Visit every floor, peek into closed rooms, and satisfy curiosity through this all-access pass to the Brucemore Mansion during the Nooks and Crannies Tour - October 17, 24, and 31 at 6:00 p.m. Marvel at the Skinner pipe organ room, discover the architectural oddities in the attic, and experience the sight and sound of a "rain storm" in the basement Tahitian Room. Examine the superior craftsmanship and learn about ongoing preservation work. The tour is not recommended for children under ten or individuals who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs. Admission is $15 per person and $12 per Brucemore member. Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org or by calling (319) 362-7375.

The Nooks and Crannies Tour is part of Brucemore's Thursday Night Lineup. Every Thursday night, Brucemore will feature a different specialty tour focusing on topics for all interests, including arts and culture, Midwestern industry, gardening, landscape design, architecture, preservation, behind-the-scenes at Brucemore, and growing up in the early twentieth century. For more information on the Thursday Night Lineup or the fall schedule, visit www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375.

About Brucemore

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

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Downton Abbey fans will enjoy Brucemore's Hired Help Tour -September 12, October 3, and November 14 at 6:00 p.m. Join a costumed interpreter for a tour revealing the lives of Brucemore's domestic servants in the early twentieth century. Consider what it was like to live and work on one of Iowa's grandest estates while exploring the servants' living quarters and the Servants' Village, an area open to the public only during this tour. Documents, photographs, and other materials from Brucemore's collections enrich visitors' understanding of the relationships between the employers and "the hired help." Admission is $15 per person and $12 per Brucemore member. Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org or by calling (319) 362-7375.

The Hired Help Tour is part of Brucemore's Thursday Night Lineup. Every Thursday night Brucemore will feature a different specialty tour focusing on topics for all interests, including arts and culture, Midwestern industry, gardening, landscape design, architecture, preservation, behind-the-scenes at Brucemore, and growing up in the early twentieth century. For more information on the Thursday Night Lineup, visit www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375.

About Brucemore

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

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Music lovers and blues enthusiasts alike will revel in the live performances on Brucemore's First Avenue lawn during the twentieth annual Bluesmore on Saturday, August 3 from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. Presented by Brucemore and the Linn County Blues Society, Bluesmore performers will include Lucky Peterson featuring Tamara Peterson, The Scott Holt Band, and LCBS All Stars.  The 2013 Bluesmore festival sponsor is Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust and media sponsors are The Gazette, Hoopla, and KCRG-TV9.  Home Town Restyling sponsors Tom Bruner and the Back Porch Band.

Lucky Peterson, a searing lead guitarist, first-rate vocalist, and talented organist, is the most dangerous triple threat working in the blues. Growing up in Buffalo, NY, with a father who owned one of the area's most renowned blues clubs, Peterson was exposed to music from a young age. At the age of 5, the R&B hit "1-2-3-4" on his first record resulted in television appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and What's My Line. As a teenager he attended Buffalo Academy of Performing Arts before paying dues in the bands of Etta James and Otis Rush. He has since performed with a long list of blues greats, including B.B. King and Albert Collins, and made his name through electrifying live performances.

Scott Holt, a six-string powerhouse and soulful storyteller, began his musical career when he was invited to join the band of blues legend Buddy Guy at age 19. Born in Tennessee and raised in Texas and Mississippi, Holt's music is as diversified as his roots. Holt caught rock 'n' roll fever when his parents took him to his first concert, Elvis Presley, while his teenage discovery of Jimmy Hendrix inspired his musical passion and artistic spirituality. In much of Holt's work, one can hear echoes of Hendrix's stinging vibrato, as well as sounds that are warm, human, and undisguised by technology. Holt has developed a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the world.

LCBS All Stars features ten of Eastern Iowa's finest blues musicians on one stage for a special twentieth-anniversary Bluesmore celebration. The lineup includes Ron DeWitte, Eric Douglas, Craig Erickson, Tommy 'T-Bone' Giblin, BillyLee Janey, Bryce Janey, Dan 'DJ' Johnson, Denny Ketelsen, Skeeter Louis, and Dennis 'Daddy-O' McMurrin.

