Bamie’s Pizza
When I think of pizza, I believe there is hope in the world. It’s one of the few foods that seems to unite everyone, regardless of social status. Growing up [...]
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Posted April 05, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
Posted March 01, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
Cup O’ Kryptonite
I moved back to Iowa from Colorado in 2007. I settled in Des Moines on the south side without knowing anyone. I had a dodgy (but also cheap) apartment on [...]
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Posted February 01, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
The Varsity
The first story I wrote for this column back in 2017 was on the love story that followed Des Moines’ Varsity Theatre. Bev Mahon fell in love with his future [...]
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Posted January 04, 2023in Des Moines Forgotten
The blizzards of Des Moines
As I write this on the afternoon of Dec. 20, my phone is blowing up with warnings of the upcoming blizzard that is forecasted. The temperature has dropped significantly in [...]
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Posted November 30, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
The PS Lounge and The Blue Goose
I love the history of gay bars. One of my favorite films is “Cruising,” directed by William Friedkin, based on the book by Gerald Walker. Seedy gay bars in the [...]
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Posted November 02, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
A romanticized view of raised-by-Grandma turkeys
I’m busy. I know a lot of folks from generations before me don’t understand this. Take your normal seven or eight hours in a workday and turn those into 12 [...]
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Posted October 05, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
Beggars’ Night
I’m beating a dead horse when I talk about Beggars’ Night versus Halloween. Seemingly every news station and media outlet will have yet another story about the history of Beggars’ [...]
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Posted August 31, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
LOOK Magazine
“Radical on the social issues of the 1960s — women’s issues, counterculture, and even a gay couple that were clandestinely married by a renegade minister” LOOK Magazine was founded in Des [...]
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Posted August 03, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
Punk rock in Iowa
When I started my radio show “Iowa Basement Tapes” in July of 2018, I set out to research and preserve Iowa’s punk rock and counterculture history. Over the last four [...]
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Posted July 06, 2022in Des Moines Forgotten
KRNT Theater
I am forever a student when I hear stories about Des Moines’ music history. The majority of my passions stands with the state’s punk rock scene, but I enjoy more [...]
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