Greetings, Cultural Adventurers:
10/6/2026
From Iowa’s cultural epicenter, Mainframe Studios at 900 Keosauqua Way in Des Moines, Iowa comes your Listener-supported Community Voice, the Award-Winning indie radio station,
KFMG-LP 98.9 FM (streaming simultaneously at www.kfmg.org), bringing you music, literature & cultural content.
Quote of the Week –
“You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow.”
– Janis Joplin (1943-1970), an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her stage presence.
Newsletter content:
I. Iowa Flash Buzz – Iowa/Greater Des Moines cultural news of the week;
II. Guests on this week’s show;
III. Performance Arts (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
IV. Visual Arts (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
V. Auditions and other engagement opportunities (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
VI. Planning ahead;
VII. Author events (Greater Des Moines/Iowa);
I. Iowa Flash Buzz –
Des Moines Performing Arts – Temple Comedy Series. Hold on to Your Butts. Oct 6-11. https://www.desmoinesperformingarts.org/whats-on/events/2026-27/temple-comedy/hold-on-to-your-butts
Cemetery Tours
https://www.dsm.city/news_detail_T21_R216.php
Woodland Cemetery Historical Tour by Archie Cook
Woodland Cemetery – 2019 Woodland Ave.
- Saturday, October 10, 2026, 1:00-3:30 PM
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble – UNDER THE BIG TOP
Sun Oct 11, 2026 at 3 PM. Staplin Performing Arts Center, 3650 Woodland Ave., West Des Moines, IA. The fun begins before the concert with special pre-concert activities for kids and families. It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring the whole family, enjoy some hands-on fun, and get into the circus spirit before the music begins.
Tickets are Free. Available at https://www.ciwe.org/under-the-big-top/
Beyond the Mic: Des Moines Conference Gives Iowa Youth a Voice and a Future:
Sat Oct 10, 3 PM. Mainframe Studios. Beyond the Mic: Voiceover and Creative Careers Conference.
Award-winning voiceover artist Jessica Trinidad and Zuli Garcia of Knock and Drop Iowa will host BEYOND THE MIC, Iowa’s first voiceover conference on October 10 in Des Moines, offering Iowa’s youth free access to professional coaching, career guidance, and hands-on voiceover experience. The Beyond the Mic Voiceover conference was created to support, uplift, empower, and inspire the next generation of artists to build a career through voiceover, acting, public speaking, writing, and storytelling. It will provide emerging and underserved artists with access to professionals who have built successful careers in the creative industry.
christina@ptmediagroupdsm.com.com, (515) 303-0093.
Iowa Stage Theatre Company. Reefer Madness. Thru Oct 11.
About Time Theatre. Building the Wall. Thru Oct 11. https://abouttimetheatre.com/
II. This week’s guests on The Culture Buzz –
11:00 AM – Opens Oct 16. The Des Moines Playhouse’s celebrated Kate Goldman Family Series presents Junie B. Jones in Boo…and I Mean It Oct 16-Nov 1. For the multitude of young Junie fans, this is a rare treat to see their hero come to life on stage. Listen as Director Katrina Ploof and Fiona Davison-Rippey (in the dual-cast role of Junie) share delightful insights into their production.
“The Des Moines Playhouse, through its nationally recognized Kate Goldman Family Series, brings young persons’ literature to vibrant life on stage. This provides an intergenerational opportunity for a shared experience for families, friends, and groups. No American community theatre does it better than the Playhouse.”
– The Culture Buzz
11:14 AM – Glenn R. Miller talks about his new book, Rough Cuts, where “The world of film in 1926 is about to change forever. On the cusp of “talkies,” directors and actors fear their greatest days might soon be behind them. Patrick J. Shepard, a director at the end of his career, has just completed his masterpiece, his vehicle for eternal fame. But there’s one problem: Ohio.”
“Packed with hilarity and heart, Rough Cuts reminds us that sometimes even real life can feel like a Technicolor dream.”
–Edward McPherson, author of Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat
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11:29 AM – The Truth Chamber is a riveting technothriller crafted by Duncan Ritchie. Listen as he shares glimpses into this captivating story that explores the fragility of modern democracy in an age where disinformation masquerades as ‘truth’ and corruption has largely robbed the people of their voice.
“Eerily prescient … readers may feel like they’ve found a history book from the future … a must-read for all those who value their freedom and future.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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https://www.duncanritchie.com/
11:45 AM – Robin Stevens Payes launches a new adventure with her Palmist Series. Listen as this celebrated STEM/STEAM writer provides tantalizing glimpses into this episodic delight.
“Robu Stevens Payes taps into her boundless imagination to create an irresistible journey with her new The Palmist Series. Immersive, tantalizing – a marvelous journey.”
