Iowa’s environmental failures are as self-evident as its industrialized farms, murky rivers and expanding algae blooms.
PLUS!
Small-farm wins
Booker T. remembers the M.G.s India Cafe’s buffet is back, baby
ESSAYS
The Florida-Iowa line
RAGBRAI’s one-note music lineup
A spirit of creativity, collaboration, and exploration lives at the heart of our performing arts activities at the University of Iowa. The School of Music, Department of Theatre Arts, and Department of Dance have drawn talented students and exceptional faculty to Iowa City for decades.
The dedicated, experienced professionals in our Performing Arts Production Unit not only make campus performances possible (and spectacular) but also provide deep learning experiences for university students who gain the skills necessary to succeed in their chosen field—even if that field is not in the arts.
Hancher Auditorium contributes to the university’s robust performing arts culture by welcoming artists from around the country and the world to perform for and create with those on campus—as well as K–12 students and people of all ages in the wider community.
Together, these five units pursue the vision of Performing Arts at Iowa: building a first-choice, destination performing arts campus at the University of Iowa.
LEARN MORE AT PERFORMINGARTS.UIOWA.EDU
PERFORMING ARTS AT IOWA
PRODUCTION
• Guest artist master class with Frederica von Stade
Thursday, September 14, 11:00 a.m.
Voxman Music Building / Recital Hall
• Key Change Piano Revolutionaries Series Fall Concerts
Voxman Music Building / Concert Hall
• Sunday, September 24, 3:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 22, 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.
• Scott Dunn guest piano recital with Nathan Platte
Thursday, November 2, 7:30 p.m.
Voxman Music Building / Recital Hall
Scott Dunn guest piano recital featuring his arrangements of mid-century modernist film scores with commentary and cinematic elements from film music scholar Nathan Platte
• The University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra and Choirs
Wednesday, November 29, 7:30 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating
• Estamos Aquí: An All Latin Celebration Kathleen Marie Guerrero (Artistic Director) (Directora Artística)
Friday, September 15
Theatre Building / Alan MacVey Theatre
Co-Presenting organizations:
Latino Native American Cultural Center
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Directed by Mary Mayo
October 6–8 and 11–14
Theatre Building / E. C. Mabie Theatre
• Men On Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus
Directed by Mary Beth Easley
November 3–5 and 8–11
Theatre Building / David Thayer Theatre
• Collaboration with the International Writing Program as part of Hancher’s Infinite Dream festival. Details to come.
• MFA Thesis concert 1: L.D. Kidd and Todd Rhoades
October 26–28
Space Place Theater
• Dance Gala with guest artist Aaron Samuel Davis
November 10–11, 7:30 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating
• The full Hancher season will be announced July 12! Tickets for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Herbie Hancock, and Rhiannon Giddens are on sale now!
HANCHER.UIOWA.EDU
PRESENTED BY HANCHER AUDITORIUM AND THE OFFICE OF PERFORMING ARTS AND ENGAGEMENT
LOVE IN EXILE featuring AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER, and SHAHZAD ISMAILY and MAKAYA MCCRAVEN: IN THESE TIMES
Presented in collaboration with Feed Me Weird Things
LONNIE HOLLEY and MOURNING [A] BLKSTAR
JOHN IRVING and LAN SAMANTHA CHANG
Presented in collaboration with the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, University Lecture Committee, Iowa City Book Festival, the Iowa City Public Library, and Refocus Film Festival
SPHINX VIRTUOSI
MODEL/ACTRIZ
ANDREW SCHNEIDER: N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (THE STARS)
Presented in collaboration with Creative Matters, a program of the Office of the Vice President for Research
OCTOBER 11–21 |
FULL LINEUP AND SCHEDULE WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN EARLY FALL 2023
OCT 11
Wednesday, October 11 / 7:30 p.m
The Englert Theatre
OCT 12
Full lineup and schedule will be announced in early fall 2023
FEATURING AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER, AND SHAHZAD ISMAILY
MAKAYA MCCRAVEN: IN THESE TIMES
Thursday, October 12 / 7:30 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium
OCT 13
JOHN IRVING
IN CONVERSATION WITH LAN SAMANTHA CHANG
Friday, October 13 / 7:30 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium
SPECIAL GUEST: TBD
Friday, October 13 / 9:30 p.m.
Gabe’s
OCT 14
SPECIAL GUEST: LONNIE HOLLEY AND MOURNING [A] BLKSTAR
Saturday, October 14 / 7:30 p.m.
Hancher Auditorium
OCT 18–21
N O W I S W H E N W E A R E (THE STARS) BY ANDREW SCHNEIDER
Wednesday–Saturday, October 18–21
Hancher Auditorium
FESTIVAL PASSES ARE ON SALE NOW!
Tickets for individual events will go on sale July 17 (donor presale) and July 31 (general public).
HANCHER.UIOWA.EDU/INFINITEDREAM
LittleVillageMag.com/
INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS
Since 2001
LittleVillageMag.com
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Little Village (ISSN 2328-3351) is an independent, community-supported news and culture publication based in Iowa City, published monthly by Little Village, LLC, 623 S Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Through journalism, essays and events, we work to improve our community according to core values: environmental sustainability, affordability and access, economic and labor justice, racial justice, gender equity, quality healthcare, quality education and critical culture. Letters to the editor(s) are always welcome. We reserve the right to fact check and edit for length and clarity. Please send letters, comments or corrections to editor@littlevillagemag.com. Subscriptions: lv@littlevillagemag.com. The US annual subscription price is $120. All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. If you would like to reprint or collaborate on new content, reach us at lv@littlevillagemag.com. To browse back issues, visit us online at issuu.com/littlevillage.
13 Ad Index
17 Letters & Interactions
19 Time Capsule Dale
22 Contact Buzz
25 Fully Booked
26 Essay: Floridian in Iowa
28 Dirty Water
37 Local Farmers
39 Keith Summerville Q&A
41 Bread & Butter
42 Essay: RAGBRAI Music
42 Prairie Pop
48 A-List: ICNC
50 A-List: Nur-D
53 Events Calendar
67 Dear Kiki
69 Astrology Forecast
71 Album Reviews
75 Book Reviews
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INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS
Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com
EDITORIAL
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Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com
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July Contributors
Ariana Martinez, Avery Gregurich, Candice Smith, Courtney Jackson, Erin McCuskey, John Busbee, Julia DeSpain, Kembrew McLeod, Kent Williams, Loren Thacher, Maxwell Ostby, Mike Kuhlenbeck, Rhys Davis, Sam Locke Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Sean Dengler, Steven A. Arts, Tom Tomorrow
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Meet this month’s contributors:
Candice Smith has more than 20 years with the Iowa City Public Library. You can find her at the Info Desk, managing the adult nonfiction collection and Art To Go, and leading walking tours while discussing an 1881 murder.
Courtney Jackson is a senior at Drake University. She served as Features Editor for The Times-Delphic, Drake’s student newspaper.
Julia DeSpain is a part-time freelance illustrator and full-time creative coordinator for Iowa Valley RC&D. She lives in Iowa City.
Kembrew McLeod is a founding Little Village columnist and the chair of Communications Studies at the University of Iowa.
Kent Williams lives, works, writes and complains in Iowa City.
Send us a
You could see your bio here.
Issue 319 , Volume 2
July 2023
Cover by Julia DeSpain
In this issue, LV explores how Iowa’s swine republic props up a shit industry (literally) at the expense of farmers, animals, grocery shoppers and clean drinking water. Plus: RAGBRAI, R&B history, special events and farmers doing it the right way.
Loren Thacher is a writer, musician and radio host based on the Iowa/ Illinois border.
Mike Kuhlenbeck is a freelance journalist and National Writers Union member based in Des Moines.
Rhys Davis is a 28-year-old Cedar Rapids native living in Des Moines. He’s a digital marketer by day and writer, producer and musician by night.
Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.
Sean Dengler is an Urbandalebased writer and columnist for the North Tama Telegraph/Traer StarClipper.
Steven A. Arts is a writer and photographer living in Cedar Rapids.
Culture writers, food reviewers and columnists, email: editor@littlevillagemag.com
Illustrators, photographers and comic artists, email: jordan@littlevillagemag.com
Four of the top stories featured last month in the LV Daily, Little Village’s weekday afternoon email written by Paul Brennan. Subscribe at littlevillagemag.com/support
Three bodies recovered from Davenport building collapse; lawsuit filed against owner (June 5)
The bodies of all three people missing after the collapse of the downtown Davenport apartment building on May 30—Branden Colvin, Sr. Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien—have now been recovered, Police Chief Jeff Bladel said at a city news conference. As plans for demolition move forward, the first civil lawsuit related to the collapse has been filed in Scott County district court.
Iowans’ abortion rights preserved as justices fail to reach decision on Reynolds’ petition (June 16)
Abortion remains legal in Iowa up to the 20th week of pregnancy as Gov. Kim Reynolds’ latest effort to outlaw almost all abortions in Iowa failed on Friday. The Iowa Supreme Court split 3-3 on her unprecedented petition to have the court dissolve the 2019 permanent injunction on the six-week abortion ban the governor signed into law in 2018, leaving a lower court ruling rejecting it.
Four historic sites illuminate Iowa’s role in the Underground Railroad (June 20)
Iowa wasn’t just a free state as a matter of law—many of its residents had a strong anti-slavery conviction, and contributed to the Underground Railroad, well before Iowa became a state in 1846. Existing historical sites range from a southwest town where anti-slavery militants trained to a southeast town overrun by an armed mob of slavers from Missouri.
KCCI chief meteorologist resigns after receiving death threat for discussing climate change (June 22)
KCCI chief meteorologist Chris Gloninger announced on Wednesday he is leaving the Des Moines television station, citing family health issues and PTSD resulting from a death threat he received because of his on-air discussions of climate change. “Police are investigating. It’s mentally exhausting & at times I have NOT been ok,” he posted to Twitter.
Arnott & Kirk (79)
Baker Paper & Supply (37)
Broadlawns Medical Center (46)
Catch Des Moines (49, 80)
Cedar Rapids Community
Concert Assiciation (63)
City of Iowa City (38)
City of North Liberty (38)
Coralville Public Library (76)
Des Moines Art Center (46)
Des Moines Metro Opera (35)
Des Moines Playhouse (41)
Downtown Iowa City (14-15)
- The Green House
- Release Body Modifications
- Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe
- Hot Spot Tattoo & Piercing
- Critical Hit Games
- Record Collector
- Yotopia
- Beadology
- Mailboxes of Iowa City
- Basic Goods
- Fix!
- Revival
FilmScene (59)
Firmstone Real Estate (16)
Firmstone Real Estate (44)
Full Court Press (23, 31)
Goodfellow Printing, Inc (16)
Goodfellow Printing, Inc. (44)
Greater Des Moines Botancal Garden (6, 72)
Hancher Auditorium (2-5)
Highland Park/Oak Park Neighborhood (42-43)
- Des Moines Mercantile
- Bill’s Window and Screen Repair
- The Collective
- The Slow Down
Historic Valley Junction (35)
Honeybee Hair Parlor (11)
House of Glass (47)
Indian Creek Nature Center (55)
Iowa City Public Library (74)
Iowa Department of Public Health
(13, 20, 24, 61, 68)
KRUI 89.7 FM (11)
Kim Schillig, REALTOR (34)
Martin Construction (21)
Micky’s Irish Pub (72)
Musician’s Pro Shop (16)
Musician’s Pro Shop (44)
Nearwood Winery & Vineyards (20)
New Bohemia & Czech Village (19)
- Next Page Books
- SOKO Outfitters
- Goldfinch Cyclery
- NewBoCo
- The Daisy
- Cobble Hill
New Pioneer Food Co-op (8)
Nodo (57)
Northside Marketplace (32-33)
- John’s Grocery
- Oasis Falafel
- Marco’s Island
- Russ’ Northside Service
- Pagliai’s Pizza
- R.S.V.P.
- George’s
- Artifacts
- Press Coffee
- Dodge St. Tire Orchestrate Hospitality (65)
Orchestrate Management (21)
Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (78)
Primary Health Care (30)
Public Space One (69)
Raygun (52)
Riverside Theatre (45)
Science Center of Iowa (54)
Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (34)
Summer of the Arts (70)
Taxes Plus (57)
The Club Car (34)
The Englert Theatre (51)
The Iowa Children’s Museum (72)
The James Theater (61)
The Wedge Pizzeria (39)
UI Stanley Museum of Art (65)
Varsity Cinema (47)
West Music (68)
White Rabbit (72)
Wig & Pen (39)
Willow & Stock (11)
World of Bikes (54)
xBk Live (57)
Who reads little Village?
You would know if you had syphilis.
Syphilis is a sexually transmissible infection (STI). It’s more common and easier to get than you might think. Not everyone who has syphilis has symptoms, so people often don’t realize they have it. If you do have symptoms, they can include a painless sore or rash. Thankfully, syphilis is easy to test, treat and cure! If you’re sexually active, make sure that getting tested syphilis is part of your regular health routine.
Find a testing location near you: gettested.cdc.gov
Free and low-cost options available.
An estimated 14% of people in Iowa living with HIV don’t know their status. Testing is the only way to know your HIV status.
The CDC recommends everyone get tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime and more often when needed.
Board Games. X-Wing. HeroClix. Miniatures. L5R. Pokemon. Yu-Gi-Oh. Vinyl. Retro toys. Pop vinyl & plushies. Gaming & collectible supplies. Huge Magic singles inventory plus we buy/trade MtG cards. Weekly drafts, FNM, league play, and frequent tourneys.
Now buying/selling/trading games & toys! Bring in your Nintendo Gameboy, NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Sega, WiiU, Xbox 360, PS1-2-3, & other used games, consoles, action figures, and toys for cash or trade credit!
Fun atmosphere and great customer service!
Always buying & selling quality vinyl records, CDs & turntables.
LV encourages community members, including candidates for office, to submit letters to Editor@LittleVillageMag.com. To be considered for print publication, letters should be under 500 words. Preference is given to letters that have not been published elsewhere.
This letter has been edited for length. Read it in full at littlevillagemag.com.
SOME OF yOU MAy HAVE SEEN that this year in May, the mayor of Des Moines asked citizens to not mow our lawns, for the sake of pollinators and local wildlife. If you’re a tree hugger like me, this excited you quite a bit. Think about it: not hearing the grinding whirr of lawn mowers throughout the city even for just a little bit, seeing bumble bees and butterflies around homes again for what may be the first time in years for some people. But in May I ended up seeing way fewer people than I thought I would going along with this proclamation. I enjoyed the few I walked past that let the prairie that was once here re-emerge from our monocultured
manicured lawns. I know very well that there are people that think letting nature do its thing is unsightly compared to everyone’s flat green carpets.
There are many reasons for this way of thinking. HOA laws. Neighbors complaining. But at the root of it all is why we continue to maintain turf lawns in the first place.
Turf lawns were and are above everything else, a status symbol. They gained popularity with the monarchy and the nobility in Europe, showing off that they had enough man-power to flatten entire acres of grasslands with scythes and trimmers pulled by hooves and feet and hands way before lawn mowers were invented. Yet even then, they made more of an effort to take care of the nature in these flattened areas than most common folk here
ever have. They fertilized these areas naturally. They planted chamomile and thyme and different types of ground cover to make it easier to maintain.
This all changed drastically with industrialization. Immigrants here wanted to show off that they came from nobility or worked up to their status by mimicking the evergreen flat grasslands that were so iconic to status there. Of course, this was not good for biodiversity or nature here. The turf we maintain here takes so much water and irrigation to maintain because it does not belong here, and never has. We parch this land and cause it to crack and dry and crumble by only letting turf grasses with one-inch roots grow, and the drought will only get worse as the planet heats up. I won’t even get started about the fact that Walmart sets out RoundUp on the shelves right by the front door, urging people to kill and poison the only distinguishable life in their yards. Don’t buy RoundUp.
I could go on and on about what lawn culture has done to life on Earth, but what
I really want to focus on here is, why only May? Why shouldn’t we want to let pollinators and life here thrive all year, every year?
To me, lawn culture is an epidemic that needs to be extinguished. There is no reason we should still be following suit on a trend from the 1600s that we shouldn’t have started in the first place. It is unsustainable and wasteful. What grows here, belongs here— or, that’s how it should be.
—Sam Moon, Des MoinesGary Barta, UI’s embattled Athletics director, abruptly announces retirement (May 26)
Smart, get out before the Brian Ferentz project! —Tom W.
Something must be up. More to this story coming later? —David P.
I don’t think so. He’s been mulling this over for a while from what I’ve heard. With the cancer scare
transition. He definitely was not forced out. This was 100% his decision. —Chuck W.
Finally, and good riddance. —Susan F.
He should have been gone long ago! —Connie F.
something must be up. Anyway, thanks for the lawsuits, Brian Ferentz, and eliminating several men’s sports.
David M.Next stop for Sioux City powerlifter Mitchell Betsworth: the 2023 Berlin Games (June 8)
a couple years back and with the AD being in a good place, probably just felt like a good time to step away. Iowa has a star in the making in house so it should be a seamless
Wow! Congratulations! SO MANY will be cheering you on. You are AWESOME! —Connie W.
REPRESENT MITCHELL! —Ellie
Meet Dale, a Gen X townie who fell asleep in 1996 and woke up in 2023.
