Little Village issue 333 - October 2024 by Little Village Magazine

RENÉE FLEMING

SOPRANO

VOICE OF NATURE: THE ANTHROPOCENE

Thursday, October 24 / 7:30 p.m.

Hancher Auditorium / Hadley Stage / Auditorium Seating

Presented in collaboration with Creative Matters, a program of the Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Iowa Neuroscience Institute

Renée Fleming’s exquisite voice is arguably one of nature’s masterworks. In her return to the Hancher stage, she lends that unadulterated sound to a National Geographic Society film inspired by her 2023 Grammy Award-winning album that explores nature as both an inspiration to and victim of humanity. Spanning classical, romantic, and contemporary music, Fleming offers a live and affecting soundtrack to a film about life itself. In the second half of the program, Fleming will perform music by Fauré, Grieg, Puccini, Jerome Kern, and Andrew Lippa.

“While she may have announced her farewell to the traditional opera canon in 2017 ... the superstar diva—or, as some have christened her, the ‘people’s diva’—seems as fiendishly busy as ever ... And to say Fleming has an ardent following is an understatement.” Classical Voice

TICKETS

Adults $115 / $95 / $65

Students & Youth $10

Order online hancher.uiowa.edu

Call (319) 335-1160 or 800-HANCHER

HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS

Lee & Kazi Alward

Barrie Anderson

William Dickinson

Leonard & Marlene Hadley

Albert B. & Jean M. (1931–2022) Hood

John (1945–2024) & Patricia Koza

Bob Rakel

STUDENT & YOUTH TICKETS

PROGRAM

Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene

The following suite of songs is accompanied by a film provided by National Geographic.

Hazel DICKENS

Georg Frideric HANDEL

Nico MUHLY

Joseph CANTELOUBE

Maria SCHNEIDER

BJÖRK

Heitor VILLA-LOBOS:

Howard SHORE

Kevin PUTS

Curtis GREEN

Burt BACHARACH

“Pretty Bird”

“Care Selve,” from Atalanta

“Endless Space” “Bailero,” from Songs of the Auvergne

“Our Finch Feeder,” from Winter Morning Walks

“All is Full of Love” “Epilogo,” from Floresta do Amazonas (piano solo) “Twilight and Shadow,” from Lord of the Rings “Evening” “Red Mountains Sometimes Cry” “What the World Needs Now” INTERMISSION

Gabriel FAURÉ

Edvard GRIEG

Giacomo PUCCINI

Jerome KERN

Andrew LIPPA

“Au Bord De L’eau” and “Les Berceaux”

“Lauf Der Welt” and “Zur Rosenzeit”

“O mio babbino caro,” from Gianni Schicchi

“All the Things You Are” The Diva

 HANCHER.UIOWA.EDU

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Paris Young in advance at (319) 467-4849 or at paris-sissel@uiowa.edu.

DANCE GALA: AGILE

Thursday–Saturday, October 17–19

This annual celebration of dance at the University of Iowa will bring the audience on stage with the artists this year.

The University of Iowa Department of Dance presents a rich program of both new and restaged works by faculty members—including Eloy Barragán, Armando Duarte, Kristin Marrs, and Stephanie Miracle—and creative collaborators as well as Sombrerísimo by distinguished guest choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Chris Bloom, formerly of Ballet Hispánico and a choreographer in his own right, will restage the electric Sombrerísimo on the student dancers.

Lopez Ochoa is an award-winning and much sought-after choreographer who has created work for companies around the world. Sombrerísimo, a humorous and bravado-infused romp for six dancers, was inspired by the work of painter René Magritte, who depicted bowler hats in the most surreal of circumstances.

TICKETS

Adults $ 20

Youth & Non-UI Students $ 10

UI Students $ 5

C OMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET

STAR DUST: FROM BACH TO BOWIE

Friday, November 1 / 7:30 p.m.

Two world-renowned dancers head a pioneering company dancing to music by two world-changing artists.

Founded by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson—both legendary former principal dancers with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater—Complexions Contemporary Ballet continues to push ballet into the future with electrifying dancers and mesmerizing choreography. The company’s Hancher debut will feature Bach 25, set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and STAR DUST, a dazzling love letter to David Bowie set to his music and reveling in his colorful and energetic imagination.

TICKETS

Adults $55 / $35

Students & Youth $10

HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS

Bruce Gantz

John R. Menninger

Margaret Neumann

Gregg Oden & Lola Lopes

Alan & Liz Swanson

Derek & Pamela Willard

George & Carrol Woodworth

INDEPENDENT IOWA NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com

24 trick or treason

Red scares, racist dog-whistles, indicted officials, scandal—Nixon never really left American politics.

36 Happy

Halloweed

Hemp-derived THC has fueled a new craft beverage industry in Iowa. Will the latest law kill it?

46 Something Wicked

Get lost in a Moulin Rouge-meets-Chicago fantasy at Des Moines club Noce.

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.

EDITORIAL

Publisher

Matthew Steele matt@littlevillagemag.com

Editor-in-Chief

Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

Arts Editor

Chuy Renteria chuy@littlevillagemag.com

News Director

Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

Art Director

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Graphic Designer

Kate Doolittle design@littlevillagemag.com

Calendar/Event Listings

Emily Rundell calendar@littlevillagemag. com

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

October Contributors

Alta Medea, Anne Mangano, Ariana Martinez, Ben Tausig, Dylan Schiff, Elisabeth Oster, Emily Rundell, Genevieve Trainor, Jeremy Pfaff, Jo Allen, John Busbee, Kembrew McLeod, Lauren Haldeman, Lucas Benson, Mike Roeder, Nick Dolan, Ramona Muse Lambert, Rob Cline, Rob Brezsny, Sam Locke Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Sara Williams, Tom Tomorrow, Zak Neumann

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Since 2001 LittleVillageMag.com

PRODUCTION

Digital Director

Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com

Production Manager

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

SALES & ADMINISTRATION

President, Little Village, LLC

Matthew Steele matt@littlevillagemag.com

Advertising ads@littlevillagemag.com

Creative Services

Website design, E-commerce, Publication design creative@littlevillagemag.com

CIRCULATION

Distribution Manager

Joseph Servey joseph@littlevillagemag.com

Distribution Andersen Coates, Heber Martinez, Joe Olson, Annie Sarcone, Joseph Servey, Sam Standish, Laela Tesdall distro@littlevillagemag.com

OFFICES

Little Village HQ, LV Creative Services 623 S Dubuque St Iowa City, IA 52240 319-855-1474

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Meet this month’s contributors!

Anne Mangano has worked for the Iowa City Public Library since 2008, serving as the Collection Services Coordinator since 2013.

Ariana Martinez is a freelance film critic and cinema studies graduate student at the University of Iowa.

Elisabeth Oster is the Marketing Manager for the Englert Theatre, a freelance writer and designer and collector of dad rock.