Advance Bluesmore tickets are $15 per adult and $13 per student or Brucemore/Linn County Blues Society member. All tickets are $20 at the gate - no discounts are available the day of the event. Children age 10 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.  Advance tickets must be purchased by August 2 and are available through Brucemore by calling (319) 362-7375, by visiting www.brucemore.org, or at the following outlets: Brewed Awakenings, Chappy's Safari Lounge, Checkers Tavern, Music Loft, Guitar Center, J.M. O'Malley's, The Longbranch Hotel, Parlor City Pub and Eatery, and West Music (Marion). Tickets are non-refundable.

Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Bands will perform from 4:00 to 9:30 p.m. on the First Avenue lawn at Brucemore, 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. No on-site parking is available except handicap parking by entering on Dows Lane. No pets, coolers, or outside food is allowed during the event. Food and beverage vendors are available on-site, including the Jaycees beer tent. For further information on Bluesmore, please visit www.brucemore.org, www.lcbs.org, or call (319) 362-7375 or (319) 399-5105.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Enjoy an intimate evening of literature and music during the second Brucemore Arts Share on May 14 at 7:00 p.m. The event continues the tradition started by Brucemore's second family, the Douglases, who frequently entertained guests and celebrated local artists in the Mansion's Great Hall. Graduate students from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Andres Carlstein and Anna Morrison, will read original fiction and poetry. Doctoral candidates at the University of Iowa, Akilah Bryant and Jessica Altfillisch, will follow with a flute and viola duo.  A light reception will be held after the hour-long program. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $7 per adult and $5 per Brucemore member or student.  All tickets at the door (if available) are $10. Space is limited; purchase tickets by visiting www.brucemore.org or calling (319) 362-7375. This performance is made possible by a Better Futures for Iowans grant through The University of Iowa's Office of the Provost.

Andrés Carlstein is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Iowa and the author of Odyssey to Ushuaia, a Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego. He is a 2012 MacDowell Colony Fellow and Yaddo Residency Fellow, and his short stories have been finalists for the 2013 Doug Fir Fiction Prize and the 2013 Gertrude Stein Fiction Award. Carlstein holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he was an Arts Fellow. He lives in Iowa City and is working on a novel.

Julia Anna Morrison is a second-year Master of Fine Arts candidate at the Iowa Writers' Workshop from Atlanta, Georgia.  She teaches creative writing to undergraduates at the University of Iowa.  Julia's work has recently appeared in Redivider and Gulf Coast.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Akilah Bryant is a flute performer, teacher, and clinician currently living in Iowa City. In 2012, Akilah received the prestigious Dean's Graduate Research Fellowship from the University of Iowa, where she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Pedagogy. She also holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Alabama. In addition to extensive performing throughout Alabama and the Midwest, Akilah has been the recipient of many awards including those from the Nelson Hauenstein Memorial Fellowship, the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Josie Etta Daley Memorial Fund, Tuesday Musicale, and the Birmingham Music Clubs Guild.

Violist Jessica Altfillisch is a doctoral candidate at the University of Iowa and Director of the CR Suzuki Academy, LLC, a violin and viola school in Cedar Rapids. Jessica has served as resident violist in the Aiyanna Piano Quartet, the University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, and is currently violist of the Lierre Duo. As an undergraduate at the University of Northern Iowa, Jessica performed with the Northern Iowa Chamber Orchestra in Moscow and St. Petersburg. She finished her undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas, and has since appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in throughout the Midwest. Jessica has also played professionally as a member of the Des Moines, Dubuque, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, and Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestras.

About Arts Share

Arts Share continues The University of Iowa's long tradition of sharing creative resources from the Division of Performing Arts (music, dance, theater), the School of Art and Art History, and the Writers' Workshop. Arts Share aims to strengthen the arts in underserved areas, reaching out to provide access to life-enriching arts experiences throughout Iowa. Through this program, artists have traveled as far as Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Buffalo Center, Keokuk, and Lamoni to present interactive performances, workshops, readings, residencies, master classes, and more.

About Brucemore

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.