From the floodwaters...a new Theatre Cedar Rapids.

The 2008 Cedar Rapids flood devastated downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa - including the Iowa Theatre Building, home to my old stomping grounds, Theater Cedar Rapids. The building opened in 1928 as the RKO Iowa Theater - Katherine Hepburn performed there in 1940, as did Julie Harris and slew of other celebrities.

I had just been there a few weeks prior to the flood in May that year and saw the lingering affects a year later. With the help of a massive fundraising campaign, FEMA monies and the man hours of the TCR staff and volunteers, the renovated Theatre Cedar Rapids (with new marquee above) has to be one of the most beautiful community theaters in the country. Click on READ MORE! for a ton of pictures - including some from the opening weekend of "The Producers" (it just closed this past weekend).

Here's a video on the 2008 flood and the restoration that might interest you.

Box office.

This artwork (there's a name for it but I forgot it) was under the existing ceiling in the lobby.

This picture collage is a permanent fixture in the lobby, created by former artistic Director Richard Barker.

This is one of two original chandeliers that haven't hung in the theater for, I don't know, over 50 years?

The flood submerged almost 3/4's of the main theater floor. The stage - gone. The basement, which had all the electrical and heating systems, storage, orchestra pit, dressing rooms, costumers, Green Room, etc. - gone.

The new Fed Hedges Library.

Lobby with multiple plasma televisions.

The Linge Lounge (I'm not sure that's the exact name). But it's named after the Linge family, huge benefactors of the theater.

Inside the Linge Lounge.

Full concession bar.

The old restrooms featured privacy for two. Now you can have group pee's in both the men's and women's bathrooms.

"The Producers", starring (left to right): Trevor Debth, Katie Knudson and Scott Schulte.

Cast of "The Producers".

Patron imbibe in the Linge Lounge opening weekend of "The Producers".

Scott Schulte (left) and Tim Boyle of "The Producers".

Theater stalwarts, left to right: Janelle Miller, Nina Brundell (who headed up the fundraising campaign for the rennovation), June Schumacher, Paula Grady and Jan McCool.

One of my mentors, former TCR artistic director Richard Barker and his wife, Cate. Richard did the permanent photograph collage that's on display in the lobby.

Amy Friedl Stoner of "The Producers" and Janelle Lauer, musical director for the show.

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FLOOD UPDATE = Cedar Rapids

The water is receding - slowly...about 28 feet down from 31 feet. 1300 city blocks have been flooded, 3,900 homes flooded and 24,000 people displaced. They'll begin letting people in their homes tomorrow - limited. Saw film of The Paramount Theater (where I performed) and he water that was up to the bottom of the marquis is down to the curb (see previous post for picture). Hate to think what it looks like inside.

PS - The news anchor on KCRG in Cedar Rapids named Beth Malicki - she's been on with Bruce Aune covering the flood? Pretty, but I can't stand listening to her anymore.

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More Devasting Pix from the Cedar Rapids Flood of 2008

I originally posted this in the morning but I found five more pictures (the first five), plus a chart to add to those I already had. I'm entralled by this entire scene. Dumbfounded. I just - obviously it means more to me than the casual reader from wherever because I spent 5 1/2 years in Cedar Rapids and I've WALKED these streets, BEEN to these places and LOVED my friends who are going through a terrible time and I can't do a damn thing for them.

City Hall. Photographed this morning.


Part of Cedar Rapids. City Hall is in the top left corner and sits on an island in the middle of the Cedar River. "Downtown" is above this picture.

Dairy Queen under water - taken this morning.

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A perspective on how flooded Cedar Rapids is.

When my father made the comment on the phone (see below post), one of the clips he saw was The Paramount Theater (1928), where I made my performing debut in 1994. Here's a picture from that show. The mark is about where my dad thought (from seeing it on TV) the water level was at - about 3 feet from the marquis.

It's a guess. WAIT! NPR update: 5:18 CST - The edge of where the Cedar River typically is situated has now stretched one and a half miles into the city limits. Also, the flooding now covers 400 blocks instead of the 100 I mentioned yesterday.

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Give this Cedar Rapidian a gold medal.

I was checking out the Cedar Rapids' Gazette online and read through a some articles, viewed more pictures and read people's comments. It's pretty crazy out there - people saying it's the wrath of God, blaming the government, McCain, etcetera, etcetera. And a ton of people chipping in to help - however they can.