-The Culture Buzz
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12:00 PM – This Sun Oct 11. The Community Jazz Center celebrates another year of musical greatness and its creators at the CJC Hall of Fame event at Noce Sun Oct 11. Listen as jazz impresario Abe Goldstein shares some of the details in this year’s performance and awards event.
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https://www.cjc-dsm.org/hall-of-fame-tickets
12:15 PM – CEO Robert Warren shares a marvelous completion project at Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre as one of this venerable performing hall’s original visions of having an installed pipe organ finally becomes a reality.
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12:28 PM – Dance in a Madhouse is a masterwork debut thriller by Jess Wright MD, who infuses his captivating story with vivid reality from his professional career. Listen as Jess shares peeks into this page-turner.
“Psychiatrist and novelist Wright (A Stream To Follow) puts his considerable professional knowledge to use in this genre-bending foray into the world of an early 20th-century asylum, which will leave readers equal parts fascinated and horrified. Elements of medical drama, psychological thriller, mystery, and gothic horror combine in an intricate, well-written novel that is difficult to put down. Perfect for fans of Caitlin Starling’s The Graceview Patient and Alex Michaelides’s The Silent Patient.”
— Starred review in the Library Journal
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12:43 PM – NYC Jazz Artist coming to Des Moines Oct 18. Listen as Joe Fonda shares insights into a rich life of jazz prior to traveling from his NYC base with his New Origin Trio for a concert in the magnificent confines of Caspe Terrace. Abe Goldstein and his wife, Jackie, produce this exceptional series, and this show promises to be one of the best. Tickets include a meet-the-artists dessert reception following the concert.
“There is more to creative mastership than the surface of satisfaction and political certainty. The music of Joe Fonda is part of a living tradition of belief and dedication. Future historians will be surprised at the breadth of Mr. Fonda’s offerings. This is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.”
– Multi-reedist Anthony Braxton
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https://jazzatcaspe.weebly.com/
III. Performance Arts
1. Iowa Stage Theatre Company. Reefer Madness. Thru Oct 11
2. About Time Theatre. Building the Wall. Thru Oct 11.
3. Des Moines Performing Arts – Temple Comedy Series. Hold on to Your Butts. Oct 6-11.
4. CJC Hall of Fame. Oct 11. This awards and performance ceremony will be hosted by Nocé Jazz Club.
5. Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre (DMYAT). The Addams Family School Edition. Oct 23-Nov 1.
6. Des Moines Playhouse – Kate Goldman Family Series. Junie B. Jones in Boo…and I Mean It. Oct 16-Nov 1.
7. Comedy Xperiment. Oct 16-17. https://tallgrasstheatre.thundertix.com/events/236874
8. Jazz at Caspe. Oct 18. Joe Fonda and the New Origin Trio. Abe Goldstein welcomes his latest internationally acclaimed jazz artist to Des Moines.
9. Ballet Des Moines. GHOST STORIES Oct 23-24, 7 PM.
HOYT SHERMAN PLACE. Featuring the world premiere Nevermore inspired by Edgar Allan Poe from BDM Resident Choreographer Tom Mattingly, Ghost Ballads by Adriana Pierce, eerie excerpts from Giselle, plus a Thriller of an appearance.
https://www.balletdesmoines.org/ghost-stories
10. Des Moines Playhouse – Final Act Ensemble. Halloween Show. Oct 27.
IV. Visual Arts – Exhibitions
Exhibitions –
· Friday, October 9th from 5pm – 8pm for the opening reception of Human Experience during Valley Junction Gallery Night.
Featuring six Midwestern artists whose works express different facets of being human. While some of the artists use their own body as a stand-in for broader metaphors, you’ll see others tap into the tradition of art historical tableau paintings contrasted with nostalgic + contemporary scenes of everyday life. https://olsonlarsen.com/
1. Des Moines Art Center. 2 Re-connect with old favorites on exhibit from their permanent collection. Explore the constantly changing exhibits, from staff-curated to international, always ready to stimulate the imagination and senses. Always open (except holidays), always free.
https://desmoinesartcenter.org/
2. Brunnier Art Museum. Ames. 2 This is the flagship for the University Museums, a treasure trove of visual arts immersion on the Iowa State University campus, which includes the Christian Petersen Art Museum, The Farm House Museum, the Anderson Sculpture Garden and the Art on Campus Collection. https://www.museums.iastate.edu/visit/brunnier-art-museum
3. The Grinnell College Museum of Art. Grinnell. 2https://www.grinnell.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/museum
4. 2AU. West Des Moines. 1,2
5. Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Des Moines 2 I added this destination for its unique value as a “living gallery,” where the constantly changing floral exhibitions entice and delight.
https://www.dmbotanicalgarden.com/
6. Heritage Art Gallery. 2 Des Moines. http://www.polkcountyheritagegallery.org/
7. Hoyt Sherman Place Art Gallery. 2 Des Moines. https://hoytsherman.org/gallery/
8. IN Tandem Arts & Authors. 1,2 Des Moines. https://www.facebook.com/INTandemArtsAndAuthors/
9. Kavanaugh Art Gallery. West Des Moines. 1,2
10. Kunzler Studios. West Des Moines. 1,2 kunzlerstudios.com
11. Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design. Des Moines.
