Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center

09/03/2026

Here's MORE photos from our wonderful 65th anniversary weekend! We have alumni group photos from each decade, Color Run photos with the kids (it was a blast!), photos from the Oral History Listening Sessions (thank you, Mark Zellmer!) and photos from the Coffeehouse Trivia event in Cedar Lodge. More photos to come!

09/01/2026

Here's another batch of lovely items donated to our upcoming Ewalu Quilt Auction! Enjoy looking through them all... and start making your wish list :) We will have items ready to view on our auction website next week after Labor Day.

Quilt Auction posters should be arriving at ELCA churches in Eastern Iowa later this week, so ask your church office to post it and help spread the word!

Important dates:
Online Auction bidding begins: Noon, September 14
Live Auction: Saturday, September 19, at camp; bidding begins at 1 p.m.
Online Auction bidding ends: 7 p.m. Sunday, September 20

Don't forget our Quilt Raffle! Check out the spectacular king-size quilt made and donated by BilliJo Eckheart of Arlington at https://event.auctria.com/059c168e-0d55-4f0f-b640-ed8d468d2456/9724e21f9ef04915b53bef9cfe6e9b90 We've sold over 60 tickets so far, and hope to get to 100! Tickets are $50 each at the link, and we'll draw the winner at the start of the Live Auction on September 19. Buy one for a friend--or just for yourself!

09/01/2026

The Ewalu 65th Anniversary weekend was a wonderful gathering of alumni and friends! Peter Mayer, a Minnesota-based singer-songwriter, gave us a terrific outdoor concert with the new Cedar Lodge as a glowing backdrop as the sun went down. The concert made for a perfect end-of-summer Friday night! And Saturday started with the Grotto Gallop Trail 5K, using the new Ewa-loop single-track trail that runs through the whole main site property. The rain started coming down, but the 5K participants kept on trucking. More photos to come of the Cedar Lodge Dedication Service, Oral History Listening Sessions, Kids Color Run, Coffeehouse Trivia and more!

08/31/2026

🚨August 31 is the LAST DAY to get the standard registration rate for the Wild Driftless Adventure Race! Proceeds from this event in Elkader benefit Ewalu. A fun way to experience the Driftless Region... experience Iowa as never before! Get a team together to trek, bike and paddle to reach checkpoints on a map, using just a compass for navigating (no GPS allowed!). 9-hour race and 5-hour race options. Details and registration: www.WildDriftless.com

Last call for standard registration rates TODAY for the 2026 Wild Driftless Adventure Race! Get signed up now and save. We have a spectacular day in store for you in Elkader on October 3!

Registration: https://runsignup.com/Race/IA/Elkader/WildDriftless



CrawDaddy Outdoors
Ewalu Bible Camp & Retreat Center
Travel Iowa
Bike Rags
Wisconsin Adventure Racing Series
USARA
Zanfel
The Brim Coffeehouse - Elkader
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
Turkey River Recreational Corridor
Turkey River Arts and Music
Art in the Park Fine Art Festival
Clayton County Conservation
GearJunkie
Monticello River Rental
Oneota River Cycle
HJR Financial

08/29/2026

Schedule updates for the 65th anniversary on Saturday!

08/29/2026

The Peter Mayer concert Friday night was the perfect start to Ewalu’s 65th Anniversary weekend!

Join us Saturday to dedicate Cedar Lodge and celebrate what God is doing at camp! All are welcome to the 1 pm worship and dedication service in Cedar Lodge. Plus, a whole slate of activities all day! Go to www.Ewalu.org/65th-anniversary

08/26/2026

🚨LAST CHANCE to register for this weekend's 65th Anniversary! The weather looks great, and we've got activities for all ages! There is a cost for lodging (campground and Stone Center rooms still available) and meals. Want to come just for the day on Saturday? It's only $10 for lunch! See the full schedule and get registered at www.Ewalu.org/65th-anniversary

Here are the big events for the weekend... 🌞

Friday night:
Food truck (5 to 7 p.m., bring cash) and Peter Mayer outdoor concert (7 p.m.) at base camp (No registration, just come! Freewill offering at concert). Bring a chair/blanket🎶

