique paper. The Sanskrit word “lingam,” originally meaning “mark” or “sign,” often refers to the phallus or symbol of male creative energy that is complementary to the “yoni,” which means both “source” and “female.” Unlike sculptural “Shiva linga,” which are commonly phallic in shape, the linga in these paintings are ovoid and accrue some of the symbolic associations of the “egg-shaped cosmos” — the idea of the “hiranyagarbha,” the “golden womb” or “golden egg” that represents the birth of the cosmos and the source of all energy. The images are intended to awaken heightened consciousness.
The French scholar André Padoux has described these images as “painted silences, the simple revelation of pure consciousness. . . . Artless, modest in appearance as they may seem, these lingas can induce a vision of the infinite.”
Despite their expression of an unbroken, centuries-old tradition, the works that comprise this exhibition (made between 1966 and 2004) convey a surprising freshness and immediacy. Possessing an uncanny affinity with examples of twentieth-century abstract art, they are coveted both in India and in the West.
Hudson (1950-2014), the founder of the gallery Feature Inc., who went by one name, became one of the most prescient, independent-minded and admired gallerists of his generation. He was an artists’ dealer, a stalwart and uncompromising champion of the artists he believed in. Like Alfred Stieglitz, Betty Parsons, Richard Bellamy, 
and other earlier New York dealers, Hudson was part aesthete, part pedagogue, part artist, and part nurturer of artists. Without seeming to try, Hudson built not an empire but a community of students, artists, critics, curators, and art lovers who respected his independence and were educated by his eye.
Vintage Power Wagon Rally Annual Event
Held the first week in June
The event draws attendees from around the U.S., as well as from Canada, Australia, and Europe—all of them enthusiasts of an iconic truck celebrated for its rugged design and diverse functionality.
But the rallies are not just celebrations of a classic truck—they’re also family gatherings for an array of attendees, many of whom have been coming to the event for much or all of their lives.
The Dodge Power Wagon line started in response to demand among World War II veterans for the type of durable truck used by American soldiers in the war. Dodge created a civilian version that mirrored the military vehicle’s capacity for maneuvering in a wide variety of terrains. The Dodge Power Wagon line of trucks continues to this day, a 70-year and counting run for the beloved brand.
Vintage Power Wagons focuses on trucks and parts made from 1940 to 1971. That golden era is well represented by the collectors who congregate in Fairfield for the rally—which happens to be the largest and longest-running Power Wagon rally in the world.
A few events are open to the public, including the Grand Power Wagon Parade at 8:30 a.m. and an open air truck show on the square from 9 to 11 a.m..
Find a full list of events and activities at vintagepowerwagons.com.
The Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts is home to the flagship Sondheim Center Artist Series, featuring the best of music, comedy, dance, and theater of national touring performances. The Center provides the backdrop for Way Off Broadway, Iowa’s only professional musical theater company, Fairfield Concert Association, Chamber Music Society Fairfield, and the Fairfield Area Community Theater. The Center also hosts numerous dance recitals and various events that showcase the musical and performing talents of Fairfield’s residents. The Center also welcomes national touring performing artists, theater companies and concerts.
200 N. Main St
Fairfield, IA 52556
A unique opportunity to see wood craftsmanship at its finest awaits the visitor to the Johnny Clock Museum located just outside the town of Lockridge. This museum is owned and operated by John and Pat McClain and contains many unusual carvings which also just happen to be functioning clocks. What makes this so intriguing is that the artisan(John) works not from blueprints but from ideas formulated in his head. Since his youth, John was dyslexic and unable to draw plans to paper but his memory of his past is crystal clear and his ability to carve in wood brings those memories to life in the form of decorative clocks. Well over 100000 + hours of work are displayed in the ever-expanding collection. The museum is easy to find just off newly Highway 34 halfway between Fairfield and Mt Pleasant and it will also give you a chance to see the town of Lockridge (named for the ridges over Lick and Wolf creeks which appear to “lock” on the map. So if you are looking for a good “time” and something new to do, take the “time” to see the “time” at the Johnny Clock Museum.
