THE WEEKENDER

Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium
Enjoy the cooler weather of the first weekend of fall with music, comedy, poetry and more! Top pick? Get out into the breeze with a wander around the 51st Octagon Art Festival in beautiful downtown Ames.




Franklin Avenue Library

Banned Books Scavenger Hunt

Sep 18 – Sep 24 –

September 18-24 is Banned Books week, which is a yearly event that celebrates the Freedom to Read.


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Dog-Eared Books

Poetry Slam

Sep 22 – 7:00pm

Poets, rejoice! Share your written creations and revel in the shared power of poetry.


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xBk Live

Together Pangea w/The Cavves

Sep 22 – 8:00pm

First Fleet Concerts Presents: Together Pangea with The Cavves & Daizey


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xBk Live

Jon Wayne and the Pain

Sep 23 – 7:00pm

Dub, Reggae, Electronic from Minneapolis


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Teehee’s Comedy Club

Chastity Washington

Sep 23 – 7:00pm

Chastity is a regular at the Laugh Factory and Comedians You Should Know, and a headliner at Zanies Chicago.


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Noce

Andrew Walesch Jazz Orchestra

Sep 23 – 7:00pm

Join Minneapolis-based, nationally renowned performer Andrew Walesch and his orchestra for an exciting new show.


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Hoyt Sherman Place

4 Day Watercolor Class (Teen-Adults)

Sep 24 – 10:00am

Introduction and advancement in watercolor techniques.
Students will learn how to use an artistic process to inspire ideas and develop art skills.
All skill levels welcome! Materials provided.


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Grand View University

Alice Aycock Public Lecture

Sep 24 – 3:00pm

Join us for an intimate discussion with world-renowned artist Alice Aycock as she discusses her storied career and her recent creation, “Liftoff”.


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xBk Live

Casey Joe Collins Album Release w/J.Jeffrey Messerole and Sara Routh

Sep 24 – 7:00pm

A steward of the road and custodian of its tales… xBk Presents Casey Joe Collins


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Gaslamp

Weakened Friends & Maita

Sep 24 – 7:00pm

Weakened Friends & MAITA


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Hoyt Sherman Place

The Cult

Sep 24 – 7:30pm

Mammoth Presents: THE CULT


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Ames

Octagon Art Festival

Sep 25 – 10:00am

Stroll along lovely Main Street in downtown Ames while you check out the live music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities.


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Des Moines Civic Center

Des Moines Symphony Season Debut: Gershwin, Rodrigo & Ravel

Sep 25 – 2:30pm

Season debut! Classical guitar’s brightest star headlines a dazzling program packed with new and familiar classics.


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Val Air Ballroom

Jason Isabell and The 400 Unit

Sep 25 – 8:00pm

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit with special guest Olivia Jean


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Sheslow Auditorium

Governors of Iowa: Robert D. Ray Premiere + Discussion

Sep 26 – 7:00pm

Join Iowa PBS for an in-person premiere from the new series, Governors of Iowa


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Gas Lamp Des Moines

Agent Orange and The Complete Disaster

Sep 26 – 7:00pm

American punk rock band Agent Orange at Gas Lamp


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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT





Five questions with Sharon Isbin, the ‘high priestess of the guitar,’ ahead of her Des Moines concerts

by Lily DeTaeye, Sep 21
Sharon Isbin has been called “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” “finer even then Segovia,” and “the high priestess of the guitar” by news outlets across the world.




‘It was always about building it, destroying it, rebuilding, destroying’: The Cult’s new musical era brings them through Des Moines

by Kembrew McLeod, Sep 8
On a magical summer evening in 1986, after a fiery performance by the Cult, the sun refused to set. The band’s shows radiated a mystical quality that could realign heavenly bodies, though this anomaly of nature occurred because Finland’s Provinssirock Festival took place north of the Arctic Circle.

Independent Iowa News, Culture & Events.