CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The first little piggy had it right. And, it’s fair to assume that he won’t be the only one heading to market Saturday and Sunday when the NewBo City Market celebrates its grand opening.

With 18,000-square-feet of indoor space for 25 local year-round permanent vendors selling everything from floral arrangements and vegetables to breads, herbs, coffee, pasta and eggs, the market will be a new entertainment destination in the heart of Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia neighborhood.

In addition to vendor stalls, inside the market will be a venue for seasonal festivals. Buy items to take home or linger and eat on the spot — with seating both indoors and out. The Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen housed in the space will be used for classes and demonstrations.

Outside, the market yard can host more traditional farmers markets — with farmers selling goods from stalls or off the back of their trucks. The market square also includes an entertainment stage and, in the spring, a playground and teaching garden.

All this makes the market, which fills a full city block at the intersection of Third Street and 12th Avenue SE, the first of its kind in Iowa. And it all starts at 8 a.m. Saturday.

If the bright red metal siding and cheerful green tractor-riding rooster aren’t enough to entice you, perhaps the scents wafting from within will. Cupcakes, waffle cones, Jamaican and Mediterranean dishes and more will be prepared on-site by the vendors, many hawking their wares for the first time Saturday.

“Every stall is different,” Ann Poe, the market’s executive director, said. “We’ll be open for business.”

NewBo Beer & Wine, the only merchant owned by the market, has a tasting bar and will sell Iowa craft beers in refillable jugs and wine by the bottle or glass.

Live cooking demonstrations kick off Saturday in the Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen with Mercy Medical Center Chef Andy Deutmeyer at 10:30 a.m. An open house with more free cooking demonstrations and samples follows from noon to 4 p.m.

After opening weekend, the market’s regular hours will be 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Find them online at Newbocitymarket.com.

In coming weeks, aspiring cooks can learn all about bacon, try their hand at canning, discover tapas and more in classes at the 1,500-square-foot kitchen. During the week, evening classes run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekend classes will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen includes state-of-the-art AV equipment to project demonstrations both inside the kitchen and out into the Rotary Hall, so that much larger audiences can watch a cooking demonstration.

The market can accommodate parking for those crowds too, with 120 spaces behind the market hall. The market also promotes healthy activity, including biking to the market.

In that spirit, Saturday’s The Costume Run 5K is a partnership between Theatre Cedar Rapids and the market. It starts at 4 p.m. on the theater’s stage at 102 Third St. SE and ends at the market. The $30 entrance fee includes a swag bag with race shirt, ticket to a showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and a TCR cup. Costumes are encouraged.

At 7 p.m., the grand opening celebration will cap off with the NewBo Bash featuring music by Orchesta Alto Maiz and food and drink from market merchants. Tickets are $40 to $60. Guests also will get a $20 market gift card.

Sunday’s events, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., feature children’s activities, including tasting bingo, a petting zoo, bicycle safety information, face painting, juggling and gourd and pumpkin painting. A kids costume parade is at 10 a.m.


NewBo Market Grand Opening

Saturday

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Taste of the Market samples, live music and entertainment, NewBo Art Bike raffle
9:45 a.m.: Flag ceremony
10 a.m.: Ribbon cutting
10:30 a.m.: Cooking demonstration by Mercy Medical Center Chef Andy Deutmeyer
Noon to 4 p.m.: Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen Open House, featuring free cooking demonstrations and free samples
6 p.m.: Salsa Dancing Workshop with Gloria Zmolek
7 to 11 p.m.: NewBo Bash: Spicy Fresh Fun! Music and dancing, featuring Orchesta Alto Maiz, food and drink by NewBo Market Merchants, salsa recipe contest, door prizes and gifts. Cost: $60 per person or $40 for NewBo City Market Friends

Sunday

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Tasting Bingo, petting zoo, bike safety and free bike reflectors, face painting, juggling, gourd and pumpkin painting, “Play with Your Food” stations, Papa Balloon
10 a.m.: Halloween costume parade
Noon to 4 p.m.: Eulenspiegel Puppet performances and workshop
Noon to 4 p.m.: Music by The Nadas
12:30 to 3 p.m.: Kirkwood Culinary Kitchen’s Young Chefs Academy: Recipes from the White House Kitchen (preregistration required)