Here's the smartest comment I've seen thus far:

Posted By: curly
Post Date: 06/13/08 12:16:00 PM
Title: Water conservation by using rainwater in toilets
In a 15-minute rain yesterday we captured 90 gallons of rainwater from our roof for use in our toilet tank.

Since water and electric supplies are at a minimum right now, I thought this was pretty ingenius.

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Massive floods hit Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Lake Delton in Wisconsin GONE!

Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Eastern Iowa on the Cedar River. Pop. 124,000. My old theater stomping grounds from 1992-1997 before I moved to Los Angeles in April 1998. Flooded. Look at that water. This was taken on Thursday. Somewhere in there is the Cedar River - can't tell where though. And somewhere in there is the city. According to friends I talked to - it's bad. And I was just there a little over two weeks ago. Everything was perfect.

The governor declared 89 of Iowa's 99 counties to be state disaster areas. A levee broke, apparently and the Cedar River poured over its banks Thursday, forcing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 homes, causing a railroad bridge to collapse and leaving cars underwater on downtown streets. I'm not sure exactly if one levee broke or the whole dam thing failed or if there was just so much rain that no matter what - CR was unprepared for this outcome.

According to my friend Megan, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & the African American Museum have just roofs showing. Czech Village is totally under water. The Library - flooded. I know Megan and her husband, Steve, from the theater. They own a jewelry store downtown - last they looked there was 5 feet of water on the main floor of the jewelry store. Downtown is evacuated. The river separates CR into two halves basically, and all the bridges leading from east to west and vice versa are closed off.

Downtown CR.

Theatre Cedar Rapids - my old theater - preparing for the worst. Tried callling twice but they too busy busting their asses to save the theater. All these pictures were taken by Megan around 5 p.m. CST and the water levels are most definately higher. The Paramount Theater - a historical landmark where I had my theater debut is downtown and likely realizing the same fate as most of downtown CR is.


National Guard troops are out patrolling the streets. Officials estimated that 100 blocks were underwater in Cedar Rapids. The flood level there is about 12. Two inches an hour. It's at 31.1' (as of Friday, 11 a.m. CST). I weathered the Flood of 1993 and it was NOTHING like this - 19'. Nothing like this has happened in over 150 years. The cop shop dispatch moved to Marion (adjoining town just north east of CR). Hospital patients moved. Prisoners from the Linn County Courthouse/jail moved. Smulekoff's Furniture store - sofa's floating out of the windows. So I started calling and emailing theater people. Nina's fine - the theater's meeting to figure out a game plan once the water subsides. My buddy Joe said water power stations and substations are flooding and closing down so fast that much of the city is without power - which affects electricity and water supplies. Called Nick earlier and he was leaving to go get a back-up supply of water somewhere. My friend Jen was sandbaggin' last night. Emailed Janelle S. - status quo. Another close friend, Jim, is a Linn County Sheriff and I can't even get ahold of him. Talked to Dean & Leslie - Jim's parents...they said it's bizarre, and that you can't comprehend it unless you're there to see it first-hand.

Associated Press shot of downtown CR. Iowa City, about 10 miles south (where the Big 10, University of Iowa is situated) sits near a river and they're flooding as well. I've got theater friends there too. Rip & Janice, Pat & Sandy, Ron & Jody. I better call them, too. Dubuque Street floods when it drizzles, for Christ's sake. From photo's I've seen it is submerged. I'm assuming Riverside Theater's (regional theater where I worked) Shakespeare Theatre - which is separate from the main theatre and right off Dubuque Street - is not faring well. Everyone's working together though to get through this - and both CR and IC will rebound. At some point.

Funny though how there's always one joker in the pack. Caught this quote in a story on Fox or AP. "I believe that this is God's way of doing things, and I've got insurance, so I'm not worried about it," said Tim Grimm, who was forced to leave his home in the city's Czech Village area (of Cedar Rapids). Talk about a grim attitude

What a dick. I mean, he could have said , "I know we'll weather through this. My house is OK and I hope all my neighbor's home are fine." He could have said - well, he should have just kept his mouth shut. I hope the son-of-a-bitch finds out he let his flood insurance lapse. Prick.

So far everyone I know is OK. But for the families of these four kids, it was the worst possible news. A tornado hit a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, killing four Scouts - Josh, Sam, Ben and Aaron - and injuring 48 others.

"Please, God, stop the rain. Let the flooding subside. And let the people clean up and get back to their lives. Most of all - let them be safe"

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