Jo Allen (they/them) is an LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-focused photographer based in Des Moines, IA. Instagram: @jovisuals

John Busbee works as an independent voice for Iowa’s cultural scene, including producing a weekly KFMG radio show, The Culture Buzz, since 2007.

Lauren Haldeman is a graphic novelist and poet and the author of Team Photograph (fall 2022), Instead of Dying (winner of the 2017 Colorado Prize for Poetry), Calenday, and The Eccentricity is Zero

Luke Benson is an intermittent contributor to Little Village who is developing articles on (or who spends most of his time) rucking, pinball and being a dad.

Issue 333

October 2024

Cover by Jordan Sellergren

Terror! Lies! Legal drugs! Haunted local journalists! This rag’s got it all. Flip through for pre-election existential musings, life-changing films, chill (and chilling) events, pinball wizardry, un-fun Nixon facts and a dab of gossip. Kinda like a penny dreadful, but free!

Kembrew McLeod is a founding Little Village columnist and the chair of Communications Studies at the University of Iowa.

Mike Roeder is a self-declared Music Savant. When he isn’t writing for Little Village he blogs at playbsides.com.

Nicholas Dolan is currently a Ph.D. student in English and American Literature at Washington University in St. Louis.

Ramona Muse Lambert makes art and music. Sometimes she’s in charge of dinner, too. Buy her art at ramonamuselambert.com.

Rob Cline is a writer and critic who would gleefully give the current state of things a negative review.

Sam Locke Ward is a cartoonist and musician from Iowa City. He self publishes the comic zines Voyage Into Misery and ’93 Grind Out and has put out over 50 music albums.

Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.

Sara Williams is a multidisciplinary artist who was raised in Bondurant, Iowa. She currently resides near Amana.

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

This issue of Little Village is supported by:

House of Glass (15)

Independent Cedar Rapids (4647)

- Indigo River & Co.

- Goldfinch Cyclery

- Next Page Books

- Cobble Hill

- The Daisy Independent Downtown Iowa

City co-op (22-23)

- Record Collector

- Release Body Modificaion

- Beadology

- Critical Hit Games

- Hot Spot Tattoo & Piercing

- Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe

- Micky’s Irish Pub

- Yotopia

- Mailboxes

- The Green House

- Revival

Independent Highland Park/Oak Park Neighborhood (32-33)

- Des Moines Mercantile

- The Collective

- The Slow Down Independent Northside Marketplace (62-63)

- Preucil School of Music

- George’s

- R.S.V.P.

- Dodge St. Tire

- Artifacts

- Oasis Falafel

- Paglai’s Pizza

- John’s Grocery

- The Haunted Bookshop Indian Creek Nature Center (45)

Iowa City Communications (52)

Iowa City Downtown District (18)

Iowa City Poetry (30)

Iowa City Public Library (37)

Iowa Department of Public Health (51, 53)

Iowa Nonprofit Alliance (68)

Iowa Public Radio (15, 29)

Jethro’s BBQ (31)

KCCK Jazz 88.3 (38)

KRUI 89.7 FM (19)

Kim Schillig, REALTOR (55)

MYEP (15)

Martin Construction (19)

Musician’s Pro Shop (52)

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (66)

New Pioneer Food Co-op (4)

Nodo (68)

Orchestrate Hospitality (66)

Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (11)

Polk County Conservation (38)

Public Space One (28)

Putnam Museum & Science Center (55)

Raygun (16)

Refocus Film Festival (72)

Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City (21)

Riverside Theatre (35)

Science Center of Iowa (29)

Shakespeare’s Pub & Grill (12)

Splash Seafood Bar & Grill (43)

The Club Car (15)

The Englert Theatre (58)

The James (30)

The Wedge Pizzeria (56)

Tim Conroy, REALTOR (57)

True Solar (41)

University of Iowa Stanely Museum of Art (14)

Waterloo Center for the Arts (54)

Wig and Pen (56)

Wildwood Saloon (60)

Willow & Stock (15)

World of Bikes (61)

xBk (68)

SAGE ADVICE

SPICY STAFF GOOD THYMES

Interactions

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.

Phill, the wandering water buffalo of Polk County, has a new home at the Iowa Farm Sanctuary. So do two of his friends. (Sept. 6)

I’m so happy he’s coming to our local sanctuary! Also bonus, they recused his friends! —Jennifer J.A.

And you can help support him with a sponsorship! iowafarmsanctuary.org/ monthlysponsor/phill Or one of their other residents, who are all as worthy of love and attention: iowafarmsanctuary. org/monthlysponsor. Iowa Farm Sanctuary is a treasure and something we should be proud to have in our state. The care they give to these animals who would otherwise experience only suffering is next level. —Tara A.

Phill the water buffalo is out of the hospital and reunited with his bovine best friend (Sept. 12)

I think my wife is cutting onions or something. —Grant N.

Animals rarely have a “bros before hoes” attitude so this is weirdly cute af to see. —Amber C.

I love it. Bovine have the capacity to love. It’s been shown that they have best friends and lament for days when their offspring are weaned away from them. I know when my neighbors wean their calves from their mothers. It’s days of desperate moos; looking for their babies. So depressing. —Diaz

HAVE AN OPINION?

Dodge Street Coffeehouse will reopen next month, but not on Dodge Street (Sept. 16)

Great coffee! The vegan scones are my favorite!! —Angelique A.

Cool! But I do the like idea of having more shops like this immediately off the interstate…too much junk food and few options for travelers… —Ariane P.

Cedar Rapids water main rupture kills more than 1,200 fish in Iowa’s only urban trout stream (Sept. 19)

Seems there is a huge spill reported nearly every day in iowa. Our water supply is under constant threat.

—Brook H.

This happens every year at McLoud Run. Unbelievable, and I like to fish this stream from time to time. It’s the most southern spring feed stream in Iowa

SARA WILLIAMS

What is your voting plan for the 2024 election?

which is a big deal! —Ryan P.

I’ve tried to fish McLoud Run many times but I’m always disappointed. You can find multiple huge piles of junk and garbage throughout the stream and it seems like something is always happening to kill off any fish that do live in there. It’s really sad. —R.D.

So water that’s supposed to be cleaner than water found in nature killed the fish. —Jupiter

PERSONALS

House horses make the best companions. This one is Bacon, a 2-year-old Great Pyrenees whose name does little to capture his elegance. Affectionate and playful, Bacon also seems to prance wherever he goes, his big white paws moving with the grace of a dressage champ. That said, Bacon needs some space to do his thing, so he wouldn’t be too happy in an apartment. Ready to turn your house into a snowy stable? Bacon awaits at the Iowa City Animal Center, 319-356-5295.

Send your personals for consideration to editor@littlevillagemag.com with subject line “Personals.”

