With "Cedar Rapids" arriving at Sundance, it brings back memories of "Ice Castles" and the perceptions of Cedar Rapids ...

Back in 1978, when "Ice Castles" was released, the story told of a ice skater coming to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the Midwest ice skating championships. Of course, the problem was the City of Five Seasons at the time, we didn't have the Five Seasons Center build yet.

There was no indoor ice venue for the City of Cedar Rapids in 1978, when "Ice Castles" was on the Big Screen. The only top notch ice in Cedar Rapids at the time was on Manhattan Lake in Ellis Park, off the Cedar River. It was clearly outdoors, unlike the film.

Thankfully, we have an indoor venue for ice today in our community. A convention center has never been built yet, but one is coming. It will be interesting to see how the City of Cedar Rapids is portrayed in the upcoming movie.

'Cedar Rapids’ movie debuts tonight at Sundance - The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — First Sundance, then the nation, then who knows? The world?

Now, we have a movie called "Cedar Rapids" being released in 2011. Of course, the film was filmed in Ann Arbor, rather than Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Will the perceptions of Cedar Rapids be true to what reality of our community is? Or, will it be more on the level of "Ice Castles" and a misrepresentation of our community?

Both films are fictional. But, when they use a real community, shouldn't the storyline be at least factual, when it comes to assets of the community being portrayed has?

Hey, didn't "All the Right Moves" pick a fictional community known as "Ampipe" to base the story on? Why not pick a real town in PA, like Johnstown?

So, will the producers and writers of "Cedar Rapids" portray our community fair? Or, should they have picked their own Ampipe, like other movies?

Robin Tucker

Eminent Domain concerns in Iowa and Pennsylvania ...

The subject of Eminent Domain and Limited Government brings up the following article titled The Jury is in on Eminent Domain and Economic Growth. What is the right balance in the State of Iowa and throughout our nation?

Iowa House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen mentioned on Facebook June 16, 2009 that "Reps. Kaufmann, Tymeson and Sweeney standing up for private property rights." Check out Charlotte Eby's June 15, 2009 story on rural Iowa landowners concerns over losing their property in Northwest Clarke County to a local commission. http://coveringiowapolitics.com/?p=2097

Other coverage on the Iowa eminent domain issue taken from google news search ...

Iowa lake project revived as drinking water source - Chicago Tribune
But their plans met stiff resistance among property owners and led the Legislature to bar local governments from using their powers of eminent domain for ...
Osceola lake plan sparks dispute on Iowa's eminent domain law - DesMoinesRegister.com

Rural landowners worried their land might be condemned for lake ... - Mason City Globe Gazette
Proposed Clarke County reservoir sparks more debate - Radio Iowa
Clarke County Homeowners Fight Eminent Domain - WHO-TV ‎
But these homeowners say the state's eminent domain law should stop this. Doug Robins, a homeowner, says, "Acquire our land, condemn our land, ...

Eminent Domain is being tossed around regarding the United Flight 93 crash site and the planned Flight 93 National Memorial. Though, an article on June 15, 2009 indicates that it may be avoided now.

Good News: No Eminent Domain for Flight 93 Memorial - Cato @ Liberty
Yesterday, the US government announced that it wouldn't resort to eminent domain to seize land in Somerset, Pa for the proposed Flight 93 memorial.

Deadline Today For Flight 93 Memorial Land Sales -KDKA
AP Today marks the deadline for the government to get the land needed for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville without using eminent domain.

Pennsylvania landowners have one week to sell property for 9/11 ... - Los Angeles Times
The Interior Department says that if six holdout families don't agree to deal, it will to use eminent domain to take the land where United Flight 93 crashed ...

Negotiations for Flight 93 memorial at critical juncture -Enterprise-Record
11, 2001, may be taken by eminent domain if deals can't be struck with owners by June 12. Current plans for the Flight 93 memorial include buying 2200 acres ...

A look back at the issue in the State of Iowa in an article titled Does Iowa Need Stricter Eminent Domain Laws?

Do we have the right balance in the State of Iowa on Eminent Domain? It appears that public policy issue may be a raising some concerns again.

Robin Tucker