Remember the first time you witnessed “Guinness World Records”? Recall the majesty of seeing a man standing nearly 9 feet tall? Or a woman not quite 3 feet high? Or the person who can juggle fire and eat Doritos with his feet while ordering drive-through cheese sticks and making his own milkshake in record time? [...]
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In Blake Edwards’ 1959 film “Operation Petticoat,” a devious junior officer played by Tony Curtis seizes a moment of war panic to acquire some things of value. “In chaos, there is opportunity,” he says, driving off on a looting mission. The food industry has a long history of re-invention during times of chaos. The restaurant [...]
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The days of walking into a real estate open house unannounced or shaking hands with the salesperson from whom you purchase a car are seemingly gone. From the moment COVID-19 first came onto the scene in March, business sectors have taken action to change their business, offer contact-less interaction and ensure the needs of customers [...]
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Our coverage of the 2024 presidential election started — for me, at least — on Oct. 1, 2020 — well over a month before the Nov. 3 election. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Harvard-educated Arkansan, campaigned in Carroll and elsewhere in Iowa for Sen. Joni Ernst. But was he really, really here for Ernst? Well, [...]
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Well, that was unfortunate. This was what I thought after seeing the latest Sofia Coppola work. This movie has Bill Murray in it, and Bill Murray is a national treasure. So why is Bill Murray in this waste of a movie? No question, I give Bill Murray five stars, but giving this movie five stars [...]
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It takes a brave heart to open a restaurant business in the reigning realm of fear and seclusion. One also needs a quality product to peddle. Fortunately, the owners of Unrvld and Opa have both. Unrvld is a Texas-style barbecue that opened in July on EP True Parkway. They have seen long lines since then [...]
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November is the annual food issue here at CITYVIEW. For the size of Des Moines, we have a lot going on when it comes to restaurants and food — maybe even too much for our own population to really sustain. However, to better understand where we are today, we need to look to the Italian [...]
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We sit on the bench. Both of us mouths open, heads leaned back, eyes wide. Glazed donuts melting in our hands as we watch. Clearly, no parent is in charge of the two of us. We grab a second donut before the show really begins. BIG TREE CUTTING. . . starring tree cutters and a [...]
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Two-hundred-and-nine days. That is how long it has been since the Des Moines Community Playhouse has presented live theater in its mainstage performing hall. It was the last of the local producers to do so. While they created an outdoors experiment with their drive-in theater in the parking lot, theater, as patrons know and expect [...]
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The hiring of political veteran John Norris to be the new county manager — which was expected to be announced after CITYVIEW went to press — was not without its drama. There were two finalists for the $230,000-a-year job vacated in June by Mark Wandro — well-connected state and national Democratic Party stalwart Norris and [...]
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With all of the frustrations, the tragedies and the maddening political chaos that have been with us this year, I have the perfect recipe for our Thanksgiving celebrations. No, it is not a new take on green bean casserole. It’s not some newfangled way to ease the strain on our belts after a holiday meal. [...]
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With all the varied talents Paul Micich possesses, CITYVIEW could have easily featured his artwork or videography. But for this issue, we’ll focus on his music. Micich is a musician with the WORLD PORT band, playing a unique instrument called the Electronic Valve Instruments or EVI. The EVI was created 30 years ago. At the [...]
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“I’m a flea market nut,” explains Dave Zaabel while gesturing to rows and rows of shelving in his Urbandale basement. “Flea markets, antique shops, garage sales… but everything was canceled this year.” Zaabel’s treasure trove contains a massive stockpile of toy farm machinery, replicas of bobcats, pickups, steam engines, jeeps and other diecast collectibles (toys [...]
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When Linda Brown’s boxer passed away suddenly two years ago, she was left without a furry companion. Her friend who worked at Animal Lifeline, a no-kill shelter, told her of a boxer-mix that had lived at the shelter for two years and needed a home. Brown went to see Wyatt and admits she wasn’t impressed. [...]
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“Black Stories” is the latest main galleries exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center. More than anything, it shows off the permanent collection of the museum. Secondly, it shows a new direction in the operational code of the institution. Two artists, Mitchell Squire and Jordan Weber, were co-curators. A group of Black community leaders formed [...]
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Sarah Grant has been the greatest influence on Des Moines’ art scene gaining national significance in the last three decades. A significant artist in her own right, her biggest contribution to the local art scene has been entrepreneurial. The business she founded, Sticks, has provided well-paying day jobs for some 1,000 creative people. In my [...]
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Shelly Reed Thieman penned her first poetry verses for a fifth-grade Haiku contest. She won. The self-described “young and snappy grandmother of three girls” recently won another poetry competition. This time the recognition came for her words in the “Anniversary” category, celebrating The Iowa Poetry Association’s 75 years of publishing poems by local authors. Being [...]
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