Arctic Monkeys The Nadas Portugal. The Man

Bella Moss Spoon Pieta Brown Modest Mouse

Phantogram Hozier Shovels & Rope Alvvays

Jimmy Eat World Father John Misty Bright Eyes

Leon Bridges Best Coast Weary Ramblers

Jason Isbell The Smiths Death Cab for Cutie

Jack White St. Vincent Brother Trucker

Goth Babe Elvis Costello Dr. Dog Maggie Rose

Radiohead Elliott Smith New Order Blondsh

The Killers Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Vampire Weekend Beck Karen Meat Avett Bro

House of Large Sizes Bad Religion Mt. Joy

The Black Keys Dickie Pixies Young The Giant

Cage The Elephant B. Well The Replacements

Cold War Kids Allegra Hernandez Beastie Boys

The Smashing Pumpkins Echo & The Bunnymen

The Police Talking Heads Frank Turner

Interpol The Cure Briston Maroney Devo King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Flaming Lips

The Clash Surf Zombies Black Pumas Weezer

SMOKE SHOP

& THC

Fish don’t live in drinking water, drinking fluoride and chlorine is ok for people, not so much for fish to breathe in. and I doubt the drinking water supply is very oxygenated. —R.P.

Cedar Rapids used a 5th level spell slot to cast McLoudkill. —Ben C.

Utah Phillips said, “The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.”—W.I.

Iowa. America’s toilet bowl. —Red B.

Iowa Poll shows large majority oppose state’s new abortion ban, support reproductive choice (Sept. 23)

This is great, but how people feel will be worthless if they don’t vote for the Democratic candidates for office who can do something to change the law. Donald Trump likes to pat himself on the back for doing what he claims EVERYONE wanted and overturning the national Roe v. Wade to “give it back to the states.” Well, in Iowa as it is now, Governor Reynolds

LAUREN HALDEMAN

Where is your Little Village?

Little Village is a community supported monthly alternative magazine and digital media channel offering an independent perspective on Iowa news, culture and events. The magazine is widely available for free, with a distribution focus on the state’s cultural centers of Iowa City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Cedar Falls/ Waterloo, Dubuque and the Quad Cities. Scan here to find which one of LV’s 800 distribution locations is nearest to you >>

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Novels that Shake Skeletons from their Closets

Ilove narratives where the past, a past, any past, comes screaming into the present. It doesn’t matter if what happened is relevant to the heroes of the story or deeply woven into their family tree—it is their problem to face and they have to contend with it now. “The past is never dead” and all that.

In The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James, famous actor Jaime Sonoro answers a knock on his door in 1964. A book is shoved into his hands by a mysterious woman, detailing his family’s history from their illustrious Spanish pedigree to their colonial settlement of Mexico. It’s pretty fortuitous. Sonoro is writing a script for a Western based on his grandfather’s 1895 attempt to rob a train in Texas and his odyssey returning home across the Rio Grande. But there are some serious sins exposed, and it comes with a heavy inherited curse. Each generation is followed by the spirit Remedio, who seems out for retribution. Gonzalez James explores deep historical themes within an action-packed pageturner.

In Valérie Perrin’s Forgotten on Sunday, Justine Neige, a 21-year old aide at a nursing home, hardly knows anything about her family’s history. Raised by her grandparents (her mother and father died in a car crash), they never liked to talk about the past. The residents of the nursing home help fill the gaps. She loves to listen to their stories, reveling in their adventures, careers and past loves. She is especially taken by Hélène Hel, who reveals that her lover disappeared sometime during World War II. Justine begins to record Hélène’s story, but in learning about regret and loss, she finds inspiration to confront what really happened to her parents. As always, Perrin surprises in her explorations of buried family secrets.

contact:

In Sarah Perry’s Enlightenment, the past seems more like a circle. Steeped in a shared unshakeable faith, Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay don’t feel they belong to their small English village or their small Baptist church. While decades apart in age, they bond through turning their eyes to the past, and more importantly, the cosmos. It’s 1997 and Hart, a newspaper columnist for the Essex Chronicle, is told by his editor to write about the comet Hale-Bopp. This assignment leads Hart down a rabbit hole. He develops a new love of physics, and more importantly, an obsession with a local astronomer who vanished a century ago. The need to solve this mystery stretches and strains the relationship of Thomas and Grace—two people in orbit. You can argue with yourself about what is the gravitational pull. It is a splendid book. Find these and other great reads at the Iowa City Public Library’s Staff Picks: icpl.org/picks.

—Anne

Mangano, Iowa City Public Library

INTERACTIONS

and her merry band of Trumpublicans are NEVER going to let Iowans vote on this issue. So the only way to make this right again is to vote them out and vote in the candidates who believe women can and should have control of their own bodies.

—Stacy E.

Corrections from last month’s issue

The illustration on page 30 was adapted from a photograph of Mr. Softheart by Alyssa Leicht, who was uncredited. The artwork was also published without prior approval from Leicht. Little Village regrets these oversights.

The byline on page 37 was incorrect. Lucas Benson authored the review on Octopus College Hill.

ACCOLADES

Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel Martyr! is on the longlist for the 2024 National Book Awards in fiction, and also made Barack Obama’s annual Summer Reading List. Akbar is an associate professor in the University of Iowa’s English Department and the director of the English and Creative Writing major.

Matt Stutzman, a 41-year-old archer from Fairfield, won a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympics. One of the Paris Games’ most recognizable athletes, Stutzman became the first armless archer to win gold in the history of the Paralympics, scoring 149 out of a possible 150 points in the final. This was the fourth Paralympics appearance and second medal (2012, silver) for Stutzman, who was born without arms.

Olivia chambers, a senior at the University of Northern Iowa, also took home gold at the Paralympics. She placed first in the S13 400-meter freestyle. The swimmer from Little Rock, Arkansas is legally blind, and UNI’s first Paralympic medalist. She also won a silver in the SM13 200-meter individual medley with a new career best time of 2:25.90.

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (completed August 2022) and its designers, the Des Moines-based bNIM, were awarded the International Architecture Award for 2024. “Presented by the European Centre of Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies together with The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Art and Design, this award is recognized as one of the most distinguished, global building award programs,” according to BNIM.

Ashlee Louise Hopkins (Davis) was involved in a horrible biking accident on Sunday, Sept. 15. Despite her resilience, strength, and the incredible care of UIHC emergency and SNICU care teams, her injuries were too severe. On Sept. 23, following an honor walk at UIHC surrounded by friends and family, Ashlee made a final gift of her life by donating her liver to save another.

I

AUG. 30

Last spring brambles blooming You tall lightly freckled dark auburn hair impish smile

Superman build calculator watch Passing through from a family visit in Sioux City back to St Louis in your Subaru

Me bespectacled brunette wild dogs

barefoot trails crepe maker

Gravel road ancient oaks talk of zebra fish

II

Summer

Did cupcakes come before rain?

