Ron Paul, Rick Santorum Visiting Cedar Falls on Friday

Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Ron Paul will both visit Cedar Falls on Friday.

Santorum will begin the day with a "Faith, Family and Freedom" town hall-style meeting at 8 a.m. at restaurant in the Pipac Centre.

He will then head to the University of Northern Iowa campus to take part in UNI's Presidential Candidate Education Forum, "Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities in Education." The forum, co-hosted by UNI and Iowa Public Radio, will start at 11 a.m. in the lobby.

Santorum will speak for about 30 minutes before taking audience questions. He is the second candidate to attend the forum, following Michele Bachmann's .

Ben Kieffer, host of Iowa Public Radio's The Exchange, will moderate the education-focused forum, which will be broadcast Dec. 12. at 2 p.m.

Later in the day, political enthusiasts can head over to UNI Common's Slife Ballroom to see Ron Paul. Doors for the campus rally will open to the public at 6:30 p.m. To enter 30 minutes early and secure a spot near the front of the room, RSVP for the UNI event at http://ronpaulatuni.eventbrite.com/.

All events are free and open to the public.

Check back with Patch for coverage of these events and others leading up to the Jan. 3 caucuses. And, don't forget, Patch will have live coverage on Jan. 3 before, during and after the Iowa caucuses.