Iowa
New inclusive Treehouse Village offers climbing wall, zipline, slides, accessible features
The Iowa Arboretum & Gardens’ new $2 million Treehouse Village outside of Madrid, meant to inspire curiosity and an appreciation for nature, is nearly complete.
The treehouses and playground will captivate the imaginations of children of all ages and abilities, with several accessible features such as a wheelchair swing.
The fun parts, which include various swing bridges, walkways, and hideouts, are ready for play as crews square away the final details of the remaining infrastructure, like the parking lots and trails.
Wet weather this spring delayed construction, but the grand opening of the Treehouse Village is expected to be in mid-to late August.
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A natural wonderland of fun
With an inclusive playground, three separate treehouses, a suspension bridge, and elevated walkways, the vast Treehouse Village offers many features for active imaginations. Highlights include a climbing wall, a zipline, five slides that are “gecko green,” climbing ropes and ladders, and bouncing nets.
“We were looking for a way to draw more families here — parents with their kids, grandparents with their grandkids,” said Mark Schneider, executive director for the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens. “This will be the only experience like this in the state of Iowa.”
Admission to the arboretum gives visitors access to the Treehouse Village and the rest of the public garden. Annual memberships, which offer unlimited visits, are also available.
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Beanstalk Builders created accessible features
The arboretum used a contractor that specializes in natural playgrounds, treehouses and accessible features. They installed a zipline with a chair to accommodate people of diverse abilities.
“This is an all-inclusive playground, and if you’re in a wheelchair, you’ll be able to get wherever you need to go,” Schneider said during a recent tour of the Treehouse Village.
The new village is put together in an atmosphere that feels magical.
The North Carolina-based contractor even has whimsy built into its name, Beanstalk Builders.
Beanstalk used many natural elements to create the Treehouse Village, including branches of laurel and rope netting. The predominant wood used in the treehouses is black locust, which gives it an architectural feel.
“I didn’t want it to just look like a playground,” Schneider said. “I wanted it to seem to grow out of the woods. And I think Beanstalk Builders accomplished that.”
The playground and treehouses are nestled under a canopy of large oak trees. Treehouse viewing platforms offer sights of the deep valley that winds through the property.
Iowa Arboretum is oldest, largest public garden in Iowa
Established in 1968, the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens is the oldest public garden in the state. It has 28 distinct garden areas, including herb, perennial, butterfly and children’s gardens.
It’s also the state’s largest, at 160 acres. The 40-acre main campus features trees, shrubs, and flowers.
“Our mission has always been about plants and education and nature, and the Treehouse Village is a nice addition to our palette of things we offer to the people that visit the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens,” Schneider said.
The arboretum also offers modern facilities, including restrooms, a gift shop, and venue space. Outdoor spaces are available for events such as garden weddings.
Iowa Arboretum & Gardens is located at 1875 Peach Ave., Madrid. Find it online at iowaarboretum.org.
Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rfaaborg@gannett.com.
Video: Fran McCaffery reacts to Iowa’s win over Washington State
Fran McCaffery discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s win over Washington State on Friday.
IOWA CITY — Iowa guard Josh Dix is out for the Hawkeyes’ matchup with Rider on Tuesday.
Dix injured his wrist during Iowa’s win over Washington State on Friday in Moline, Ill. He tried playing through it but was largely ineffective and finished the game with just two points.
“Hopefully Josh’s injury will be taken care of relatively quickly,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said after the game. “We’ll have to see.”
The junior has started four games for the Hawkeyes this season, averaging 12.3 points and four assists per contest while shooting 44.4% from deep.
The Hawkeyes have already been hit with injuries fairly often this season. Seydou Traore missed the first two games. Owen Freeman was unavailable for the game against South Dakota due to illness. Freshman Chris Tadjo, who is also out Tuesday, has also missed time.
Iowa plays Utah State on Friday in Kansas City, Missouri, in what is expected to be the Hawkeyes’ biggest challenge to date this season. The Aggies will enter that matchup with a 4-0 overall record and haven’t scored less than 95 points each game this season.