Lacey Keosauqua forest trail

To describe the light and love that radiated from her beautiful soul is impossible. Ashlee lived and loved fully and with a quiet ferocity, and will be forever missed. Her involvement in her community and her life was monumental. Whether for work or pleasure, she was a leader in every realm. Anyone who spent time with her knew that she would not only get the job done but would have thought of the 10,000 other things that no one else had. She was intuitive about our collective and individual needs and, my God, could she make us laugh.

Her passion and commitment to making the most out of life inspired anyone she came into contact with—whether through her love of the outdoors, biking, yoga, art, or just simply laughing. The list of lives impacted by her thoughtful, joyous, stubborn spirit stretches beyond this community and into the lives of everyone who had the honor of spending time with her.

Forever a champion of those most in need, she often gave us more than we deserved. Our job as a community now is to honor her legacy by caring for each other and living this precious life fully. Ashlee, you will be missed and are so deeply loved. ––Alta

Medea

Sudden thunderstorm soaked happy

Heavy raindrops green leaves forest floor

The road covered in thin translucent currents

Burgers and black raspberry softserve at Misty’s

III

Last winter

I was at work in Coralville

You had grown a ’90s dad stache Were visiting a friend sent videos Sloping forest waterfalls sleet

Magic one, I wish you well, but where are you? I miss you, your whimsy and friendship. Say hi to your fish I wish I could meet them someday.

IOWA cItY, SePt. 7

I was walking out of the Foxhead after a game of pool, blue mini dress and brown boots. You were sitting on the footpath and I saw you and decided to step on the grass. You turned to me and said, “you

can step on me”. ��

Just to be clear, I will never be doing that. But I will be riding that high for a while. If it weren’t so late, and you weren’t surrounded by your friends, that warranted info of my socials. You hot mess brown haired lad.

IOWA cItY, SePt. 10

I was trying to get the the ice cream machine in the dining hall, but it was crazy packed that day. In the fray of the crowd I thought I had accidentally cut a girl in line, so I moved to let her back in. She, very confidently, told me “No no, you get in front of me.” and put her hand on the small of my back and moved me in front of her. I’m sure she meant it in a friendly manner, but as she continued to talk my ear off about the ice cream line all I could think about was the feeling of her hand on my back. It wasn’t until I had returned to my table alone and with ice cream that I realized I should have asked for a social media of some sort.

IOWA cItY, SePt. 16

You were driving your Cybertruck south on N Dubuque Street past the I-80 ramps, and I was driving north. I didn’t see your face, and I’m worried you didn’t see my middle finger. Just wanted to make sure you got the message.

IOWA cItY, SePt. 20

We were friends some ten years ago when we were teen boys in Iowa City. We had a falling-out because of some “friends” who were assholes at a camping trip. You showed me those Will It Blend videos on YouTube in the

RAMONA MUSE LAMBERT

Courtesy of the family

basement of your house, we threw flour into the fire in your backyard to watch it explode, and I think I had a crush on you that I couldn’t encapsulate at the time. It’s the longest of long shots but I think about you still and my heart still twists in my chest because I wish we were still friends.

SePt. 20

You were sitting in the pew in front of me with earrings in the shape of a woman wearing a red dress. They danced in and out of shaggy bleached hair as you kept your 7ish-year-old sister amused with sudden peeks, winks, muffled laughs. I don’t even know if you saw me behind you, too awestruck to catch you afterwards. I’ll be behind you again next time—just turn around.

Submit to Missed Connections, LV’s community initiative fostering connection between readers. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear in print or online. littlevillagemag.com/missed-connections

BIG DICK ENERGY

The ghost of Nixon and his who-hates-who politics are haunting us all (especially this writer). Will November bring an exorcism?

bY PAUL breNNAN

“Aweek is a long time in politics.”

It’s a phrase both politicians and journalists like to use when they want to avoid giving a firm answer to a question, but still want to sound smart. But this year there really was a week that fit that description.

On Saturday, July 20, President Joe Biden was running for reelection and had won more than enough delegates in the primaries to be the Democratic Party nominee. Despite growing calls for him to step aside after his June 27 debate with Donald Trump and fundraising for his campaign cratering, Biden had been clear: he was not quitting the race. He was unequivocal and sometimes sounded angry.

On Saturday, July 27, Vice President Kamala Harris was running for president with Biden’s full endorsement, and she had secured enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates to be the party’s nominee. Harris’s campaign had shattered fundraising records. A staggering number of excited Democrats volunteered for the campaign, crowded venues to hear her speak and organized a series of Zoombusting online meetings to organize for Harris.

The first campaign rally for the new candidate was in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis on Tuesday, July 23. When the rally was first announced the previous Friday, Harris was still Biden’s running mate and the event was just a speech by the vice president.

“And then the world changed on Sunday,”

The day after Biden’s announcement, the Wisconsin delegation to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) unanimously endorsed Harris. So did Iowa’s delegation. But Wisconsin Democratic leaders had something else on their minds—they were scrambling to find a big enough venue for Harris’s speech, after the number of RSVPs suddenly skyrocketed.

The cavernous gym at West Allis High School was filled to capacity for the rally with more than 3,000 people.

“And all the way through, through multiple speakers, through music breaks, there was this just sense of joy and hope and optimism that felt so unlike the sense of dread that people have had in the pit of their stomach since 2015,” Wikler reported. “Really, it felt like something new.”

Wikler said that watching the crowd, he could see “they were there for history.”

“They were there for a kind of end to a period in American politics that people want to move past and the beginning of something so much better.”

childhood. Like Santa or Ronald McDonald. But disturbing. (Or more disturbing, depending on how you feel about Ronald McDonald.)

At the time, my family lived in the Maryland suburb of Washington D.C. where Air Force One is based. We had two newspapers delivered daily, the Washington Post in the morning and the Washington Star in the afternoon. I wasn’t reading the papers as a kid, but I did like the editorial cartoons, even if I didn’t understand them, and there was plenty of Nixon in them. We watched Walter Cronkite deliver the news on CBS every weeknight, and that also contained a fair amount of Nixon.

Nixon in Iowa: A Poorly Aged Idea

LThe excitement generated by the Harris campaign and Donald Trump’s flailing, and often racist, response to it dominated political news throughout early August, overshadowing a milestone in American history. Aug. 9 was the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon resigning as president, with impeachment for his involvement in the crimes of Watergate imminent. Nixon re-

The excitement generated by the Harris campaign and Donald Trump’s flailing, and often racist, response to it dominated political news throughout early August, overshadowing the anniversary of a milestone in American history. Aug. 9 was the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon resigning as president.

Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, told the New York Times in late July. He was referring to Biden’s surprise announcement that he was stepping aside on Sunday, July 21. Twenty minutes after that announcement, Biden endorsed Harris for president.

“And then the world changed again with a kind of whoosh,” Wikler continued. “It was like the country was making a decision. The Democratic Party coalesced. Our delegates started pledging en masse for Kamala Harris.”

mains the first and only president to resign.