All I wanted was a beer garden, a barstool with a lil-bit-a duct tape and a proper breaded pork tenderloin. Not too much to ask for during an ideal spring day trip to Marion. To my astonishment, the Horseless Carriage has turned into a (kind of) Friendly Confines in Linn County—7th Avenue in Marion now includes Wrigleyville Sports Pub, a Cubs-themed concept bar that this baseball lover could get used to, and quickly.
A few shared pitchers later, I’m ready to hang out in the comfort of a more familiar venue—if I can manage to find one!
A few blocks down the road, inside a minivan with nine new drinking buddies, we stop in Uptown Marion to discover that one of Eastern Iowa’s most legendary bars is nowhere to be seen. Alley Oops is gone, replaced with a public library. A blue-collar institution, lost to the ages. Did someone save the Blues Brothers poster at least?
What’s more, I’m told the tornado slide and old-ass fire engine have been removed from Thomas Park, and MHS doesn’t play football there anymore! I tell my fellow beer guzzlers to go on without me; as Dan Conner once said, “I can’t believe I’m too depressed to drink.”
I look up and a young man named Travis Ried urges me to buck up and enjoy Marion for what it is now. Just that moment I notice Zoey’s Pizzeria, open and ushering customers through the door. I speedwalk over and order the biggest Chicago-style pizza they bake, passing it around to everyone who wants to party with me Marion-in-2023 style.
Travis called me an Umbro cab or whatever, and I tipped my hat to the former Marion Maid-Rite location where my family got into a heated argument and a one-sided food fight. Family moments are precious, even when a crinkle-cut French fry is whizzing through the air.
—Jay Goodvin[Update:] Mitchell won silver overall!!! —Cristin M.
‘If I don’t stick up for the drag queens, who’s gonna stick up for me?’: a Q&A with James McMurtry ahead of his sold-out Iowa City show (June 10)
Nearly 20 years ago when James McMurtry played the Iowa Arts Festival he spoke out for human rights from that stage and a few people were upset that he brought politics into his show. The rest of the crowd were cheering. It was awesome to see a huge group of people cheering for a better world. —Katie R.
Four historic sites illuminate Iowa’s role in the Underground Railroad (June 20)
We have a station in Eldora. Many
Spring Roll is seeking a new pad. The 2-yearold husky mix likes running at the speed of light, singing in languages lost to time, and snuggling as tight as rice paper. Hungry for some Spring Roll? Meet her at the Iowa City Animal Center. If you hit it off, you don’t even need to pay the adoption fee; Half Moon Kennels has sponsored several dogs in the shelter, including Ms. Roll. Visit icanimalcenter.org.
“Land, water and vegetation are just that dependent on one another. Without these three primary elements in natural balance, we can have neither fish nor game, wild flowers nor trees, labor nor capital, nor sustaining habitat for humans.”
––Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling (1876-1962), twotime Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist
I’m often asked why my writing and radio show, anchored in arts and culture, frequently strays into broader topics, like the environment. By taking a broad sweep of the cultural brush, it helps me and, hopefully, my audiences better understanding how everything ties together.
The greater our awareness of our surroundings—our environment—the greater our abilities to follow a basic creed, to make this a better world. In an interview, Micaela Preskill, Midwest States Advocate for the E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) organization, addressed two issues often seen as one or the other: economy and environment.
Inflation Reduction Act which is, hands down, the most ambitious piece of legislation the U.S. has taken to invest in clean energy and clean economy. We are already seeing the impacts of that law on the ground in places like Iowa. We [E2] have been tracking large scale clean energy projects since the law passed. We’ve tracked about 180 new projects bringing $81 million in private investments to the country.”
It’s short-sighted to push the environment and the economy into conflict. Those espousing capitalism claim that environmentalists impede their right to industry, while environmentalists can be perceived as anti-business.
Preskill addresses this, continuing that “E2 is a network of business leaders who do business in all 50 states, in all aspects of the economy, and our members understand that the environment and the economy are inextricably linked.” Not only does investing in clean energy build the economy by creating new jobs, it also allows us to avert “the rising cost of inaction by not acting on climate change.”
Collaborating to reduce climate change is the sensible course. If America’s economy embraces the teaming of economic growth coupled with environmental healing, efforts become sustainable for a better future.
“There are already more than 3.2 million clean energy jobs in this country—about 30,000 in
small towns played an important part in the railroad. —Lynette M.
There’s a marker outside the depot in West Liberty marking [an 1859] escape to freedom. —Dan S.
It literally crossed the farm I grew up on, following the Mormon handcart trail. —Timothy N.
It is worth remembering the rare and brave people willing to break the law to stand for justice. Today, those heroes would be called traitors by the GOP. They’d be called “Critical Race Theorists”, “groomers” or any other name the GOP uses to demonize and scapegoat people of conscience. Perhaps there are laws that morality might compel us to break today. —I.C.
And yet here we are going red banning actual history in favor of white washed ones… —Ellie R.
I was on the National Historic Landmarks Committee when the Hitchcock House received its designation. It’s a fantastic siteand an inspiring story.
—Ronald M.J.“When you look back at the process [recent debt ceiling debate], it’s highly alarming because essentially Republicans in Congress were willing to gamble away the clean energy and clean economy incentives that were passed last year that are revolutionizing our economy,” Preskill said. “They were willing to gamble all of that away in the name of politics to raise the debt ceiling.”
E2 is national, nonpartisan organization proving economic and environmental issues can, and must, be two sides of a winning coin for everyone’s future.
“The good news is that Congress took a huge step in the right direction at the end of last summer,” Preskill added. “Congress passed the
Iowa,” Preskill said. “That’s before Congress enacted the Clean Energy Reduction Act. Those jobs are about to skyrocket.”
Denying this doomsday express of environmental problems barreling down the tracks at us is foolhardy. Younger, more nimbly proactive generations can tip the balance toward a recovering environment.
Still, action is needed now. Contact local, state and congressional leaders to express your desire for leaving this a better world for future stakeholders. If our country’s leaders listen to what the majority of its citizens want, then the artists, creatives and other contributors to our aesthetics will have an environment where they can flourish for generations to come.
I recently discovered my 4x great grandfather, Isaac Newton Griffith, was a conductor in Poweshiek County, Iowa on the UGRR. The Iowa Freedom Project confirmed his activism, and I couldn’t be more proud! I would love to learn more about his role and the UGRR in Iowa. Any advice? —Lissa
MarieI highly recommend reading ‘Necessary Courage Iowa’s Underground Railroad in the Struggle against Slavery’ [by] Lowell J. Soike. —Jenny
J.H.KCCI chief meteorologist resigns after receiving death threat for discussing climate change (June 22)
So sorry this is happening to Chris. Today’s world has become so
We can’t afford to keep pitting the environment against the economy.
“Republicans in Congress were willing to gamble away the clean energy and clean economy incentives that were passed last year that are revolutionizing our economy. They were willing to gamble all of that away in the name of politics to raise the debt ceiling.”
––Micaela Preskill
crazy and yes even very dangerous.
—Bruce A.Dear god. I can’t think of anything more delusional and unhinged than threatening someone for bringing up climate change. —Samuel
F.W.Sorry to hear this. You were terrific in Boston. Sad that there is so much hate in the world. —MaryEllen W.
Thank you ‘Little Village’ for always covering the news that is pertinent and meaningful to our community. I hope Gloninger finds solitude.
—Michael N.Chris was such an important voice in this market. The hate that has silenced him is unbearable!
—BrandSpec Marketing
Good for him, taking care of himself and fam, and pursuing an even more meaningful career. Boo on extremists for instilling fear in those who are simply concerned for the common good. —Belinda B.
I’m so sorry. Thank you for your efforts and I hope for you better things and a more peaceful environment. —Ann
G.“I’d love to change the world, but I don’t know what to do, so I’ll leave it up to you...” (Ten Years After) Might be the way I feel right now.
—Donna H.L.The world is literally burning and a meteorologist is receiving death threats. No words. —I.S.
Iowa state parks preserve lush corners of a landscape 98% altered by agriculture (June 23)
The story of Iowa’s land evolution is a tragedy. We do have so [many] amazing state parks, but when you look at Iowa from a jet or satellite, it’s clear how little is left for the biodiversity of plants and animals.
—Belinda B.Copies of Little Village are available at more than 400 locations in Eastern Iowa. Check out the live map of all our locations to find your neighborhood rack:
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• Solon/Mt Vernon
• West Liberty/West Branch
• Hills/Washington
• Riverside/Fairfield
• Quad Cities
To request copies in your area, or to add your business as a distribution location, contact distro@littlevillagemag.com today!
June is here! For me that means it’s almost time for two of my favorite reading situations: one, where I’m in a very comfy chair, near the water, preferably on a beach; and two, where I’m traveling to the place where the book I’m reading is set. In both, I’m reading something with twists and turns, full of surprises and intrigue, with a memorable cast of characters in interesting locales. So naturally, many of my preferred vacation and/or beach reads are nonfiction. Here are some of my all-time favorites.
Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City has got to be one of the best nonfiction works in recent history. It’s a story that has it all: one of the world’s major cities, built up by some of the most well-known architects of the 19th century; the World’s Fair, full of new inventions and curiosities from around the world; heaving masses of travelers and city-dwellers in a city that offers everything from splendor to squalor; and, of course, a prolific serial killer in the midst of all this. Larson is a master at uncovering the details and tying the stories together to create a mesmerizing picture of turn-of-the-century Chicago at its most exciting and terrifying. Readers can even take a quick trip to the city to marvel at some of the architecture featured in the book, and avail ourselves of some of Chicago’s lovely beaches.
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John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil might have you ready for another kind of road trip. Berendt spent almost a decade living in sultry Savannah, Georgia, and his book is a portrait of a varnished, genteel city with a memorable array of inhabitants living outlandish lives. There’s an out-oftime feeling to this story, with the homes, manners and speech of a seemingly more-refined era, but an undercurrent of physical and moral decay pervades everything. The murder that is at the center of the story is, in all honesty, almost mundane when compared to the other goings-on.
Other books that will keep you firmly glued to your beach chair or send you scurrying to the airport: The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr, which will make you want to track down and see every Caravaggio painting that exists (that we know of!); The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, which delves deep into the murky worlds of vintage and fake wines, and those who will stop at nothing to get them; and The Lost City of Z by David Grann, a mesmerizing account of the search for a fabled city in the Amazon, and the disappearance of British explorer Percy Fawcett.
Finally, two books that that will appeal to real adventurous travelers are Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger (which I read while on a very smooth-sailing ferry from Greece to Italy), both of which focus on the most extreme of environments and are cautionary tales of the truest sort.
—Candice Smith
Loving an Iowan is easy, but opening one’s heart to the Hawkeye State and all its contradictions can be difficult— and hit close to home.
By ARIANA MARTINEZIknew nothing about Iowa before I knew it was taking my partner away from me. The original plan was to break up at the end of the summer, before college; four years later, we’ve somehow made the long distance work.
The first time I visited Billy in Iowa was fall 2019. Since then, I’ve returned almost a dozen times, though all of these visits were mere glimpses. Ames and Des Moines were the only two cities I interacted with on trips that never lasted longer than a week, and Billy didn’t have a car, so we grew cozy in the college town.
That is, until this past April, when I could visit for three weeks. Coupled with a four-wheeled gift from his late grandmother Elinor, her camping hat still tucked into the map pocket, we knew we wanted to do some exploring so we’d no longer be tourists in his home.
I searched for general events happening in the state. Our first excursion was to the Hotel Chauncey in Iowa City to support FilmScene—I am nothing if not a dutiful film major—for a special showing of one of my favorite films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Billy had never seen it before, and the opportunity to watch it in theaters was not to be missed, even if it required a two-hour drive.
The screening began with a lecture by the head of the University of Iowa Neuroscience Department, and ended with many tears and used tissues. It’s nice to be reminded to hold onto the person you love and be able to clutch their hand instead of a phone when you do.
Next up was Maifest in the Amana Colonies. On our Wine and Chocolate Walk, I admired a homeowner patiently tending to their beautiful garden in the superb heat, and was moved to tears by the fiddle- and flute-playing of local band Blame Not the Bard. Watching a mother casually jig while holding her son, I felt so content and joyful to be alive alongside a community of listeners and dancers.
As we stopped for gas to head back, sirens blared. A look of horror dawned on the faces of the family next to us; the daughter frantically handed her dog to someone else, the mother shrieked out the window toward Billy, “What do we do?” and Billy shrugged, “I don’t know.”
We found ourselves driving on the outskirts of a tornado, Elinor’s car rocking fearsomely and enduring hail pellets.
It stopped once we arrived at the Meskwaki settlement, the beautifully colored water tower reminding us we were halfway home. Our final detour was to Cumming’s Middlebrook Mercantile for a wine tasting featuring performances by the Des Moines Metro Opera. This was two days before my flight back home, and what’s more operatic than a lovers’ goodbye with wine?
While I was there, Big Wigs, the only gay bar in Ames, announced they would close at the end of May. Though I’d only gone twice, Billy and his friends frequently attended Bingo Night, and never again would we hear everybody’s favorite host, Coco, enthusiastically declare, “B11, legs to heaven!” It’s a devastating loss, certainly because of its significance to the queer community but also because it was a genuinely spirited spot
in a city of bars filled with rustic wooden beams and not enough pink. It was then that a veil began to lift from my eyes.
We drove to Teehee’s Comedy Club in Des Moines, and multiple comics made jabs at my home state and governor. I am a born-and-raised Floridian, currently under the thumb of Ron DeSantis, and though I had taken two planes to arrive in Iowa, I was not nearly as distanced from this man as I wish I could have been.
In the past few months, DeSantis has sponsored and signed legislation harming communities I and those I love belong to. It’s incredibly disheartening to see similar legislation in Iowa; it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, I suppose, as DeSantis once labeled Iowa “the Florida of the Midwest.” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has similarly signed bills criminalizing transgender identity, including SF538 and SF482, which prevent the use of bathrooms that don’t correlate with your assigned sex and the gender transition of minors, respectively. Most recently, SF496 places Iowa and Florida K-6th teachers in the same boat: banned from discussing gender identity and sexuality in the classroom, using a child’s preferred pronouns without first consulting parents and carrying certain “inappropriate” books.
Retired teacher Don Parkhurst’s incredible piece in the Des Moines Sunday Register made a strong defense against the banning of literature he once taught in his curriculum, and astutely noted what these targeted books tend to depict: repressive societies, poverty or alienation, characters of color and corrupt institutions. The people who are meant to protect us fear the spaces and texts that validate and empower us. We are losing agency over our own identity and education.
The romance I once associated with Iowa was magical, but also youthful naivete, and those three weeks on the ground allowed me to reach a better understanding of a complex state that still holds promise and charm, but not unlike Florida, requires awareness and compassion to protect. I am reminded of the value of staying and fighting.
Whenever I fly into Iowa, I look out the window and notice how the land looks like a quilt, the product of a collective of hands, all stitched in devotion. I’m not sure if Billy will find work in Iowa once he graduates, if I’ll earn a Master’s in film at UI, if Iowa will ever become our longterm home. But for nearly four years, it has taken care of the one I love, and I’d like to do what I can to take care of it too, harvesting my experiences and honoring it the best way I know how.
The romance I once associated with Iowa was magical, but also youthful naivete, and those three weeks on the ground allowed me to reach a better understanding of a complex state that still holds promise and charm, but not unlike Florida, requires awareness and compassion to protect.Courtesy of the author
When the two rivers that run through Des Moines are too polluted to meet the city’s water needs without extensive, expensive treatment, it may be time to push back on Big Ag.
By PAUl BRENNAN
Ten years ago, the state of Iowa published its Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS), a plan to reduce the amount of nitrate and phosphorus polluting not just the state’s waterways, but that of everyone downstream from Iowa, until the pollution flows into the Gulf of Mexico, where it helps create the massive dead zone that forms every summer.
Agricultural runoff is the source of almost all that nitrate and phosphorus in Iowa’s water. That’s not surprising since about 30 million of the 36 million acres that make up the state’s total landmass are devoted to raising crops and animals. The pollution comes from excess fertilizer flushed off fields by irrigation, rain and melting snow, as well as fecal matter leaking into streams from that state’s many industrial-style concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
The NRS contains a compendium of best practices for Iowa farms and other agricultural operations, and its overall goal is an eventual 45 percent reduction in nitrate and phosphorus loads in the state’s water. Not even the biggest professional cheerleaders for Iowa agriculture would claim the state has met or is about to meet that goal. But that didn’t stop them from making vague claims of success during events at the end of May to mark the NRS’s 10th anniversary.
“What we have been focused on the last 10 years is not just talking about doing things, but getting work done,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said at an anniversary event on a farm in Story County. “There has never been more people, more resources, more actual work getting done in the state of Iowa than there is today.”
Proponents of the status quo in Iowa point to the data published on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) that show a drop in nitrate loads in recent years. But IDALS and everyone else agrees that drop reflects the lack of rain in the state over the last four years. Little rain means less water to move nitrates off fields, and as of the end of June, 83 percent of Iowa was experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions.
To Alicia Vasto, water program director at the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC), comparing IDALS latest measurement of the amount of nitrate and phosphorus flowing out of the state to the figure from 10 years ago is a better indicator of what has happened since the NRS was introduced.
“Those show that the nitrogen and phosphorus loads leaving the state are not really different than the baseline measurements,” she told Little Village. “We should be well on our way towards the 45 percent reduction goals.”
