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Summertime in Waukee is shaping up to be another one full of fun in the sun, exciting annual events, family activities and more! Residents and visitors of all ages can find something entertaining and enriching in Waukee this summer. Here are a few highlights. Be sure to mark your calendars, and check waukee.org/summertime over the next few months for updates and more information.

Summer Reading Challenge 2021

Registration starts May 1
waukeepubliclibrary.org 

The Waukee Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2021 with a fun “Tails & Tales” theme! Find out what’s special about the animals that roam the lands, soar through the air and swim in the oceans. And, children, teens and adults can read or listen to books and earn prizes from June 1-July 31. Due to ongoing COVID-19 safety concerns, events will be held entirely online. 

Waukee Farmers Market

Wednesdays from June 2-Sept. 29 • 4-7 p.m.
Downtown Triangle, Ashworth Drive & 6th Street
waukeedowntown.com

Presented by the Waukee Triangle Businesses, the Farmers Market is held in the Downtown Triangle every Wednesday evening during the summer and features local food vendors, fresh produce, handmade items and live music.

Movies in the Park

June 4, July 3 & Aug. 13
Centennial Park
Dusk (approximately 8:45 p.m.)
waukee.org/moviesinthepark

Join Waukee Parks & Recreation and NCMIC for free screenings of Hollywood’s biggest hits under the stars at Centennial Park! Bring lawn chairs, blankets and snacks. The three great films on deck for summer 2021 are:

Friday, June 4: “Aladdin” (PG)

Saturday, July 3: “Jumanji: The Next Level” (PG-13)

Friday, Aug. 13: “Black Panther” (PG-13)

Fish Waukee

Saturday, June 5 • 9-11 a.m.
Kettlestone Commons Ponds, 2727 Grand Prairie Parkway
Waukee.org/registration

The Rotary Club of Waukee, the Waukee Parks & Recreation Department and Iowa State University Extension & Outreach of Dallas County are hosting a fishing event using the Fish Iowa! curriculum. Participants in K-6th grades will learn key fishing skills such as baiting, casting, reeling and fish and wildlife ethics through rotating stations. “Free fishing” areas will be available for children and adults of all ages. The event is free; however, the youth workshops do require advance registration.

Bacoon Ride

Saturday, June 19
bacoonride.com

Like to ride bicycles? Like bacon? Like the Raccoon River Valley Trail? Put it all together and you have the Baccoon Ride. Enjoy a 71-mile bike ride on the scenic Raccoon River Valley Trail featuring bacon-related specialty foods along the way. This ride supports the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.

Waukee’s Celebration of Independence

July 2-4
Centennial Park
Waukee.org/july 

Each year, Waukee hosts a celebration of our nation’s independence. This year, it’s expanding to three days! Here’s the line-up:

Friday, July 2

  • Carnival
  • Adult trivia/entertainment
  • Food trucks

Saturday, July 3 

  • Adult coed sand volleyball tournament
  • Carnival and vendors
  • Movies in the Park: “Jumanji: The Next Level”

Sunday, July 4 

  • Parade (new route!)
  • Carnival and vendors
  • Adult bags tournament
  • Des Moines skydivers
  • Live music: AfterShock
  • Fireworks

Discount carnival tickets will be available for purchase June 1-30. Visit Waukee.org/july for event times, carnival ticket information and other details.

Waukee Arts Festival

Friday, July 16 from 5-10 p.m.
Saturday, July 17 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Centennial Park
waukeeartsfestival.org 

The Waukee Area Arts Council and Stivers Ford Lincoln present the popular Waukee Arts Festival. It will kick off Friday evening with live music from Bonnie Finken and opener Not Quite Brothers. Saturday, enjoy Decoy in concert with opener Dickie. The event also features dozens of local and regional artists, a student art exhibit, food vendors, kids’ activities and a beverage garden. 

Battle of the ‘Burbs

Saturday, Aug. 7 • 9 a.m.
NCMIC, 14001 University Ave. in Clive
ncmicgroup.com/summerbreeze

The rematch is on! Run the Battle of the ‘Burbs 5K or 10K on Saturday, Aug. 7. Choose the ‘burb you will represent while running (Waukee, obviously). NCMIC passes along 100 percent of the registration fees to the Waukee Betterment Foundation. And, the community with the most runners wins bragging rights! There’s also a Kids Fun Run. 

Waukee Public Safety Day

Tuesday, Aug. 3 • 5-8 p.m.
Public Safety Day, 1300 SE L.A. Grant Parkway
Waukee.org/publicsafetyday

The Waukee Police and Fire Departments will join forces again for a modified version of Waukee’s Public Safety Day. The details of this year’s event are still being determined. Check waukee.org/publicsafetyday for updates. 

