Year-round Entertainment

Maquoketa is proud of its rich cultural identity, providing residents with year-round entertainment. Community theatre, community organizations and local festivals and fairs are just a few of the ways residents relax and enjoy themselves; programs such as these help to enrich the lives of Maquoketa residents and build a strong sense of community.

Joining a civic club or community organization is just one of the ways residents get to know each other in a fun, relaxed environment. Local clubs include the Rotary Club, Optimist Club, Masonic Temple, Kiwanis Club, Peace Pipe Players, Maquoketa Tree Board, Timber City Band, Maquoketa Junior Women’s Club, Jackson County Genealogical Chapter, Wan Tan Ye Club, Eagles Club, Knights of Pythias, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Fine Arts Committee, Town and Country Quilters and Maquoketa Garden Club, among others.

Every year Maquoketa attracts thousands of visitors to the Jackson County Fair held at the Jackson County Fairgrounds, beginning on the last Wednesday in July through the following Sunday. The first fair was in 1854; since then, it has grown widely popular, attracting approximately 20,000 people per year. Fairgoers enjoy the best in musical entertainment, 4-H and FFA exhibits, prize livestock, commercial exhibits, open class show, flower show, Western horse show, state fair talent show, an antiques and collectibles show, antique tractor show, car show, tractor pull, kids’ pedal pull, garden tractor pull, harness races, special events for senior citizens and children, and much, much more!

For year-round entertainment, the fairgrounds offer Bingo the first Saturday of every month and every Tuesday evening. Stock car races are held at the fairgrounds every Saturday night from April through September, and an annual harness race is held at the fairground on the last Saturday in August.

A favorite meeting place for seniors is the Jackson County Senior Citizen Center, located in Maquoketa. Various clubs and organizations meet here every month, and residents can enjoy meals, after-dinner bingo, and line dancing lessons.

Art lovers are sure to enjoy the Old City Hall Gallery, winner of the 2001 Iowa Tourism and Arts Award, featuring the "realistic impressionist" paintings by nationally recognized oil painter Rose Frantzen. Rose has won numerous awards and has traveled around the world. The gallery opened in 1991. Costello’s Old Mill Gallery, located in a picturesque valley on the far east edge of Maquoketa, features the wildlife and landscape art of Patrick J. Costello in an 1867 stone gristmill. Paintings, sculptures and other originals are for sale.

Enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbuster under a blanket of stars at the 61 Drive-In Theatre located in Clinton County, approximately five miles south of Maquoketa. The drive-in has been entertaining Maquoketa residents since 1950, and includes a rubber-tired, four-car kiddie train that gives children rides before show time and free admission for children under 12.

The Voy 3 Triplex Movie Theatre in Maquoketa features first-run movies in three auditoriums.

Next Topic

Previous Topic