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Posted May 03, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten

The Blank family’s roots in Des Moines theater

I write a lot about movies, including my experiences making them or my experiences watching them. Des Moines’ film history fascinates me, from the insane Evangelical Apocalypse films of Russell [...]

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Posted April 05, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten

Bamie’s Pizza

When I think of pizza, I believe there is hope in the world. It’s one of the few foods that seems to unite everyone, regardless of social status. Growing up [...]

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Posted March 01, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten

Cup O’ Kryptonite

I moved back to Iowa from Colorado in 2007. I settled in Des Moines on the south side without knowing anyone. I had a dodgy (but also cheap) apartment on [...]

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Posted February 01, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten

The Varsity

The first story I wrote for this column back in 2017 was on the love story that followed Des Moines’ Varsity Theatre. Bev Mahon fell in love with his future [...]

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Posted January 04, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten

The blizzards of Des Moines

As I write this on the afternoon of Dec. 20, my phone is blowing up with warnings of the upcoming blizzard that is forecasted. The temperature has dropped significantly in [...]

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Posted November 30, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten

The PS Lounge and The Blue Goose

I love the history of gay bars. One of my favorite films is “Cruising,” directed by William Friedkin, based on the book by Gerald Walker. Seedy gay bars in the [...]

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Posted November 02, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten

A romanticized view of raised-by-Grandma turkeys

I’m busy. I know a lot of folks from generations before me don’t understand this. Take your normal seven or eight hours in a workday and turn those into 12 [...]

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Posted October 05, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten

Beggars’ Night

I’m beating a dead horse when I talk about Beggars’ Night versus Halloween. Seemingly every news station and media outlet will have yet another story about the history of Beggars’ [...]

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Posted August 31, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten

LOOK Magazine

“Radical on the social issues of the 1960s — women’s issues, counterculture, and even a gay couple that were clandestinely married by a renegade minister” LOOK Magazine was founded in Des [...]

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Posted August 03, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten

Punk rock in Iowa

When I started my radio show “Iowa Basement Tapes” in July of 2018, I set out to research and preserve Iowa’s punk rock and counterculture history. Over the last four [...]

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