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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Belly Up To...

Hidden in plain sight

If you are looking for an expertly handcrafted cocktail in West Des Moines, don’t search for the word “bar” on the outdoor signage. Instead, look for a beauty salon and spa. Hidden inside Serenity Couture Salon & Spa in the former Wells Fargo building is West Des Moines’ newest speakeasy,

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Sound Notes

Sound Advice

Des Moines’ own Scot Sutherland received the Blues Music Award in the Instrumentalist-Bass category in Memphis in May. The Blues Awards is a national honor, often dubbed the “Grammys of the Blues.” Sutherland has played bass with other musicians who have won Blues Awards in the past, including Tommy Castro,

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Film Previews

Film Previews

“Backrooms” R | 1 hour, 50 minutes Director: Kane Parsons Writers: Will Soodik, Kane Parsons Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass The Backrooms exist outside of space and time, functioning as a kind of modern purgatory that anyone can accidentally fall into by “no-clipping” through the unstable, glitchy corners

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Your View

Your View

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in People & Pets

Second careers

As Caty Elgin rides her horse, Smokescreen, during a jumping competition, she leans in, guiding the horse over a fence. As the horse clears it and other obstacles in record time, Elgin wins another riding competition. In addition to competing, Elgin teaches riding lessons and trains riders for competitions. She

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Sound Circuit

Fastball finds a second wind as nostalgia fuels new popularity

Fastball, the alt-rock trio that helped define late-1990s radio, is enjoying an unexpected comeback, and co-founder Tony Scalzo says the band is embracing every minute of it. “We are excited about getting this new vibe. It’s like we’re in a renaissance, more than we were 15 years ago when nobody wanted anything

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Ask Cityview

Ask CITYVIEW

I am 100% certain I attended a Freddie King concert in the summer of 1976 in a small bar near Drake University. Can any CITYVIEW reader confirm King’s 1976 Des Moines appearance? We are not sure if our readers can confirm it, but we sent ourselves down the rabbit hole

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Publisher

Iowa in motion

Beauty is easy to find in Iowa, if you know where to look, and if you take the time to really see it. That idea sits at the heart of the 16th Annual Keep Iowa Beautiful Photography Contest, where more than 500 entries once again captured the state in all

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Book Review

Book Reviews

‘The Girl With A Thousand Faces’ Sunyi Dean already had me locked into her twisted narratives with “The Book Eaters” and her endlessly inventive sentences, but this one hit differently. It is set in Kowloon in 1970s Hong Kong, one of the most fascinating places in human history, and she

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June 03, 2026 by Brent Antisdel in Your Neighbors

Iowa Genealogical Society silently serves generational knowledge

The Iowa Genealogical Society is one of the more underappreciated and less-known groups in Des Moines. Despite it being located in the bustling East Village, full of nightlife, shopping, restaurants and music venues, the society sits there quietly, running smoothly, hosting a wealth of knowledge within.  To find out more,

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