I didn’t need to be reminded of the 50th anniversary of Nixon calling it quits, just as I didn’t need to be reminded of the 30th anniversary of Nixon’s death in April. That’s because, living and dead, Richard Nixon has haunted me my entire life.

Nixon is the first president I can remember. He was a very real, if non-corporeal, presence in my

ots of cities have schools named for presidents. Cedar Rapids has 14, but nearby Hiawatha has one that’s almost entirely unique, because Hiawatha is home to Richard M. Nixon Elementary School. It must have seemed like a good idea in 1969, when the name for the school was decided. Nixon was in the first year of his first term, and still had that new president smell. It probably still seemed like a good idea when the school opened its doors for the first time in 1970. But by the time Nixon gave his famous “I’m not a crook” speech in November 1973, it was pretty clear he wasn’t a great namesake for an elementary school. When Nixon lied about not being a crook, there were only two schools named for him. There are still only two schools named for him. One is Hiawatha’s, the other is in Landing, New Jersey. It opened in 1969.

The New Jersey school doesn’t use the full name—just Nixon Elementary— allowing people to imagine it’s not named for that Nixon. But Hiawatha’s school kept the “Richard M.,” so there’s no doubt about whose name it is. Just doubts about whether it’s a good idea.

Collage by Jordan Sellergren; Photos clockwise from top: Donald Trump (Zak Neumann / Little Village), Ronald McDonald (photo of a photograph by Jordan Sellergren), Richard Nixon (public domain), Kamala Harris (Zak Neumann / Little Village), Paul Brennan (Jordan Sellergren) and Ronald Reagan (public domain)

My father said it in the same matter-of-fact tone he used to explain why grass is green or tell me the names of stars in the night sky. “That star in the handle of the Little Dipper is the North Star, also known as Polaris. That man in the White House is the president of the United States, also known as Tricky Dick.”

TV comedians told lots of jokes about Nixon; many did bad impressions of him.

Then, when I was in elementary school, Watergate happened and suddenly everything seemed to be all Nixon all the time. Even the after-school cartoons would get bumped for the Senate Watergate hearings or news conferences in which Nixon or his spokesperson insisted the president was not a crook, and the Watergate break-in on June 17, 1972 was just “a third-rate

burglary” that had nothing to do with him.

At some point in the spring of 1973, as the attempt to cover-up the involvement of Nixon and his aides in Watergate was falling apart, I had the first serious political discussion I can remember. It started when I asked my father about a nickname for Nixon that was being widely used: “Tricky Dick.”

“The reason people call the president ‘Tricky Dick’ is because the president is a crook.”

My father said it in the same matter-of-fact tone he used to explain why grass is green or tell me the names of stars in the night sky. That star in the handle of the Little Dipper is the North Star, also known as Polaris. That man in the White House is the president of the United States, also known as Tricky Dick.

“Crook” didn’t necessarily mean a criminal, my father patiently explained. There were plenty of crooked men who weren’t criminals because they were rich and powerful, and rich and powerful people often got away with crimes. This was news to me. This was not what I was being taught at Camp Springs Elementary School.

Nixon, regardless of what happened with Watergate, was a crook, my father felt.

My father first became aware of Nixon in 1952, when Eisenhower chose the then-junior senator from California as his vice presidential running mate. Nixon was selected for the ticket—by senior campaign staff, not Eisenhower— as a goodwill gesture to the McCarthyite wing of the Republican Party. By that time, the nickname Tricky Dick was already two years old. Opponents hung it on Nixon because he had proven himself to be a dirty campaigner during his successful runs for the U.S. House in 1946 and the Senate in 1950.

Dirty, but effective.

“Richard Nixon is a no-good lying

bastard,” Harry Truman said when Nixon was the Republican candidate for president in 1960. Truman had been president when Nixon was in the House and Senate. “He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time, and if he ever caught himself telling the truth, he’d lie just to keep his hand in.”

Truman was still disgusted by Nixon’s reckless red-baiting as a congressman and senator, and his support for his fellow Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy. But after the political collapse

Nixon in Iowa: Authoritarian Chic

One thing that becomes clear listening to the Nixon tapes is that the 37th president envied brutally repressive governments, especially the Soviet Union. Laws restrained him from crushing his dissenters, so Nixon never got to live out his gulag dreams. But in 1970, he dabbled in a bit of fascistic fashion.

Nixon directed the members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service who guard the White House to change how they dress. He wanted their police-style uniforms replaced with something evoking a palace guard. Fancier. Militaristic. But the results were more comic opera than king’s guard.

“Teased in the press for adopting the costumes of a ‘banana republic,’ the president finally gave up and recalled the uniforms,” the White House Historical Association explains on its site.

They were put in storage for decades, before the Federal Surplus Division found a buyer for the “32 gaudy uniforms,” as United Press International described them. They ended up as the new high school marching band uniforms in the small northwestern Iowa town of Marcus.

“They will be fine for a band,” Thomas Roller, director of the Federal Surplus Division in Iowa, told the UPI. “But they did have sort of a Nazi connotation when they came out and that offended some people.”

Nixon’s farewell to his cabinet and members of the White House staff.

Public domain

The author in first grade Courtesy of Paul Brennan

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of McCarthy in 1954, the sort of campaigning that Nixon excelled at early in his career was no longer possible as Republicans sought to distance themselves from McCarthyism.

As the Republican presidential nominee in 1960, Nixon presented himself as a moderately conservative statesman. He lost. He ran a similar campaign for governor of California in 1962. He lost.

My father didn’t talk about red-baiting or Nixon’s earlier career that night in 1973, and he certainly didn’t use a word like “bastard” (my parents never said anything stronger than “damn” in front of us kids), but he did explain what I now know is “dog-whistle politics” to me, albeit in very

Of course, it’s not illegal to prey on people’s fears and prejudices to gain their votes and then deny you were doing it. But it’s crooked.

In the 2024 election, there’s no question about whether the Republican

Shortly after winning the 2016 election, Donald Trump paid $25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by people he defrauded with his phony Trump University. While he was president, courts found enough fraud in Trump’s self-named charity to order it dis-

In the 2024 election, there’s no question about whether the Republican nominee is a crook. If there is an afterlife, Nixon’s ghost must be stunned by the toadying loyalty almost all Republican politicians show Trump, a relative newcomer to the party.

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solved and fine him $2 million. Since leaving office, a judge in a civil case found Trump had routinely committed frauds that “shock the conscience” as part of his real estate business and fined him $325 million. In a different civil case, a jury found Trump had sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll and later defamed her. Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $83 million. Earlier this year, Trump was convicted on 34 felony charges related to business

All of that is in addition to Trump attempting to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election, which climaxed with a violent mob of his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol (resulting in his second—second!— impeachment), as well as his violating provisions of the Espionage Act by hiding top-secret documents in unsecured rooms at his home/country club in Florida after leaving office. Those cases are still before the courts, so feel free to add “allegedly” where you like.

