Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: When is your last chance to grab Macubana on Welch?
Happening soon: Come From Away on the Ames Patch calendar

Hello again Ames! We're bringing you the latest town highlights. Don't miss out, keep going! ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- When is your last chance to grab Macubana on Welch?
- See what Ames students brought back from Japan to display locally
- How you can weigh in on Iowa DOT's DBE goals in Ames
Also on today's calendar: Ames Farmers Market and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: I'm a rock group with 4 members; one member was assassinated. What am I? 🤔 (Answer below!)
From our Partner
Today's Ames Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Ames Patch AM possible.
Find a T-Mobile store near Ames.
- Friday: Mostly sunny and breezy, with a high of 81 and low of 64 degrees.
- Saturday: Humid with a stray t-storm, temps: high: 80, low: 55.
- Sunday: Not as warm with a t-storm, with a high of 70 and low of 60 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. A popular Campustown restaurant known for Cuban offerings is closing (amestrib.com) — Macubana, the beloved Cuban‑inspired spot on Welch Avenue, is preparing to close its brick‑and‑mortar restaurant after nearly a decade serving Iowa State students and Ames residents. Owners say staffing shortages drove the decision, though they hope to stay open through fall semester and may continue as a food truck. Watch for an announcement on the final day if you want one last Mac Attack.
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2. Ames Public Library features student art from sister city exchange (iowastatedaily.com) — Ames residents can currently see collages at the Ames Public Library created by Ames Middle School students after a summer exchange trip to sister city Koshu, Japan. The display will still be up when Koshu students visit Ames Sept. 17–22, offering a warm visual welcome and highlighting the city's long-running international partnership and youth exchange program.
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3. DBE goals for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funded projects (iowadot.gov) — Iowa DOT is asking for public input on its 2027–2029 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goals, with two in-person and virtual meetings hosted at its Ames headquarters on Sept. 22 and Oct. 13. Ames-area residents, especially small, minority- and women-owned businesses, can attend or email comments to help shape how federal highway contract opportunities are set and monitored.
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4. Iowans for Adoption Rallies Community Action to Solve National Foster Care Crisis Ahead of Iowa Gala (rcreader.com) — Ames will host the From Hope to Home Gala at Reiman Gardens on Sept. 17, spotlighting the national foster care and adoption crisis and ways Iowans can help. Local nonprofit Iowans for Adoption is inviting residents to learn, donate, or get involved, with guest speaker Ruth Eley sharing her experience as an adoptive parent and child-welfare advocate.
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5. Central Iowa events commemorating 25th anniversary of 9/11 (weareiowa.com) — Ames residents can join a 9/11 commemoration ceremony at 8 a.m. Friday at the Ames Veterans Memorial, hosted by American Legion Post 37 and featuring a 21-gun salute. The piece also lists additional remembrance events across central Iowa, from walks and flag displays to volunteer meal packing, inviting communities to pause and honor the lives lost 25 years ago.
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📸 Around Ames
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Ames
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Come From Away →
Ames Community Theater, 120 Abraham Drive, Ames
7:30 pm
Friday September 11
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Ames Farmers Market →
Ames Main Street, Main Street, Ames
8:00 am - Alliance Discussion Gathering →
Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, Ames
8:00 am - Ames Main Street Farmers' Market →
300 & 400 Blocks - Main Street, Ames
8:00 am - Come From Away →
Ames Community Theater, 120 Abraham Drive, Ames
7:30 pm - Speed Friending →
Ames IA
2:00 pm - Men's Shed Meeting →
Sixty Forward Center, 205 S Walnut Ave, Ames
9:00 am - Works by Maggie Douglas - Gallery in the Round →
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, 1015 Hyland Ave, Ames
9:00 am - Brush Club Meet-Up →
St Andrews Lutheran Church, 209 Colorado St, Ames
9:00 am - Widow/Widower Meet-Up →
Sixty Forward Center, 205 S Walnut Ave, Ames
10:00 am - Terra Cotta Conservation in the Art on Campus Collection →
Christian Peterson Art Museum, 1017 Morrill Hall, 603 Morrill Rd, Ames
10:00 am - Sixty Forward Orientation Session →
Sixty Forward Center, 205 S Walnut Ave, Ames
9:00 am
Saturday September 12
Sunday September 13
Monday September 14
Tuesday September 15
📣 Ames Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- We are having a garage sale starting tomorrow
Thursday Sept 10 from 12 to 5 Friday Sept 11 from 8 to 5 Saturday 8 to 12 at 621 Shelley Ave Some of the items are: Large reconditioned snow blower… (Nextdoor Hillside Court)
- Henkel Construction Company posted a job opening for Construction Superintendent in Ames. Apply here.
- Iowa State University posted a job opening for Financial Aid Advisor I in Ames. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Ames here.
Ok Ames! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Mount Rushmore (Thank you J.J. W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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