Miss Pickle 2026 to benefit Iowa City Pride, Deadwood
IOWA CITY — This year’s Miss Pickle Sunday will help raise money for both Iowa City Pride and the staff at The Deadwood Tavern around the corner, which is closed unexpectedly for unannounced reasons. The annual event at Studio 13 features local bartenders in drag and competing for audience tips and votes to raise money for Iowa City Pride. This year, Deadwood bartenders will be filling in for the night to earn some money while their own bar is closed. Miss Pickle opens at 7 p.m., with the competition happening from 9 to 11 p.m.  at Studio 13, 13 S. Linn St.
Braveheart Memorial funding drive April 24, 25, 26
SIOUX CITY — Three days of events next weekend at western Iowa’s Kings & Queens will benefit the Braveheart-Cole McClure Memorial Program, a music scholarship fund created in 2022 to honor a young Sioux City musician who lost his life to suicide (Cole McClure, pictured above). The big weekend at Sioux City’s only LGBTQ+ bar starts Fri., April 24, with a 6 p.m. benefit concert featuring Sioux City musicians; cover is $5. On April 25, at 7 p.m., test your music knowledge at trivia night for prizes, with an entry fee of $15 per team. Round out the charitable weekend Sun., April 26 with a noon drag brunch. with tickets for $20. Proceeds from all three events go to the Braveheart fund, which pays for music lessons for youth. Free will donations are accepted. All three events are at Kings and Queens, 3128 US-75 Bus.Â
Iowa State University adds women's wrestling
AMES — An explosion of girls’ high school wrestling programs in Iowa is the biggest reason why Ioa State University (IS) will start a women’s wrestling program starting in fall 2027, reports KCCI. The program will be led by new head coach Alli St. John, a two-time World Wrestling Championships silver medalist. One goal of the new program is to fill a void in women’s sports at the university that was created when ISU cancelled its 50-year-old gymnastics program (KWQC). Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, with more than 1,200 collegiate competitors at almost 100 programs, says the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which gave the sport official recognition last year.
