Gov. Bob Ray’s passing was treated with rare respect for his eclectic achievements. From our point of view, he did more than anyone to transform Iowa, and particularly Des Moines, into a more cosmopolitan food center, more than anyone even dreamed before Ray took office in 1969. By sheer force
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August 01, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in The Sound
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
Read More →Last month CITYVIEW featured free or inexpensive concerts and outdoor festivals. Summer’s not over yet, so here it is – round 2 of our outdoor music entertainment guide. August is here, and that means it’s Iowa State Fair time! With 10 days of free concerts (all with the price of
Read More →‘The Best We Could Do’ Thi Bui’s memoir beautifully illustrates the story of her family as they escaped the terror of South Vietnam in the 1970s. Presented in a graphic novel format, her gorgeous, masterful drawings narrate their harrowing journey to California and provide an unflinching look into their lives
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August 01, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Collections & Hobbies
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
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August 01, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Lunch With...
Local musician, special education teacher, husband and father of two. Heath Alan is one of the most talented and best known of local musicians. He’s played with Harry Connick, Jr. and Louie Bellson. Locally he works with top talents like David Zollo, Brother Trucker, James Biehn, Bonne Finken and King
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August 01, 2018 by Brent Antisdel
in Couch Surfing
Guru Higgins (as he wants to be called) has traveled to Iowa from Vermont while on his way to Montana. His opening line on his email to me was “looking to check out Des Moines, cook you a meal, and show you some yoga moves.” I don’t do yoga, and
Read More →There is no silver bullet in the digital age for booking travel accommodations. Leave your cares, deadlines, awkward relationships and everything else at home and travel to an exciting or relaxing place. As perfect as getting away from it all can sound, the gatekeeper to these experiences can be unbelievably frustrating. No, this gauntlet of
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