Saturday:
9 a.m. - Grotto Gallop 5K on new trail (registration $25)
10 a.m. - Kids Color Run is FREE! Go to https://runsignup.com/Race/IA/StrawberryPoint/GrottoGallop to pre-register for either run. 🏃
Noon - Lunch 🍴
1 p.m. - Cedar Lodge Dedication Service ⛪
Afternoon - Activities for all ages 🥾
5:30 p.m. - Dinner 🍴
6:30 p.m. - Coffeehouse Trivia ❓
8 p.m. - Campfire 🔥

Throughout the weekend, we're also having Oral History Sessions in the Chapel to capture the stories of camp!
Session 1, 9 p.m. Friday - The alumni of the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s
Session 2, 10 a.m. Saturday - The alumni of the 1960s and 1970s
Session 3, 4:30 p.m. Saturday - The alumni of the 1980s and 1990s

Come and celebrate with us at camp this weekend! Just stop in at the Creation Center to get a nametag and check in 🌞

08/21/2026

The 39th Annual Ewalu Quilt Auction is just ONE MONTH away! We're processing more than 300 donated items... and we're ready to start showing them off in this photo album, roughly in the order that they were received 😉
We love having a wide variety of items up for bids, showcasing the wonderful talent of so many craftspeople who quilt and create these lovely pieces.
Thank you again for all the donations to support the ministry at Ewalu! Many thanks to our volunteers, who help us process each and every donation.

Important dates:
August 21: Deadline for donated quilts and items to arrive at camp
September 14: Online auction begins
September 19: Live auction at Ewalu
September 20: Online auction ends 🏷️

Don't forget, tickets for our Quilt Raffle are on sale NOW! Check it out at www.ewalu.org/Quilt-Auction You could win a king-size beauty valued at $5,000!

08/20/2026

Something fun at our upcoming 65th Anniversary weekend, August 28-30... Coffeehouse Trivia, Ewalu-style! Get your trivia team ready to tackle questions about your favorite camp! Many thanks to Noah Tiegs, summer staff alum, who is working on the questions and researching ancient camp documents like these to test everyone's knowledge of Ewalu history. Coffeehouse Trivia will be Saturday evening in the renovated Cedar Lodge, after dinner. We'll have prizes, coffee and snacks!

Please pre-register for meals and lodging at the 65th Anniversary Weekend (breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday). Limited cabin/lodge beds remaining, and campground space still available. Call 563-933-4700 or email [email protected]. Go to www.Ewalu.org/65th-anniversary to see the complete schedule for the weekend. Here are some highlights, with registration needed for events with *

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28:
7 p.m. outdoor concert with singer-songwriter Peter Mayer (free for those registered for lodging/meals, donation suggested for those attending concert only)
Enjoy 2MIT Burgers food truck and a tour of the renovated Cedar Lodge before the concert, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29:
Grotto Gallop 5K*, 9 a.m.
Free Kids Color Run*, 10 a.m. Register for either run at https://runsignup.com/Race/IA/StrawberryPoint/GrottoGallop

Oral History Session, 10 a.m.
Alumni Group Photos, 11 a.m.
Lunch*, noon
Worship and Cedar Lodge Dedication, 1 p.m.
Independent camp activities, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Dinner*, 5:30 p.m.
Coffeehouse Trivia, 6:30 p.m.
All Generations Campfire, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30:
Brunch*, 9 a.m.
Independent camp activities, 10 a.m. to noon

08/17/2026

Don't miss your chance to win this beautiful king-size quilt in our Quilt Raffle! Tickets are $50 each for this piece donated and pieced by BilliJo Eckheart of Arlington using the "paper piecing" technique. It measures 118 inches square and the pattern is called "Hocus Pocus" by Judy Niemeyer, featuring a rotation of colors in the center. The quilt has hand-binding by Jeanne Helgerson. It's valued at $5,000 and is absolutely stunning!

We're also encouraging congregations and quilt groups to buy a ticket... if you win the quilt, you could auction it for YOUR group as a fundraiser!

Order a ticket online with a credit card at https://auctria.events/EwaluQuiltAuction
Want to pay with cash or a check? Contact Diane at [email protected] or call 563-933-4700.

The raffle drawing will be at the start of the Live Quilt Auction on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Need not be present to win; we will ship it to you for free if you're the winner!