Buried alive
I have very few fears in this world. My vertigo kicks in when I am inside a tall building and looking down (or looking up, for that matter). I also [...]
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Posted December 04, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Posted November 06, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Raccoon River Retreat was a clothing-optional campground adventure
I’m coming out of left field for this, but the story is too good not to write about. Since it’s the month of November, we often read about Thanksgiving, family [...]
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Posted October 02, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Linn’s Haunted House marks 40 years of scares
Haunted house season is here. I remember being a kid and going to some questionable attractions when I lived in the Quad Cities. There was an old water and power [...]
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Posted September 04, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Proudfoot & Bird
In my July column, I mentioned that I went on the walking architecture tour downtown. I wrote about the first and only “death by elevator” event in Iowa history, which [...]
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Posted July 31, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Des Moines’ first and only elevator death
I recently participated in an architecture walking tour of downtown Des Moines. I went with my mother and a handful of her friends for the southern tour of downtown that [...]
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Posted July 03, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Rusty washers, sparklers and 3D glasses
The Midwest is one the best places to be to celebrate the Fourth of July. No matter what faith you follow or orientation you swing, you can usually come together [...]
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Posted June 05, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Before ‘The Gayborhood’
With another Pride month here, I have dug deep into the history books of the gay lore of Des Moines. In November of 2022, I wrote a column on the [...]
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Posted May 01, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Atheists Caucus in the Heartland
The year was 2011, and I had been in Des Moines for four years. My first feature documentary, “Brent Houzenga: Hybrid Pioneer,” premiered at the Des Moines Social Club at [...]
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Posted April 03, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Now it all makes sense
I moved to Des Moines from Denver, Colorado, in 2007. If you asked the 22-year-old me why I did so, it may not have made a lot of sense. If [...]
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Posted March 06, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
Remembering Ron ‘Busby’ Burnell
Iowa film industry lore is a niche topic that captivates my interest. If I hear anyone telling a story about the old days of film production, I stop what I [...]
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