This is the first in a series of blog posts about the 15 rooms at Zuber’s Homestead Hotel.

The theme for each of our rooms has a connection to the Amana Colonies and to the state of Iowa.  The theme for this room is baseball.

Bill Zuber is the Amana connection as he had a successful career as a Major League pitcher. Bill began playing baseball on the Middle Amana village team.  There were baseball games every Sunday afternoon.  He was discovered by Cy Slapnicka, a scout for the Cleveland Indians at age 17.  In this room you’ll find pictures from his baseball career and one of the original Bill Zuber restaurant signs.

Connections with the state of Iowa could be several, but I have chosen to note three.

First, did you know that in nearby Norway, you can go to the “Norway Baseball Museum of Iowa”? This museum tells the (possibly little know) story of how this town’s high school baseball teams amassed a record of 20 state high school championships.  You may have heard of the 2007 movie, “Final Season” .  This movie tells the story of this amazing accomplishment and that (sadly) the High School was closed the year after this feat.  Norway is about a 10 minute drive from Zuber’s.   Tidbit…..Did you know our weekend manager, Jo is from Norway?!

Second, did you know that Cedar Rapids is home to a Minor league baseball team called the Cedar Rapids Kernels?  Bill Zuber played on this baseball team in 1933 when it was called the Cedar Rapids Bunnies.  Cedar Rapids is about a 20 minute drive from Zuber’s, so you could easily take in a Kernels game if you wanted to.

The third Iowa connection to baseball that I am noting is of course, “The Field of Dreams” located an easy day trip from Homestead to the town of Dyersville.  A famous movie originally brought notoriety to this small Iowa town, and recently it is receiving renewed interest due to the major league baseball game held there in the summer of 2021 and a game is scheduled August 11, 2022, between the Cubs and Reds.

Finally, we sell a locally written book about Bill Zuber which tells of his career as a baseball player and as a restaurant owner.