Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa Pageant

02/25/2026

Check out our next Czech Heritage Foundation of Iowa event! A day filled with sweet treats, refreshing drinks, and some polka dancing! We hope to see you there!🇨🇿🇸🇰✨

Get ready to polka the afternoon away at the St. Joseph’s Day Dance! 🎶💃🕺

The Czech Heritage Foundation of Iowa invites you to join us for an afternoon of great music, dancing, and community fun!

🎵 Music by the Mark Vyhlidal Band
📅 Sunday, March 22, 2026
⏰ 1:00–5:00 PM
📍 DanceMor – 77 2nd St SE, Swisher, IA
🎟️ $10 per person (available at the door)

Bring your friends, wear your dancing shoes, and celebrate St. Joseph’s Day the Czech way! ❤️🇨🇿

We can’t wait to see you on the dance floor!

Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa Pageant

08/04/2025

Congratulations to Miss Czech-Slovak US 1st Runner-Up 2025-2026 Isabel Sherman!!🙌

We are so proud of how you represented Iowa throughout this weekend! You have been an amazing role model and cultural ambassador at our state level over the years. We know you will continue to do so now on the national level, they are lucky to have you! 🇸🇰🇨🇿🇺🇸

07/24/2025

✨ Czech this out!! ✨

This is a beautiful video of Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa 2024-2025, Isabel Sherman!! It shows highlights from her recent trip to the Czech Republic as she shares more about her kroj and what region her family is from! She has been an incredible ambassador for Iowa during her reign and spent years participating in events throughout our community.

Up next? She’s heading to Wilber, Nebraska the first weekend of August to compete in the Miss Czech-Slovak US Pageant - and we couldn't be more excited to cheer her on! 🙌Good luck Isabel!!🇨🇿🇸🇰

06/16/2025

For the past few weeks I have been in the Czech Republic visiting family. Last weekend, while visiting my family in Mělník I had the opportunity to enjoy Mělnický vrkoč, a Folklore Festival! Despite the rain, I had a wonderful time enjoying the music and dancing. The streets were filled with beautiful kroje and talented dance groups. I also enjoyed chatting with people about the Czech and Slovak culture in the United States, which was really meaningful.
Later in the week I met with Jan Úlovec, the leader of the folklore dance group Jarošovci. He is also very well educated on Central Bohemian kroje. He has been giving me advice over the past year on how to make my Podripsko kroj look as accurate as possible. I’m thankful for the time he took to share his knowledge.

I’m so grateful for the time I have been spending with my grandparents and family here, and enjoy connecting with others about my heritage!

Nashledanou!
Isabel Sherman
🇸🇰🇨🇿 Miss Czech Slovak Iowa
2024-2025🇨🇿🇸🇰

06/01/2025

Dobrý den! One of the highlights of my May was attending the 2025 Houby Days celebration in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The weekend began with some fun pre-festivities on Friday. On Saturday, I joined others in watching the raising of the flags before the parade, where the Grand Marshal was Ashley Pudil. Ashley was the 2015–2016 Miss Czech-Slovak Iowa and 2016–2017 Miss Czech-Slovak US Second Runner Up. It was a full circle moment to be in the same parade as someone who inspired me years ago during my time in the CHF Royal Court and Czech School. Thank you, Ashley, for being part of the day!

I was honored to help crown the new and returning members of the Czech Heritage Foundation Royal Court alongside visiting Czech-Slovak royalty, including 2024–2025 Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant First Runner Up Aspen Hein, 2024–2025 Miss Czech-Slovak Wisconsin Megan Moucha, Miss Nebraska Czech-Slovak Queen First Runner Up Iva Volf, and ambassadors from the Czech-Slovak Minnesota royalty. It was inspiring to see so many young boys and girls eager to embrace and celebrate their heritage. To continue the celebration, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Parlor City Eatery. Thank you to the Czech Heritage Foundation for making this possible!

