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Vote for 2012 Iowa Travel Guide Cover

People who like Iowa Tourism on Facebook have the ability to help choose the cover for the 2012 Iowa Travel Guide. People wishing to vote must first “like” the Iowa Tourism Office’s Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/njB0XC. They will then be able to see the three cover options and vote for their favorite.

One cover showcases canoeing on the Cedar River in Linn County, another spotlights the High Trestle Trail Bridge near Madrid and the third features Arnolds Park Amusement Park in Okoboji; the Orange City Tulip Festival; Lost Island Adventure Park, Waterloo; a Mississippi River sunrise; the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines; WhiteWater at Riverfront Park in Charles City; and the Iowa Speedway in Newton.

Voting will run through Tuesday, October 18.

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Fine Art

The College Hill Arts Festival in Cedar Falls was named one of the “100 Best Fine Art & Design Shows” by Sunshine Artist magazine. It was the only Iowa art festival included on the list. The festival is held annually in July.

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Union Pacific Sesquicentennial

Union Pacific Railroad will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2012. In May 2012, the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs will be opening a brand new first floor exhibit. Focused on the Transcontinental Railroad, the exhibit will show frontier life before construction, move on to what an enormous feat construction actually was, and then how life changed due to the railroad. Exhibits will be more interactive and allow the museum to put much more of their collection on display.

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Cycle Central Iowa Map

A new regional trails map highlighting 18 routes in 11 central Iowa counties is now available to locals and visitors. The map features 16 loops on paved roads and trails and two loops on primarily gravel roads. Local bicycle enthusiasts selected the routes and prepared brief write-ups for the back of the map including nuggets about interesting side trips, local attractions plus suggestions for restaurants. The map is available for $2.99 at select Casey’s General Stores and participating Hy-Vee Food Stores. Visitors can request the map through the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website, www.seedesmoines.com.


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