12. Mainframe Studios. https://www.mainframestudios.org/events
13. Moberg Gallery. Des Moines. 2
14. Olson-Larsen Galleries. West Des Moines.1,2 Presents six exhibitions each year.
15. Polk County Heritage Gallery. Des Moines. 2
http://www.polkcountyheritagegallery.org/
16. Slow Down Coffee Shop. Des Moines. 2
https://www.theslowdowndsm.com/
17. Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure. Des Moines. 2 https://www.facebook.com/ZanzibarsCoffeeAdventure/
1Visit these galleries open during semi-annual Historic Valley Junction Gallery Nights.
2Check website for current exhibitions.
V. Auditions, Volunteer, and other Enhancement Opportunities –
“The Arts is a Contact Sport” (A Culture Buzz creed)
· AUDITIONS. Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress. Kate Goldman Family Series. Mon Oct 19, 6 PM. www.dmplayhouse.com/auditions. Additional volunteer opportunities abound – now is a great time to explore how to find other ways to engage with Central Iowa theatre companies. Assistance is always welcome, from costume and set building, to ushering, to back stage crew, find a short-term commitment that will be immensely gratifying.
· AUDITIONS. Les Misérables. Des Moines Playhouse. Sun Nov 1, 6 PM. www.dmplayhouse.com/auditions.
· AUDITIONS. The Lifespan of a Fact. Des Moines Playhouse. Mon Nov 9, 6 PM. www.dmplayhouse.com/auditions.
Check out these theatre companies to consider a wide range of engagement opportunities.
1. About Time Theatre Company. https://abouttimetheatre.com/shows/
2. Ankeny Community Theatre. https://www.ankenycommunitytheatre.com/audition.html
3. Carousel Theatre of Indianola. https://carouseltheatre.org/?page_id=344
4. Class Act Productions (CAP). http://www.captheatre.org/main/expect/
5. Des Moines Community Playhouse. https://www.dmplayhouse.com/audition-2/
6. Des Moines Performing Arts. https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/
7. Des Moines Young Artists Theatre.
8. Iowa Stage Theatre Company. https://www.iowastage.org/audition
9. Once in a While Productions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/6717224708342610/
10. Pyramid Theatre Company. http://pyramidtheatre.org/
11. Tallgrass Theatre Company. https://tallgrasstheatre.org/audition/
12. The Ingersoll. https://www.theingersoll.com/
13. Theatre Midwest. https://www.theatremidwest.org/
14. Urbandale Community Theatre. https://urbandaletheatre.com/get-involved/
VI. Planning ahead
Daughters of Norway Presents Annual Taste of Norway
Contact: Ann Hanigan-Kotz, Daughters of Norway – Eva Nansen Lodge president, echo2960@yahoo.com
Lee Ann Bakros, Daughters of Norway – Eva Nansen Lodge communications, leeannbakros@gmail.com, 515-822-4842
Daughters of Norway–Eva Nansen Lodge presents Taste of Norway, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM, Saturday, Oct. 17, at Valley High School, 3650 Woodland Ave, West Des Moines. The popular annual event features Scandinavian baked goods, lefse demonstrations, and artisans. A Scandinavian café also has baked goods and coffee for sale, and a fiddle duo will play Norwegian folk songs.
Daughters of Norway members will have popular, traditional sweets for sale such as kringla, lefse, kransekake, krumkake, rosettes, spritz, almond bars, and more. Lodge member Kay Sacquitne will demonstrate lefse making. Fiddlers and lodge members Lynne Flater and Cindy Prior will play Norwegian folk tunes throughout the event.
Items decorated with the Scandinavian art of rosemaling and ornaments featuring nisse, a Scandinavian household spirit, will be featured. Jewelry makers, master wood carvers, and textile artists will have their wares for sale. Handmade crafts for sale include tote bags, mobiles and wind spinners, candles, soaps, jams and jellies, Christmas décor, stained glass ornaments, kitchen items, magnets and coasters, crib sheets, pet bandannas, and books.