Throughout the weekend, I spent time in the Czech Village and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. On Sunday morning, I had breakfast with visiting royalty, museum interns, and Dr. Cecilia Rokusek. Thank you Morgan for organizing such a special gathering. Afterward, we greeted guests before mass at St. Wenceslaus. Then, I had the opportunity to model my kroj and deliver my farewell address. I also had a fun time judging the kolache eating contest. I got to watch the talented Světlušky dancers perform. Seeing the next generation share Czech culture through dance was incredibly heartwarming and inspiring.
The Houby Days festival means a lot to me, as it was the first Czech festival I attended in Iowa when my family moved here. This festival has played a big role in shaping my connection to my heritage and community.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the weekend so memorable. And, thank you to my family, community, and Morgan for your continued support. I am excited to represent Iowa in Wilber, Nebraska this August and can’t wait to reunite with my fellow Czech and Slovak cultural ambassadors. Na shledanou!

– Isabel Sherman, Miss Czech Slovak Iowa 2024–2025 🇨🇿🇸🇰❤️

04/21/2025

Veselé Velikonoce, I hope you and your family have had a blessed Easter! While many of us are done celebrating, my little cousins and other families in Czechia are still looking forward to tomorrow’s “pomlázka”, when boys visit families with an Easter whip. My family has many dyed (and also gingerbread) eggs ready to give the boys, so they won’t get whipped!
While many people consider this tradition humiliating and cruel, it’s symbolic in my Czech family, so they keep this tradition going. What are some ways your family celebrates before, during, or after Easter?

-Isabel Sherman Miss Czech Slovak Iowa 2024-2025 🇨🇿🇸🇰

03/23/2025

03/19/2025

Happy St. Joseph (sv. Josef)'s Day!

Pictured below - Saint Joseph stands on the Charles Bridge in Prague with one foot on a beam, holding a lily in his hand. Jesus holds a scroll in his left hand and blesses with his right hand.

March 19 is the day of St. Joseph and our forefathers knew they could take off their heavy coats because this was the end of winter. Joseph fairs (josefské poutě) were very popular, people would buy gingerbread, have a little fun and talk about the upcoming spring and about what the agricultural season would be like.

The Czech St. Joseph’s Day is a more subdued version of the Irish St. Patrick’s Day and is celebrated around the same time in March every year.

Josef is historically one of the most common Czech male first names. It used to be extremely popular in the past. For example, the village of Josefovice used to have at least one Josef living in every one of its houses. The name is not at the top of name popularity charts anymore, having given way to names like Filip, Tomáš, Adam, Jan or Lukáš. Around 266,000 Czech men are still named Josef, though, making it the fourth most used Czech male name in general. It is no wonder that the Josef name day is still celebrated across the nation and mentioned on the news every year.

03/06/2025

Dobrý den! And happy Ash Wednesday! To kick off the season of Lent, I had the opportunity to go to a Masopust celebration in Calmar, Iowa!! Held at the Pivo Brewery and Blepta Studios, the day was filled with polka, meeting new friends, and Czech food! I had a fabulous time!

Thank you to Better Life and all of the organizers involved in this fabulous event and celebration of Czech and Slovak Culture!

But, what exactly is Masopust?

It’s a festival similar to the celebration of Mardi Gras or carnival! The weeks following Three Kings Day (January 6th) is when Masopust (Czechia) or Fašiangy (Slovak word for Masopust) is celebrated!The weekend before Ash Wednesday there are a parades, dances, and carnivals all over Czechia and Slovakia. Masopust comes from old Czech, and means “meat fast”. The celebration signifies the last chance to eat meat, before Easter! I’m looking forward to the celebration next year!

- Isabel Sherman Miss Czech Slovak Iowa 2024-2025 🇨🇿🇸🇰

02/24/2025

It is time to celebrate your Czech & Slovak Heritage! Apply to be an ambassador to represent Iowa! Did you know up to 45% of the population in Cedar Rapids was of Bohemian and Moravian roots around the 1900's? Look back to your family roots! https://gensoclinncoia.weebly.com/ and www.findagrave.com are both great resources! The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is local, and is a great place for research. This program is sponsored by Czech Heritage Foundation of Iowa.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year, Šťastný nový rok!
-Miss Czech Slovak Iowa 2024-2025