The Grandstand may get the attention, but the free stages are loaded with more music than you can shake a corn dog at Sun, sweat, smells, rides and more fried food than you can shake a corn dog at. The Iowa State Fair is a magical place. But what about the music? It’s always in the air, and there’s [...]
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No one knows for sure which central Iowan invented steak de burgo, but CITYVIEW readers will soon have their say as to which local eatery serves the most savory. Food is the new politics. Both subjects inspire intense loyalties that are usually only shared by a minority. Just as Alexandria Occasio-Cortez fans can’t comprehend how anyone could [...]
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An inside look at high society in central Iowa Country clubs. Supper clubs. Private places reserved for paying members only. A handful of such social clubs exist in central Iowa — at least nine prominent country clubs and one dining organization. The bragging rights for seniority belong to Des Moines Golf and Country Club (DMGCC), founded in 1897. [...]
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On April 16 of last year, 55-year-old Mark Evans was riding his bike on the side path of MLK Parkway when he crashed at the southeast corner of 16th Street. Two days later, 63-year-old Bob Foss did the same thing. Both bikers were badly injured. Both men were familiar with the widely used bike path. [...]
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Ray’s genius was coalition building; Trump’s is the surgical precision of his division seeding. Jordan vs. LeBron. Magic or Kobe? In beer-and-burger debates at bars around the nation, in ferocious online forums, the GOAT question (Greatest Of All Time) runs into a challenge: How can you compare athletes from different eras? Each time Michael Jordan [...]
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Once the conversation gets going, you’ll definitely want to be a part of it What’s your price tag? You know, the amount of money it would take for you to compromise your values, your integrity. Do the ends justify the means? Not even close. At least, that’s how it seems in Boots Riley’s directorial debut, [...]
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In terms of per store profits, Chick-Fil-A is by far the most successful American chain restaurant. McDonald’s leads them in total sales and profits but trails them by a lot in per store sales and profits. This is amazing given that the College Park, Georgia, based chain does not open on Sundays, traditionally the day [...]
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With a little help from neighborhood friends, Waterbury Gardens is back in bloom. The project near the corner of Ingersoll Avenue and 48th Street was once a paved roadway. Then it became a garden. After that, unfortunately, it turned into an overgrown garden. “Time, dry summers, and harsh winters” took their toll, said a community newsletter. Fortunately, two Waterbury [...]
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We all need a reprieve. The summer evening is hot and close. Steam rises up from the damp grass. Only mosquitoes and myself are out. I suspect folks are a little tired after the flash floods turned backyards and basements into water parks. I know I am. Lord, there are still mattresses and washing machines [...]
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Cloris Leachman embraces her namesake awards. Each August, a celebratory event unites the Greater Des Moines theater scene. The final Sunday marks the Greater Des Moines Cloris Leachman Awards for Theatre Excellence, now in its fourth year. Inspired by the pinnacle of theater recognition, the Tony Awards, the Cloris Awards echo the legacy and vision [...]
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Once again, our government has demonstrated that common sense really isn’t so common. I understand that Americans are not of one mind on the issue of immigration. I understand that people who break the law ought to face punishment. What I don’t understand are two cases involving foreign-born women — one a 39-year-old mother of [...]
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There was snow and ice on the ground in Burlington on the morning of Jan. 6, 2015. About 10:30 a.m., police were summoned to 104 S. Garfield Ave., where Autumn and Gabriel Steele were arguing outside their house. Less than a minute after Officer Jesse Hill arrived to investigate, Autumn Steele, 34, was on the [...]
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Ace dons doggles, rides motorcycle. When the Animal Rescue League announced a grand marshal for its Dog Jog & Fido Fest, it was between a black pug named Lily and a Pomeranian mix named Ace. As the two sat next to their owners at the ceremony with wagging tails, Ace was crowned the winner and [...]
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It’s not all degrading. Main gallery shows draw the headlines and the crowds, but the print gallery is where one finds the most educational stimulants. The Des Moines Art Center’s most recent show, “This Woman’s Work” (through Oct. 7), speaks to that point. Beginning chronologically with Winslow Homer’s Civil War nurses and factory workers, it chronicles a century and a [...]
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Berg says reducing runoff and erosion is “the right thing to do.” For many urban residents, thoughts of rain center around how often the lawn needs to be mowed and flowers watered rather than the impact on storm sewers and the environment. Until, of course, streets, yards and homes are flooded. But for those, like [...]
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Groove with iconic Earth, Wind & Fire at the Iowa State Fair For nearly five decades, Earth, Wind & Fire has been keeping it funky. The R&B institution boasts eight double platinum albums, two No. 1 hits — “Shining Star” and “Let’s Groove” — 17 Grammy nominations, and it has sold more than 100 million [...]
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Gloom Balloon frontman shows off his favorite albums. For any fan of Iowa music, Patrick Tape Fleming should be an instantly recognizable name. If you don’t know him as a founding member of Ames-based rock band The Poison Control Center, you might know him from his enduring musical efforts under the moniker Gloom Balloon or as producer for a [...]
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