THE WEEKENDER
Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium
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There’s a chill in the air and a ghoulish grin on faces young and old as holiday festivities continue around Central Iowa. Catch some family friendly fun at Blank Park Zoo’s Night Eyes or the Pumpkin Walk in Valley Junction. Or enjoy the adult festivities at Night of the Living Drag and Stranger Queens! Top pick of the weekend? Don’t miss the Music U showcase Sunday evening featuring Dessa and Open Mike Eagle.
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The Weekender is sponsored by:
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Blank Park Zoo
Night Eyes
Oct 20 – 5:00pm
One of Iowa’s sweetest family Hallowen traditions, Night Eyes returns to Blank Park Zoo.
More info >>
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Star Bar
Andrew Fuller Meet & Greet
Oct 20 – 5:00pm
Fundraiser for One Iowa Action and a meet and greet with Andrew Fuller
More info >>
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Lefty’s Live Music
Alluvial
Oct 20 – 5:00pm
Alluvial w/Forever Tormented, Ataraxis & Mutually Assured Destruction
More info >>
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Willow on Grand
Lunafest
Oct 20 – 6:15pm
Join us for an evening of friends and films benefitting Girls on the Run of the Central Iowa!
More info >>
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RAYGUNshirts
Therapist Meetup with Stacy Nakell + Goldfinch Counseling
Oct 20 – 7:00pm
Storyhouse is proud to host our first Therapist Meetup in collaboration with Goldfinch Counseling.
More info >>
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Des Moines Civic Center
Salem
Oct 20 – 7:00pm
Ballet Des Moines proudly presents the world premiere of Tom Mattingly’s SALEM.
More info >>
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Scare DSM
Night of the Living DRAG
Oct 20 – 7:30pm
ScareDSM’s annual fundraiser makes its return this October promising a night full of kings, queens, and SCREAMS!
More info >>
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Confluence Brewing
Confluence 10th Anniversary Weekend
Oct 21 – Oct 23 –
More info >>
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Moberg Gallery
Opening Reception: Ruben Sanchez
Oct 21 – 5:00pm
Ruben Sanchez’s first solo show in the US, Human Nature, brings to Moberg Gallery a celebration of the human condition.
More info >>
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Lefty’s Live Music
Druids, Greg Wheeler, Poly Mall Cops, Glass Ox
Oct 21 – 6:00pm
Join us for an evening of pure debauchery
More info >>
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Noce
Rachel Eckroth w/Eric Thompson & Co
Oct 21 – 7:00pm
Playing music from Rachel’s Grammy Nominated Album, The Garden
More info >>
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Teehee’s Comedy Club
Ali Macofsky: Stand-Up Comedy
Oct 21 – 7:00pm
Ali Macofsky: Stand-Up Comedy at Teehee’s Comedy Club
More info >>
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xBk Live
Flashforce University Graduation Show
Oct 21 – 8:00pm
Come see the latest graduates of FlashForce University as they strut their stuff on stage for the first time ever!
More info >>
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Platform
Stranger Queens: Immersive Event
Oct 21 – 10:00pm
Say hello to Des Moines’ newest immersive event.
More info >>
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Des Moines Botanical Garden
Pilates and Plants
Oct 22 – 10:00am
Join the Botanical Garden and Club Pilates for Pilates and Plants!
More info >>
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Alluvial Brewing Company
Oktoberfest
Oct 22 – 5:00pm
Beer + Food + Music
More info >>
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xBk Live
Coral Thede
Oct 22 – 7:00pm
Writer, performer, comedian, trailblazer and visionary
More info >>
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Des Moines Civic Center
Des Moines Symphony: The Firebird
Oct 22 – 7:30pm
Award-winning pianist Charlie Albright returns to Des Moines in a brilliant showcase of stunning moments and orchestral thrills.
More info >>
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Teehee’s Comedy Club
Midnight, Moonlight & MAGIC
Oct 22 – 11:30pm
A variety of your favorite magicians all in a single show!
More info >>
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Drake University Olmstead Center
Music University Conference
Oct 23 – 10:30am
Music University Conference: an annual conference and showcase presented by the DMMC for musicians and music industry workers in Iowa.
More info >>
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Des Moines Mercantile
Mercantile Market
Oct 23 – 1:00pm
Mercantile Market will take place on October 23 from 1-6pm- a day to support local craftsmanship and curation right in our parking lot!
More info >>
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Valley Junction
Pumpkin Walk
Oct 23 – 2:00pm
Join the fun on Sunday, October 23 in Historic Valley Junction from 2-5 pm.
More info >>
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xBk Live
Music University Showcase: DESSA w/ Open Mike Eagle and Colo Chanel
Oct 23 – 6:30pm
Des Moines Music Coalition presents: DESSA w/Open Mike Eagle and Colo Chanel
More info >>
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Artisan Gallery 218
Meet the Authors: Kay Fenton Smith and Carol McGarvey
Oct 24 – 6:30pm
Meet the Authors: Kay Fenton Smith and Carol McGarvey
More info >>
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Writing led Dessa to hip hop. Her music career brought her back again — and into the Iowa literary world
by Kembrew McLeod, Oct 10
“After like two years of rejections,” Dessa wrote on Twitter in early 2021, “my short story just got accepted into a literary magazine, and I am about to order the fuck out of some takeout.”
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Inspired by the infamous witch trials, Ballet Des Moines’ ‘Salem’ stages a raging fire of fear
by Courtney Guein, Sep 19
Ballet Des Moines pulls from a moment in history this fall to show that different doesn’t mean dangerous. Taking a history lesson from the Salem witch trials, choreographer and Ballet Des Moines Artistic Director Tom Mattingly was certain that people need to be reminded to not judge a book by its cover.
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Des Moines Playhouse aims to fund new addition with Tomorrow Begins Today campaign
by Lily DeTaeye, Oct 19
The Des Moines Playhouse is about halfway to their goal of raising $3,500,000 to create a new facility for the Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre. The “Tomorrow Begins Today” capital campaign is accepting donations that will be used to upgrade theater technology, equip the theater with more comfortable and accessible seating, and expand dressing rooms to accommodate all genders and age groups, among other goals. |
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Five questions with author Adib Khorram, who explores queerness through the lens of a boy band in his latest YA novel
by Lily DeTaeye, Oct 13
The Kansas City native is the bestselling author of the YA series Darius the Great and a 2021 picture book, Seven Special Somethings: A Nowruz Story. His 2022 release, Kiss and Tell, is a YA novel about Hunter, the 17-year-old queer lead singer of boy band Kiss and Tell. Although Hunter has always been comfortable in his skin, chaos ensues when his ex leaks personal details about Hunter to news outlets just as the band begins their national tour. What follows is a reckoning on ego, stereotypes, and our duty to the narratives outsiders create around us.
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Sherman Hill’s neighborhood-wide Halloween celebration will rise from the grave on Oct. 31
by Courtney Guein, Oct 19
The oldest neighborhood in Des Moines is back with their beloved Halloween tradition after a two-year hiatus. Halloween on the Hill returns to the Sherman Hill neighborhood on Oct. 31, larger than ever. |
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