IEC has launched a site dedicated to examining Iowa’s water quality over the last 10 years. Its name, Iowa’s Declining Decade, suggests what the environmental nonprofit has found. But possibly the most telling number about water quality in Iowa is 50 million. In its capital improvements budget released earlier this year, the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) projected it will spend as much as $50 million in the coming years on its newest project to secure clean water for its customers.
“I don’t think the amount of change that has happened thus far has made any impact on water quality,” Des Moines Water Works CEO and General Manager Ted Corrigan replied when asked what improvements he’s seen over the first 10 years of the NRS.
DMWW provides water for approximately 20 percent of the state’s population. That water is drawn from the Raccoon River and Des Moines River as they run through the city, as well as shallow groundwater sources, which are fed by the two rivers.
“Both the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers are certainly impaired in terms of quality and their ability to serve as a source water for the metro area,” Corrigan said.
In 2021, the Raccoon was ranked as one of America’s 10 most endangered rivers by the environmental group American Rivers, due to pollution from agricultural runoff. The nitrates in the river will even seep into the DMWW groundwater sources.
To handle the challenges presented by its water sources, DMWW has built an advanced nitrate removal facility, one of the biggest in North America, for when nitrate concentrations in the river are higher than normal equipment to handle.
“Last year, we ran the facility for a month or so,” Corrigan said. “It was the first time in at least four years that we had to run it.”
That four-year break is the result of a lack of heavy spring rains, as Iowa endured abnormally dry weather. When the nitrate removal facility is running, it costs DMWW about $10,000 a day to operate.
In recent years, DMWW has seen a growing challenge in the summer months as algae blooms that are fed by the nitrates increase.
“Not so much in the Raccoon, but very often—pretty much annually—on the Des Moines River we’ll see that,” Corrigan said. “We believe it has something to do with the Saylorville Reservoir.”
The low-head dam on the river in Des Moines has also
Not even the biggest professional cheerleaders for Iowa agriculture would claim the state has met the goal of an eventual 45 percent reduction in nitrate and phosphorus loads in the state’s water. But that didn’t stop them from making vague claims of success during events at the end of May to mark the NRS’s 10th anniversary.
The Gulf hypoxia zone, July 25-31, 2021. LUMCON/NOAA
seen an increasing problem with algae blooms. DMWW is working with the Army Corps of Engineers and researchers at Iowa State University to better understand these blooms.
The algae can block the filters DMWW uses, but more importantly, it can also produce toxins—in particular, microcystin, a toxin that can cause liver damage and has been linked to cancer.
“That is something we’re not well equipped to remove, so it’s best for us just to avoid using a source that has that kind of contaminant in it,” Corrigan said.
DMWW stops drawing water from the Des Moines River when the blooms are a problem.
“In the fall as the water cools off and the algae die off, we start to see nitrate come up again. It’s
just kind of a rolling cycle of challenges all the time. The good news is though we’re pretty wellequipped to deal with most of those challenges, so we can provide clean and safe drinking water for our customers.”
To help cope with the challenges, DMWW is planning to establish a series of radial collection wells along the Des Moines River. The wells are placed next to the river, and reach a depth of up 60 feet. The wheel then acts like a hub for perforated pipes that run parallel to the river, or even beneath the riverbed. Those pipes collect river water that has passed through the alluvial sand and gravel, which function like a giant filter that eliminates almost all the pollutants in the river water, as well as any algae or viruses.
The water in the wells is clear, as opposed to the water in the rivers, which “often looks like a chocolate milkshake,” Corrigan explained.
“The wrinkle there is that it’s extremely expensive to build” radial collection wells, he added. •
Even if DMWW spends $50 million or more on the new wells, there is ultimately no engineering solution to Iowa’s water problems, Corrigan stresses. Real improvements will only come with the adoption of more responsible agriculture practices, like the ones included in the NRS.
“All those practices show promise and there are points of light all over the place, but they just are not being implemented at the scale needed,”
he said.
The NRS contains no mandatory actions. Everything is voluntary. The majority of Iowa’s elected officials at the state level, and all of them in federal office, back the voluntary approach. To the extent the Iowa Legislature has acted on
issues in Iowa, in private industry, at public utilities and most recently as a research engineer at the Iowa Flood Center, part of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR), the University of Iowa’s Hydroscience and Engineering center. At the center, Jones oversaw the sensor system that
It’s hard to fathom just how much waste 100 million Iowa farm animals produce every year, but Chris Jones made an attempt in 2019. The number in red is how many humans it would take to create the equivalent amount of shit as Iowa’s livestock residents, according to Jones’ calculations.
Hogs
83.7 million people
Beef cattle
25 million people
Laying chickens
15 million people
Dairy cattle
8.6 million people
Turkeys
900,000 people
these issues in recent years, it’s been to strip local governments of any authority to regulate where CAFOs are located.
Left to its own devices, Iowa wouldn’t even have an NRS. In 2011, the EPA ordered all the states whose rivers flow into the Mississippi River to develop nutrient reduction strategies in response to the growing dead zone in the Gulf Mexico, which is caused by agricultural pollutants depleting the oxygen content of the water.
For the past several years, there’s been no better guide to Iowa’s ag-afflicted water than Dr. Chris Jones. Jones, whose Ph.D. is in analytical chemistry, spent his career working on water quality
monitors water in the state’s rivers.
When he started at UI in 2015, the university was encouraging faculty and staff to create blogs to share their work with the public. Jones did, creating a blog hosted on the IIHR site. At first, he wrote mainly for academic readers and other professionals. But after a while, Jones decided to try to write for a wider audience.
“The public wasn’t hearing what the true stories were in terms of water quality,” he explained. “So much propaganda is put out by the ag advocacy organizations and also state government that I thought it was important to try to describe these issues in real, honest terms to general audiences.”
The essays Jones published on his blog are now available in the recently published
If Iowa actually had the number of people needed to produce the estimated amount of shit in those statistics, Iowa would have to add 134 million people to its 3.2 million. There would only be nine countries in the world with larger populations.
The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality by Chris Jones
June 2023
ICE CUBE PRESS
“The public wasn’t hearing what the true stories were in terms of water quality. So much propaganda is put out by the ag advocacy organizations and also state government that I thought it was important to try to describe these issues in real, honest terms to general audiences.”
––Dr.ChrisJonesChris Jones Jerry Uhlman
collection, The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality The book is essential reading for anyone trying to understand why Iowa finds itself in its current situation.
Starting in the 19th century, tile drainage became common in Iowa. Pipes with perforated covers are buried in farm fields to quickly remove excess water and lower the water table, making the soil better suited for crops like corn. The tile system bypasses the soil and plants that would normally help filter out things in the water like nitrates from fertilizers.
Except in the northeast corner of the state, tile drainage became the norm on farms. It’s especially dominant in western Iowa and the north central part of the state (which is a watershed for
DMWW’s supply).
And over the last 50 years, commercial pressures have led to Iowa farms concentrating on just two crops: corn and soybeans. Those two crops cover 25 million of Iowa’s 30 million acres devoted to agriculture. As crop diversity on farms declined, the need for fertilizers, pesticides and equipment to apply those chemicals increased. It’s a farming model Jones calls “max acres.”
“If a piece of land isn’t being farmed, you’re not selling seed there, you’re not selling chemicals there, you’re not selling equipment there, you’re not selling insurance there,” he explained. “There’s no grain to be shipped from that land by truck or train. All this activity on this private land in Iowa, crop production, juices the system
20% of Iowa’s population gets its drinking water from the Des Moines Water Works
$10,000
Estimated cost to run the Des Moines Water Works nitrate removal facility for one day
50%
of farm fields in DMWW’s central watershed area would need to be planted with cover crops to make the needed difference in nitrate runoff
1%
Estimated percentage of farm fields in DMWW’s central watershed area that are currently planted with cover crops
with cash. We have a system that’s designed for commerce.”
It’s not a system that benefits smaller farmers, who see their costs for chemicals and fuel increase every year, and Jones points out it leads to bad practices, like farming up to the edge of a stream, making runoff even more likely. But the system has ensconced itself at the heart of Iowa’s economy, and is defended by politicians of both parties.
Jones’ writing began to reach a much wider audience when he turned his attention to shit. Literally.
As diversity decreased on Iowa farms, livestock was phased out. But even as the number of farms raising cattle decreased, cattle numbers in Iowa increased thanks to CAFOs. Those industrial-style operations are also why Iowa raises more hogs and chickens than another state.
In a 2019 essay on his blog, Jones worked a formula to estimate how many humans would be needed to produce the same amount of shit all those animals do. The formula was complicated, but the results were eye-opening.
According to Jones’ estimates, Iowa’s hog population produces roughly the same amount of shit 83.7 million people would. Beef cattle shit on the same scale as 25 million humans. For laying chickens, it’s 15 million.
“You have to create a visual that people can relate to,” Jones said.
Jones’ public profile as an expert of water quality grew, but not all the new attention focused on his work was favorable.
“The story told to me was Zumbach and Shipley came to [UI’s lobbyist at the state capitol during this year’s legislative session], and said, ‘You can’t be over here asking for money for various programs, especially the Iowa Flood Center, and continue to let this guy do what he’s doing with this blog,’” Jones recounted.
Zumbach and Shipley are Dan Zumbach and Tom Shipley, both farmers and both senior members of the Republican caucus in the Iowa Senate. Zumbach chairs the appropriations subcommittee of the Senate Ag committee, which Shipley also serves on.
Zumbach has denied threatening UI’s funding over “the content of a blog.” Shipley hasn’t responded to media inquiries. UI isn’t commenting.
Jones said his boss told him he needed to move his blog off of UI servers, so he transferred it to Substack at the beginning of April.
“The whole thing got me thinking,” Jones said.
He thought that even if his blog was no longer hosted by the university, his writing could still pose a problem for his colleagues and important water quality programs. To avoid future problems, Jones announced in April he would retire from UI in May. He said he’d been planning to retire “in a year or two” anyway.
“And then Zumbach, three weeks later, sponsored this bill to kill the water quality sensor network, this program that I managed at the university.”
Jones is referring to an appropriations bill that cut the budget of ISU’s Nutrient Research Center by $500,000, the exact amount it was going to use to fund the sensor network. The center says it can still support the network in the coming fiscal year, and is looking for new sources of funding non-state sources of funding for it.
The $500,000 cut from the center was redirected to IDALS, which Senate Republicans say can better use it.
“The sensor network may survive in some sort of shape or form; I don’t know what it will look like,” Jones said.
“So what’s next?” Ted Corrigan asked rhetorically near the end of his interview with LV. “We can’t just continue to pollute rivers with impunity and think that anyone who needs to use them downstream will just pay to clean it up.”
Vasto and IEC, Corrigan and Jones that some degree of regulation of ag practices will be needed to improve things, but none of them are hopeful it will happen. There’s no appetite for new regulation at either the state or federal level. And there’s very little existing regulation. Even the Clean Water Act exempts “normal” agricultural runoff from regulation.
There are some voluntary efforts making a difference. Vasto points to Polk County’s program encouraging farmers to install bioreactors, which are small ditches filled with wood chips placed at the edge of fields to help slow and filter water runoff. DMMW is partnering with Polk County and IDALS to promote the planting of cover crops. ISU is endorsing the use of prairie strips, native plants used to create borders between fields and streams. And there are some farmers all around the state determined to use best practices to improve the environment. But none of it is happening at a large enough scale to counter the damage being done by max acres.
“And who gets short-changed by all this?” Jones said. “The public.”
These small farmers are being the change they want to see in Iowa agriculture, with a little help from animals, earthworms and each other.
By SEAN DENGlERIt will take a lot to turn the massive ship of Big Agriculture around in Iowa, even if the benefits—from improved water quality to a more competitive food market—are many. It is important for those who reside in the city and are generations removed from farm work to understand the perils of the modern Big Ag system.
While farms tended by their own owners are few and far between, there’s still a strong community of hands-on farmers across Iowa providing a more sustainable model for growing food than industrial operations.
“Agriculture needs to stop pretending we don’t have problems and get busy focusing on solutions,” said Zack Smith, a farmer in north central Iowa. “It is not just good for other people downstream or people in the city, but it is good for the farm, too. That’s the thing I think people fail to realize a lot of the time: that a lot of these improvements are better for everyone.”
Smith utilizes stock cropping to grow Iowa’s signature plants, corn and soybeans, across 1,200 acres in Winnebago County.
Stock cropping, according to Smith, “is the process of planting a cash crop like corn every 20 feet and interlacing it with a pasture strip every 20 feet. You replicate the pattern across the field. On the pasture strips, you raise three or four different species of animals.”
A solar-powered, autonomous grazing barn moves the animals throughout the pasture, distributing manure, reducing the need for synthetic nutrients by 80 percent and contributing to a 30 percent increase in yield. The runoff most harmful to water quality—nitrates in animal waste—
“side-dressing”—he applies it to the strip right beside the plants. Other farmers tend to apply anhydrous ammonia in the fall, leading to a greater chance of nitrates entering the watershed. This prevents the need to turn up the soil, reducing surface erosion, while giving crops a more efficient means of accessing nutrients.
“I put about a third of nitrogen down with planter and two thirds at side-dress when the corn is taking off,” he explained.
In addition to efficiently using his nitrogen,
are immediately taken up by the pasture.
While stock cropping currently only takes up five or six acres on the farm, Smith employs other sustainable practices. He strip-tills his entire field, leaving space between each row of crops. When the time is just right to add nitrogen to fertilize the corn—a process called
Smith has utilized cover crops on all his acres since 2014. He plants cereal rye in the fall to help reduce wind erosion on this strip-till land, suck up excess nitrates and stimulate soil biology.
On a much smaller, more colorful plot of land to the southeast, Molly Schintler helps grow food for her neighbors as a part of the team at
“It is not just good for other people downstream or people in the city, but it is good for the farm, too. That’s the thing I think people fail to realize a lot of the time: that a lot of these improvements are better for everyone.” ––Zack SmithMolly Schintler works Echollective Farm’s produce stand at the Iowa City Farmers Market. Jordan Sellergren / Little Village
Echollective Farm in Mechanicsville. This 50-acre farm grows diverse vegetables, occasionally cultivating 10-15 acres of flowers and mushrooms as well. Most of the yield is sold at farmers markets in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, distributed through a 120-member community supported agriculture (CSA) program, sold in grocery stores or used in restaurant kitchens, including at Cornell College.
“We aren’t certified organic, but we do use organic practices, meaning we don’t spray, never have, never will spray synthetic pesticides or herbicides,” Schintler explained.
Echollective utilizes crop rotation to maximize their yields, as “different crops take different nutrients from the soil.” Rotating the crops grown each season also helps reduce pest and weed problems.
In addition to avoiding chemicals and rotating crops, Echollective also leaves wild spaces full of native plants and animals to help pollinators thrive.
These different sustainable practices have been transformative. As Schintler said, “The makeup of the soil has completely changed over the last 20-plus years.”
She noted how, after years of row crop farming on the land, there were no earthworms—a key ingredient in any healthy soil. After years using these sustainable practices, Schintler said, “We get a good rain and there are those worm holes everywhere because the soil is so alive.”
Jeff Olson said his fields see plenty of worms as well. Olson farms over 1,300 acres in the Winfield-Swedesburg area of Henry County, utilizing erosion-mitigating techniques such as waterways, no-till farming and cover crops, which emulate the prairie by covering the ground all year in diverse species with varied root depths.
“The earthworms love cover crops, and soils are a lot more crumbly,” he said, noting that organic farms tend to stay greener longer in the spring.
Farming for the future requires regular education and a willingness to adapt. Smith’s stock cropping innovation was inspired by seeing other farmers find success with strip intercropping, he said. But other Iowa farmers—or, specifically, landowners—willing to try something totally new can be few and far between.
“You have to drive 60 miles to find the next village idiot that’s wanting to do some wild stuff,” Smith said. “The people who think this way are not the people scaling acres in Iowa.”
“It is as much about the people and community, and building that in a very sustainable way that places equity at the center, as it is about the land,” Schintler said of Echollective’s approach
to farming.
Olson agreed: “I wish we weren’t so darn focused on money and ‘bigger is better.’”
He also believes in better utilizing Iowa land. “There’s a lot of wasted ground in Iowa that we could be farming and growing vegetables in … We don’t have to ship [in] produce from California year ’round.
“We need more farmers to do it right.”
The last question, “What do they wish they could change about agriculture in Iowa?” was the toughest for all the farmers. Each of them paused after hearing it because they know the struggles in the current system of agriculture in Iowa, and how it affects not only farmers but citizens.
Smith answered, “I wish I could change Farm Bill policy that would alter the demographic makeup of who controls Iowa land and how it is farmed and maintained because we’ve lost a third of our topsoil over the last 140 years of farming or whatever.” This unsustainable soil loss led him to say, “We need to build in the external costs that are not included, things like the cost of water quality of, you know, what is going down the river, the cost of soil loss from—in my opinion—what are poorer farming practices that increase that.” He sees taxation, or something like it, as a way to correct this problem.
He also highlighted the need to get fresh blood into the farming industry, attracting young people to replace some of the many “guys that are 80 years old” collecting “subsidized crop insurance.”
“I would love to see land ownership or those who are farming better reflect the racial diversity we see in our population,” Schintler noted, adding, “There is a really promising way forward with more cooperative and collaborative models of land ownership and business.”
Water quality was also an important part of agriculture to change for Schntler because she believes there is not a future in which water quality can stay the same. Sustainability not only protects the bottom line by preserving Iowa’s lucrative soil, but prevents the poisoning of the streams, rivers and gulfs humans rely on to survive.
