Gin Blossoms played the Hy-Vee Amphitheater on Sunday, Sept. 13, and closed the stage's first outdoor season. Before that show, the City had counted nine events on the outdoor stage, eight of them free, with more than 32,000 people attending in total. The lawn is quiet now. The indoor hall attached to the stage is booked with a county public session on Oct. 6, two days of early voting, a precinct polling place on Election Day, a community foundation celebration, a children's opera, an adults-only Halloween party and a December singalong of Messiah. Through the cold months, Centennial Park's main job is civic.
The Room the Stage Is Attached To
The amphitheater and the hall are one building. The City describes the 2,700-square-foot stage as facing south and attached to the Hy-Vee Center's indoor event space, with direct access to dressing rooms, a concession window and restrooms. Inside, the hall has high ceilings and a wall of windows. It seats 300 at tables or 400 theater-style, and its maximum capacity is 500.
Those numbers explain the fall calendar. A room that holds a few hundred people, sits just off Interstate 380, and has a catering prep kitchen and built-in audio-visual equipment works well for public meetings and elections as well as parties. The City takes hall reservations up to 18 months ahead and amphitheater reservations up to 12 months ahead. That means the hall's winter calendar is mostly set by people who planned a year or more out.
Here is what is on the public calendar at the hall through December:
| Date | Event | Cost or note |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Oct. 6, 6 to 7 p.m. | Johnson County community session on the proposed sheriff's office and jail | Free |
| Sun., Oct. 11, 4 to 4:30 p.m. | Papagayo, Cedar Rapids Opera's traveling children's opera | Free, 375 tickets |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Early voting, any Johnson County voter | Bring ID |
| Sun., Oct. 25, noon to 5 p.m. | Early voting, any Johnson County voter | Bring ID |
| Thu., Oct. 29, 4 to 6 p.m. | Community Foundation of Johnson County Community Celebration | RSVP |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 7:30 to 11 p.m. | Grave Rave, adults only | $30 |
| Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Election Day polling place, North Liberty precinct 7 | Precinct 7 voters |
| Sun., Dec. 20, 4 to 7 p.m. | Chamber Singers of Iowa City Messiah Singalong | $35 |
Three of the eight entries are run by Johnson County government. That is the clearest change from summer.
The County Has Booked the Hall
The first event of the off-season is a county meeting. Johnson County's final public information session on the proposed sheriff's office and jail is at the Hy-Vee Center on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 6 to 7 p.m. It is free, and county staff and the design team will present and take questions from the public. The county posted the location notice on Sept. 21.
Elections follow. Countywide, in-person early voting for the Nov. 3 general election starts Oct. 14 and ends Nov. 2. The voter pre-registration deadline is 5 p.m. on Oct. 19, and registration on Election Day is still available after that. The Johnson County Auditor's Office is running a weekend early-voting site at the Hy-Vee Center on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 25, from noon to 5 p.m. Any Johnson County voter can use it. Bring an accepted government-issued ID.
The longer-lasting change is on Johnson County's list of polling place moves since the 2024 general election. North Liberty precinct 7 now votes at the Hy-Vee Center at Centennial Park, 1565 St. Andrews Dr., instead of GreenState. The county lists this as a permanent move. North Liberty precinct 2 has also moved permanently, to North Liberty City Hall at 360 N. Main St., replacing Penn Elementary. If you last voted in person in 2024, check your address on the county's polling place lookup map before Nov. 3. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
That makes the hall a regular part of the election calendar for one North Liberty precinct, in addition to hosting concerts in summer.
The Arts Calendar Moves Indoors
Arts events continue in the off-season, at a smaller scale. The amphitheater lawn drew crowds in the thousands. The hall caps the Cedar Rapids Opera's Papagayo at 375 free tickets "due to venue capacity," according to the City. The traveling children's opera uses puppetry and a cast of animal characters, and the show runs about half an hour, from 4 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. Free tickets go out at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 7, through the City's events page. It is a City Slate event. The City Slate is the City's series of free programs, paid for by sponsors including Collins Community Credit Union, Hills Bank, South Slope Cooperative and University of Iowa Health Care.
The same week, City Slate is also running an outdoor event. The Halloween Trail at Liberty Centre Pond runs Thursday, Oct. 8, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and Friday, Oct. 9, from 10 to 11 a.m. and again from 6:30 to 8 p.m. It is a free trick-or-treat route around the trail, and costumes are encouraged.
At the end of the month, the hall hosts an adults-only event. Grave Rave, presented by Thompson & Company Salon Parlors, runs Friday, Oct. 30, from 7:30 to 11 p.m. The City's listing includes live music by the Punching Pandas, magicians, appetizers and a costume contest. The $25 early price ended in September, and tickets have been $30 since Oct. 1.
The night before, Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m., the Community Foundation of Johnson County holds its Community Celebration in the hall. The foundation invites the public to RSVP. The foundation also has a funding tie to the City. In June, the City announced a $1.2 million grant allocation from the Community Foundation of Johnson County.
December Has One Big Night
November has no public arts listing at the hall so far. The next large public event is on Sunday, Dec. 20, when the Chamber Singers of Iowa City bring their Messiah Singalong to the Hy-Vee Center. The group's concert page lists a reception from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and the singalong from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and invites people to come sing it themselves. Tickets are listed at $35. One event aggregator shows a slightly different start time for the singing, so the Chamber Singers' own page is the one to rely on.
Ticketed nights also help fund the free ones. When the City announced the Gin Blossoms show, it said ticket sales for that concert and for Are You Ready For It? A Taylor Experience on Sept. 11 help it keep offering free events in the future. The summer ran mostly free with a few ticketed shows. This fall, Grave Rave and the Messiah Singalong are the ticketed events, with free programs like Papagayo around them.
What the Park Is Still Waiting On
The hall's busy fall calendar comes partly from what isn't finished outside yet. In its June 25 update, the City said Centennial Park's Phase 2 was under construction: an 8,000-square-foot splash pad, seating, restrooms and shade structures, with opening expected in summer 2027. That June update is the latest word from the City, so the timeline could still change.
The outdoor calendar has its first fixed 2027 date. The City has posted a save-the-date for North Liberty Blues & BBQ on July 10, 2027, at Centennial Park, and directs people to the Centennial Park Facebook page for festival updates. No 2027 amphitheater lineup has been announced. Until then, the hall carries the park's calendar, and Johnson County is one of its main users.
For the full summer picture, see our earlier look at what changed in North Liberty this summer. For the trails and green space around Centennial Park, see North Liberty's parks and paths.
At Blank and McCune, The Real Estate Company, we've watched North Liberty add places to gather since 1979, and the Hy-Vee Center has quickly become one of them. If you have questions about the neighborhoods around Centennial Park, or about how North Liberty is growing, one of our agents can talk it through with you. Find Your Agent.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
