THE WEEKENDER
Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium
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Opportunities abound this weekend in the greater DSM area! Get creative at the Game Jam, go hard for the Bard with double Shakespeare opportunities or hit the local breweries for everything from spice to bikes. Top pick for the weekend: erstwhile Iowan John Darnielle brings the Mountain Goats back for a gig at Wooly’s.
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Lua Brewing
Kingmaker Kölsch Day
Jul 14 – Jul 15 –
Bringing a bit of Köln to Historic Sherman Hill.
More info >>
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Des Moines Botanical Garden
Music in the Garden
Jul 14 – 6:30pm
Don’t miss Music in the Garden, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden summer concert series presented by EMC Insurance Companies. Concerts will be held live and in person in the outdoor Koehn Garden
More info >>
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xBk Live
Bad Bad Hats
Jul 14 – 7:00pm
Bad Bad Hats with Gully Boys and Cavves
More info >>
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Gravitate Coworking
Hatchlings Game Jam
Jul 15 – Jul 17 –
Are you a developer, designer, or other creative in the Des Moines area? Then seize this opportunity to collaborate, network, and build something memorable.
More info >>
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Waukee Centennial Park
Waukee Arts Festival
Jul 15 – Jul 16 –
Music, 100+ artists, food trucks, beer garden, kids activities, and two concerts
More info >>
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xBk Live
Andrew Hoyt Album Release Show
Jul 15 – 7:00pm
More info >>
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Teehee’s Comedy Club
Alien Head Emoji
Jul 15 – 7:00pm
BlAS presents Alien Head Emoji! In one night you will see 2 stand up comedians abducted by an improv group and brainwashed to perform LONGFORM IMPROV COMEDY SCENES!
More info >>
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Blank Performing Arts
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Jul 15 – 7:30pm
Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by the DSM Opera.
More info >>
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Salisbury House and Gardens
Shakespeare on the Lawn: King Lear
Jul 15 – 7:30pm
Salisbury House Foundation (SHF) and Iowa Stage Theatre Company (ISTC) are excited to announce the return of a beloved summer tradition, Shakespeare on the Lawn, as a fundraising collaboration.
More info >>
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Hoyt Sherman Place
Don McLean
Jul 15 – 8:00pm
Don McLean American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour
More info >>
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Gas Lamp Des Moines
Calliope Musicals, Luke Bascom and the End Times
Jul 15 – 9:00pm
Calliope Musicals, Luke Bascom and the End Times at Gas Lamp
More info >>
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Evelyn K Davis Park
Christmas in July
Jul 16 – 11:00am
A free event with food, fun and lots of giveaways!
More info >>
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Exile Brewing Company
Spice Fest
Jul 16 – 1:00pm
Spice Fest: an event to celebrate local vendors of your favorite hot sauces, salsas, peppers, and everything in between!
More info >>
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Franklin Junior High School
Singing Black Stories: A Concert of Selected Works
Jul 16 – 2:00pm
Join us for a curated performance with Dr. Naomi André and members of the DMMO Apprentice Artist Program as they come together for a lecture and performance of selected works by Black composers.
More info >>
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Beaverdale
Beaverdale Bluegrass Festival
Jul 16 – 5:00pm
Seventh annual Beaverdale Bluegrass Festival!
More info >>
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Wooly’s
The Mountain Goats
Jul 16 – 7:00pm
The Mountain Goats at Wooly’s
More info >>
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Teehee’s Comedy Club
Wisenheimer: Uncensored, Long Form Improv Comedy
Jul 16 – 7:00pm
Wisenheimer | Uncensored, Long Form Improv Comedy
More info >>
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The Iowa Taproom
Moonlight Classic
Jul 16 – 7:30pm
Moonlight Classic at the Iowa Taproom
More info >>
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Album Review: William J Locker — ‘BRAINWASH’
by Genevieve Trainor, July 13
Those of us of a certain age who spent any time on the rave or club scenes during their heyday are familiar with that distinct sensation of coming out the other side of a night of partying, with the sun starting to rise and the DJ lifting the music along with it to something bright and effusive.
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Album Review: FlyLife — ‘A Different View’
by Chris DeLine, July 13
“Cause who the fuck gon’ save your family if it isn’t you?” raps FlyLife on the title track from his recently released album. “I know it’s usually guns and drugs but this a different view.” The song serves as the culmination of a broader idea, each prior track helping to redefine a concept of what it means to be successful. Throughout the release, the Des Moines-based MC does this by addressing cultural archetypes and challenging the proliferation of stereotypes in his own life — a contrast which speaks to the promise behind the album’s title.
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Contact Buzz: Girls Rock! Des Moines gives kids the instruments for confidence
by John Busbee, July 13
Girls Rock! Des Moines (GR!DSM) is a powerful music program for young women and gender nonconforming youth aged 8 to 18 using music, songwriting and unity to express themselves and elevate their creativity.
Since its initial summer camp in 2013, GR!DSM has conducted 19 summer camps, utilizing 247 volunteers and staff, for 586 campers served. Add weekend retreats, special events and the network of creative connectivity, and GR!DSM’s influence is year-round, anchored by its summer camps.
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Jane Smiley’s Iowa-set classic ‘A Thousand Acres’ is adapted to the stage for Des Moines Metro Opera’s 50th
by Rob Cline, July 13
When an arts organization celebrates 50 years of sharing wonderful work with enraptured audiences, the time is right to do something exceptional. The question, of course, is what that something should be.
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