“When we think about caring for the Earth through farming,” Schintler said, “it is just as important to think about caring for people in the community.”
Sean Dengler is an Urbandale-based writer and member of the Practical Farmers of Iowa, an organization that does excellent work highlighting sustainable agricultural practices and allowing like-minded farmers to share and learn from each other’s ideas.
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Iowans are taking notice of the environmental changes affecting not only the livability of the state, but the globe.
Keith Summerville, a professor and the chair of Environmental Science and Sustainability at Drake University, started at Drake in 2002 and has been working in the field for over 26 years, He’s published dozens of peer review papers, including 12 with undergraduate students, and has secured over $250,000 in grants to support student research.
Summerville is currently working on a sustainable forestry project in southern Indiana, trying to forest corridors for biodiversity in western Rwanda, and is researching grazing management of tallgrass prairies here in Iowa.
“I really want my students to appreciate that environmental issues are complex, that there is no ‘magic’ single solution that solves everything,” he said. “Experiencing an ecosystem is the only way you can understand it, and I love being a guide in that process.”
Little Village asked Summerville the questions a new student might have for the professor, in hopes of better understanding his work.
What got you interested within the field of environmental science? Was there a specific moment that you knew you wanted to do this work? It’s easy for me to figure out what got me into this field because I was an outdoor rural kid. I mean I grew up on 50 acres of land, hunting, fishing and running around in the woods. I think that those formative youth experiences, being outside significantly more than inside, really catalyzed my love for doing this kind of work.
Are there any specific environmental issues that we should know more about in our state? I think that what tends to be said a lot when this question is asked, is issues such as global climate change or water quality. These two issues are known as “Iowa’s biggest problems,” [however] I don’t really see that while I am out doing research. I don’t think that there is any [one] large issue that takes over, but there is something we refer to as stacking within this field. I mean, imagine you are literally stacking cups on top of one another— those [stacks of problems] are some of the biggest issues that we are facing. Let’s look at habitat—this
is a very large issue and isn’t by itself when you think of loss of habitat or conservation. All of these issues just stack upon one another.
Are there any Des Moines specific issues that we should make sure to focus on? I think that the Des Moines metro has done a very good job of getting people out into the environment and getting them connected. Just getting a good look of nature on our paved trail systems that we have. There is one thing that the people of the metro need to think of, and that is [asking], how big are we going to get? I’m not saying that like it’s good or bad, but we need to constantly be asking that question.
What do you feel are the biggest challenges with trying to fix these issues? I think that there is a combination of challenges that make trying to fix these issues interesting. It feels like playing a game of whack-a-mole at times—the minute you solve one thing, some new challenge springs up and you’ve got to turn your attention to that.
Why should Iowans even care about these issues? Because everything that we do or touch is tied back to the natural world. I mean, most of our economy here in Iowa is based back to the natural world. Let’s take the example of rare earth metals—if those become in short supply, that means no more phones, since our phone battery uses those rare earth metals to function. Even electrical cars that have nickel, cadmium and lithium will cease to exist. So, everyone should try to be more mindful of taking care of our world and trying to steward the best that we can.
Courtney Jackson is a senior at Drake University, majoring in Magazine and Brand Media. She has been writing ever since high school, writing for various online websites, newspapers and magazines, recently being the Features Editor for The Times-Delphic, Drake University’s newspaper.
There is a fine art to curating the perfect plate from the India Cafe lunch buffet, one of the best lunch spots in downtown Iowa City (finally back to normal operations in spring 2023 since shuttering in March 2020), and it begins by circling the steaming table of options at least once before even picking up your plate.
After 25 years of frequenting this Iowa City institution, I now know to order the mango lassi to drink, every time. It is the perfect compliment to the food, with its smooth refreshing not-toosweet yellow mango shine that somehow manages never to be too sweet or too sour. It’s not a juice, iced tea or smoothie, but creamy combination all its own.
After you have circled to make your buffet plan I caution you consider this; use the rice sparingly. The delicious basmati is always fluffy and fresh but it can get in the way of trying a bit of everything. The first plate is going to have at least one piece of garlic naan, the soft flatbread which can be torn to cradle small dollops of vegetable jalfrezi or sop sag paneer. A vegetable pakora is a must. And so are many pieces of sag pakora (fried spinach). A leg of tandoori chicken can be placed on the side so as to make room for the crown jewel of malai kofta. The cheese dumpling is rich, creamy and swims in burnt orange onion and tomato sauce which is poured over a pile of rice. Plate one built, go set it down and then get small bowls of the tamarind sauce and hot mint sauce to add to any bite but
India Cafe
227 E Washington St, Iowa City, 319-354-2775, indiacafeiowa.com
Monday–Sunday lunch buffet: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner: 5–9 p.m.
50 W Burlington Ave, Fairfield, 641-472-1792 Friday–Wednesday lunch buffet: 11:30 a.m.– 2.30 p.m.; Dinner: 5–9:30 p.m.
especially the pakora.
Now take it slowly. Building different bites and taking it all in is part of the India Cafe buffet experience. Pace yourself because there will be a second plate. Take the time to meet a friend and have an hour to eat. Or go by yourself with the book you just checked out from the Iowa City
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Public Library. But don’t expect to rush the buffet experience—there are too many good things to try and wolf it down.
Sip the lassi and consider what has been brought out from the kitchen since building your first plate. The second plate is already being considered by the time you are sucking on the chicken leg and you are all out of naan. Maybe you will have a bit more rice with chicken vindaloo second time around?
Going for the second plate, let’s hope some aloo pakoras have been brought out. Also I’m probably going to have a tandoori chicken thigh with some yogurt dressing. There might be room for one more piece of naan and a ladle of malai koftka. A bit of that hearty chickpea chana masala as well. But for me I often can’t wait to have a small metal bowl of rice pudding with a few balls gulub jamun ladled on top with my second plate. I might go back for a second helping of dessert as well.
Opened in 1994, closed in 2020 due to youknow-what and then gloriously reopened in March of 2023, India Cafe’s lunch buffet is a never disappoint, incredible value. (insert hours, cost).
Take the time to meet a friend and have an hour to eat. Or go by yourself with the book you just checked out from the Iowa City Public Library. But don’t expect to rush the buffet experience— there are too many good things to try and wolf it down.Clockwise from top left: Tandoori chicken and other buffet items in Iowa City; gulab jamun soaking in honey and rose syrup; vegetable samosas on guard. Jordan Sellergren / Little Village
The event’s almost exclusively white, male music lineup is insulting to both Iowans and out-of-state riders, Kent Williams argues in this guest opinion.
This is the 50th anniversary of the RAGBRAI, the yearly summer bike ride from the Missouri to the Mississippi. I remember the first one happened when I was in high school. Between being a fan of Donald Kaul and John Karras’ writing in the Des Moines Register and hanging out at the local hippie bike shop, RAGBRAI seemed revolutionary at the time. Bicycle touring events were rare, and unheard of in the Midwest. It was a crazy idea that became sane because people showed up. Kaul and Karras built it, and they came.
Fifty years of an event like this is worth celebrating, but Kaul and Karras are gone, and RAGBRAI has lost some of its edge. RAGBRAI’s staff resignations in 2019 and the Des Moines Register’s awkward reaction to it tarnished its reputation.
The ride has steered clear of controversy since then, so maybe it’s time to stir up another, this time about the RAGBRAI concert series. The headliners for 2023 are the Spin Doctors, the Spazmatics, the Pork Tornadoes, Hairball, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foghat and Bush. There are two flavors of bands: aging rockers limping along on the oldies circuit, and novelty tribute bands. It’s a bunch of white men. Unless I’m missing something, there are no minorities represented in the line-up. The Spin Doctors had a Black founding member—the highly regarded bassist Mark White—but he no longer performs with them.
The headliners represent a spectrum from FM radio rock of the last century to … FM radio rock of the last century. It’s like a flashback to KFMH from the 1980s. Nothing wrong with that, per se—I loved KFMH back then—but it’s largely absent of women, minorities and queer people. Whoever put together the RAGBRAI Concert Series seems like they did their work in a cocoon of middle-aged male whiteness.
I’m not accusing the RAGBRAI staff of racism or sexism. Hanlon’s Razor is the snarky maxim that states “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” RAGBRAI’s choices are safe but stupid. It may be that they punted on this and were sold the lineup by a booking agency used to supplying talent to Midwestern county fairs.
As Matthew says in the Bible, “ye shall know them by their fruits.” The lineup reflects a complete disregard for Iowa’s—and RAGBRAI’s—diversity. Ironically, a more diverse lineup would be more attractive to all Iowans. Why no hip hop? Why no women rockers? Why no bands on their way up instead of classic rock bands, some of them touring with only one or two original members? Diverse lineups attract diverse audiences. Iowa’s population is 90 percent white,
but it is also 10 percent non-white and at least half women; local demographics aside, RAGBRAI attracts riders from all over the world. They could have booked lesser-known but well-respected artists, and used RAGBRAI’s reputation to draw an audience unfamiliar with them.
Maybe it’s time for the Register and its far-off Gannett bosses to reflect on what RAGBRAI really means to Iowa over the last half-century. Donald Kaul and John Karras started the ride because they were bicycling buddies, and it was a stunt that appealed to them, fodder for their popular columns in the Register. The Register indulged them. No one thought it would become a tradition.
RAGBRAI started out as a reflection of the founder’s attitude as evidenced by their newspaper columns. They were irreverent, progressive voices, gently scolding a state still struggling to leave the 1950s and join the wider world. They loved small-town Iowa, but were impatient with the stodginess of that culture. They wanted to shake things up.
Now RAGBRAI is a Tradition, with the dreaded capital T. RAGBRAI reflects the personality of the current Des Moines Register, a shadow of the journalistic institution it was before it was bought by Gannett. It is corporate and risk-averse. Maybe they think a RAGBRAI concert series catering to the tastes of white, middle-aged men represents the safe choice.
It may be safe, but to my mind, it’s mostly cowardly. Iowa is always changing, and one of those changes is increased diversity. If RAGBRAI isn’t willing to reflect that diversity—all the people willing to sweat and gasp their way across the state—what is it for?
––Kent Williams
Average vendor costs: $8–16 for a food item
The most common food item on RAGBRAI is probably pie of all different varieties. You’ll find vendors in churches or perhaps a town hall in many of the small towns that you pass through. If they’re sold out in one stop, don’t worry, you’ll certainly be able to find more further down the road. The pie stops really cater to the family-friendly element of RAGBRAI, as they’ll often be associated with charities and are patronized by people of all ages. Picky about filling? You’ll find the best selection early in the morning.
Speaking of mornings, you can almost bet that there will be a local fire department, rotary club or an equivalent group hosting a breakfast somewhere down the road. For those who like to get a ride in before eating, this is a popular way to eat breakfast. Signs will direct you toward your various meal options as well as smoothie and coffee vendors to keep you healthy and human.
Mr. Pork Chop is probably the most wellknown food vendor on RAGBRAI, setting up somewhere directly on the route in their pink pig bus. The founder passed away a couple of years ago, and I think everyone is hoping that they figure out how to get the pork chops as tender as they were when Mr. Pork Chop was still alive.
Woodfired pizza is very common, as are fried foods of every sort, and there is a good variety of eclectic and healthy choices as well. You’ll find Jamaican jerk, pasta, salads, BBQ, vegan vendors and others who cater to specific dietary needs. If you find a food vendor who you absolutely must try again and again, just ask them where they will be posting up the next day and they’ll let you know.
A favorite of riders with a sweet tooth is Beekman’s Homemade Ice Cream. They make their ice cream with a 100-year-old single-piston engine (hot tip: sit upwind of the engine because she burns the old stinky diesel).
If you’re paying attention, you might find something completely unexpected food-wise, like when a woman was rumored to be making handmade Filipino eggrolls twelve blocks into a residential neighborhood. The rumor was true and in this writer’s opinion, it was the best food stop on RAGBRAI.
As might be expected in Iowa, it’s common to find smaller towns giving corn on the cob (and drenching them with turkey basters full of butter).
Along the route, you’ll see signs for miles advertising the Iowa Craft Beer Tent who set up in two spots each day of the route and sell a range of Iowa-made beers.
Finally, no write up about RAGBRAI food would be complete without a nod to Casey’s Every Casey’s on route gets absolutely swarmed with bikes, and somehow they don’t run out of pizza or beer. The tardy rider who misses the vendors will appreciate this essential all the more. —Maxwell
Ostby
“Back in 1962, we were breaking the law in a big way just by playing music together in Memphis,” storied songwriter Booker T. Jones recalled. “And while it was OK to break the law if you’re in the right place, like at Stax, in general, it was never OK.”
Sixty-two was the year Jones’ interracial band—Booker T. & the M.G.s—scored a number three hit with the instrumental track “Green Onions.” Stax Records was the legendary soul music label that released their debut single. Throughout the ’60s, the group also served as the independent label’s house band, playing on dozens of stone-cold classics, backing Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Rufus Thomas and other major R&B artists.
Together, they changed the direction of popular music with a sound that was funkier and grittier than Motown, its more polished competitor to the north. Stax also broke down racial barriers with its integrated team of songwriters, musicians and staff who worked together during a time when Jim Crow laws still maintained a strong grip on the American South.
Stax was based out of a defunct cinema at 926 East McLemore Avenue in South Memphis, which contained a record store at the front of the house and the company’s studios further back.
“The Satellite Record Shop was in the concessions area at the old theater, and there was a rack of records that people could browse through,”
Jones recalled. “The salesperson would play records that customers requested, which is how I heard so many influential songs, and the two clerks were Estelle Axton and Steve Cropper.”
Stax co-owner Axton—who was white, like Cropper—was well-aware that her record label was flouting segregation laws, so she didn’t think twice about hiring a Black teenager for
“I got the job at Stax in 10th grade,” Jones told me. “I played piano and Hammond organ there,
so it became a regular job for me every afternoon after school, and weekends.”
Jones started out on reed instruments at age 7, when he taught himself how to play his neighbor’s oboe. The following year his father bought him a clarinet, which paved the way for him to play alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Eventually, piano became Jones’ primary instrument, which led to him playing the organ during his church’s Bible class for men on Sunday mornings.
Although Jones is best known for his skills on the Hammond B3 organ, his first gig as a session musician involved playing the baritone sax on Carla and Rufus Thomas’ “Cause I Love You”
in 1960. He had befriended Stax staff songwriter David Porter, a senior at Jones’ high school who had heard they needed someone to play on the track.
Jones still vividly remembers the day that Porter showed up at the doorway of his algebra class with a wide-eyed look on his face. Within minutes they were cruising to the recording session in a car borrowed from the school’s band director.
Jones attended Booker T. Washington High School—which, like himself and his father, was named in honor of the famed African-American community leader—and education was a pillar of family life. Booker T. Jones Sr. was a high school math and science teacher who had a former student, Floyd Newman, who introduced Jones Jr. to the Memphis music scene.
“Floyd was the only guy that my dad would trust to take me to the clubs,” Jones said of the late, great Newman, “and he did that for years. I met him at my high school, where he was working as a teacher at the time, and his part-time job was playing baritone sax in the house band at
Jones started out on reed instruments at age 7, when he taught himself how to play his neighbor’s oboe. The following year his father bought him a clarinet, which paved the way for him to play alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Eventually, piano became Jones’ primary instrument.
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the Flamingo Room. All the Memphis songs of that era would have a baritone sax, and it kind of became a staple instrument. On ‘Walking the Dog’ by Rufus Thomas, that’s Floyd playing, so he was kind of the guy that got that whole thing started.”
Right around the time Jones graduated from high school in June 1962, he was clocking hours at Stax studios when rockabilly legend Billy Lee Riley ended a session early. To kill time, he began messing around on a tune with guitarist Steve Cropper, drummer Al Jackson Jr. and bassist Lewie Steinberg, the core members of the M.G.s (Steinberg was replaced in 1965 with Donald “Duck” Dunn).
“That’s how ‘Green Onions’ happened,” Jones said of the song’s instantly recognizable opening sequence, in which the bass line moves up the scale while the top note of the triad goes down.
Jones said that these interweaving melodic lines were inspired by studying Bach’s fugues and cantatas, which got him wondering if contrapuntal arrangements could be applied to the 12-bar blues.
“We had already cut the A-side of our first single and were looking for a B-side, and I had this little riff that I’d play in a trio that I had, so the song just took off from there,” he said. “I didn’t take it all that seriously at the time, but then some DJs flipped over the single and started playing ‘Green Onions,’ and it became a hit when I started at Indiana University that fall.”
Over the next four years, Booker T. & the M.G.s cranked out singles for Stax while Jones attended college, burning the candle at both ends. He was young and able to go without sleep on the nights he would drive from Bloomington to Memphis, arriving early in the morning for a recording session, and then he’d head back to continue his studies. (The moral: stay in school, even if you score a Billboard hit!)
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“Although I had music lessons as a kid,” Jones said of his time at Indiana University, “I now had to learn music theory and I had to be taught how to orchestrate. And at Indiana, I learned music history and I had to perform Bach, you know, all of that. So, that’s why I went through the whole four years of college. I think it made it possible for me to work with a range of people and play different types of music in a way that I wouldn’t have had I not finished.”
Jones became a full-time Stax employee after graduating in the spring of 1967, and that summer his group won over the audience at the Monterey Pop Festival—first, during a set as Booker T. & the M.G.s and then as the backing musicians for Otis Redding, who blew away the crowd as Saturday night’s closing act.
