Did you know the land surrounding Brucemore was originally developed as the first golf course in Cedar Rapids? Or that the world famous Iowa artist Grant Wood designed windows, murals, and woodwork, leaving his mark on the interiors of several Cedar Rapids homes?  Listen to fascinating stories about the various homes and discover the rich history and architecture of the Cedar Rapids' neighborhood just outside the estate's gates on Brucemore's Historic Neighborhood Walk?Thursday, May 3 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 5, at 12:00 p.m.

Admission is $15 per person and $12 per Brucemore member and includes a Historic Neighborhood Tour flipbook. Space is limited. Advance ticket purchase required. Call (319) 362-7375 or visit the Brucemore Store to purchase tickets. Self-guided Historic Neighborhood Tour flipbooks will be available for purchase in the Brucemore Store on May 7, including homes from all four years of this specialty neighborhood tour.

Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 26-acre park-like estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids boasts a Queen Anne style mansion built between 1884 and 1886. Brucemore has been home to three prominent families who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts. The estate continues to be a hub for cultural, philanthropic, and educational activities. Each year thousands of visitors attend specialty tours, concerts, fine arts performances, children's programs, holiday celebrations, preservation events, and garden workshops on the estate. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Presented by the Geography and Map Division and the Philip Lee Phillips Society

WHAT:
"Visualizing the Nation's Capital: Two Centuries of Mapping Washington, D.C.," the first conference devoted to mapping the nation's  capital, covering the period from Pierre-Charles L'Enfant's 1791 Plan of the City of Washington to the present.

WHEN:
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18, with a reception from 5:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, with tours of the Geography and Map Division from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The conference is free and open to the public.  Reservations are needed; contact specialevents@loc.gov or call 202-707-1616.

WHERE:
Friday's session from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. will be in the Coolidge Auditorium followed by a reception in Room 119, both located in the Thomas  Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington.

Saturday's session from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. will be in the Mumford Room and the tours from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. will be in the Geography and Map Reading Room, both located in the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

WHO:
Participants include historians, archaeologists, building and landscape architects, urban planners, cartographers, geographers, land surveyors, Library of Congress specialists and Anthony Williams, the former mayor of Washington, D.C.

The conference is presented by the Library and the Philip Lee Phillips Society, which was established in 1995 as an association of collectors, geographers, historians and map enthusiasts, with a shared interest in supporting and promoting the programs and activities of the Library's Geography and Map Division.

More information on the conference presentations is available at www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/.

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Quad City Arts is accepting nominations for a special exhibition titled "Welcome Home Quad Cities." This exhibit will provide an opportunity for visual artists living outside of a 250 mile radius of the Quad Cities, who have Quad City connections to come back home and share their art with the community.  During East/West Riverfest, from September 7th through September 16^th, Quad City Arts' Rock Island gallery will be hosting multiple receptions with extended hours to give visiting artists and their families' time to gather and view the exhibit.

To nominate someone you know, send an email to dwmetallo@quadcityarts.com with the artist's name, contact information and a link to his/her website. Nominations are being accepted until May 30^th. A committee of art professionals will choose works from the nominated artists to include in the exhibition. "Welcome Home Quad Cities" will run from August 31-October 26, 2012.

Traveling to Germany? Brush up on your German before you go! The German American Heritage Center will be offering German language classes starting in May. Join instructor Kathi Hofmann for a "German for Travelers" language series! The class will feature travel tips, food, hotel, touring basics and typical signage as encountered by the average American tourist.

The classes consist of four 90-minute sessions on May 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th from 5:30-7pm and the cost is $50, payable by check to GAHC at 712 W 2nd St. Davenport, IA 52802. Register by April 23rd by calling Ruth at 563-322-8844 or emailing rer@gahc.org.