WATERLOO -- When Zulfeta Rizvic moved to the Cedar Valley 12 years ago, many of her new neighbors wanted to hear about the war that had forced the Bosnian woman and her family to flee their homeland.

The former teacher obliged, but even as she related stories of violence and fear, she started a dance troupe for the community's youngest refugees.

"I don't want us to be known primarily because of the war," Rizvic said Saturday, as she fitted a dancer for a K.U.D. Kolo performance at the University of Northern Iowa. "War is something that happened, unfortunately, but it's not something that we're proud of. There's so much more to the Bosnian people."

On Tuesday, Rizvic will share her people's traditions and accomplishments during a 7 p.m. speech at the Grout Museum. The talk, sponsored by the Cedar Valley Historical Society, is part of a series of monthly lectures on topics of local interest.

Rizvic says she plans to touch on the ethnic conflict that led most of Waterloo's Bosnian residents to relocate, but the 42-year-old also will address the family bonds, dances and work ethic that she thinks makes her culture unique.

"I'll talk about the community we've made here and our relationships with the other communities," said Rizvic, who is working toward a teaching degree at UNI. "I'll talk about the things we're proud of."

Bosnian immigrants first started arriving in the Cedar Valley in 1996, lured by the promise of jobs at IBP Inc. -- the meatpacking factory now operated by Tyson. Today about 4,000 Bosnians live and work in Waterloo in a variety of professions. The Cedar Valley is now home to Bosnian-owned bakeries, a barbershop, a grocery store and restaurants.

"We've bought houses here now," Rizvic said. "And we've brought our families here. It's our community, too."

Still, dancer Fahret Ahmetasevic said he's found that many of his Waterloo neighbors know little about the Bosnian culture. He hopes Rizvic's speech will help educate the public about the traditions of the Eastern European nation.

"More people should know about it, because there's a lot of us around here now," said the 16-year-old.

Tickets for Tuesday's talk cost $3 for adults and $2 for children. Yearly membership into the Cedar Valley Historical Society is $7 for individuals and $12 for families, and includes free admission into all group lectures.

"We try to address things that have affected the history of the Cedar Valley in the past, or are impacting the present and the future," said Nancy Crammond, CVHS president. "Several of our members have probably never had any contact with the Bosnian community, and we thought this would be a good place to start."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.