Tragedy struck later that year when a plane carrying Redding and the Bar-Kays, another Stax band, crashed in Lake Monona just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, killing the iconic soul singer and most everyone else onboard.
The Stax family continued to fracture four months later when, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.
“We at Stax developed our relationships around the location of the Lorraine Motel, because if we wanted to have a big meeting, because of the laws, we had to go to the Lorraine,” Jones said. “All of Steve Cropper’s collaborations with African-American musicians happened there. They wrote ‘Knock On Wood’ in a rented motel room, ‘The Midnight Hour’—so many songs were written there.”
The fact that Dr. King was murdered at that location was devastating for Jones, and it accelerated the beginning of the end for the M.G.s, especially after Cropper told reporters that he blamed MLK for stoking racial tensions in Memphis. Up to this point, Stax had been mythologized as an integrated utopia, but racism still quietly structured people’s everyday lives.
“It is a system that is strong and invisible,” Jones said. “It required people to have two faces, I don’t know how else to say it. I think a lot of people had one face at home at the dinner table and another face at work, so who knows how they really felt? So, fast-forward to Booker T. & the M.G.s—a band that the world thinks had this harmonious relationship—but that just could not happen with the kinds of statements that Cropper was making to the press. We were not a solid unit. Maybe musically we were, but otherwise, the truth was that we were not.”
At the start of the new decade, Jones left Stax and moved to California, where he mounted the second act of his musical career. Booker T. & the M.G.s released their final album in 1971, the funk-infused Melting Pot, the same year that he produced and played on Bill Withers’ genre-defying masterpiece, Just As I Am, featuring “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Grandma’s Hands.”
Jones went on to work with an eclectic array of artists over the decades—from Willie Nelson and Neil Young to Questlove and the Drive-By Truckers—breaking down entrenched musical walls along the way.
“Music has no boundaries,” Jones told me. “The only limitations are in our minds.”
Kembrew McLeod highly recommends Melting Pot, a crown jewel of Booker T. & the M.G.s catalog.
BY STEVEN A. ARTS
If it’s your first time driving on Otis Road, you might be taken aback at the sight of a large modern building nestled among the trees. The building, aptly named Amazing Space, houses an exhibit of Indian Creek, a small gift shop and, most importantly, the Indian Creek Nature Center (ICNC).
The completion of the 12,000 square foot Awesome Center in 2016 was “the result of strong leadership by ICNC’s volunteer board of directors,” he said, and one of the highlights of John Myers’ 10 year tenure as executive director of the nonprofit center. Formal fundraising for Amazing Space began in 2013, during Myers’ first year.
“The new headquarters was designed to support the expanded demand the community showed for increased programs,” Myers said. “Since opening in 2016, over 365,000 people have visited to hike the trails, attend field trips or learn more about nature and the outdoors.”
Indian Creek Nature Center first took root in 1970, when co-founders B.B. Stamats and Jean O’Donnell, both Junior League members, discovered they shared a vision for expanding environmental education in the Cedar Rapids area.
“I was captivated by the idea of a nature center, and I thought it would be an intriguing and neat thing to do,” Stamats said in a 1993 interview with the Gazette. “... Jean and I were totally naive and innocent then, but we thought let’s give it a try, and we put our heads together.”
operated nature center.
Amazing Space functionally replaces a barn that was constructed on the ICNC land by dairy farmer Charles Pennigroth in 1932, though that barn is still part of ICNC and is utilized for various activities on the property.
The headquarters itself helps ICNC work toward its goal of promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future, in part because the structure is a Petal-certified Living Building. As Myers explained, this means that the building is net-zero energy and water.
“ICNC produces 120 percent of our electrical use through onsite solar energy,” he said. “There is no gas service to the building, meaning that no combustion is generating carbon off-puts. Amazing Space uses a geothermal heating and air conditioning system. Harvesting the energy from the ground, the air is heated and cooled at the appropriate times of the year.
Monarch Fest
Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, 10 a.m., July 15, Registration required
Indian Creek Nature Center’s 50th Celebration Event Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, 6 p.m., Oct. 14, $50
With support from the Natural Science for Youth Foundation, the pair formed a steering committee, raised capital, decided on a plot of land—the site of a former dairy farm, intercut by Indian Creek and the Sac and Fox Trail—and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1973. ICNC was, and is, Iowa’s only independently owned and
“Water is drawn from an onsite well and returned to the ground via a septic system which treats the water three times before it enters the ground. Amazing Space does not push any water into the ditches or rivers, which decreases the facility’s impact on flooding.”
When it was certified as a Living Building in
2019, Amazing Space was one of only a few dozen buildings in the world to be Petal certified.
Enabling ICNC’s operations are roughly 40 employees and an estimated 400 active volunteers who maintain the miles of trails, organize programs and work to both preserve and educate on the surrounding nature.
One of the most significant wrenches in ICNC’s well-laid plans occurred Aug. 10, 2020, when a derecho swept through eastern Iowa, leaving millions of dollars in damage to the nature preserve.
“The derecho impacted over 70 of the [nearly] 500 acres that ICNC has entrusted to its care,”
When it was certified as a Living Building in 2019, Indian Creek Nature Center’s Amazing Space was one of only a few dozen buildings in the world to be Petal Certified.Indian Creek Nature Center’s Amazing Space. Malcolm MacDougall / Little Village John Myers. By Steven A. Arts
Myers said. “In addition to thousands of damaged and downed trees, the organization sustained damage to a number of its buildings and facilities.”
While insurance covered the facilities, it did not cover forest restoration.
“Through private funding, ICNC is at the end of a three-year plan to restore the forests by cleaning up debris and creating habitat piles. Our restoration goal is to strengthen the forests, ensure habitat remains for the animals who live in the forest and provide a safe environment for our trail and program users.”
Myers explained that over 500 trees—oaks, Kentucky coffee trees, maples and similar species—are being planted as part of that restoration goal.
“Equally as important as tree planting is that we are nurturing and allowing trees to grow from existing seeds in the forest,” he added, noting the resiliency of the environment. “We are not undertaking large-scale tree planting as forests have a natural way of regenerating. With respect to the health of the forest, the derecho was a significant event that ultimately thinned out our crowded canopies, allowing natural growth to occur.”
ICNC is more than ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. As of print time, a number of events celebrating the 50th anniversary have already occurred—an event called BioBlitz ran from June 25 through July 1 and invited people to visit the center and help catalog the plans and animals on the grounds.
But there’s still more to come. The 50th Celebration Event proper is scheduled for Oct. 14 from 6-9 p.m. The evening promises live music, beer from local breweries, appetizers and hundreds in attendance to celebrate a shared love of nature. A Celebration Ticket, which includes a free drink, is $50.
Regular programs, like summer camps, night hikes and more, are also set to continue throughout the year. ICNC’s Monarch Fest is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 15, celebrating one of nature’s most identifiable pollinators.
All of these events—past, present and future— have been made possible by those who work or volunteer their time at the center. For Myers, it’s because of those individuals that he’s stayed with the center for as long as he has.
“The people, both staff and volunteers, are what make the Nature Center great,” Myers said. “Seeing our team collectively achieve many great things has been my favorite part of working for the Nature Center.”
Steven A. Arts is a writer and photographer living in Cedar Rapids.
After spending the past five years leveling up in Minneapolis, Matt Allen is rolling for initiative.
“The Rolling Initiative Tour is my first ever me-headlining, like, I’m-the-guy tour,” said Allen, a hip-hop artist hailing from Minnesota who performs as Nur-D, a month before his debut tour kicked off.
Back in 2019, Allen toured with fellow hiphop artist Brother Ali. Despite having only hit the music scene in 2018 and having his performance career slowed by a global pandemic, Allen has nonetheless quickly gained a following around the Twin Cities. He earned acclaim from City Pages, a Twin Cities alt-weekly that ceased publication in 2020, when he was voted Best New Artist in 2019, and from First Avenue, a regionally known music venue, where he headlined the Best New Bands show in 2020.
In those first few years of performing as Nur-D, Allen gained a reputation for clean performances with songs that touched on themes like nerd culture and body positivity. But following the murder of fellow Minnesotan musical artist George Floyd in 2020, Allen knew his music would have to expand to talk about systemic racism, a leap he was initially nervous to make.
“It’s a lot easier to dance in the club when you’re not thinking about police brutality,” Allen said. “So I was feeling some type of way about it, but I was talking to my fans and my friends about it and it was like, ‘You know, this is the way to go,’
In 2020 alone, Allen released two full albums, 38th and Chicago Avenue, expressing personal and communal emotions and experiences in the wake of Floyd’s death and subsequent protests. He didn’t stop there. Allen founded Justice Frontline Aid—an organization that provides aid and education “to those who put their bodies on the frontline in the fight for justice”—and
“The progress is always slower than you’d like—I think in 2020, we all assumed it would be fixed by the time the lock-down finished. I think a lot of people just assumed that and forgot how long it takes for real social change to happen,” said Allen, speaking on his view of where things stand now, three years later. “It’s slow going and we don’t have thousands of people in the street as we did in 2020, but [there are] people who have not left— George Floyd Square is still being held down by protesters 1,000 days later. Things aren’t done, it’s just not as sexy in the news anymore.”
and I just trusted my fans to be the type of people that I hoped they were. I was profoundly vindicated for the most part. Not to say I didn’t lose anybody, [but] I gained so much more than I lost.”
co-founded an artist collective in Minneapolis called FairPlay Entertainment. He participated in protests for justice, gave a TEDx Talk and appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Songs from Allen like “Mr. Officer” and “Black Kid, White Town” speak to this struggle and are largely or entirely devoid of references to Dungeons & Dragons, anime, comics or the like. Though this broadening of focus
Nur-D has the power of rap and anime on his side, tackling issues of racial justice through a nerd-culture lens.
In those first few years of performing as Nur-D, Allen gained a reputation for clean performances with songs that touched on themes like nerd culture and body positivity. But following the murder of fellow Minnesotan musical artist George Floyd in 2020, Allen knew his music would have to expand to talk about systemic racism.Courtesy of the artist
could be perceived as a tone shift, Allen has still kept his nerdy flair. Even in the two albums he released in 2020, his material remained clean, and lines like “My power level is rising / We fighting with kaio-kens” exist in tandem with samples of dialogue from the activist and Chicago-based Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton.
One of his newer songs, “X-Man,”—off of his latest album Crush—is a love song that also lets him flex his knowledge of Marvel’s X-Men lore. The album as a whole focuses on songs about love and romance.
“I just find that there are so many avenues in these properties that I think you could find music in all of it,” said Allen of how he uses pop culture references to evoke emotion in his songs. “There’s a way to get it. If you want an emotion, I guarantee the X-Men have expressed it at some point. It doesn’t matter what emotion it is, you’ll find it.
“You can get a lot of different emotions out of the same property,” he continued. “I’ve got a song called ‘Ultra Instinct,’ which is obviously about Dragon Ball Z, and it’s about ‘nothing’s gonna stop me, I’m super powerful.’ But then I’ve also got a song called ‘Chi Chi’ where I use Dragon Ball references to talk about love and being in love with somebody.”
In preparing for his Rolling Initiative Tour, Allen is looking to introduce all the dimensions encapsulated by Nur-D to a broader audience.
“When you come out to a Nur-D show, I hope people experience a sliver of time where they can be themselves,” Allen said. “They can dance, they can be weird, they can be silly, they can have a good time, they can be sexy in their body. Just enjoy yourself and know that you’re doing so with someone who wants to see that in you and help cultivate that moment in time for you.”
Nur-D will perform at xBk Live in Des Moines at 8 p.m. on July 28, marking the artist’s second time performing in Iowa following his performance in Sioux City on July 1. Tickets for the show are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.
“I’m never doing a Nur-D show that’s just going through the motions—it is foot-to-the-gas the entire time,” Allen promised his audience. “You’re gonna see a lot of energy, a lot of movement. I’ve got two amazing openers who are coming with me, Lt. Sunnie and Mpls Drew, who I think are some of the biggest pillars in what our up-and-coming music scene looks like. It shows how we do things here in Minnesota.”
Planning an event? Add it to littlevillagemag.com/calendar! Please include event name, date, time, venue name/address, admission price (or range) and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). Contact calendar@littlevillagemag.com with any questions.
Fridays, July 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 6 p.m. Rock the Block, NewBo City Market, Cedar Rapids, Free
Fridays, July 7, 14, 21, 28 at 6:30 p.m. SOA Friday Night Concert Series, Downtown Iowa City, Free
Friday, July 7 at 7 p.m. DVIP
Benefit Show, James Theater, Iowa City, $20-25
Saturday, July 8 at 11 a.m.
North Liberty Blues & BBQ, Centennial Park, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. Here Come the Mummies & Sun Stereo, Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa, $50
Sunday, July 9 at 7 p.m. FMWT: Hayden Pedigo w/Jordan Sellergren, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, Iowa City, $10-15
Sunday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. Booker T. Jones, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $2042.50
Tuesday, July 11 at 6:30 p.m.
SOA Music on the Move: Kevin Burt, Mercer Park, Iowa City, Free
Tuesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart, Englert Theatre, $60-84.50
Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m. King & Associates, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids, $20
Youth Lagoon, aka Trevor Powers, an indie musician orginaly hailing from Idaho, is making a stop in Iowa City on his North American tour, just before performing at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival in mid-July. After taking a eight-year break from music, Powers has officially returned to the scene with Heaven Is A Junkyard, a newly released album dropped in June 2023. Youth Lagoon’s style continues to sound dreamy, experimental and is also widely described as neo-psychedelic and low-fi. Powers’s new album was recorded in six weeks with Rodaidh McDonald, a producer who has mixed and produced for artists like The xx, Sampha, Adele, King Krule and Daughter. Nina Keith, an LA-based musician, will be supporting Youth Lagoon on this upcoming tour. General admission tickets are $20.
Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m. Castle Black, Early Girl, Critical Mass, New Neighbors, Gabe’s, Iowa City, $10
Saturday, July 15 at 5 p.m. Illiterati Fest 2, James Theater
Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. Sunny Sweeney & Lauren Morrow, Codfish Hollow, $30
Sunday, July 16 at 7 p.m. Dom Martin, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $15-18
Tuesday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m.
SOA Music on the Move: Annie Savage and Friends, North Market Square Park, Iowa City, Free
Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. Sanguisugabogg w/Kruelty, Vomit Forth & Gates to Hell, Wildwood BBQ & Saloon, Iowa City, $20
Wednesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. Counterparts w/Like Moths To Flames, Gabe’s, $25
Thursday, July 20 at 7 p.m. Songwriter Showcase, CSPS Hall, $12-15
Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m. The Wilder Blue, James Theater, $15-20
Friday-Sunday, July 21-23. Kalona Bluegrass Festival, Windmill Ridge Campground, Kalona, $5-25
Saturday, July 22 at 8 p.m. The Soft and Low & Crystal City, CSPS Hall, $15-18
Sunday, July 23 at 3 p.m. Miss Christine Album Release Show, James Theater, $12-15
Tuesday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. SOA Music on the Move: Blake Shaw, Willow Creek Park, Iowa City, Free
Wednesday, July 26 at 8:30 p.m. Jeffrey Martin & Anna Tivel, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10-20
Thursday, July 27 at 9 p.m. FMWT: Wolf Eyes, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $15-20
Saturday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m. Slim Chance & the Can’t Hardly Play Boys, Northside Market Place, Iowa City, Free
Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Music on the Move: James Tutson, Wetherby Park, Iowa City, Free
Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 8 p.m. Christine Burke Ensemble, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10
Friday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. Iowa City Hard Core, James Theater, $15
Des Moines
Thursdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27 and Aug. 3 Summer Concert Series, Jasper Winery, Des Moines, Free
Thursday, July 6 at 8 p.m. 80/35 Pre-Party w/Amythyst Kiah and Kevin Burt, xBk Live, Des Moines, $18
Friday and Saturday, July 7-8. 80/35 Music Festival, Downtown Des Moines, $75-275
Sunday, July 9 at 5 p.m. Igor & The Red Elvises, Lefty’s Live Music, Des Moines, $1015
Sunday, July 9 at 7 p.m. Cary Morin & Ghost Dog, xBk Live, $15
Tuesday, July 11 at 5:15 p.m. Jazz in July Night 1, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, Free
Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. The Dead South, Lauridsen Amphitheater, Des Moines, $39-55
Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. Braxton Keith, Wooly’s, Des Moines, $15
Thursday, July 13 at 8 p.m. Miss Christine w/ Allegra Hernandez, xBk Live, $10
Once again held in the Madison County town of St. Charles, Hinterland Music Festival returns for another year of outdoor music performances and camping. Names like indie-folk band Bon Iver, country artist Zach Bryan and singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers will headline the music festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, but among the other acts, festival-goers can find other noteworthy names like queer country star Orville Peck, pop/punk rockers The Regrettes and folk/country singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. Hinterland also includes a Campfire Stage. This smaller stage is available to those who have camping passes and will feature at least half a dozen other acts through the weekend. These other acts include Minneapolis-based noise band Maraquana Deathsquads, lo-fi folk project Field Medic and singer-songwriter Savannah Conley.
Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m. The Listening Room w/Bonne Finken, Noce, Des Moines, $1845
Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m. American Aquarium w/Kate Rhudy, xBk Live, $25
Wednesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. Red Wanting Blue, xBk Live, $20-25
Wednesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. Altin Gün, Wooly’s, $22
Wednesday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. Ann Wilson of Heart & Tripsitter, Hoyt Sherman Place, $35-89
Thursday, July 20 at 8 p.m Emma Butterworth, xBk Live, $14-20
Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m. Love, Lani Album Release, xBk Live, $10-60
Sunday, July 23 at 3 p.m. Girls Rock! Summer Showcase, Wooly’s, Free-$20
Sunday, July 23 at 8 p.m. King Bartlett, xBk Live, $11-15
Tuesday, July 25 at 8 p.m. L.S. Dunes w/Pinkshift, Wooly’s, $35
Tuesday, July 25 at 8 p.m. Jeffrey Martin and Anna Tivel, xBk Live, $18-22
Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m. Nur-D, xBk Live, $14-20
Saturday, July 29 at 8 p.m. Traffic Death, xBk Live, $10-15
Sunday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. Keb’ Mo’, Hoyt Sherman Place, $35-69
Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 6 p.m.
Casii Stephan w/Sara Routh & Abbie Sawyer, Lefty’s Live Music, $10
Iowa
at 10 a.m., Free Spend a Saturday with family at the Stanley with the LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library. The organization is a community archives and lending library with a mission to protect, preserve and share the queer history of Iowa and increase queer literature for all ages. Their first Stanley storytime is in July and they’ll be reading Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall. The story follows a red crayon that has a “red” paper label, but everything they draw turns out blue. In the end, it’s a story about embracing who they are and celebrating their unique beauty. After storytime, kids will be invited to explore the Stanley galleries with a scavenger hunt and self-guided tour. All ages are welcome to the event and admission is free.
Sunday, July 9 at 1 p.m. Give Me A Second: A Generative Poetry Editing Workshop, Iowa City Poetry, Online, $25
Monday, July 10 at 7 p.m. Grant Faulkner w/Mary Helen Stefaniak, Prairie Lights, Iowa City, Free
Tuesday, July 11 at 7 p.m. Wayne Johnson, Prairie Lights, Free
Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. Leslie Lehr w/Beth Howard, Prairie Lights, Free
Friday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Jolene Mcllwain, Prairie Lights, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 1 p.m. A Conversation w/Tirzah Price and Becky Vardaman, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Iowa City, Free
Sunday, July 16 at 3 p.m. Larry Baker, Prairie Lights, Free
Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m Author Talk: Diana Goetsch, Marion Public Library, Free w/ registration
Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m Charles Holdefer & Max Garland, Prairie Lights, Free
Thursday, July 20 at 10 a.m. Young Adult Book Club, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free
Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m. SelfPublished Authors Book Fair, Sidekick Coffee & Books, Free
Sunday, July 23 at 4 p.m. Jacinta Hart Kehoe, Prairie Lights, Free
Monday, July 24 at 7 p.m. Kali White, Prairie Lights, Free
Thursday, July 27 at 6:30 p.m. Evening w/Eric Gapstur, Marion Public Library, Free
Saturday, July 29 at 1 p.m The Long Project Check-in, Porchlight Literary Arts Center, Iowa City, Free
Tuesday, July 11 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Grant Faulkner, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m. Meet the Author: Chasten Buttigieg, Franklin Junior High Event Center, Des Moines
Tuesday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Larry Baker, Beaverdale Books, Free
Friday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Jacinta Hart Kehoe, Beaverdale Books, Free
Monday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Antonia Deignan, Beaverdale Books, Free
Wednesday, July 26 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the Author: Jason Liegios, Beaverdale Books, Free
Friday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. Poetry Open Mic Night, Beaverdale Books, Free
Friday, July 7 at 9:30 p.m. Fresh Friday Comedy Show, Joystick Comedy & Arcade, Iowa City, $5
Opening Friday, July 7. Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Brucemore, Cedar Rapids, $10-25
Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. CR Pride Late Show, CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, $40-100
Wednesday, July 12 at 7 p.m. The Rapids, Mirrorbox Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $15
Opening Friday, July 14. Disney’s High School Musical, Coralville Center for Performing Arts, $17-30
Thursday, July 20 at 6 p.m. The Little Mermen, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, Free-$20
Opening Friday, July 21. The Lightning Thief, Giving Tree Theater, Marion, $36
Opening Friday, July 21. Everybody, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City, $15-35
Saturday, July 8 at 2 p.m, $30-40
This new English language opera was created by composer Susan Kander and librettist Roberta Gumbel in 2018. The opera emphasizes what it’s like to be the parent of a Black child, following a Black mother across years as she watches her Black son grow up and increasingly fears for what might happen to him as he nears driving age. After last month’s performance of this 45-minute chamber opera at the African American Museum of Iowa, the Des Moines Metro Opera will be bringing the piece to three central Iowa venues. Mainframe will host the show on July 8, the Lutheran Church of Hope+Elim on July 15 and Grand View University’s Viking Theatre on July 21. Performances will be followed by a community talkback session.
Saturday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Comedy: Be Kind Rewind, Lucky Cat Comedy, Cedar Rapids, $15
Saturday, July 22 at 8 p.m. A Night of Stand Up Comedy, Willow Creek Theatre, Iowa City, $5
Saturday, July 22 at 9:30 p.m. Summer Comedy Showcase, Joystick Comedy & Arcade, $5
Sunday, July 23 at 11 a.m. Life in Plastic, It’s Fantastic! Drag Show, NewBo City Market, Cedar Rapids, $10-80
Closing Sunday, July 23. Rock of Ages, Theatre Cedar Rapids, $18-51
Saturday, July 29 at 9:30 p.m. Comedy Game Show, Joystick Comedy & Arcade, $5
Sunday, July 30 and Thursday, Aug. 3. National Theatre Live: Fleabag, FilmScene–The Ped Mall, $10-13
Opening Saturday, July 8. The Love for Three Oranges, Des Moines Metro Opera, Blank Performing Arts Center, $26-137
Saturday, July 8 at 7 p.m. Fortune Feimster: Live Laugh Love, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, $29.50-65
Friday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Jamie Shriner: Stand-Up Comedy, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, $15-20
Opening Friday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m. Little Shop of Horrors, Des Moines Community Playhouse, $29-53
Wednesday-Sunday, July 19-23. Shakespeare on the Lawn: Twelfth Night, Salisbury House & Gardens, Des Moines, Free-$35
Saturday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Kjell Bjorgen: Stand-Up Comedy, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20
Saturday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. Kelli O’Hara, Des Moines Civic Center, $36-125
Saturday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. Dog Boyz Sketch Comedy, Stoner Theater, Des Moines, $21.50
Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23. Sway’s Bloom! Cowles Commons, Des Moines, Free
Closing Saturday, July 22. Bluebeard’s Castle, Des Moines Metro Opera, Blank Performing Arts Center, Indianola, $28-129
Closing Sunday, July 23. Carmen, Des Moines Metro Opera, Blank Performing Arts Center, $27-145
Thursday-Sunday, July 27-30. The Comedy of Errors, CAP Theatre, Altoona, $7
Saturday, July 29 at 9:30 p.m. Comedy Kickback, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20
Sunday, July 30 at 9 a.m. Dancing on Cowles Commons, Cowles Commons, Free
Thursday, July 6 at 7 p.m. The Red Shoes, FilmScene–Chauncey, Iowa City, $10-13
Saturday, July 8 at 8:45 p.m. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, FilmScene in the Park, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 9:15 p.m. Uncharted, City Park, Hills, Free
Sunday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. Friendly Faces, Public Space One Close House, Iowa City, Free
Sunday and Thursday, July 9 and 13. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, FilmScene–Chauncey, $10-13
Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, FilmScene–Ped Mall, $10
Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16. The Emperor’s New Groove, FilmScene–Chauncey, Free-$5
Sunday and Tuesday, July 16 and 18. Splash, FilmScene–Chauncey, $10-13
Sunday, July 16 at 8 p.m Speed, FilmScene–Ped Mall, $20
Wednesday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. Threads, FilmScene–Chauncey, $10-13
Thursday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m. The Emperor’s New Groove, FilmScene–Chauncey, Free-$5
Saturday, July 22 at 8:35 p.m. Turning Red, FilmScene in the Park, Free
Saturday, July 22 at 9 p.m. Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Mercer Park, Iowa City, Free
Friday, July 28 at 12 a.m. Earth Mama, FilmScene–Chauncey, $10-13
FilmScene is offering two opportunities to take a B52 back to 1964 and see Dr. Strangelove the way Stanley Kubrick intended. As if FilmScene needed an excuse to invite this Cold War black comedy classic back to the big screen, it was chosen from a long list of films both foreign and domestic that reflect on the atomic bomb for their Nuclear Films series throughout July. The first feature screened on July 5 was Ishirô Honda’s highly influential Godzilla (1954), a cinematic representation of the bomb from a Japanese perpective. The week after Dr. Strangelove, on July 19, is Threads, a gritty 1984 TV movie depicting a hypothetical but starkly realistic nuclear fallout endured by commonfolk in Britain. It all leads up to the premiere of Christopher Nolan’s epic new biopic Oppenheimer— competing with Barbie at the box office starting July 21—dramatizing the historical origins of humankind’s worst invention. Screenings will also feature an introduction from FilmScene projectionist and Nuclear Films curator Lee Sailor. It’s not an accident that this special series is shorter than most at FilmScene, Sailor explained. “We were slightly concerned about how many people would want to go see the world end for four weeks in a row.” Probably a good call.
Sunday, July 30 at 8 p.m. Moonstruck, FilmScene–The Ped Mall, $20
Saturday, Aug. 5 at 8:45 p.m. The Lost City, Iowa City Municipal Airport, Free
Thursday, July 6 at 10 p.m Wet Hot American Summer, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, $9-12
Thursday, July 13 at 10 p.m. Dirty Dancing, Varsity Cinema, $9-12
Friday, July 14, TBD. 32 Sounds, Varsity Cinema, $9-12
Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16. Frozen, Varsity Cinema, $5
Sunday, July 16, TBD. National Theatre Live: Good, Varsity Cinema, $25
For her directoral debut, New York-based artist and filmmaker Brittany Prater decided to turn her lens on her hometown in Iowa. You may be surprised to learn Ames played a role in the Manhattan Project, the United States’ secret program to develop the first atomic bomb. Prater, who hails from Ames, was surprised to learn this as well, and her first feature-length documentary utilizes interviews with experts and locals, archival footage, and both secondary and primary sources to investigate the clandestine production of nuclear bomb materials in and around the Iowa State University campus, for use by J. Robert Oppenheimer’s team. Prater follows evidence that suggests the Department of Energy is aware of 10 sites in Ames contaminated by nuclear waste in the ’40s, which may be connected to cancer clusters over the decades. “...[I]t becomes clear that the topic of nuclear waste was more successfully buried than the waste itself,” reads the film’s description. Funded in part by Humanities Iowa, the new documentary Uranium Derby will make a scene at the Varsity Cinema on June 19. Learn more at uraniumderby.com.
Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23 Toy Story, Varsity Cinema, $5
Saturday, July 8 at 11 a.m. All Ages Art: Patterns and Mandalas, Public Space One Close, Iowa City, Free
Sunday, July 9 at 12 p.m. Art Gardens School, Public Space One Northside, Iowa City, $10-50
Wednesday, July 12 at 12:15 p.m. Artist Talk w/Lianne Westcot, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free
Wednesday, July 12 at 5:30 p.m. Iowa City Pride Ride, Iowa City Bike Library, Free
Friday, July 14 at 6 p.m. Adult Craft Night: Mixed Media Mantras, Hiawatha Public Library, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Monarch Fest, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, Free
Sunday, July 16 at 11 a.m. Iowa City Flea Market, Public Space One Close, Free
The Food Bank of Iowa is at it again this year, presenting Smoke Out Hunger at Cowles Commons in the heart of Downtown Des Moines. This annual event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and welcomes individuals of all ages to indulge in unlimited barbeque prepared by local chefs, in addition to drinks, dessert, games and live music. Food vendors include Gateway Market, Jethro’s BBQ, Rolling Smoke BBQue, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Palms Caribbean Cuisine, Warehouse Barbeque, Sweet Swirls Ice Cream and more. Tickets for adults 21+ are $50, individuals ages 6-20 are $25, and kids 5 and under are free. All proceeds from Smoke Out Hunger benefit the Food Bank’s mission to end hunger in Iowa.
and 30, $65-99 Embrace the power of playfulness, movement, laughter and music at the Harmony Festival in downtown Cedar Rapids at the end of July. Attendees will be immersed in a weekend focused on health and joy, and they’ll partake in a variety of activities including yoga, meditation and sound healing. Expect two days of hearing from local sound healers, yogis, and mental health practitioners that’ll leave you feeling inspired, energized and refreshed. Before heading home on Sunday, try out yoga on the water with the SUP Yoga add-on at Prairie Park Fishery. If floating off the ground as you meditate is still a bit too advanced for you, try a bit of genuine floating yoga—on a paddleboard. Half-day Harmony Festival tickets are $65 each, and $99 for a full pass.
Saturday, July 22 at 12 p.m. Circus Day, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Free
Saturday, July 29 at 9 a.m. Art Market, James Theater, Iowa City, Free
Des Moines
Friday, July 7 at 5 p.m. First Fridays, East Village, Des Moines, Free
Sunday, July 9 at 12 p.m. Northside Market, Highland Park Historic District, Des Moines, Free
Monday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. Trivia Night, Confluence Brewery, Des Moines, Free
Friday and Saturday, July 14 and 15. Waukee Arts Festival, Centennial Park, Waukee, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 2 p.m. FINEST Fest, Lua Brewery, Des Moines, $20-65
Saturday, July 15 at 6 p.m. Bondu Blues and Brews Festival, Bondurant, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 6 p.m. Water Lantern Festival, Riverview Park, Des Moines, Free-$68
Thursday, July 20 at 5:30 p.m. Botanical Dye Workshop, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, $55
Sunday, July 23 at 12 p.m. Vegan Summer Market, Cowles Commons, Des Moines, Free
Friday, July 28 at 5 p.m. Ceramics Bowl Exchange, Des Moines Art Center, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 4 p.m. Feelin’ Sour? Cider Beer & Sour Festival, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Waterloo, $10-50
Saturdays, July 8, 15 and Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. Block Party, Ferguson Fields, Waterloo, Free
Thursday, July 13 at 8 p.m. The Lonely Ones & 8 foundead, Octopus, Cedar Falls, $10
Opening Friday, July 14. Saturday Night Fever, Waterloo Community Playhouse, $10-25
Fridays, July 14 and 21. Cinema on the Cedar, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. Extravision and Emily Otis, Octopus, $10
Sunday, July 16 at 1 p.m. Artisans in the Garden and Summer Expo, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, Free
Wednesday, July 19 at 8 p.m. Comedy Open Mic, Octopus, Free
Thursday, July 20 at 5:30 p.m. Pint Night Ride, SingleSpeed Brewing Co., Waterloo, Free
Friday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m. RiverLoop Rhythms: Brad & Kate, RiverLoop Amphitheatre, Free
Friday-Sunday, Aug. 4-6. Iowa Irish Fest, Lincoln Park, Waterloo, $15-40
Friday, July 7 at 5 p.m. Noche de Lucha Libre, Mercado on Fifth, Moline, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 12 p.m. MoTown Craft Beer Festival, Bass Street Landing, Moline, Free
Saturday, July 8 at 7 p.m. Drag Roulette, Clock, Inc, Rock Island
at 12 p.m., Free June may be over, but Pride celebrations in Iowa are continuing into this next month. Cedar Rapids’s annual Pride Festival is happening at the beginning of this month. This year’s festival theme is “Stand Strong, Stand with Pride.” Be sure to catch one of the many performances on the festival’s mainstage. School of Rock, the Blake Shaw Jazz Band, Nikkie H. & Crew, in addition to several drag shows will be taking place throughout Saturday. In the evening, head over to CSPS Hall for a late show featuring RuPaul Drag Race winners Kylie Sonique Love & Violet Chachki. General admission tickets for CR Pride’s Late Show at CSPS are $40.
Saturday, July 15 at 3:30 p.m., Free The Waterloo Center for Arts is teaming up with community organizations and businesses to host an event celebrating Latino culture in the Cedar Valley. Head to the RiverLoop Amphitheatre early for kids activities, a pinata, dance performances, taqueria trucks, Latinx food vendors and a fashion show. Get ready to dance to the Parranderos Latin Combo, a Latin music group based in Des Moines that explores musical styles such as Salsa, Cumbia and Samba. Live music begins at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 9, 12 p.m. Rock Island Artists’ Market, Skeleton Key Art 7 Antiques, Rock Island, Free
Tuesday, July 11 at 5 p.m. Schaa-Bo’s Korean Fusion, Nerdspeak Brewery, Bettendorf
Tuesday, July 11 at 6 p.m. Stimulus-Free Open Skate, Eldridge Community Center, $6-8
Thursday, July 13, 6:30 p.m. Curator Talk: Benjamin L. Clark on the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Free
Thursday, July 13 at 6 p.m. Teen Open Mic Night, Moline Public Library, Moline, Free
Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Sunflower Days, Pride of the Wapsi, Long Grove, Free-$14
Thursday, July 17 at 6 p.m. SPECTRA Reading Series, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, Free
Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Howl At The Moon, Tangled Wood, Bettendorf, Free
Tuesday, July 25 at 7 p.m. Environmental Book Club: Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, River Action, Davenport, Free
Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.
