Posted July 31, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
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 goes from the Civic Center to the World Food Prize and then makes its way around Court Avenue until it
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Posted July 03, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
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 for our country’s Independence Day. As a kid in the 1990s, I remember my dad picking me up from my
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Posted June 05, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
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 Blue Goose and the P&S Lounge, two gay bars with origins dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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Posted May 01, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
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 its former location at 1408 Locust St. that previous November. It was now April, and the weather was finally breaking.
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Posted April 03, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
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 you ask the 38-year-old me the same question, it would be a different answer but probably still wouldn’t make a
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Posted March 06, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
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 am doing to join the conversation. My early Des Moines Forgotten articles included stories on the Varsity Theatre, filming a
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Posted January 31, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
It’s the busiest time of the year at the CITYVIEW offices with our annual BEST OF DES MOINES winners being announced. I thought it would be fun to dive into some of the past BEST OF DES MOINES winners, which means taking a walk into the deep dark tomb that
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Posted January 03, 2024in Des Moines Forgotten
When I first moved to Des Moines in 2007, I was rattled with lore and strange facts about the city. I had been gone from the state since June of 2004 and previously haunted only the eastern side. I only made one or two trips to or through Des Moines
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Posted December 06, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
In the late 1980s, my parents would take me to the Village of East Davenport to walk around and look at window decorations. The Village of East Davenport had its own version of the East Village Promenade that we know of here in Des Moines. The shops would be open
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Posted November 01, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
November is a weird a month. We move from “spooky season” to “second mortgage season.” It’s that time of year for us to be with our families, overspend at the grocery stores and cook a minimum of two large meals where only a fourth of the food is eaten. It’s
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