Beaverdale Books thinks you should be able to read whatever books you want. Especially if irate parents and governing bodies are trying to keep them off of shelves. This Saturday, Oct. 7, Beaverdale Books will be capping off Banned Book Week with its own Banned Books Festival for the first time. The festival — which […]
Central Iowa
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Abe Goldstien’s Waukee jazz series showcases international talent on an ‘acoustically perfect’ stage
“Hey, if you’re passionate about it, figure out a way to do it yourself,” said Abe Goldstien, explaining the philosophy that has made his local concert series, Jazz at the Caspe Terrace, a magnet for international jazz talent for 15 years. After all, Goldstien has had a passion for jazz since his boyhood in Rochester, […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
The Planned Parenthood Book Sale will end this year after 62 years in Des Moines
Since 1961, the Planned Parenthood Book Sale in Des Moines has been a major fundraiser supporting the work of Planned Parenthood educators as they provide accurate, fact-based and comprehensive sex education to people across the state. “Proceeds from last year helped Planned Parenthood educators host 461 programs that reached 15,563 teens, adults, parents, and families […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, in office since 2003, will not run for reelection
Frank Cownie announced on Wednesday he will not run for another term as mayor of Des Moines in November’s election. The 75-year-old Cownie is in his fifth term as mayor, and is the longest-serving mayor in Des Moines history. “It has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life to serve as […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Whatever happened to the Riverview Music Festival?
Something has been conspicuously missing from Central Iowa’s fall festival lineup for the past two years. The Riverview Music Festival was held in Des Moines for the first, and likely last, time Sept. 4-5, 2021. The fest was focused on providing musical entertainment to underserved demographics in the neighborhoods around Riverview Park. The lineup included […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Have a story from Harlan’s Barbershop? Jill Wells wants to make it a part of her new Des Moines art piece
Barbershops have long served as social and cultural hubs for Black Americans, and Harlan’s Barbershop, open for half a century in Des Moines’ Woodland Heights neighborhood, was no exception. Harlan’s opened in 1968; that same year, construction finished on I-235, which had displaced thriving Black businesses, churches and communities in the Center Street district, not […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Pella’s new one-day, all-Iowa music festival kicks off Saturday
Four months after Tulip Time and less than three months before Kerstmarkt, the Dutch Christmas Market, Pella is hosting a slightly edgier event in their picturesque downtown. The Pella All Original Music Showcase is a free concert featuring exclusively Iowa-based bands making original rock, electric and alternative music. Bands scheduled to perform at the debut […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Peace Tree — one of Iowa’s oldest breweries, with two locations — is up for sale
Peace Tree Brewing Co., one of the pillars of the Iowa craft beer scene, is up for sale. “Peace Tree is not closing its doors,” owner Megan McKay said in a news release on Thursday. “Normal operations will continue uninterrupted, and plans for 2024 are already in motion with some exciting new beers we think […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Special election will decide Sheumaker’s replacement, Des Moines City Council votes — and the first candidate has already declared
The Des Moines City Council voted unanimously on Monday to fill its vacant Ward 1 post by means of a special election. The seat has been officially empty since Aug. 31, when Councilmember Indira Sheumaker resigned after six months of unexplained absences from board meetings. There was no discussion before the vote during the council’s […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
A new, free Des Moines music festival unites six genres: Afrobeats, blues, classical, hip hop, jazz and Latino
Central Iowa’s freshest music festival is already bigger than its creators first imagined. Billy Weathers, better known as the hip-hop artist B. Well, and Ashley Eidbo, a double bass player in the Des Moines Symphony (DMS), first connected backstage during DMS’s Yankee Doodle Pops concert last summer. (Weathers was invited to the event to sing […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Indira Sheumaker steps down from Des Moines City Council with more than two years left on term
Indira Sheumaker has resigned from the Des Moines City Council. According to a statement from Mayor Frank Cownie, Sheumaker’s father Randy hand delivered a resignation letter from the councilmember on Monday. The handwritten letter, dated Aug. 31 and signed by Sheumaker, was one sentence in length. “I resign from my position as councilperson Ward 1 […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Des Moines’ Fleur Cinema opens on Friday after three-year closure
One of Iowa’s favorite indie movie theaters is finally back in bloom. After three years without regular showings, Des Moines’ Fleur Cinema & Cafe (4545 Fleur Dr) announced its imminent return in late July. On Tuesday, they confirmed they’d be back on Friday, Sept. 8, with showings of new features — including My Big Fat […]