The details of the cases may be surprising, but all of this is in keeping with the criminal tendencies and dishonesty Donald Trump has publicly displayed over the last five decades.

If there is an afterlife, Nixon’s ghost must be stunned by the toadying loyalty almost all Republican politicians show Trump, a relative newcomer

Zak Neumann

MERMAID the littlest

BY JOSHUA BORTHS

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to the party. Nixon had been an important leader in the GOP for over a quarter of a century when the House of Representatives voted in February 1974 to launch a formal impeachment inquiry. Only four Republicans voted no.

The period in American politics the people who gathered in the West Allis gym wanted to see end largely took shape in the Nixon years, starting with his successful campaign for president in 1968.

While reporting on Nixon’s 1968 run, journalist and historian Garry Wills met “a brilliant young lawyer named Kevin Phillips” who was the Nixon campaign’s “house expert on ethnic voting patterns.”

In his book Nixon Agonistes—published in 1970, halfway through Nixon’s first term in office—Wills recounts Phillips telling him “the whole secret of politics” is “knowing who hates who.” It wasn’t an original idea, but Phillips developed a careful, clinical approach to political campaigning as a managed system of hatreds and fears.

Phillips was one of the fathers of “the Southern Strategy,” an effort by the Nixon campaign to woo Southern whites angry over the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and fearful of the growing political strength of Black voters after the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and do so in a way that wouldn’t alienate the Northern moderates and liberal Republicans Nixon also needed. He discussed the balancing act in his 1970 book, The Emerging Republican Majority

But Phillips’ work in 1968 went well beyond Black and white. He was interested in all sorts of ethnic animosities that could be exploited for political gain. He showed Wills maps of major cities with ethnic and racial divisions broken down to a block-by-block level. Playing to those divisions was an effective way to harness the fear and anxiety the rapid social and political change of the ’60s, and the widespread unrest (both real and imagined), was causing.

Or rather, it was as long as the campaign could plausibly deny it was appealing to fear and animosity. This approach was also a comfortable fit for Nixon, harkening back to the days when he earned the nickname Tricky Dick.

Nixon’s win in 1968 and his landslide reelection victory in 1972 set a pattern for later Republicans to follow.

Nixon must have understood why Ronald Reagan gave his first speech after becoming the 1980 Republican nominee for president in Philadelphia, Mississippi. It’s a small town, but was nationally famous as the place where three young civil rights workers were murdered by

the Klan in 1964. Nixon would have also understood when Reagan spoke out in favor of “states rights” at the Philadelphia rally. “States rights” had been a rallying cry since the ’40s for segregationists opposed to civil rights. Nixon would have also understood the necessity of Reagan and his supporters to deny that he was referring to anything but federalism, or that the choice of town was at all significant.

Nixon had been dead for 10 years when George W. Bush ran for reelection in 2004, but he would have understood why Karl Rove—often called “Bush’s Brain,” although Bush called him “Turdblossom”—pushed Republican state parties to get anti-same-sex marriage constitutional amendments on the ballot in that year’s election. Nixon was a rabid homophobe, but

Nixon must have understood why Ronald Reagan gave his first speech after becoming the 1980 Republican nominee for president in Philadelphia, Mississippi. It’s a small town, but was nationally famous as the place where three young civil rights workers were murdered by the Klan in 1964.

even he might have raised an eyebrow over the fact that Rove’s father was gay and living openly with a partner while Rove was stoking homophobia in hopes of increasing evangelical voter turnout. (It worked.)

Nixon, however, would probably be baffled by Trump’s success with his cartoonish, unsubtle version of “who hates who” politics. It’s no longer a dog-whistle when a candidate loudly proclaims “They’re eating the dogs” during a presidential debate. Trump’s racist lies about Haitian immigrants would be laughable if they didn’t have real-world consequences, not just for the innocent communities Trump is slandering, but for the city in which they live.

Springfield, Ohio experienced a deluge of bomb threats—targeting city government buildings, schools, hospitals, colleges—after Trump and his running mate, Ohio senator J.D. Vance, started peddling a debunked rumor that had recently gotten popular in far-right message boards. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, also a Republican,

COMMUNITY

Nixon in Iowa: Ottumwa Days

Amonth after the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II, 29-year-old attorney Richard Nixon signed up to do his part. He left his law practice in Whittier, California for a job at the Office of Emergency Management in Washington D.C. Then in June 1942, he received a commission of lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Navy. Instead of keeping Nixon in Washington or sending him back to California, the Navy sent him to Ottumwa.

He arrived in Iowa that August, accompanied by his wife of two years, Pat. Nixon spent nine months at Ottumwa’s Naval Air Station (it closed two years after the end of the war, and the site is now the city’s airport). In May 1943, he was shipped out to the South Pacific, where Nixon served as a logistics officer. Nixon served honorably, but didn’t see much action. He did, however, make enough money playing poker with fellow officers to be able to open a new, bigger law office in La Habra, California after the war.

When Nixon died in 1994, the Des Moines Register sent a reporter to Ottumwa to gather local memories of him. For the most part, people said the sort of vague and nice things one says about the recently deceased, but Loree Roach, a retired journalist who knew the Nixons during their Ottumwa days, offered a more candid account of him.

“I don’t know how to say this without sounding unkind, but actually he didn’t leave much of an impression,” she said. “Nixon apparently was withdrawn and moody and not very outgoing. I don’t mean that to sound like there was anything wrong with him. But he was just not friendly.”

Pat was nice, though, Roach recalled. Everyone liked her.

have pushed back against the lies, but national Republican leaders have remained quiet, apart from those attempting to justify, or are themselves, perpetuating the racist meme.

Nine days after the longest week in politics ended, Iowans took their place among Harris supporters testing the limits of Zoom. By the time the Iowans for Kamala meeting started, more than 700 people were on the call, more than three times the number organizers originally anticipated. But the lead organizer always believed the turnout was going to be much bigger than the

INDEPENDENT

original estimate of 200 participants.

“There is a great deal of energy that’s out there, and it is incredibly moving,” Deirdre DeJear told me in a phone interview before the Zoom meeting.

DeJear, the Iowa Democratic Party’s nominee for governor in 2022, was Harris’s Iowa campaign chair during the 2020 Iowa Caucus. As soon as Biden withdrew and endorsed Harris, DeJear started getting calls and texts from Iowans eager to support Harris, which was why she took the lead in organizing the Iowans for Kamala Zoom.

No one expected then, or expects now, Harris to actually campaign in Iowa. Trump carried the

state with 51 percent of the vote in 2016, and increased his winning margin to 53 percent in 2020. Even opening an official campaign office in Iowa would likely be a waste of resources. But none of that diminished the enthusiasm of Iowans who gathered on Zoom. It produced tangible results. The Zoom started with a fundraising goal of $10,000, but ended up raising more than $24,000. Half the money went to the Harris campaign, the other half to the Iowa Democratic Party. But DeJear told me she hopes that Iowans for Kamala will be able to do more for the state party than donate money.