OUTLETPROGRAMME Presents: Eli Wallace + Glurge + Chachka, Rozz-Tox, Rock Island, $10 —Sarah Elgatian
For more events and specific details on each of the above events, visit: fairfieldjournal.org
Friday, July 7 at 6 p.m. Fairfield First Friday Gallery Walk, Free
Saturdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 at 8 a.m. Fairfield Farmers Market, Howard Park, Free
Sundays, July 9, 16, 23, 30 at 12:30 p.m.
Community Potluck, Phoenix Rising Hall, Free
Wednesdays, July 12, 19, 26 at 8 p.m. Open Mic, Café Paradiso, Fairfield, Free
80 Truck Stop, Walcott, Thursday-Saturday, July 13-15 at 9 a.m., Free
This annual event features activities for adults and youth and includes food and entertainment. The “World’s Largest Truckstop” will serve as the venue for an antique truck display, super truck beauty contest, a pork chop cook out, live music, trucker olympics, fireworks and over 175 other exhibits and activities pertaining to the live and leisure of trucks and truckers. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Friday, July 17-21, $100
Students ages 8-14 will learn basic performance skills, songs and dance routines at Evelyn Gamrath’s summer camp. Registration includes all materials, costumes, scripts, and makeup. No theater experience is necessary; preregistration is required. Students will perform to the public on Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. Summer Outdoor Concert Series, Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, Free
Friday, July 14 at 8 a.m. Mira’s Cafe Grand Opening, Fairfield, Free
Friday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. Mostly True, An Evening of Storytelling for Adults, Phoenix Rising Hall, Fairfield, $10 suggested donation
Friday, July 21 at 8:30 p.m. Summer Movie in Central Park, Fairfield First Fridays, Free Fairfield Journal
Dear Kiki,
I am a married male (42) to a female (46). We were married five years ago. My wife was a package deal, and she came with a wonderful daughter (now 9). I have raised her daughter as my own for the last six+ years. I love being a dad. The biological father has addiction issues, floats in and out, and even when present has very limited supervised visits. She has been disappointed by him numerous times, but I am always a consistent, reliable father figure for her.
My wife and I have become more like friends without intimacy. I would prefer sex every other day. I am given obligatory sex once a month. I should probably add we had enthusiastic sex multiple times per day, nearly everyday while dating. As soon as we were married, it abruptly changed to once per month. I vastly improved my wife’s financial security. So, I can’t help but wonder if I was consciously or subconsciously given
shoulders. Even if she doesn’t figure it out now, later in life she will. And it will be awful for her.
So what can you do then? The first step is going to be active listening. You say your wife is “just not interested in sex anymore.” Has she told you why? You’re rightly concerned about your own happiness, but I don’t see you seeking out solutions that are mutually beneficial. Have there been other conflicts between you, besides the lack of sex? Have you seen shifts in her personality? She could be experiencing depression, menopause, stress from work or any number of different factors that decreased her desire.
You say you and she are “more like friends without intimacy”—but it seems like, in your frustration, you’re not acting like much of a friend. If you show concern and approach it as a problem to solve together, rather than something she needs to change about herself to make your
the bait and switch.
We have discussed the lack of sex at length, and she is just not interested in sex anymore. I explained that the lack of physical intimacy was severely affecting my happiness and self esteem. I asked for an open relationship. She was appalled and denied my request. She has no interest in therapy, nor do I want a therapist to convince her to have sex with me. If we were to divorce, I believe she would severely limit my contact with our stepdaughter.
I believe these are my options: 1) cheating 2) divorcing and blowing up my stepdaughter’s life 3) putting my happiness on hold for nine years when she moves off to college. What would you suggest?
Dear Options, What a tricky situation! Kudos to you for giving every possibility the thought it deserves.
I’ll start with the default advice in this situation, the thing you probably already know, but just don’t want to know: Divorce is rough on kids, but it is almost always easier on them than living with parents who are at odds. Staying together “for the kids” isn’t just ineffective, it’s putting your lack of happiness on a child’s
life better, you might start seeing more progress. If you believe you’ve made all the attempts you’re capable of to light the fires again, then we’re back to your initial conundrum. Let’s pick apart the options you list one by one:
1. Cheating
Your wife doesn’t want to open your relationship. But that’s only one version of consensual nonmonogamy. Try to get to the heart of why
Cont. >> on pg. 68
yOU’RE RIGHTly CONCERNED ABOUT yOUR OWN HAPPINESS, BUT I DON’T SEE yOU SEEKING OUT SOlUTIONS THAT ARE MUTUAlly BENEFICIAl. HAVE THERE BEEN OTHER CONFlICTS BETWEEN yOU, BESIDES THE lACK OF SEX?
this option bothers her. Is she afraid of losing you emotionally? Maybe getting what you need professionally (ahem), rather than starting a new relationship with someone, will ease her fears. Does she think it will wedge the two of you even further apart? See if she’d like to experiment with swinging, something you could do together as a couple. Is she worried about old-fashioned notions of social propriety? Establish a plan to keep things discreet.
2. Divorcing and blowing up [your] stepdaughter’s life
If you truly believe your wife would act vindictively and against her child’s best interests to keep you from maintaining that relationship, then before you look at divorce, look at adoption. You may be able to be declared a legal parent, which would give you more rights down the road. Also, remember: a 9-year-old has some agency and awareness. If she wants to see you, she’ll find you again when she can. But even with the most hostile parents, divorce doesn’t have to blow up a kid’s life. There are resources out there to help kids (and parents) deal with that transition.
3. Putting [your] happiness on hold for nine years
Really? “On hold”? There’s nothing else in life that makes you happy, that brings you joy, besides sex? Sublimating one’s desires is not aspirational or healthy, of course. But as fun as sex can be, many people live long, happy, fulfilling lives without it, by choice or by circumstance. Take some time to think of the ways you can invite joy into your life without physical intimacy. And once you’ve found some, see if your wife would want to enjoy those things with you. What you might find is a path to a different kind of intimacy than physical, and a way to enjoy your years together without too much resentment. You might even find that it brings you close enough together that your physical intimacy returns over time. But mostly, you’ll have figured out a way to happiness for yourself that doesn’t necessarily require other people. And that’s the greatest gift any of us can give to the world or to our partners.
Those three paths you see are not the only ones forward, and each one presents several branchings and possibilities. You’re not down for the count just yet. xoxo, Kiki
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Hexes nullified! Jinxes abolished! Demons banished! Adversaries outwitted! Liabilities diminished! Bad habits replaced with good habits! These are some of the glorious developments possible for you in the coming months, Cancerian. Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little. But if so, not much. In my vision of your future, you will be the embodiment of a lucky charm and a repository of blessed mojo. You are embarking on a phase when it will make logical sense to be an optimist. Can you sweep all the dross and mess out of your sphere? No, but I bet you can do at least 80 percent.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the book *Curious Facts in the History of Insects*, Frank Cowan tells a perhaps legendary story about how mayors were selected in the medieval Swedish town of Hurdenburg. The candidates would set their chins on a table with their long beards spread out in front of them. A louse, a tiny parasitic insect, would be put in the middle of the table. Whichever beard the creature crawled to and chose as its new landing spot would reveal the man who would become the town’s new leader. I beg you not to do anything like this, Leo. The decisions you and your allies make should be grounded in good evidence and sound reason, not blind chance. And please avoid parasitical influences completely.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I rebel against the gurus and teachers who tell us our stories are delusional indulgences that interfere with our enlightenment. I reject their insistence that our personal tales are distractions from our spiritual work. Virgo author A. S. Byatt speaks for me: “Narration is as much a part of human nature as breath and the circulation of the blood.” I love and honor the stories of my own destiny, and I encourage you to love and honor yours. Having said that, I will let you know that now is an excellent time to jettison the stories that feel demoralizing and draining—even as you celebrate the stories that embody your genuine beauty. For extra credit: Tell the soulful stories of your life to anyone who is receptive.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the Mayan calendar, each of the 20 day names is associated with a natural phenomenon. The day called Kawak is paired with rainstorms. Ik’ is connected with wind and breath. Kab’an is earth, Manik’ is deer, and Chikchan is the snake. Now would be a great time for you to engage in an imaginative exercise inspired by the Mayans. Why? Because this is an ideal phase of your cycle to break up your routine, to reinvent the regular rhythm, to introduce innovations in how you experience the flow of the time. Just for fun, why not give each of the next 14 days a playful nickname or descriptor? This Friday could be Crescent Moon, for example. Saturday might be Wonderment, Sunday can be Dazzle Sweet, and Monday Good Darkness.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): From 998 till 1030, Scorpio-born leader Mahmud Ghaznavi ruled the vast Ghaznavid empire, which stretched from current-day Iran to central Asia and northwestern India. Like so many of history’s strong men, he was obsessed with military conquest. Unlike many others, though, he treasured culture and learning. You’ve heard of poet laureates? He had 400 of them. According to some tales, he rewarded one wordsmith with a mouthful of pearls. In accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to be more like the Mahmud who loved beauty and art and less like the Mahmud who enjoyed fighting. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to fill your world with grace and elegance and magnificence.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): About 1,740 years ago, before she became a Catholic saint, Margaret of Antioch got swallowed whole by Satan, who was disguised as a dragon. Or so the old story goes. But Margaret was undaunted. There in the beast’s innards, Margaret calmly made the sign of the cross over and
By Rob Brezsnyover with her right hand. Meanwhile, the wooden cross in her left hand magically swelled to an enormous size that ruptured the beast, enabling her to escape. After that, because of her triumph, expectant mothers and women in labor regarded Margaret as their patron saint. Your upcoming test won’t be anywhere near as demanding as hers, Sagittarius, but I bet you will ace it—and ultimately garner sweet rewards.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn-born Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was an astronomer and mathematician who was an instrumental innovator in the Scientific Revolution. Among his many breakthrough accomplishments were his insights about the laws of planetary motion. Books he wrote were crucial forerunners of Isaac Newton’s theories about gravitation. But here’s an unexpected twist: Kepler was also a practicing astrologer who interpreted the charts of many people, including three emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. In the spirit of Kepler’s ability to bridge seemingly opposing perspectives, Capricorn, I invite you to be a paragon of mediation and conciliation in the coming weeks. Always be looking for ways to heal splits and forge connections. Assume you have an extraordinary power to blend elements that no one can else can.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Dear Restless Runaway: During the next 10 months, life will offer you these invitations: 1. Identify the land that excites you and stabilizes you. 2. Spend lots of relaxing time on that land. 3. Define the exact nature of the niche or situation where your talents and desires will be most gracefully expressed. 4. Take steps to create or gather the family you want. 5. Take steps to create or gather the community you want.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I’d love you to be a deep-feeling, free-thinker in the coming weeks. I will cheer you on if you nurture your emotional intelligence as you liberate yourself from outmoded beliefs and opinions. Celebrate your precious sensitivity, dear Pisces, even as you use your fine mind to reevaluate your vision of what the future holds. It’s a perfect time to glory in rich sentiments and exult in creative ideas.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Visionary author Peter McWilliams wrote, “One of the most enjoyable aspects of solitude is doing what you want when you want to do it, with the absolute freedom to change what you’re doing at will. Solitude removes all the ‘negotiating’ we need to do when we’re with others.” I’ll add a caveat: Some of us have more to learn about enjoying solitude. We may experience it as a loss or deprivation. But here’s the good news, Aries: In the coming weeks, you will be extra inspired to cultivate the benefits that come from being alone.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The 18th-century French engineer Étienne Bottineau invented nauscopy, the art of detecting sailing ships at a great distance, well beyond the horizon. This was before the invention of radar. Bottineau said his skill was not rooted in sorcery or luck, but from his careful study of changes in the atmosphere, wind, and sea. Did you guess that Bottineau was a Taurus? Your tribe has a special capacity for arriving at seemingly magical understandings by harnessing your sensitivity to natural signals. Your intuition thrives as you closely observe the practical details of how the world works. This superpower will be at a peak in the coming weeks.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to a Welsh proverb, “Three fears weaken the heart: fear of the truth; fear of the devil; fear of poverty.” I suspect the first of those three is most likely to worm its way into your awareness during the coming weeks. So let’s see what we can do to diminish its power over you. Here’s one possibility: Believe me when I tell you that even if the truth’s arrival is initially disturbing or disruptive, it will ultimately be healing and liberating. It should be welcomed, not feared.
Our New Doomsday FACEBOOK.COM/WIDOW7OFFICIAL
There were a handful of years when I had a strange fixation on the post-grunge band Breaking Benjamin. Strange only because my general taste would grow to bend toward alternative and folk music, though a selection of Breaking Benjamin songs have never gone out of rotation for me.
I’d never quite pinned down what drew me to those songs, but this week, Widow7 helped me figure it out.
Widow7 is a Des Moines-based, modern rock band existing adjacent to nu metal and grunge. This past March, the group released Our New Doomsday, an eight-song EP that includes songs like “Hopeless” and “Shadow Me” (both standouts) which were released as singles in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
In 2021, Widow7 also opened for fellow Iowa-grown band Slipknot as part of that year’s Knotfest.
The handful of years I briefly latched onto select grunge/ rock sounds came during my high school career. A period where I took court-mandated trips between the houses of two parents—a mom who was stretched thin, and a flagrantly abusive father—while trying to find a sense of personal autonomy.
There was a feeling that this kind of music, when it hit right, could cathartically express my distress.
By and large, Our New Doomsday hits just right.
If you don’t get at least the
smallest sense of rebellious self affirmation from lines like “Feels like I’m wasting away … but I got nothing if I ain’t got me” sung to electric minor chords and a storm of drum beats—as in the song “Therapy”—alongside sentiments to burn the world down, then you and I have nothing to talk about.
Songs like “Fire” and “Crooked Flames” deploy rap breaks with degrees of success. In “Fire” the use is brief but contributes to a nice build which, paired with smart sound design, makes this one of the punchiest songs here. Meanwhile, in “Crooked Flames,” the rapping—and song as a whole—never fits together as well as it feels it should despite a killer guitar hook.
Across the album, though, the performers are firing on all cylinders. Vocalist Mark Leon hits both tender melodies and throaty chants with equal proficiency. Jayson Kremf and Jake Schrek on guitars, Seth Peters on bass and Shane
80/35 Music Festival
Western Gateway Park, Bud & Mary’s Stage, Des Moines, 3 p.m., July 8, $55-275
Chip Tha Ripper. When Mac isn’t tapped into his gritty and raw rap style, his whimsical, laid-back rap brings me back to 2011 listening to The Cleveland Show
In a dozen tracks, Chill Mac touches several styles and integrates some excellent guitar riffs from Taylor King. Songs like “Cousin of Death” and “HOWiFEEL” display grittier influences—while songs like “I’m Chill” and “Contact High” hit on, what I would call, “smoker flows.”
Mills on drums are all just as bombastic and relentless as you’d hope for them to be when the songs shift focus to them.
Given these allusions to my own early teenage years, I want to make it clear that I don’t want to paint Widow7’s music as juvenile, rather, I want to illustrate that it is head-bangingly joyous.
I know Widow7 won’t bend my taste away from the more mellow tones I gravitate toward. That said, I can easily imagine that instead of playing “I Will Not Bow” to belt away the bad feelings—as I still do on occasion—I instead select Widow7’s “Therapy” or “Low Life” as musical medication.
—Isaac HamletThe moment you press play on “Heart & Soul,” the first track of None Chiller, Dom Russell (performing as Chill Mac) establishes himself as more than just a rapper. “This is deeper than rap, I got a story to tell,” he says. Mac paints pictures of his past, and expresses his innermost desires to inspire, “I’m just tryna touch souls like DMT, on another level get on my frequency.”
On top of that, the album is downright groovy from front to back. Chill Mac presents a lofi, introspective vibe here, using unique vocal distortions and creative downsampling.
Of course, anyone who listens to an artist for the first time naturally draws comparisons; so, after my first listening, here are some names that came to mind. First, is Curren$y who shares some of Chill Mac’s immediately apparent groovy/smoker vibes. Second, is Schoolboy Q because of a sharedraw and aggressive style of rap, mixed with introspective lyrics and gritty but simplistic storytelling.
My last comparison is for 2010’s rap fans, King Chip a.k.a.
On “Hollows” he uses storytelling to lyricize the violent struggle he and his peers have gone through with lines like, “Swallowed by the system, n***** got swallowed by the streets/ Everybody plays the victim, n***** got plenty enemies.” Juliano Dock also shines as a feature on this track, offering a compelling complement to Mac’s style.
While I do appreciate the chill flows and the whimsical rap performances on this album, there were times when the melodies felt a little loose from a performance perspective. Some rap fans don’t listen to rap music for any sort of sing-along melody, but—for those who do—I can say the tone and melody lost me in a few places.
I think Chill Mac makes it clear that he is highly intentional and cerebral with his bars. That being said, the content is usually deeper than the composition; there’s a lot of simple rhyme schemes with little lyrical complexity.
Overall this was a solid project for Chill Mac, his thoughtfulness is apparent here. Local music scenes are often filled with cringe-worthy rap and crusty bars—and while the album might be flawless from top to bottom, it certainly wasn’t a blooper.
Aside from some grittier tones, the album is a lot of fun and loaded with good vibes. It’s very well-rounded display from Mr. Russell. In terms of rap albums from the Des Moines music scene, one can imagine “none chiller.”
—Rhys DavisACROSS THE AlBUM, THE PERFORMERS ARE FIRING ON All CylINDERS.
Christine Moad, who records under the moniker Miss Christine, gave themself an unenviable task: to take the dumpster fire of the last three years and turn it into music.