Daughters of Norway is a national organization of women who wish to preserve the Norwegian heritage, maintain among members a knowledge of the history, culture and language of Norway; and build a strong support system and bond of friendship within the sisterhood. Eva Nansen is the only Iowa chapter, located in Des Moines. Cultural programs are held the first Tuesday of most months. For more information on Daughters of Norway – Eva Nansen Lodge 46, visit www.daughtersofnorway.org/lodges/list-of-lodges/eva-nansen/
For more information on Taste of Norway, visithttps://www.facebook.com/DaughtersofNorwayEvaNansenLodge
GHOST STORIES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 7:00PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 7:00PM
HOYT SHERMAN PLACE
Featuring the world premiere Nevermore inspired by Edgar Allan Poe from BDM Resident Choreographer Tom Mattingly, Ghost Ballads by Adriana Pierce, eerie excerpts from Giselle, plus a Thriller of an appearance.
https://www.balletdesmoines.org/ghost-stories
Broadway Cabaret – Sondheim Tricks andTreats.
Announcing my amazing cast for Sondheim Tricks and Treats! Don’t miss this wonderful tribute to composer Stephen Sondheim! 12 amazing guest artists! Oct 25, 5-8pm
https://www.facebook.com/share/1GLzEuJBwp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
The Invitational Art Fair, taking place November 6-7, 2026, at the historic Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines, Iowa.
The event will be open to the public on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Advance tickets are $5 and may be purchased online. Tickets will be $8 at the door. Tickets are available now at www.theinvitational.org.
An online artist gallery featuring participating artists is currently available at www.theinvitational.org.
Musical Feast II – a pre-Thanksgiving Show
A Sunday funday to support KFMG Community Radio. Sun Nov 15, 3-7 PM at xBk, 1159 – 24th Street, Des Moines. Hosted by Chip Albright and Ron Sorenson. Dartanyan Brown, Joe Knser, Brian Joens, Kat Darling, Get Off My Lawn.
https://wl.eventim.us/event/musical-feast-2-a-pre-thanksgiving-show-free/705014?afflky=xBkLive
VII. Between the covers – author/book events worth noting:
1. Beaverdale Books. Deborah Svec-Carstens. Toward the Light: A Year in Paris. Mon Oct 5, 6:30 PM.
2. Beaverdale Books. Open Mic Poetry Night – Kelsey Bigelow Emcee. Fri Oct 9, 7 PM.
3. Beaverdale Books. Hannah Soyer. Dreams in Which I’m Almost Human: A Memoir. Mon Oct 12, 6:30 PM.
4. Beaverdale Books. Annastasia Seegall. Tears, Bras, and All. Wed Oct 14, 6:30 PM.
5. Beaverdale Books. Josef Benson. Infinity Land: The Untold Story of Jeffrey Dahmer. Fri Oct 16, 6:30 PM.
6. Beaverdale Books. D.M Pulley. Stone Mad. Sun Oct 18, 2 PM.
7. Beaverdale Books. Roger Thurow. Abiding Hunger: An American Paradox. Mon Oct 19, 2:30 PM.
8. Marshalltown Public Library. Allen Eskens. The Quiet Librarian. Mon Oct 19, 7 PM.
9. Beaverdale Books. Tom Lin, Bonnie Jo Campbell. Babylon, South Dakota and The Spirits. Mon Oct 19, 6:30 PM.
10. Beaverdale Books. Ken Chester. Two-Hour Entrepreneur: Build a Real Business in Two Hours a Week – A Step-by-Step System for the Idea Stuck in Your Head. Tue Oct 20, 6:30 PM.
11. Beaverdale Books. Sisters in Crime – Iowa. “The Making of a Mystery.” Wed Oct 21, 6:30 PM.
*Highlighted author names indicate interviews are in The Culture Buzz Archive Library.
Please visit: https://archive.org/details/@the_culture_buzz
Greater Des Moines/Central Iowa Independent Book Stores:
The Culture Buzz encourages you to visit your local independent book store regularly. Check these sites, as their calendars are always filled with enticing activities and news.
1. Beaverdale Books, Des Moines.
http://www.beaverdalebooks.com/
2. Storyhouse Bookpub, Des Moines Historic East Village.
https://storyhousebookpub.com/
3. The Little Book, Des Moines (Highland Park District).
https://www.thelittlebookdsm.com/
4. Shelf Love DSM, Des Moines (Drake Neighborhood).
5. Nos Books, Des Moines (Drake Neighborhood). https://www.nosbookstore.com/
6. Reading in Public Bookstore + Café, Historic Valley Junction.
7. Indie Authors Book Expo, Historic Valley Junction. https://iabe515.wordpress.com/
8. Pageturners Bookstore, Indianola.
http://www.pageturnersbookstore.com/
9. Dog-eared Books, Ames.
https://dogearedbooksames.com/
10. Read a Book Nook, Marshalltown.
https://read-a-book-nook.business.site/
11. Book Vault, Oskaloosa.
https://bookvault.indielite.org/
12. Pella Books, Pella.
13. Prairie Lights Books & Cafe, Iowa City.
https://www.prairielights.com/
Thank you for your cultural adventurism,
John Busbee for The Culture Buzz
