Over, Under, Around, & Through: Obstacle Course Day
2026-06-24 10:00, 2026-06-27 10:00 (America/Chicago) | Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, 900 Larsen Park Road, Sioux City, IA, 51103, United States
Starting at 10:00am on Wednesday, June 24 or Saturday, June 27, come participate in our challenging Obstacle Course Day!
The members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition faced many obstacles on their journey to the Pacific Ocean. But they never gave up! These brave men used problem solving skills to work together to solve problems and achieve their goals. Today you can challenge yourself to conquer the obstacles in the course.
Recommended for youth up to 8th grade; all kids are welcome. Courses will be adapted to accommodate ages. Remember to wear shoes (avoid sandals and flip flops). A hat and sunscreen are recommended.
For details on each class, visit https://siouxcitylcic.com/events-classes/ or contact Amy Linder, Director of Youth Programming at alinder@siouxcitylcic.com. For more information call 712-224-5242. Find the Center at www.siouxcitylcic.com or www.facebook.com/sclandc

Working with the Enemy: German, Italian and Japanese Prisoners of War in Iowa during the Second World War
2026-06-28 14:00
On Sunday, June 28, 2026, at 2:00pm, in the Betty Strong Auditorium, historian/educator/lecturer Chad Timm will share the captivating history of “Working with the Enemy: German, Italian and Japanese Prisoners of War in Iowa during the Second World War.” Admission is free, but free will donations are encouraged.
As part of a relatively quiet and under-publicized government program, thousands of enemy soldiers invaded Iowa in 1943. With the hugely successful 1942 Allied campaign against Adolf Hitler’s Afrika Corps in North Africa, the number of enemy prisoners of war (POW) needing interment grew dramatically. Great Britain, no longer able to accommodate the increasing number of POWs, looked to the United States for help. Helping with the detainment of enemy POWs made sense, as American cargo vessels were returning home with empty hulls after delivering war materials.
What began as an experiment in isolated locations in the south and southwest eventually led to more than 500 camps and 400,000 enemy soldiers interned in the United States, including two camps in the state of Iowa. Due to a severe shortage of agricultural laborers coupled with increased War Food Administration quotas for farm goods, Iowa’s farmers needed help doing their part to assist the United States in winning the war.
This talk will focus on the creation of two POW camps in Iowa during the Second World War: one in the Northern Iowa town of Algona and one in the Southwestern Iowa town of Clarinda. Some of the topics discussed will be life in a prisoner of war camp, community relations, the POW labor program, branch camps in more than 30 Iowa communities and the arrival of Japanese prisoners at Camp Clarinda in early 1945. Camp Clarinda was one of only two camps in the country to house Japanese soldiers. The story of POW interment in Iowa is a fascinating story of Iowans being confronted by the enemy: an enemy they not only needed to help them meet their wartime goals but also challenged them to find their humanity.
Chad has a BA in History from Simpson College, a master’s degree in history and a PhD in Education from Iowa State University. He taught middle and high school social studies in Central Iowa from 1995-2010 before moving to higher education where he is a social studies expert and teaches future social studies teachers at Simpson College. He recently published a book titled “Teaching History with Popular Media: Strategies for Inquiry Based Learning” with McFarland Press.
The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center received a grant award from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of the Humanities Series programs.

LAMB Theatre Caravan's “The Adventures of Krumplestiltskin”
2026-07-17 10:00, 2026-07-17 18:00
Ever wonder about the rest of the Rumplestiltskin story? If so, you will want to see this new musical “The Adventures of Krumplestiltskin” written for the whole family by Diana Guhin Wooley of LAMB Theatre. The performances are on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 10:00am and again at 6:00pm on our outdoor stage. Admission is free, but free will donations are encouraged.
The story follows Krumplestiltskin, granddaughter of Rumplestiltskin, who rejects her grandfather’s selfish and greedy ways. Determined to use her magic for good, she faces the challenge of choosing joy, hope, and freedom over the dark path of trickery and bullying. The big question is whether she has the courage to abandon everything she was taught.
The audience will be positioned in a grassy area of Center’s campus, so they are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, as well as refreshments. In case of rain, the show will be moved inside to the auditorium.

Swing Along with Michael Lyon
2026-07-25 19:00
Attention fans of swing music! On Saturday, July 25, 2026, on our outdoor stage, come swing along with Michael Lyon, one of the Midwest’s most sought-after swing vocalists for the timeless standards of the modern age. Admission is free, but free will donations are encouraged.
Lyon’s career began with classical music. Training with some of the world’s finest teachers helped Michael achieve a vocal mastery that later provided a smooth transition into the iconic swing and jazz classics made famous by the greats and rediscovered by such modern-day crooners as Harry Connick Jr, and Michael Bublé.
The audience will be positioned in a grassy area of Center’s campus, so they are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, as well as refreshments. In case of rain, the show will be moved inside to the auditorium.
