Posted September 03, 2025in Feature 2
I pull off Highway 44 on a chance, turn off the car on a whim, step into a farmyard of swarming chickens with trepidation, and listen to an old man weave his stories. “Meryl Streep rode that bicycle right there.” The weathered, sober-looking man, straight out of a Grant Wood
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Posted August 06, 2025in Feature 2
Historically, Iowa has been barbecue challenged. Before refrigeration became common, the BBQ genre developed in the American South as the main method of preserving meat, seafood and poultry. In Iowa, ice was more expendable than hard wood, which was better used to heat homes. So, we built ice houses, and
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Posted July 02, 2025in Feature 2
Inspired by Japan’s Living National Treasures, the idea for CITYVIEW’s CHOICE awards originated 11 years ago. The Japanese program honors “preservers of important intangible cultural properties.” In the years after World War II, anxiety arose in Japan that their unique cultural traditions — noh, kabuki, origami, kumi, sumo, teapot ceramics,
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Posted June 04, 2025in Feature 2
This month, the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa (IACCI) breaks ground on a redesign of the majestic Butler Mansion. When complete, it will bring a museum, educational center, event space, cooking school, café, speakeasy, indoor and outdoor meeting places, suites, offices, commons, an Airbnb, and bocce ball courts to
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Posted April 30, 2025in Feature 2
It’s called “the beautiful game.” Soccer has been known as joga bonito since 1970 when Brazil’s national selection won the World Cup with “total football” teamwork that has been emulated ever since. No other sport is loved world-wide like the beautiful game. With its 90 minutes of constant movement, no
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Posted April 02, 2025in Feature 2
Growing up in 1950s Des Moines, my family’s backdoor neighbor was an elderly German professor of Humanities at Grinnell College. Because our backyards were our baseball fields, we kids had several run-ins with the prof whenever we tried to retrieve foul balls from his fenced-in yard. “Get out of
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Posted March 05, 2025in Feature 2
Des Moines, and Iowa at large, are often considered a flyover city and state. Tour locations for big-name music artists often include Minneapolis, Kansas City, Chicago, even Omaha — and then, maybe, Des Moines. Wells Fargo Arena certainly attracts household names, though. In recent years, Lil Wayne, Zach Bryan and
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Posted January 01, 2025in Feature 2
That aphorism is so rife with wisdom that it has been ascribed to the legendary philosopher Lao-Tzu, the Medieval Sephardic rabbi Maimonides, the Communist dictator Mao Zedong, plus the Buddha, the Bible and Native American wind talkers. Everyone wants to claim it. Its genius is realizing that charity can be best
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Posted December 04, 2024in Feature 2
Our Christmas classic for the holidays Publisher’s note: Forty-five years ago, when Michael Gartner was editor of The Des Moines Register, he walked over to the desk of writer Bob Hullihan and said, “How about writing me a Christmas classic for the holidays?” Hullihan said, “Sure.” And he did. It
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Posted November 06, 2024in Feature 2
On June 18, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, backed by the families of several murder victims, announced the launch of the first Iowa Cold Case Unit (ICCU). “We know that, with a cold case, a family is left in the dark, and a murderer is left walking free,” Bird said.
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