Miss Christine’s latest album Bittersweet released in June, and in both its construction and its resultant music, this is a pandemic album through and through. None of the musicians who play on the record were ever in the same room together, and the musicians all recorded and communicated through a music software called LANDR. In spite of this, the album is both sonically cohesive and verbally focused, a musical dispatch rooted in a not-so-distant time.
Opening with the power rocker “Can’t See,” Miss Christine proves to be adept at tackling whatever genre that the song calls for. For example, “Love With You” feels like a 2010’s pop radio ballad with a slightly stronger drum beat. “Isn’t It Funny“ plays a little closer to the charm of a ‘90s-era indie strummer.
Throughout the album, Miss Christine invokes love and understanding, and it feels earnest every time. But their music is arguably most successful when it leans a little further into the weird. From a seemingly straightforward pop number, “I’m Not Okay”
increasingly grows exasperated, repeating the line: “How long must this go on?” When the titular payoff finally does arrive, not only do we believe the admission, we feel a communion with it.
On “Google University,” Miss Christine tackles a 21st century threat: “the buffoons who graduated Google University.” With a wry eye and unapologetic approach, Miss Christine takes down fake moon landing believers and COVID-19 deniers alike. The word “buffoon” is rarely used in pop songs, and this song highlights what a shame that is.
“My Brain” holds the key to the entire album. Here, Miss Christine channels pure doom pop for a two-minute tone poem full of pandemic-era angst and musical catharsis. “2020” ends with a plea for hope, but the song’s greatest strength is in its lumbering and justified anger. On the bridge, Miss Christine sings “Has anyone read the history books?/This country was founded by a bunch of crooks.” Though it winds up optimistic, it’s a full three minutes to get there.
Across 10 songs, Bittersweet establishes Miss Christine as both a hook-seeker and lyrically incisive songwriter, equally as comfortable in a straight ahead pop chorus as a punk rock breakdown. The fact that this album was recorded entirely independently and pieced together afterwards speaks to the strength of these songs and the respective players, including Will Larson, John Tyler Kent, Andrew Teutsch and Alex Ricchiuto.
But make no mistake: this is fully Miss Christine’s show. Playing the bass and standing in front of it all, on Bittersweet, Miss Christine captures the full gamut of the last three years. Now, wiith a slate of area performances throughout the summer, it’s clear Miss Christine is only getting started.
––Avery Gregurich
“Everything that they ever warned us about, all the sad things, all the bad things, all of those things, they are coming. They are all coming to pass.” So singeth Samuel Locke Ward, master of minimalism, grim jester and bard of Iowa in the unhinged 2020s.
In a just world, Samuel Locke Ward would be the state of Iowa’s fully-funded artist laureate. But a just world would not require the catharsis of Thrift Store Gtr Gold, in which Ward distills his acerbic, howlingly funny vision to a brisk 22-song, 43-minute set of disarmingly listenable music.
In the wake of the downhill political slide of 2022, Ward sat down in front of a microphone with his trusty, gaudy-green Oscar Schmidt acoustic guitar, rescued (as the title suggests) from a thrift store, and recorded an album as angry and passionate as any of his recent works.
“Restraint” is an odd word to direct at Ward, especially when all the usual weirdness is present, like twisted-Beach Boys harmonies, absurd lyrics and atonal gamelan-esque guitar (used to illustrate the menace of “Bad Energy.”) But there’s no hollerin’, no hardcore gang-vocals,
no sax skronk, just artfully-contained and tuneful disgust directed at the craven monsters lurking in the Iowan halls of power (and their easily-fooled enablers).
Whether or not Ward intentionally made it his mission to make his music a total reflection of Iowan life is irrelevant; at this point it’s impossible to separate one from the other. The characters and situations depicted in Thrift Store Gtr Gold are as Iowan as it gets, from the vexed citizen seeking priestly guidance for the wayward subject of “She’s Troubled” to the warped nostalgia of “That Iowa Sky” (in which cigarettes are boosted from senile relatives, nasty ditchweed is smoked on gravel roads and witchy kids dance in graveyards).
The most timely tune is “Banned Books,” described by Ward as the new “Iowa state anthem.”
It’s not all despair -“Insubordination” is a call to (in) action: “Do not obey, don’t do what they say, don’t give an inch, don’t let them have their way.”
And closer “Wasteland” (from which the opening lines of this review are taken) is awash in the glory of love, even when all else seems hopeless: “. . . there’s no one else in this whole wide world, not a single person that I’d rather walk this dystopian nightmare with than you.”
Thrift Store Gtr Gold is a reminder of the power of transgressive art in repressive times, right down to the amorous gayliens embracing on the cover. Hold on to each other, keep creating and keep this (and Ward’s other albums) in rotation; their effects may surprise you.
—Loren ThacherIN A JUST WORlD, SAMUEl lOCKE WARD WOUlD BE THE STATE OF IOWA’S FUllyFUNDED ARTIST lAUREATE.
June 5 - August 18
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ALFRED A. KNOPF
Kerry Howley, you had me the title.
Maybe your brain hasn’t been colonized by internet worms for the better part of three decades, but I immediately recognized the reference to a 2014 viral video in which a middle-aged white woman presents a practiced spiel breaking down alleged satanic symbolism on a can of Monster Energy. Near the end of the video, she points to a cross shape on the label, says, “What is witchcraft? When the cross goes upside down,” and tips the can as if drinking. Her mic drop: “Bottom’s up, and the devil laughs.”
Howley’s new nonfiction novel, Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs, focuses on Reality Winner, the NSA whistleblower who, in 2018, was given the longest prison sentence ever handed down for a violation of the Espionage Act: 63 months. Winner pleaded guilty to leaking an intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2016 election to The Intercept, which inadvertently revealed Winner to the NSA while trying to validate her report.
So why not call the book Winner, the title of an in-production biopic with a screenplay penned by Howley? (Reality, an HBO docu-drama depicting Winner’s initial interrogation by FBI agents, was released in May.)
Perhaps because this book is less about Winner than the United States—specifically, how the
government has used and abused tools of surveillance since 9/11, and how a nation that pins the health of its “way of life” on the ability to secure an ever-expanding hoard of classified data (everything from cringy Google searches to CIA torture reports) is doomed to be undone by its own disgruntled bureaucrats.
Howley doesn’t miss the dark humor in these stranger-than-fiction scenarios. Along with investigative journalism, she offers well-deployed anecdotes and crack insights with omniscient detachment. “Surveillance is made of us,” she reiterates throughout the text, along with, “To study surveillance is to learn, over and over, that we cannot escape ourselves.”
Yet Howley has an uncanny knack for humanizing figures Americans have been conditioned to dismiss as evil. She embraces contradictions represented by people like Winner, John Lindh, Julian Assange and Joe Biggs, while directing a red-hot laser pointer at fatal fallacies in the United States’ approach to intelligence and national security.
“‘We kill people based on metadata’ a CIA director once said, which is true, and they are often the wrong people.”
So why title the book with a line from a viral video? I’ll let readers discover for themselves, but suffice to say Howley doesn’t forget to address the new satanic panic that has infected online and real-life political discourse, and played a role in the rise of Donald Trump, Alex Jones, Marjorie Taylor Greene and the like.
In her acknowledgements, Howley thanks fellow University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing professor John D’Agata “for bringing me to Iowa, where a certain melancholic quiet made writing possible.” If this state helped inspire such an innovative, important book, I can’t help but feel a little proud—and a little melancholic.
—Emma McClatchey BART yATESThe Language of Love and Loss
KENSINGTON BOOKS
As Noah York says of his mother: “Of course I love her, but that’s beside the point.” She is the “most complicated person” he knows, “running the gamut from holy woman to gargoyle, depending on the day.”
Oakland to be “a pretty little town, but it’s so sleepy I’m not sure anyone who lives there has a pulse.” The uncouth nature of the town is only one of the ghosts haunting our narrator in this tale. There are old bullies, an ex-boyfriend named J.D. and being reminded “how much I fucked up my life.”
Another spector is lingering embarrassment and bitterness over a poem written by Virgina.
After Noah dropped out of the Rhode Island School for Design at 20 years old, Virginia wrote a somewhat notorious poem titled “The Lost Soul,” which cast her son as the unwitting title character and lamented him “wasting his talent.” That publication of that poem does a lot to color the dynamic between mother and son.
In The Language of Love and Loss, it has been eight months since 37-year-old Noah—a struggling artist who teaches part-time at a community center in Providence, Rhode Island—has seen his mother, the 68-year-old woman known as Virginia York, a Pulitzer Prizewinning writer teaching at Cassidy College in the small town of Oakland, New Hampshire.
This text is a standalone sequel to Iowa City author Bart Yates’ novel Leave Myself Behind, which featured Noah as a younger narrator of 17 years old. This latest story finds Noah beckoned back home one summer. He coughs up just enough cash for a bus ticket and embarks to Oakland.
Returning home, Noah estimates
Usually the spats between the two are ignited shortly after his arrival. This time, however, Noah receives a relatively warm welcome, which makes him uneasy. He says to his mother, “You’ve lost weight. Do you have a parasite or something?” She responds, “Not since you were in my womb.” Not long after, Noah discovers that Virginia has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The book as a whole is hilarious and biting, but also tender and heartfelt, this exchange summarizes much about their relationship, and the piercing humor in Yates’ prose.
This is the first work I’ve read from Yates, but it won’t be the last. With marvelously drawn characters and profound, at times puckish narration and dialogue, Yates has crafted an entertaining story where the sentimental can be barbed, humorous, sad. This is an honestly and sharply drawn tale presented without compromise.
––Mike KuhlenbeckWITH MARVElOUSly DRAWN CHARACTERS AND PROFOUND, AT TIMES PUCKISH NARRATION AND DIAlOGUE, yATES HAS CRAFTED AN ENTERTAINING STORy WHERE THE SENTIMENTAl CAN BE BARBED, HUMOROUS, SAD.
n elaborate persona collection for American feminism, What Woman That Was (Final Thursday Press, 2023) by Anne Myles explores the foundations of a culture that would both vilify and glamorize actions of rebellion.
This poetry collection is an incredible homage to “the courageous and troublesome women throughout history whose stories have been lost.”
Myles, an associate professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa, blends her discovery of one Mary Dyer—a follower of religious dissenter Anne Hutchinson in the early American colonies—with a personal perspective. In doing so, she weaves realities through the poems in this collection, building a world around both her contemporary readers and her 17th century subject.
The book—using found elements and a keen understanding of poetic form–follows Dyer, a woman all but lost to history save for her letters urging for gender equality and emphasizing her understanding of a just god who cares for all of humanity.
The collection takes its title from John Winthrop’s A Short Story of the Rise, reign, and ruine of the Antinomians, Familists, & Libertines written in 1644. There, Winthrop documents Hutchinson being “cast out of the Church” and Dyer following: “[A] stranger observing, asked another what woman that was, the other answered, it was the woman who had the
A curious reader could surely research Dyer on their own. However, I suggest those interested in the stories of “monstrous women” first explore these poems. With empathy and deep investment in her subject, Myles puts herself and her readers in the position of both witness to Dyer’s trials and in Dyer’s shoes for much of her struggle.
Early in the collection we learn that Dyer, before coming to the Americas, spent a year in isolation as a plague overtook London where she studied the Bible and grew passionate about the text as it gave her some peace during an epidemic.
While the poem “Plague Year” discusses London in 1625, it is clear that we are experiencing a mirror to many of our own societal realizations from 2020. The poem ends with Dyer awakening to an unexpected compassion for her community, “Dead, they’re not lost—not rot / but glory. Inside the white cage of her ribs / something nameless beats its wings.”
Later, we see Myles speak as herself as she notices Dyer in her own life. When Myles visits Dyer’s grave in the poem “Bones” we hear pain, “the past is a locked gate,” Myles thinks, “time itself is a violence” and then, “a gravespot locals once showed travelers / is gone now … This sound / of small waves shushing on the beach: / how many billion, uninterrupted, each / break like a rung on a ladder I could climb / back to a day she stood here living?”
There is pain in what is lost in Dyer’s story, and this is where the power of this collection lies. We know that stories are lost, that rebellions for which people given their lives are forgotten, but in What Woman That Was we experience both the story and heartbreak of losing it.
––Sarah Elgatian JAMES AlAN MCPHERSON, ED. By ANTHONy WAlTONIam constantly amazed by how long I was in Iowa City without really hearing about James Alan McPherson.
In part, I attribute this to being a student during my first few years in the state. Yet it stands to reason that—as an English student, no less—there was no better time for me to have been taught about the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and who called Iowa City home.
McPherson, who would have turned 80 this September, was awarded the Pulitzer for Elbow Room, a short story collection published in 1977. He studied at Harvard Law School, taught at the University of Iowa and was among the inaugural recipients of a MacArthur Fellowship in 1981.
On Becoming an American Writer was published this past January, nearly seven years following McPherson’s passing. This collection of essays and nonfiction does not include any lost or previously unpublished work from the author; rather, it hopes to shine a light on McPherson, to give readers a cursory understanding of his work.
“McPherson’s nonfiction resides alongside that of contemporaries such as James Baldwin, Joan Didion, and Hunter S. Thompson,” writes Anthony Walton, who
selected the collected writings, in his introduction. “What distinguishes McPherson from these writers, however, is the astonishing breadth of his frame: He draws from legal, regional, and classical perspectives to give his arguments nuances …”
The first three or four essays feature McPherson writing on social issues faced by Americans, particularly Black Americans, in the 1980s and ’90s. In the same way one may not entirely agree with the theses put forward by W.E.B. Du Bois or Langston Hughes, it is easy to imagine dissenting opinions to what McPherson puts forward. However, his stances are well reasoned and articulated.
After these first few pieces, Walton moves to more personal essays from McPherson’s life. Here, McPherson grapples with the death of a tenant and the ethics of being a landlord (this occurs in “Crabcakes,” which is also the title of his memoir). We see him fighting for fatherhood following a devastating divorce in “Disneyland” (which made me cry), he grapples with the death of his friend Ralph Ellison in “Gravitas,” and he recounts being treated for a coma at Iowa City’s Mercy Hospital in late 1998 in “Ukiyo.”
The final two entries—“Reading” and “On Becoming an American Writer”—weave together the personal and the philosophical. Walton appears to have front-loaded McPherson’s social and political beliefs, easing the reader into his more personal writings, the triumphs and foibles, before presenting a synthesis of the two worlds.
I had little familiarity with McPherson’s work prior to this book. But as I moved through it I found that, for better or worse, McPherson’s social critique from 30 years ago is often still applicable today. Even when I did not agree with him, I was always interested in what he had to say and longed to hear more.
—Isaac Hamlet
ACROSS
1. Appeal for a better grade, say
5. “Drink up, fellow German-speakers!”
10. Erstwhile Iowa straw poll town
14. Owned by us both
15. Record producer Blanco or ABBA member Andersson
16. ___ Salamanca (Better Call Saul enforcer)
17. Goes from first to third, say?
19. Serving edge
20. Article of faith
21. Digital assistant voiced by Susan Bennett
22. Version for testing
23. Dash ___
25. British singer with the disco hit “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”
27. Certain official symbol of Massachusetts
31. Apocryphal Roberto Durán quote, on losing to Sugar Ray Leonard
32. Bunch of bullshit
33. Molly, initially
36. Bad start?
37. Dime prez
38. Artist whose name is represented in this grid four times, in a way
40. “Great job avoiding that bull!”
43. With 45-Across, certain bleaching ingredient, briefly
45. See 43-Across
46. Typical rock cover?
47. Darken, in poetry
49. “What was that you
said?”
51. “Bye!”
54. The last video they played was “...Baby One More Time” before going off the air in 2008
55. Edge
56. Broadcasted, as seeds
58. Elementary school classroom spinner
62. Passing piece of writing?
63. Left bank district in Paris
65. Gift shoppe adjective
66. Mohawk Valley city
67. Arthur ___ Stadium
68. Filled one’s bowl, in a sense
69. First name in beauty/ fragrances
70. Little kids
1. Washington or New York paper name
2. Grimes of Yellowstone
3. Cork’s home, poetically
4. Dimensions
5. Ten-pin org.
6. Some cosplaying fans of the more recent Star Wars movies
7. Reporter April who rolled with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
8. Kit part
9. Peter’s Game of Thrones role
10. Southern state that’s home to Ono Island (note to self: file this away for future ONO clues)
11. “Sorry, sucker, nothin’ to see”
12. Privileged sorts
13. Detection system that uses echolocation
18. Rating unit
24. Bit of Corn Kid content, e.g.
26. A few
27. Member of a certain D&D race
28. Cover in canning
29. Liverpool’s county
30. Company that invented rocky road
34. [Milk me!]
35. Common connections
38. Russian buckwheat pancake
39. Caveman’s rank: Abbr.
41. Where Joe Burrow played college football: Abbr.
42. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” ability
44. Took into the family
46. Archetypical 1980s teen
47. Fancy tchotchke
48. “The ___ of the Red Death” (Poe story that chills in less than 2,500 words)
50. Proof word
51. Journalist’s pursuit
52. Bests handily
53. Sit tight for
57. Milquetoast descriptor
59. Venison ___ buco
60. Currency with Rama X’s portrait
61. Spots for crow’s feet
64. Raya and the Last Dragon voice Daniel ___ Kim
IF YOU SEE DES BEST AROUND DES MOINES, YOU’RE AT THE RIGHT PLACE. THIS EMBLEM MEANS SOMEWHERE OR SOMETHING HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY LOCALS AS THE BEST AROUND.
DES BEST OF DES MOINES.
