Local people, places and events hit the target in our 2020 Best Of Des Moines readers’ poll. The Best Of Des Moines Awards act as all great democracies should. There is no unelected oligarchy pulling strings and artificially orchestrating wrong-headed outcomes. Instead, the choice belongs to you, the many, the collective judgment of Greater Des [...]
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Iowa Barnstormers enter 2020 with a new coach and some big shoes to fill. Semi-pro indoor football is a fast-paced game of constant change. Just when you thought a battle has been won, it isn’t. On a 60-yard field, with eight players per team, leads disappear faster than a can of Busch Light in Ames. [...]
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Here is what every business owner should know about licensing. Businesses and music have been intertwined for years. As part of an overall marketing effort, businesses create ambiance and atmosphere through the use of music to influence customers’ moods and buying habits. The National Restaurant Association says music choice can either turn tables over more [...]
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No one seems to have noticed — there’s not even a press release on the website — but Matt McCoy was elected chair of the Polk County Board of Supervisors last month. Ordinarily, that would hardly be worth more than half a paragraph, for the Democrats won control of the five-person board in 1954 — [...]
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“Step aside, hick,” the urban Democrats can tell us. Talented rural Democratic candidates for the Iowa Statehouse with deep wells of connectivity in their communities — like Stuart’s Warren Varley, Manning’s Peter Leo and Rippey’s David Weaver — went down to defeat by muscular margins in their 2018 election bids to represent what collectively is [...]
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Guy Ritchie’s latest film is a rehashed pastiche of a bygone era. Make no mistake: “The Gentlemen” is classic Guy Ritchie. Scoundrels of all sorts cross paths in an ever-widening web of crime, with sequences full of fast dialogue and fast cuts. But, while there is plenty of action and the cast is certainly impressive, [...]
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Restaurants here mostly known for unexpected delights rather than fine-dining superstars. University Avenue is chock full of happy eating surprises. Many of those are hidden away in real estate that entices the initiated rather than the drive-by diner. This is the street of the precisely named Fast Mart & Chester’s Chicken & Moneygram. A customer [...]
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And other Terrace Hill treasures “I taught for 45 years,” says Patrick Phillips-Schrock. As his official retirement date zoomed ever closer, he remembers wondering what was next. “This was my last year, and I thought, ‘Oh, what am I going to do now?’ ” Des Moines’ first millionaire is thought to have been B.F. Allen. [...]
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Teaching was David’s thing. Music was David’s thing. And equality was David’s thing. “There were giants in the earth in those days.” Genesis 6.4. Yup, that’s what the Bible says — giants. The heroes of long ago. The great men and women of the past. Solid folks. People you could rely on for a lift [...]
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With a show… or two…or more. The beauty of living in a land of rugged winters is finding the indoor options that beckon to sweep us into compelling stories, rollicking comedies or even interactive experiences. February is filled with plenty of options, from national touring productions on the Civic Center stage to excellent locally produced [...]
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Forgive me, but I think some government officials forget they work for the people of Iowa, or maybe they just don’t want the public asking too many questions, especially if those questions could be embarrassing. Regrettably, I come to this conclusion because every week or two I hear about another Iowa government board or council, [...]
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Matt Ouverson won last year’s Steak Cooking Association Points Championship and will vie for a world title later this year. Last year’s steak grilling national points championship cost Norwalk’s Matt Ouverson’s odometer 63,000 miles in a single calendar year. “I cooked 17 states this year,” says Ouverson, who entered out-of-town competitions nearly every weekend. No [...]
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The numbers on the dial changed, but Ron Sorenson’s commitment to the station and the Des Moines community remained consistent through the years. Ron Sorenson had no interest in a radio career. He loved music. He listened to it on the radio. He even played in a folk band called The Castlegate Singers while in [...]
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It’s not all about the eggs. When Gina Campos’ neighbors moved away from their current Waukee home, they gave Gina a few chickens. The chickens eventually died, and the only pet remaining was their dog. After a year passed, Gina missed her chickens and started adding several at a time. Now, she’s happy to have [...]
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Breaking in dusty boots and Little League gloves. During their 20 years of performing, the Eli Young Band members have steadily churned out hit songs. With Billboard hits, Grammy nominations and a Country Music Song of the Year Award for “Crazy Girl,” the band’s success in the country music arena remains strong. CITYVIEW recently spoke [...]
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Discussions of flowers, Valentine’s Day and the changes the flower industry has undergone in his six decades in the business. Tom Boesen is part of a third-generation Des Moines family floral business. In fact, the Ingersoll Boesen’s store opened the day Tom came home from the hospital with his mother. We asked him to lunch [...]
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A Waukee bar where you can bank on having a good time. A 100-plus-year-old fixture located in the heart of downtown Waukee was formerly a bank, and, most recently, a bar called “Chops.” It was shuttered after the owner’s death. Today, the bar has reopened as Norm’s Pub — an ode to the character on [...]
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