Coralville, IA: Johnson County

The holiday season can supply some of the best community lights, meals, and goodwill you can experience all year long. A reminder to everyone when you see the two words “supper” or “potluck” next to a place of worship or community center you may want to ask yourselves if the plans you already were that important. Many of these opportunities will yield some delicious homemade meals and often they ask nothing but a free will donation and a mutually welcoming attitude. We received all of that here at United Methodist Church in Coralville.

The annual soup supper was on and they encouraged all to get their fill. Giant pots of chili along with chicken and noodles were served piping hot with fresh dinner rolls and plenty of hot cocoa. Thick noodles, rich broth, tender chicken with their teammates of ground beef and stewed tomatoes with a hearty punch of chili powder. That’s not all!

Desserts of all kinds from pies, cakes, bars and cookies atop of long banquet tables make the supper complete, but none of these things are anywhere near the greatness of the people who volunteer their time and/or provide the delicious food to make all this happen year after year.

The folks here love their church, and that goes without saying, and they love the community just as much. We write about the splendor in our travels and there was plenty of that to found here. Though our family was not members of the congregation, we were welcomed as if we’ve been sitting in the front pew for decades.

Did we just eat our soup and go home? No way, because the City of Coralville and its residents know how to truly illuminate the neighborhoods during this time of year. On this night the supper coincided with the annual Isle of Lights and you can get that marked on your calendar for 2019 and beyond. You can still stroll down the blocks of houses and business districts in this town and enjoy every light bulb and inflatable character you see. Have a safe drive, everyone!