She believes that some of the energy created by Harris’s run for president could be channeled into not just supporting Democratic candidates in the state, but rebuilding the Iowa Democratic Party at the county and state levels.

“This is going to be an effort to lift up the work that’s happening, and to help those volunteers who hop on this call to get involved right in their communities,” DeJear said. “Kamala supporters are really, really excited about helping Democrats across this state. The big question I’ve been hearing is, ‘What can we do and how can we get involved?’”

There’s a lot of work to do.

When I moved to Iowa at the end of June 2017 to work at Little Village, one of the first news stories I read was about the Iowa Democratic Party rebuilding after Republicans won control of both chambers of the legislature in the 2016 election. Seven years later, the party-rebuilding is still ongoing, but this party is in even worse shape.

Republicans have increased their majorities in both the Iowa House and Senate. There’s only one Democrat left in statewide office. There are no Democrats left in Iowa’s congressional delegation. There are now almost 100,000

more registered Republicans in Iowa than there were in 2016, and about 85,000 fewer active Democratic voters, according to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.

Voter registration totals published at the start of September show Republicans constitute 40.3 percent of active voters, Democrats make up 29.6 percent and voters registered as No Party Preference account for 29.1 percent of the 1,573,754 Iowan voters listed as active.

Excitement and passion are a good beginning but they are only a beginning. Still, the excitement for Harris in Iowa is as real as the September Iowa Poll published by the Des Moines Register showed.

Trump had been leading Biden by 18 percentage points in the Iowa Poll conducted in June. In

the new poll, Trump is only ahead of Harris by 4 points. The poll doesn’t even really reflect whatever impact was made by Trump’s unhinged performance in the Sept. 10 debate with Harris, because only the final day of the poll’s three-day survey of voters took place after the debate.

Equally heartening for Democrats is the poll’s finding that 80 percent of Harris supporters said they are extremely or very enthusiastic, while only 74 percent of Trump supporters used those terms.

It’s still likely that Trump will carry Iowa, but as September draws to a close and this magazine goes to print, it appears that nationally Harris is on track to win the popular vote in the election. Of course, that may not be enough to put her in the White House, thanks

to the Electoral College. But Harris is performing well enough in swing states that she may be able to overcome that 18th century anti-democratic trap buried in the Constitution.

A Harris win in November would be a major moment in American history, just as Harris’s whole whirlwind campaign has been history-making. A Harris win might also finish the historic moment that began on Aug. 9, 1974 with Nixon’s resignation, and finally exorcize the ghost of Nixon from America’s politics.

Of course, it wouldn’t happen overnight. Political changes take time. But it’s been 50 years since people thought we were putting Nixon’s politics behind us, and 50 years is a long time in politics.

Kamala Harris speaks at a 2020 campaign rally at Old Brick in Iowa City. Zak Neumann / Little Village

A CUT Above the Rest

bY JOHN bUSbee

Driven by a voracious appetite for fright, Central Iowa fans of haunted house experiences continue to seek the best venues for adrenaline rushes. One dark destination stands apart from the others, a haunt with a novel-length backstory and themed experiences all year: The Slaughterhouse.

A growing fanbase awaits the latest offering from the immersive fright franchise developed by Ian Miller, Slaughterhouse founder.

“With a personal love for everything cinematic, I make sure to take extra time and care in detailing the overall design of the sets and settings, including characters to ensure that there is a very narrative-driven story line that informs the visitor’s experience,” Miller said.

Des Moines band. The lore and legend has only deepened since then.

“We do have a 100-page, novel-backed story,” Miller said, “the most detailed backstory of any haunted attraction in America—most likely in the world—for IP attractions.”

The Slaughterhouse novel, published Halloween 2017, is called The Biggs: A Family Affair: The Tell-All Account of America’s Most Heinous Cannibals. You can download the Kindle version for free on Amazon, with the warning it’s “NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.”

that it is “the most frightening live escape experience in Iowa.”

Called “The Slaughterhouse Level 1: Purgatory,” the escape room is billed as, “You and up to 7 of your closest allies have 60 minutes to find and save victim 1 in the first ever live game of its kind.” This not-so-willing victim is fodder for a game of Hide and Creep. There are two to three actors within the experience, as players work to find and release the victim before time runs out. Miller warns it’s a tough escape challenge to conquer.

The idea of launching a permanent haunted attraction was “a passion and a longtime interest” for Miller, who hosted versions of the Slaughterhouse at various locations around Des Moines from 2010 to 2017.

“I wanted it to be as immersive as possible and not necessarily just another haunted house,” he said. “Patrons to haunted houses at that time didn’t necessarily have an understanding for nonlinear experiences.”

The Slaughterhouse as we know it today debuted in the former Barnum Factory on Locust Street in 2018 with a Slipknot-themed experience, which Miller produced in collaboration with the

A timeline summarizing 165 years of Biggs family history can be found on the Slaughterhouse website, and involves H.H. Holmes, WWI, twincest, the 1981 Farm Crisis, Terry Branstad, GMO corn, Gulf War Syndrome and plenty of cannibalism.

The actors entrusted with transporting visitors into the safe but spine-tingling world of the Slaughterhouse are carefully selected and trained, Miller said. Haunting this haunt involves cooking up a rich backstory and a role in the lore. The theme for 2024’s Halloween haunt is “Year of the Stitches.”

Most haunts rely on seasonal employment and seasonal income, but Slaughterhouse is a multi-faceted, 12-month operation. They host a live escape-room experience throughout the year outside of the haunted house hours. Miller claims

If you’d prefer a more casual experience in this infernal venue, Slaughterhouse hosts a “spookeasy” every Friday and Saturday night outside of October.

“We have a full-service bar that offers a very thematic speakeasy experience,” Miller explained.

“Some people have dubbed it the spookeasy because it’s very much like having a drink inside of a haunted house.”

Of course, nothing can be too easy. Everything is located in a subterranean downtown Des Moines location. The speakeasy is intended to be a bit of a challenge to get to, earning attendees some creepy cachet.

In everything Slaughterhouse does, “It’s a celebration of the [Halloween] season,” Miller said.

“We now have families who make this their tradition. That is a complete success in my book.”

John Busbee produces a weekly arts & culture radio show, The Culture Buzz, broadcast and streaming Wednesdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CT at kfmg.org. Find more TheCultureBuzz.com.

Collage by Kate Doolittle / Little Village

LV recommends

Rising Tides

Despite a setback this summer, Iowa’s cannabis-infused beverage companies are committed—and growing strong.

bY eMMA MccLAtcHeY

In the beer and wine section of Fareway, between the cases of Busch Light and White Claw, you can find a range of nonalcoholic beverage brands, all local. There’s Climbing Kites, a zero-calorie, zero-sugar citrusy sparkling water reminiscent of La Croix or Topo Chico (although they’ve rolled out two, more indulgent “Kitetails”: a caffeinated, noncarbonated iced tea lemonade and Transfusion, a version of the grape juice and ginger beer cocktail popular on golf courses).