Waukee Palooza Music Festival

Saturday, Aug. 28 • Noon-10 p.m.
Centennial Park
waukeepalooza.com

The Rotary Club of Waukee is hosting its annual musical event in Centennial Park. Previously known as the “Bar-B-Kee Bash,” this event has rebranded to focus on fun for the whole family! Enjoy metro area youth music groups and solo acts, food and beverage vendors, and kids’ activities. One of the Midwest’s fastest-rising country bands—Big Time Grain Company—will headline the event in the evening. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the event.

https://mywaukee.com/4879-2/

Disc Golf Is Alive At Waukee Centennial Park

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The spring is in full effect and it’s almost summer! That means the weather is getting warm with sunny, hot vibrant energy! The Waukee Centennial Park in the great City of Waukee has so much to offer and surely is a place you don’t want to miss. Make sure to grab your friends, bring your discs and stop by for some disc golf. In this featured video above, you will see Thomas Wiggins and his friend TJ Hendricks doing what they love to do and discin’ it up! The park contains its city’s popular 9 hole course located on the east side. Tee boxes are the round markings and the baskets are indicated by the arrows. The Waukee Centennial Park is located on the corner of Ashworth Dr. & SE Universite Ave across from the Waukee High School. This is a great opportunity for anyone to get out into the fresh air and enjoy the great outdoors! The park has an amazing atmosphere where you may enjoy picnics, kids playgrounds, sandboxes, music festivals, family events, baseball, other sports and so much more. Don’t waste your time sitting at home and wishing you could be out doing awesome things. Get out with your friends and family to Waukee Centennial Park for some outdoor fun!

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Waukee Railroad Pergola in the Shadow of the Rails

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We created this video as a quick visual tour of the brand new Waukee Railroad Pergola in the Shadow of the Rails located on the Raccoon River Valley Trail’s southeast gateway trailhead in Waukee! It was completed and open to the public on Tuesday evening, March 27, 2018. Take a look and share the good news with your friends! For best quality, watch in 1080p HD! Enjoy!

MyWaukee Magazine visited the brand new Waukee Railroad Pergola in the Shadow of the Rails today on the Raccoon River Valley Trail’s southeast gateway trailhead in Waukee! What a sight! It’s a thing of beauty and it will be an amazing spot for everyone to hang out at as the weather gets warmer, especially during the spring and summer time! It’s a great gathering place for the entire family with picnic tables and so much more. The Waukee Railroad Pergola is located on the Waukee Trailhead on the corner of Hickman Rd. & 10th St., Waukee, Iowa. What a great accomplishment for the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association and the entire City of Waukee!! Make sure to go pay a visit, you won’t be disappointed!
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About Waukee Railroad Pergola
 
“WAUKEE, Iowa, March 28, 2018 —  It’s completed and now open! Officials on Tuesday evening, March 27, cut a ceremonial ribbon and turned on the solar-powered LED lighting at the “Waukee Railroad Pergola — in the shadow of the rails.”
It’s the $1.1-million, 340-foot-long, 15-foot-high colorful gateway to the Raccoon River Valley Trail on the west side of Waukee.  It was designed by nationally-known sculptor and “transportation artist” David Dahlquist, of Des Moines and Lake Panorama, and his colleagues at RDG Planning & Design’s Dahlquist Art Studio in the capital city.
Components of this art installation will soon be going up at six other trailheads on the 89-mile trail system in west central Iowa.  The development of the art project persuaded state officials to recognize the whole trail as an “Iowa Great Place,” making some state funding available, and then individuals, businesses, corporations and foundations stepped up with donations.
You can read complete coverage of the development of the art installation right here.
Several hundred people turned out on a chilly evening Tuesday for the ceremony, but as it went on, the sun peeked through the clouds that had lingered for days.
“This blazes a new trail of cooperation on the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the other communities,” Waukee Mayor Bill Peard told the crowd. “This artwork, which is going to be a truly interactive experience for everybody, is going to be a catalyst for a new identity for this whole region.”
Jim Miller, of rural Waukee, an MVP in the planning, development and fundraising of the project, said two key words “kept coming up, again and again, when a small group of us were talking about what we wanted to do with art here on the trail. Those two words were ‘iconic’ and ‘regional’.”
Dahlquist, the artist, called the completion of the Pergola “a Herculean effort” and “one of the most collaborative projects we’ve been able to be a part of.”  He added that “an art project like this is a leap of faith, and thank you for keeping the faith.”
He glanced up and around at the artwork and said to his RDG colleagues and the rest of the crowd, “This is made with real love and affection. I hope you keep bringing people out here to see and enjoy it. And the next time I see  you out here, I hope it’s a lot warmer and you are on  your bikes!””
– Raccoon River Valley Trail
(Original source:)

Amazing Tribute Painted On A Rock To The Fallen Heroes

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In the great City of Waukee, there’s a beautiful rock painting memorial on the corner of SE LA Grant Pkwy & Booth Dr. It’s a nice piece of art around both of the sides. It’s quite the scenery. Come visit this unforgettable tribute to our fallen heroes and always remember the ones above the clouds.

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