Blairstown, IA

Blairstown is a Benton County city in east-central Iowa, about 20 minutes west of Cedar Rapids. The 2020 census counted 713 residents, and the city is part of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. George F. Kirby surveyed the town in 1862, setting out the streets that now sit among cornfields, farm roads, and the small lakes and timber patches of southern Benton County. Benton Community School District covers a 342-square-mile area that includes Blairstown and several nearby communities.

Labor Day weekend belongs to Sauerkraut Days, a celebration Blairstown has held for more than 30 years. The schedule mixes a parade, tractor pull, demolition derby, carnival, softball, car show, stage show, and Rolle Bolle tournaments. Rolle Bolle is the Belgian yard game brought to the region by immigrants, played by rolling heavy disks toward a stake. Hannen Lake lies nearby for camping, fishing, swimming, and picnics, while the community center combines a library, city hall, gymnasium, and meeting room. Blairstown is a school-and-festival town whose calendar is as distinctive as its name.