Friday night fireworks. Bobblehead nights. B-Bops burger races. The family-friendly fountain in right field. Win or lose, the Iowa Cubs continue to attract fans with as much entertainment as the biggest brand names in baseball across the entire country. Yes, the Iowa Cubs are a big draw in central Iowa. One of the reasons is [...]
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The high arts are flirting with existential jeopardy. What are the “high arts?” Late Des Moines artist Don Dunagan explained: “ ‘Titanic’ defined it. The music on the first class level was ‘high,’ and the music in steerage was ‘low.’ So were the clothes and food.” High arts’ elitism has always been swallowed with [...]
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Prom season is here. The annual tradition for high school juniors and seniors promises to bring more glitz and glamour each year. For many young people, this may be their most photographed event since birth. Vying for the attention of parents and students are local businesses promising to help prom-goers show up in style — [...]
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The citizens of Des Moines have some of the best work/life balance in the country, according to a study by CoworkingCafe.com. With the 32-hour work week proposed recently by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and mentioned under hushed tones by office workers who are slacking off at water coolers, work/life balance is on the minds of [...]
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If civil judgments don’t drain the Trump Machine into cashless-ness, the former president may want to open up theaters in the swing states for free showings of the Jason Statham movie “The Beekeeper.” Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer may be accidentally inspiring MAGA more effectively than any speechwriter in Trump’s infamously off-script political orbit. “The Beekeeper” is a trope built on a [...]
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The release of a new “Road House” film sparks both curiosity and skepticism. Attempting to fill the shoes of the gritty, sweaty Patrick Swayze classic from 1989 is no small feat. Sequels and remakes often struggle to strike the delicate balance between good and so-bad-it’s-good that defined many films from that era, with many tipping [...]
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Flying Mango has been around for a quarter century, 21 years at its present location in Beaverdale and five before that at farmers markets and as a catering service. Its name came because owner Mike Wedeking has been a licensed pilot for more than half a century, and mango is his favorite fruit. When Wedeking [...]
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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 lot of sense. My first [...]
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My dermatologist slowly goes over my bald head with gentle fingers and a calm voice. He dictates to his assistant as he goes — much like an explorer taking notes on the unusual flora and fauna found in this remote and inhospitable landscape: “Blah blah blah, and here’s a blah. Oh my, more blah blah. [...]
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Oh, those wicked thespians up north. Ankeny Community Theatre embarks on a classic lethal, suspense-laden romp with “Dial M for Murder.” It’s no secret that influences from “across the pond” have saturated America’s fascination with murder mysteries. Blame Britain’s 19th-century Industrial Revolution, which stimulated its passion to read about murder. Why? 18th-century Englishpersons often lived [...]
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“Unsustainable” is a fascinating word, especially when it is used in government and politics. Merriam-Webster, the dictionary folks, tell us unsustainable means something cannot be continued or supported. But in governmental affairs, that definition sometimes gets changed. Instead of something truly being incapable of continuing, the word often means the person using the term simply [...]
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Let’s begin with the obvious — my wife and I are lucky dogs. Duh. Here we are flying to France by way of Amsterdam, we’re watching nonstop movies for seven hours, and we’re requesting red wine when we’re tired of the white. Do we deserve our luck? Of course not. Who does? We are the [...]
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You won’t find a teacher or students writing their ABCs at this charming, refurbished one-room schoolhouse in Cumming, but you will see a chalk board with available house wines and musicians singing tunes. The Middlebrook Mercantile owners opened in 2022 in downtown Cumming. For newbies to Iowa — yes, that is the correct spelling of [...]
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Whenever I see a Jeep, it screams adventure. That rugged look and jacked-up body seem ideal for off-road trips. Maybe it’s from the TV commercials of a Jeep perched on a faux boulder. Regardless, when you take it for a spin, you’re bound to experience an exhilarating ride — even in Iowa. Jeep lovers agree. [...]
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Chris Vance’s annual show at Moberg Gallery cements his stature as Des Moines’ most popular painter. Some 32 of the paintings were sold before the exhibition even began. Vance consciously comments each year on what he finds most interesting about the contemporary world outside his studio. This year it’s AI and how it can regenerate [...]
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Local music lovers and concertgoers enthusiastically embraced the newly remodeled Val Air Ballroom, which re-opened for its first concert on Feb. 29. The Val Air, an 80-year-old iconic ballroom, located at 301 Ashworth in West Des Moines, recently completed a $15 million renovation. As I had attended concerts at the old Val Air, I was [...]
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Jake Christensen is a developer who has repurposed many of East Village’s 19th and early 20th century buildings, including E300 (Zombie Burger). That was a ground-up construction on a vacant parking lot with one of the largest residential geothermal systems ever in Iowa. We asked him to lunch, and he selected the original Thai Flavors [...]
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