55+ Connections: Week of 6/29/25
This is the 55+ Connections weekly update. If you would like to sign up to get more updates from the city go to northlibertyiowa.org/subscribe.
The North Liberty Library will be closed Friday, July 4th in honor of Independence Day. The Rec Center will be open from 8 am to 6 pm and the Aquatics Center will be open 12 pm – 6 pm for passholders and 1 pm – 6 pm for the general public.
Cook the Book – Registration now open!
Pick your recipe, make it, and bring it to the library to share! You can choose any recipe from The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook, created by Eric Barone and Ryan Novak, to make and share at our meet up on July 19th.
Registration and recipe selection begins June 27. For in-person registration, come to the library to browse the whole book and staff will photocopy your recipe for you. To sign up online, you can select one of 10 recipes from our sign up here. On July 19th we’ll all share what we made, talk about the recipes, and one lucky participant will walk away with a free copy of The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook. Reach out to Corrie at 319-626-5608 or by email [email protected] to learn more!
55+ Connections: Tuesday Gathering
Tuesday, July 1
10:30 AM
North Liberty Library – Meeting Room CD
And, just like that, it’s July! For our first Tuesday of the month, we’ll be playing board games and card games. We’ll have some games from the library’s collection to play, but feel free to bring your own as well.
Join us each week for a social gathering full of activities and friendly conversation – board games, crafts, puzzles, book discussions, and more! No registration required. You can choose which events you would like to attend and are not obligated to go weeks when the activity is not of interest to you.
Trivia Night at the Library – Gaming Themed
Thursday, July 3
6:30 PM
North Liberty Library – Meeting Room BCD
Test your knowledge of video games and board games at our gaming themed Trivia Night! Invite your friends to join us for a night of trivia, snacks and small prizes! Teams can be made up of five people or fewer, but you don’t have to bring a team. Individuals can work together or separately. No registration required.
55+ Connections: Friday Lunch
Friday, July 4
11:30 AM
North Liberty Rec Center – Rooms 3&4
There will be no lunch this week due to the Independence Day holiday. Have a nice Fourth of July!
55+ Connections: Friday Meal Raffles
Thanks to a generous donor, we have 100 free meals to give away to participants of the 55+ Connections Friday Lunch! We have decided to hold raffles every week for the rest of 2025 to distribute these meals. Three names will be drawn weekly and the three winners will have the cost of lunch that day refunded to them. Anyone who is registered for lunch can participate, but you can’t win twice in one month. Our June 27th winners are: Jeanne L., Joyce G., Mary N. Congratulations!
Film Fridays & Free Popcorn
Friday, July 4
2 PM
Iowa City Senior Center
The Iowa City Senior Center will be closed on July 4th.
Ranshaw House Concert Series
Fridays in June and July
6 PM
Ranshaw House Lawn – 515 Community Drive, North Liberty
Catch up with friends and socialize as a community Friday nights in June and July on the Ranshaw House lawn. Bring a picnic, BYOB and enjoy live performances from local musicians on the historic house’s front porch.
No July 4th performance.
Johnson County Livable Communities Newsletter
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Recipe of the Month
Once a month, there will be a recipe included in this newsletter! It will be something fairly easy and nice to share with friends. If you would like to send in your recipes to be considered for Recipe of the Month, please email them to Corrie at [email protected] or bring them to the North Liberty Library front desk.
June’s recipe: Carrot Cake
(submitted by Ica S.)
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
7 ounces sweetened coconut
8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
2 cups grated carrots
Frosting Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar
Instructions:
Mix together the dry ingredients, set aside. Cream together oil and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. Add coconut, mix well. Add pineapple, mix well. Add in dry ingredients, mix well. Stir in pecans, mix well and then stir in carrots and mix well. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour mixture into a sheet pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the edges pull away and a toothpick comes away clean. Let cool before frosting
Ica’s notes: The recipe calls for 1 and ½ cup pecans, but pecans come in a 1 and 1/3 cup bag now, so I get a 1 and 1/3 cup and a ½ cup and add them all. For the carrots, I just get either the shredded or matchstick carrots from the grocery store. How long to bake it will depend on how big your sheet pan is. Must be stored in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting.
