Fairfield loves their buffets. Actually it’s not just Fairfield, I’ve noticed that the Midwest in general is full of buffets. Historically I’ve steered clear of buffets, mainly because it was usually a sign of bad food – quantity over quality. However, once in awhile you find a buffet that is actually delicious (as well as plentiful), especially here in Fairfield.

My wife first discovered Arandas Mexican Buffet two years ago.  When she described it’s location – inside a gas station convenience store – I was confused and leery of checking it out.   I’ve been hooked since my first visit two summers ago and if it wasn’t for our family’s “recession budget”, I’d be eating there a couple times a week.

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I remember when Yummy’s first opened up on the square – the town was transformed. “Yummy’s Cakes” were the thing to have at an event, and their eclairs were as ubiquitous as they were good. They had dropped off the radar, as far as I could tell, when they left their original location and moved down to their new location across the street from Wal-Mart.

I didn’t even know they served “normal food” until my mother suggested we go there for lunch today. The surprises kept coming, until halfway through my meal I realized I had to write a review.

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The Chamber Singers of Southeast Iowa group was founded in 1991 by Elaine Reding and they put on two concerts every year, plus they also usually perform for a few other community events around town. Though some of the members have come and gone over the years, I am always impressed with the professionalism and polish of every performance, and the concert I went to on Sunday was no different.

The second of two performances this weekend at The First Presbyterian Church, the presentation was titled Songs for a Better World and included songs sung in French, German, Spanish and Swahili as well as English. It also showcased a variety of genres, everything from a Broadway show tune to African Spirituals. The songs were interspersed with spoken poems and quotes from school children from around the world about peace and music quotes from great authors. Read the full story

A few weeks ago, tired of the intense physical effort needed to double-dig the thick Iowa clay, I rented a rototiller with the belief that it would make my life very easy. As you can see….

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Lauryn and Dennis of Fairfield’s own Americana duo Truckstop Souvenir have been telling me about another great Americana husband and wife duo Mike and Amy Finders (say finn-ders) for a while now. So last Friday night, even though I was dog tired from running around the few days previous and it was late, I dragged myself to Cafe Paradiso for the show. I’m sure glad I did. Read the full story