Ames, Set, Go!

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026

February 17, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Hello and happy new year!

This week, we have a calendar full of music, lectures, trains, coins and chili.

And as a reminder: If you have an event that you want included, email the information about it to us at [email protected]. It’d be appreciated if you include a link to a page with more information about the event, and even greater appreciated if you have a picture or image to go with it.

Thank you for your continued support,


Co-Editors: Anthony Capps & Amber Mohmand
[email protected]

Event Spotlight

Lecture

127 Hours: How I Engineered My Own Survival in the Utah Desert

7 p.m. | Great Hall, Memorial Union

Aron Ralston shares his story of engineering survival when he was trapped by an 800‑pound boulder in a remote Utah canyon and ultimately freed himself by amputating his arm.

 

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Calendar of Events

Ongoing

🎥 Cyclone Cinema: The Running Man
7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday | Carver 101
A man (Glen Powell) joins a game show in which contestants, allowed to flee anywhere in the world, are pursued by "hunters" hired to kill them.
FREE

 

💰 62nd Mid-Iowa Coin-A-Rams
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday | Quality Inn & Suites, 2601 E. 13th St.
Free public admission, free kids table, educational exhibits and more, including dealers from multiple states buying and selling. ANACS will typically be onsite for coin grading submissions.
FREE

 

🚂 Model Train Exhibit
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday | Green Hills, 2205 Green Hills Dr.
The Iowa Central Modular Railroad hosts an all-ages, two-day exhibit at Green Hills. It will feature a 40-foot display with more than 50 modules from 7 builders.
FREE

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Vance Crowe, a communications strategist who's worked for corporations and international organizations such as World Bank and Monsanto, will discuss how Bitcoin could impact future farm ownership.
FREE

 

🍲 Beer & Hymns and Chili Cook-off
6:30 p.m. | Torrent Brewing Company
Celebrate Mardi Gras with Bethesda Lutheran Church at Torrent Brewing Company with a hymn sing-along for all ages. Before filling your glass, fill your stomach with chili dishes from chili cook-off competitors.
FREE

Wednesday, Feb. 18

🏀 Women's Basketball: Iowa State vs. Arizona State
6:30 p.m. | Hilton Coliseum
The Cyclones take on the Arizona State Sun Devils.
$12+

Thursday, Feb. 19

🖌️ Mandalas and Music
6 to 8 p.m. | Octagon Center for the Arts
Spend a few hours relaxing while creating beautiful mandalas and enjoying meditative music. This event is open to ages 16+ and refreshments available for a donation.
FREE

 

🎤 Doomed Pioneers
7 p.m. | Alluvial Brewing
The enchanting and eclectic folk duo returns for a winter set.

 

Join League of Women Voters for this discussion by education professional Joanne Tubbs as she explores the complex and evolving landscape of free speech within public education, focusing on the rights and limitations faced by public employees — especially educators.
FREE

 

🎤 Noah Guthrie
8 p.m. | Maintenance Shop
The South Carolina musician brings his blend of country, Americana and rock influences to the M Shop.
$15+ public; $10+ students

Friday, Feb. 20

🍺 History Happy Hour: White House Princess
5:30 and 7 p.m. | Ames History Museum
Stacy A. Cordery, professor of history at Iowa State University, speaks about how first daughter Alice Roosevelt’s emergence from demure debutante to a high-spirited, independent woman delighted young Americans but shocked nearly everyone else. For ages 21+, advance reservations required.
$30

 

🎤 Dan Tedesco with Dan Trilk
7 p.m. | Ames City Auditorium
Dan Tedesco brings his genre-bending performances that are equal parts intimacy and sonic adventure. Dan Trilk is a singer-songwriter from Norwalk.
$10

 

🎤 Iowa No Mountain Boys
7 p.m. | Alluvial Brewing
The bluegrass band continues its fall/winter residency at Alluvial with its fourth of five planned performances.
$5

Saturday, Feb. 21

🎶 30th International Festival of Women Composers
1:30 p.m. | Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall, Music Hall
Enjoy a concert by Miriam Zach, founder and creative director of the annual Festivals in Europe and the States, with her ISU organ/harpsichord studio.
FREE

 

Join songwriters Mike Givens, Colby Burhenn, Dan DeGeest and Tom Russell trading tunes and tales of their craft.
$5

Sunday, Feb. 22

🎉 Chinese New Year Celebration
2 p.m. | Ames Public Library
Families are invited to help celebrate the Chinese New Year through cultural food, crafts and presentations.
FREE

 

🤼‍♂️ Wrestling: Iowa State vs. Missouri
2 p.m. | Hilton Coliseum
Final regular-season home dual meet.
$12+

 

🎥 127 Hours
4 p.m. | Carver 101
A mountain climber (James Franco) becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah, and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
FREE

 

🎤 Sean Michael Sullivan
7 p.m. | London Underground
Live alternative folk performance of Iowa singer-songwriter Sean Michael Sullivan at the local English-style pub.

 

🎥 The Craft
8 p.m. | Movies 12
A young girl new to a Catholic school befriends a coven of witches whom the other students either shun or fear. But when a powerful invocation goes wrong, the consequences could endanger their lives. There's another showing of this 1996 cult film on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
$8 adults; $6.75 seniors and children

Upcoming events on our radar

🎤 Feb. 24: The Simon & Garfunkel Story, Stephens Auditorium
🎻 Mar. 1: Central Iowa Symphony: Young Artists Concert, Ames City Auditorium
👩‍🏫 Mar. 26: Norah O’Donnell, Ames City Auditorium