Dix’s status for that matchup will be an important storyline to track.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on Verdon, Sadowsky, McLaughlin
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on defense bouncing back with return of Will McLaughlin, Malik Verdon, and Jack Sadowsky playing.
Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season is in the books, and several former Iowa State players had huge hands in their teams’ performances.
The collection of ex-Cyclones in the NFL continues to grow, with several more added to rosters this season after having around a dozen consistently active last season. While the star-studded names like Brock Purdy, Breece Hall and David Montgomery continue to shine week after week, several others Iowa State fans will recognize are making significant impacts at the pro level too.
With that, here are a few ex-Cyclones who stood out in Week 11 of the NFL season.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions RB
Everyone on the Detroit Lions got a piece of the action in Sunday’s 52-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Montgomery was right in the middle of the dominance.
The former Iowa State running back finished with 15 carries for a game-high 75 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery also added three catches for 20 yards.
He’s now found the end zone 10 times this season, but Sunday was Montgomery’s first game with multiple touchdowns since a 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13. Montgomery and the Lions are rolling right along this season.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers QB
Just when Purdy and the 49ers seem like they’ve turned a corner, disaster strikes on the field. That’s what happened in Sunday’s 20-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The former Iowa State quarterback still managed a decent day, finishing 21-for-28 for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Purdy also added five carries for 40 yards and a score. He’ll look for a rebound winning performance Sunday at Green Bay.
Breece Hall, New York Jets RB
It’s a broken record at this point. Hall goes for a decent day, even as his New York Jets continue to sputter significantly.
In Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the former Iowa State running back finished with 16 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown. Hall also added seven catches for 43 yards and a score. It’s impressive the stats keep coming even as the wins aren’t.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
Iowa
University of Iowa fraternity suspended after 56 pledges found in basement during alleged hazing
The University of Iowa has placed one of its fraternities on interim suspension after an alleged hazing incident last week.
Alpha Delta Phi has been accused of having 56 blindfolded pledges “with food thrown on them” in the fraternity house’s basement, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The pledges were discovered by Iowa City police and university police when the agencies responded to a fire alarm at the fraternity house at around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 15.
The fraternity was ordered by the university’s Office of Student Accountability to “suspend all operations” pending the outcome of the investigation into the hazing allegations. The fraternity’s national organization also placed the UI chapter under suspension.
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS FRATERNITY AFTER ‘REPUGNANT’ HAZING VIDEO SURFACES ONLINE
A fraternity at the University of Iowa is suspended by the school and its national organization following hazing reports. (Reuters)
One person, who is not a student and does not live at the fraternity house, was arrested and charged with interference with official acts, the university said.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen identified that person as 21-year-old Joseph Gaya. His charge stems from standing “in front of the officers in the doorway of the room full of pledges” and refusing to move out of the way, the outlet reported.
He allegedly stepped between two witnesses and an officer during a conversation, and told the witnesses “not to talk to the police.” The officer told Gaya to step away, but he allegedly refused and eventually told the officer, “You can (expletive) leave, how about that?”
The two witnesses told Gaya they were “fine,” according to the Press-Citizen, but he still did not leave.
The Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at the University of Iowa is under an interim suspension following an investigation into alleged hazing in the house’s basement. (Google Earth)
FLORIDA FRATERNITY BROTHER WITH BRAIN DAMAGE FROM HAZING SENDS LIFESAVING WARNING TO FUTURE GREEKS
The university said its Office of Student Accountability will follow its discipline procedure for student organizations, which includes issuing sanctions for prohibited behaviors, such as hazing.
“As registered student organizations, fraternities are expected to uphold the values of the university, and their members are expected to comply with the Code of Student Life,” the university said in a news release.
The affected students have been offered “counseling and resources,” according to UI.
Campus police at the University of Iowa are investigating the hazing incident, along with the university’s Office of Student Accountability. (University of Iowa Campus Safety / Facebook)
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“The university is committed to protecting the health and safety of its students and will address any behavior that puts student safety at risk,” the university said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Alpha Delta Phi’s national organization and the University of Iowa police.
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