On Saturday, December 20th, we will have our first Iowa Secularists Winter Solstice Soiree at the Drake Municipal Observatory! The Observatory is jointly operated by the City of Des Moines and Drake University and contains a refracting telescope which will provide an excellent way to observe the solstice sky!

We will begin at 7pm with cocktails and appetizers followed by a tour of the observatory and a presentation. We will then have the opportunity to view the night’s sky at about 8:30pm, weather permitting.

This event is semi-formal and will require a ticket for admittance.

Please note that the telescope must be kept at cool temperatures, so the observation portion of the evening will be as cold as it is outside on December 20th.

For more information on the Observatory, please visit the website here. This website also includes a page with directions to the Observatory which is located at the Waveland Park Golf Course in Des Moines.

Tickets are $30 per person. To purchase a ticket, please use the PayPal link below or send a check to Iowa Secularists, P.O. Box 883, Iowa City, IA 52244. Please have all tickets purchased or arrangements made by December 18th so that we may plan accordingly.

Please email jsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org with questions!

In an effort to help define what makes this organization what it is and where we are and should be going, the Executive Director and the Board of Directors have begun the process of composing a strategic plan. This plan will refine the focus of the organization to make us even better at representing non-religious Iowans and meeting their needs.

But, we need your help in order to do this well! First off, we need a baseline - an idea of where the organization is, who our members are, and why you are members. So to help with this first step, Brian Sabel, our executive director, has scheduled a series of townhall-style meetings where he will sit down with all Iowa Secularist members who can attend to get your view of IS. The dates, times, and places are subject to change but here is the schedule to date:

Waterloo/Cedar Falls Area
Nov. 15 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Waterloo Public Library, Meeting Room A

Des Moines Area
Nov. 22 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., and
Dec. 13 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
meeting room at Panera on 42nd Street in West Des Moines

Iowa City Area
Nov. 23 from 2:00-4:00 p.m., and
Dec. 4 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Home of Brian & Jaime Sabel (please RSVP for address)

Cedar Rapids Area
Dec. 3 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Lori’s home (please RSVP for address) *rescheduled for Dec. 17
and
Dec. 14 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Home of Niles and Carol (please RSVP for address)

Please RSVP for these meetings by sending a message to bsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org so we know how many persons to expect. Please note: these meetings are limited to Iowa Secularist members only and will be primarily business oriented.

We genuinely look forward to your participation in this important process for the Iowa Secularists. Your perspectives and ideas will help the Iowa Secularists to grow and sustain our organization. If you have any questions please feel free to email Brian Sabel at bsabel[at]iowasecularist[dot]org.

Tuesday, November 4. Election Watch Parties in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls/Waterloo. *Note* The Iowa Secularists do not endorse any candidate or party. Comments made by members regarding these topics are solely their own opinions and are not representative of the organization.

Friday, November 7. Cedar Rapids. First Friday Social. Lori’s house.

Thursday, November 13. Iowa City/Coralville Meetup 7pm Old Chicago Pizza in Coralville.

Tuesday, November 18. Cedar Falls/Waterloo Meetup 7pm Location to be determined.

Tuesday, November 18. Iowa City UUSIC meeting. 7pm at the Iowa City Unitarian Universalists Society, 10 S. Gilbert St., Brian Sabel, Executive Director, will be speaking about the Iowa Secularists and Jaime Sabel will talk about Camp Quest.

Thursday, November 20. West Des Moines. Des Moines Meetup 7pm Firkin and Fox, 1451 22nd St.

Thursday, November 20. Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids Meetup 7pm Biaggi’s

*More events will be added as they are scheduled.

For more information and to RSVP for these events, please visit the Meetup sites.
Cedar Falls/Waterloo
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City
Des Moines

In addition, check out the events sponsored by student groups:
Iowa State Atheist and Agnostic Society (ISU AAS)

University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers (UNIFI)