KHAK-FM (Cedar Rapids, IA)

Zoos, golf courses, ballparks, food festivals, renaissance fairs, art museums, and more - some of the best attractions & events in the U.S. are right here in the Midwest! USA Today is continuing to unveil the winners of their 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2026, and there are all sorts of honorees from our section of the country.

Fans of a great burger have a new restaurant to check out this week. Wayback Burgers is officially open in Iowa! Wayback Burgers Opens First Iowa Location Wayback Burgers is opening its first Iowa location today in Waukee. The Des Moines Register reports that the national fast-food chain is known for made to order burgers and hand dipped milkshakes. Sounds good to me! The restaurant can be found at 1165 SE Alice's Road in Waukee. What Makes Wayback Burgers Great?

For the third year in a row, a big Iowa art festival has been recognized as one of the best in America! The Des Moines Arts Festival is one of USA Today's 10Best Art Festivals for 2026! According to the official website, the Des Moines Arts Festival is "more than an event - it's an experience." Its roots can be traced to 1958, when the Des Moines Art Center put on its first Art in the Park event.

The NFL playoffs are heating up as the divisional round is set to begin this weekend. My Chicago Bears took care of business last weekend and won their first playoff game in 15 years after beating the Green Bay Packers in a loud, raucous Soldier Field. I was elated. Everything else is gravy in my mind now, but I still want to see the Bears continue this magical season and beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins are expecting their fifth child in early 2026, and while they're waiting until the baby is born to learn the sex, Internet sleuths believe they have figured out the mystery. Rhett posted a picture on his Instagram to his millions of followers that instantly shifted the American population into doctor mode. Many fans are swearing up and down that Akins is having her first boy.

Grocery shopping has become a lot more expensive lately, no matter where you shop. It doesn't matter if you're a couple or a family of five like mine. Groceries add up quickly! If you're looking to save some money this year on your Thanksgiving dinner, you have some affordable options from several local retailers. Hy-Vee Offers Low-Cost Thanksgiving Dinner Hy-Vee announced this week that it will be offering a $30 Thanksgiving meal that will feed up to 6 people.

The Hawkeyes legend is joining an elite list. From the viewpoints of Iowans, it's been especially cool to watch Caitlin Clark's rise to the top. She helped take Iowa's women's basketball team to the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship. She then took the WNBA by storm and joined the Indiana Fever. We've seen her do great things through the Caitlin Clark Foundation.

A few days ago, USA Today put out a list of the 29 best bars in America for 2025. We told you that The Bartender's Handshake in Des Moines was one of the bars to make the national list (read more HERE), but it wasn't the only one! There was another bar in Iowa to make the cut... Gabe's in Iowa City! Gabe's Iowa City, Facebook Gabe's has been a staple in Iowa City for more than half a century now, celebrating its 50-year anniversary back in September of 2024.

It's been a pretty incredible summer for Brock Purdy. His San Francisco 49ers might've had a rough 2024 campaign, but his talent and capabilities couldn't be denied by the organization. This summer, Purdy signed a five-year, $265 million contract (with $181 million in guaranteed money). Not bad for the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with a snowball's chance of being the team's starting quarterback.

It's going to be an incredibly busy weekend in St. Charles! The 2025 Hinterland Music Festival is on its way August 1st through 3rd, and this year's festival will look a bit different than it has in years past. Hinterland is an annual indie music festival held in St. Charles, Iowa that got its start back in 2015.