Hours:
May-August, Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00
or by appointment
$7.50 admission Children $4.00
319-696-3711
711 W Main St
Lockridge, IA 52635
The Fairfield Loop Trail forms a 16-mile ring around the town of Fairfield, mostly in the outlying areas of the countryside. The trail links two major preserves and connects city and county parks. Along the way you’ll pass through woodlands, meadows and prairie, and hilly sections.
Most of the trail surface is crushed stone, but there are about 2.5 miles total of concrete surface in four different locations. A 0.8-mile on-road segment follows Mint Boulevard (a gravel road) southward from Lamson Woods toward the trail section that parallels US 34. Other trails, such as the 7.5 miles in Jefferson County Park, connect to the Fairfield Loop Trail.
Access points for the trail include:
Whitham Woods
Cedar View Trail
Maasdam Barns
Mint Blvd Parking Lot
Lamson Woods
Neff Wetland
Chautauqua Park
Pleasant Lake
Bonnifield Lake
The most spectacular feature of the trail is the BNSF bridge over the railroad tracks near Walton Lake. The bridge features 171 ceramic tiles created by high school art students, which are inset into the bridge’s concrete curb. Many small bridges, some with artistic enhancements, cross brooks on the Fairfield Loop Trail.
Because the 15.9-mile-long Fairfield Loop Trail was built one segment at a time over 14 years, names were given to each segment. The segments are presented in a clockwise direction, starting with the DOT-South segment in the southern part of Fairfield, Iowa.
The Loop Trail officially begins (and ends) next to the Maasdam Barns at Mile Marker Zero. Mile Markers occur every 1/4 mile along the Loop Trail. The Maasdam Barns are next to the Jefferson County Health Center (at the interchange of Hwy 1 & US 34).
The DOT-South segment, built by the Iowa DOT, parallels the new US Hwy 34 bypass from Mint Blvd in the east to Whitham Woods in the west. This 5.7-mile segment is hilly, with curves and woods, and partly in wetlands. It intersects with the Cedar View Trail, which leads to Jefferson County Park. The Loop Trail officially begins (and ends) next to the Maasdam Barns at Mile Marker Zero. Mile Markers occur every 1/4 mile along the Loop Trail.
The Whitham Woods segment uses part of an old 1858-1901 railroad bed, then travels up and down hills through the woods, and then follows a concrete section along Burlington Ave to Brookville Road. The trail within Whitham Woods was upgraded in September 2010.
The Northwestern segment travels northeasterly from Brookville Road to Grimes Ave and Dexter Soccer Park, then crosses the BNSF railroad track through a pedestrian maze (for safety) and continues to the Rock Island Railroad segment at 8th & Gear. Most of the surface is concrete.
The Rock Island Railroad segment uses the roadbed of the Rock Island Railroad, which was in use from 1945 to 1980 (replacing a 1871 alignment). Our trail bridge replaces the railroad bridge, which was removed in 1985.
The B Street segment travels along B Street on a concrete-surfaced sidewalk for 4/10ths of a mile to connect to the Lakes segment. The sidewalk continues southward to Waterworks Park and Stone Ave.
The Lakes segment connects three lakes, Bonnifield Lake, Pleasant Lake, and Walton Lake, with a trail that meanders along fields and through wooded areas. These lakes are retired reservoirs, being converted for recreational usage.
Leaving Walton Lake, the Louden Bridge segment travels through woods, then crosses the BNSF Railroad tracks on the 246-foot Louden Bridge to connect with Chautauqua Park, where it meets the Crow Creek segment. The Louden Bridge displays 171 ceramic plaques of images from old Louden Machinery Company blueprints, made by a Fairfield High School art class.
The Crow Creek segment follows Crow Creek from Chautauqua Park to the Neff Wetlands. A concrete-surfaced section connects to a crushed limestone surface in a wooded low-land, where three bridges cross creeks in the Fry property.
The Neff Wetlands section of the Loop Trail begins as you cross Glasgow Road from the Crow Creek segment, heading west across the wetlands dike. The Lamson Woods boardwalk/bridge then takes you the parking lot at Mint Blvd. A walking-only trail joins the boardwalk near the creek. Lamson Woods is a State Preserve.
