A Fun Festival Will Return to Jones County This Weekend

After several years off, a popular Iowa festival will return on Sunday!

For the first time since 2019, the small town of Stone City will host the Stone City Festival this weekend. The event is put on by the Stone City Foundation, which is "a non-profit organization dedicated to the historic preservation of Stone City, IA."

The town of Stone City may be small, but it has a pretty big history. According to Wikipedia, it was founded in 1850 and became known for its limestone quarries. The page reads:

"Stone City limestone became the primary building material for railroad bridges, bridge piers, and foundations for major buildings. Each year, between the years 1859 to 1895, over 150,000 railroad car shipments of limestone were sent from Stone City."

In 1905, cement started being produced in Waterloo, which hurt the economy in Stone City. The quarries shut down and were eventually reclaimed by nature, and the iconic Columbia Hall was torn down in 1938. Luckily, many of the other buildings in the town have been preserved, including the General Store, the Water Tower, the School House, the Blacksmith Shop, the Stone Barn, and St. Joseph’s Church. Stone City is also known for the Stone City Art Colony, founded by Grant Wood, Adrian Dornbush, and Edward Rowan.

The 7th Stone City Festival will take place this Sunday, September 17th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the town. The event will feature around 40 local artists and craft vendors, live blacksmith demonstrations, antique ice wagons, a children's art project, food, and more. There will also be a "rare opportunity to take a tour of the historic St. Joseph’s Church and see local student art displayed in the basement." It is free to attend the festival, but donations for the Stone City Foundation are accepted and appreciated. For more information, you can visit the event's official Facebook page HERE.