The Mint Blvd Link connects the Lamson Woods-Neff segment to the DOT-South segment, using Mint Blvd, the only shared-road section of the Loop Trail. Part of Mint Blvd is steep, with a gravel surface. Improvements may be made in the future.
Download a trail map JCTC TrailsMap
Maharishi International University
1000 N. 4th St.
641-472-7000
www.MIU.edu
Maharishi International University is the home of Consciousness-Based Education, combining academic study with the practice of Transcendental Meditation technique, an effortless procedure that directly enhances the brain function and creativity. MIU offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in arts, sciences, business, and humanities and features programs for coherent brain functioning and consciousness-based education for total knowledge, providing an outstanding practical education while developing students’ creative potential from within. A unique aspect of the University is that the students are on a block system, focusing on one course at a time.
Offering an undergraduate program in sustainable living, the University, along with Fairfield, has become Iowa’s center for sustainable living and organic cultivation. The University also features Vedic architecturally designed buildings and all-vegetarian cuisine.
Maharishi Golden Domes
The Golden Domes are local landmarks used by advanced meditation practitioners. The domes are mentioned in a number of travel guides and listed as a “don’t miss” attraction in Fairfield. Interior tours are limited and only available through special arrangement with the University. To inquire about tours, call
Argiro Student Center
America’s first “Vedic Green” Student Center, the Argiro Student Center features a 300 seat auditorium, two dining halls, student café, student lounge and bookstore. The public is invited to dine in the dining hall which features a wide variety of organic, vegetarian fare, from home-style pizza to Chinese stir fry, from Mexican to Indian and more. (Mon – Sat. breakfast 9am-10:30am, Lunch 11:45-1:30, Dinner 6:30 -7:30pm, Sunday Brunch 11am-2pm, Dinner 6:30pm to 7:30pm)
Sustainable Living Center
Built to Function completely off the grid, the M.U.M. Stainable Living Center produces more energy than it consumes. The center is used for classrooms, workshops, and offices.
Visitors Weekends are held on a regular basis. Click here for more information on these weekends.
Maharishi Vedic Observatory
The Maharishi Vedic Observatory, a one and one-half acre open-air observatory of masonry sundials, is unique in the world for its ability to display in one compact form the whole structure of the universe along with all the movements of the sun, the planets, and the stars. It is the only example in existence today of this timeless knowledge that was once in every culture around the globe.
Phone: 641-472-7000
Directions: The Maharishi Vedic Observatory is located on Observatory Drive in Maharishi Vedic City. From Fairfield take Highway One north to Airport Drive, turn west, drive one mile to Jasmine Avenue, turn north, drive 1/3 mile to Observatory Drive, turn west. The observatory is at the end of Observatory Drive.
Observatory Drive
Vedic City, IA 52556
Cedar Valley Winery
2034 Dewberry Avenue
Batavia, IA 52533
641-662-2800
www.cedarvalleywine.com
If you’re looking for a unique wine-tasting experience, head to southeast Iowa and visit this family-owned winery. The award-winning wines are made from locally grown grapes, and the relaxed atmosphere is the perfect place to enjoy a glass or two with friends. The knowledgeable staff is always on hand to answer any questions you may have, and they’re happy to recommend the perfect wine to pair with your meal. Whether you’re a seasoned wine connoisseur or just getting started, you’ll find something to love at this charming winery.
Hours:
T-Th 1-6 p.m.
Fri, 12-6.
Sat. 10-6,
Cedar Valley Winery features French and American hybrid varieties, producing high quality, award winning wines. Focusing on quality, the Cedar Valley Winery produces estate grown and estate bottled wines from grapes grown exclusively in their Vineyard, 10 minutes west of Fairfield. The small 1.5 acre Vineyard initially established in 2002 has now grown to more than 6 acres in size, spanning over southeast Iowa ’s beautiful countryside. Cedar Valley Winery’s annual wine production of approximately 2,000 gallons continues to increase each year. Visit their Tasting Room, tour the Winery, and enjoy their favorite wines on the outdoor deck overlooking the beautiful Vineyard. Sophisticated serenity awaits you.