Another brand is Day Dreamer, mixed and canned at Field Day Brewing in North Liberty. These sparkling waters come in Lemon Ginger, Blueberry Lavender, Raspberry Hibiscus—the kind of flavors that make kombucha and other tea-based drinks so fresh and comforting. Then there’s The Happy Can, an Urbandale company offering root beer, grape soda and Citrus Haze, a Mountain Dew-esque pop. Prefer your drink as sweet as candy? Harvest Time Lemonade made by Clinton’s Great Revivalist Brewery and Bluff Pop, a partnership between Dubuque’s 7Hill Brewing and East Dubuque’s Riverbluff Collective, will make you feel like a kid rewarded with a can of Minute Maid or Hawaiian Punch.

Of course, none of these drinks are for kids. Each 12 ounce can contains 4 milligrams of THC, the naturally occurring chemical in cannabis that gets people high. A seasoned stoner may not notice, but the average adult will feel a light buzz within about 15 minutes of drinking.

“We’re not in the industry for people to get obliterated,” said Ashley Hartman, chief strategy officer of The Happy Can. “We’re in it to just provide a little bit of a leap to make them happy. And we believe that this is a great alternative to alcohol.”

This new beverage market has been bubbling in Iowa since spring 2023, but the products have been in development far longer. Climbing Kites brand manager Nick Iversen said their partners at Lua Brewing and Big Grove aren’t looking to please weed aficionados, but serve “as a runway for people to get into the THC space for the first time.”

“Alcohol consumption is down, non-alcoholic consumption is up in a very exponential way. And in between those two spaces, cannabis-infused beverages fit nicely,” Iversen said. “It is not frequent cannabis users that are purchasing and consuming this stuff. It’s your regular everyday mom or dad, business professional, yoga mom, soccer mom, golfing dad.”

The art director and editor-in-chief share a Climbing Kites Transfusion to take the edge off the production of this issue.

Emily Rundell / Little Village

“We’re not in the industry for people to get obliterated. We’re in it to just provide a little bit of a leap to make them happy. And we believe that this is a great alternative to alcohol.”

—Ashley Hartman, chief strategy officer of The Happy Can

One thing all those moms and dads probably wonder: How is this legal?

In the beginning, there was the 2018 Farm Bill. Among its many, many provisions, this federal law removed hemp from the controlled substances list. Hemp is legally defined as a cannabis plant that contains 0.3 percent or less THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Any more THC, and it’s classified as “marijuana.”

Hemp may not be as dank as its cousin, but the THC extracted from it is scientifically identical to marijuana’s. Most is delta-9, the best-studied form of THC. Before long, entrepreneurial beverage makers, especially in the Midwest, began adding delta-9 THC emulsions to flavored drinks.

“Cannabis beverages are the fastest growing beverage category of all time, according to the limited data that can be collected at this point in time,” Iversen said.

“It’s kind of trickled out from the Midwest,” added Joe Selix, co-founder of Field Day Brewing and Day Dreamer. “And now you’ve got people all over the country that are making these hemp-derived THC beverages, and we think they’re great. We opened in August last year, and we almost immediately started looking at producing THC beverages.”

The 2018 Farm Bill left hemp—and hemp-derived THC—federally unregulated, allowing states to decide its fate. For the 10 states in which

recreational cannabis was legal (now 25 states and D.C.), the hemp industry slotted snuggly into existing regulations. Iowa, on the other hand, had much catching up to do.

The staunchly anti-pot Republicans in the statehouse scrambled to pass a hemp bill in 2019, setting a potency limit of 0.3 percent THC by weight, per serving. According to Rep. Steve Holt, the bill’s sponsor, lawmakers didn’t realize the THC could be scaled with water, chocolate, sugar and other heavy ingredients to create high-inducing over-the-counter products.

“It is the Wild West in Iowa thanks to the loopholes we did not know we created, and the careless federal law that was passed,” Holt wrote in a March column for the Iowa Standard, in which he calls THC a “gateway to destruction” and misleadingly links marijuana to homelessness, mental illness and teen suicide.

“It is unfortunate that federal hemp laws prevent us from prohibiting THC altogether,” he added.

The new hemp bill Holt introduced, SF 2417— which passed and went into effect in July—sets many common-sense rules: 21+ to buy, clear labeling, no synthetic THC or mixing with alcohol. Iowa’s cannabis beverage companies were already abiding by these standards, and were happy to see them codified.

“This wasn’t a loophole,” Selix said. “This was a good thing that was created. From the very

How Nixon Made Marijuana a Boogie Man

“Let me say, I know nothing about marijuana,” President Nixon tells White House aides in a scratchy tape recording. “I know that it’s not particularly dangerous, in other words, and most of the kids are for legalizing it.”

i n

Nixon was speaking on March 6, 1973, two years after his administration had classified marijuana as one of the most dangerous narcotics, and two years after he gave the speech that launched the War on Drugs.

In his prepared remarks during a televised news conference in June 1971, Nixon declared drug use was “public enemy number one” and said, “In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive.”

Nixon ran for president in 1968 as the law-and-order candidate, letting voters know he planned to use laws to restore the order they enjoyed before the changes of the ’60s. In 1970, he pushed Congress to pass the Controlled Substances Act, which restructured federal drug law. Attorney General John Mitchell, who had also been Nixon’s campaign manager in ’68, oversaw the drafting of the bill. (A few years later, Mitchell made history as the first attorney general to go to federal prison, after being convicted on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and conspiracy for his role in Watergate.)

The Act created a five-tier classification system for drugs. The lowest tier is Schedule V, for drugs used in medical treatments with a low risk of dependence, like cough syrups containing codeine. Schedule I is supposed to be reserved for drugs that have no medical use and a high potential for addiction, like heroin. Marijuana was added to Schedule I in 1971, but only provisionally. The experts in the Justice Department said the evidence was ambiguous, and more information was needed.

Nixon wasn’t happy. He created the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse with the intention of having it produce the evidence he needed. “I want a goddamn strong statement on marijuana,” the secret taping system recorded Nixon telling aides in 1971. “Can I get that out of this sonofabitching, uh, domestic council? … I mean one on marijuana that just tears the ass out of them.”

The report the commission issued in 1972 wasn’t the ass-tearing Nixon wanted. Instead, it concluded marijuana was no more dangerous than alcohol, and should be regulated the same way. Marijuana use should be treated as a public health issue.

Nixon and Attorney General Mitchell ignored the commission’s report. Marijuana remained a Schedule I drug. It still is, although the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began the process of reclassifying it as Schedule III (beside ketamine) in April of this year.

There are 3,700 hours of recorded conversations on the tapes Nixon was forced to hand over to Watergate investigators, and Nixon spent the last 20 years of his life trying to restrict access to the tapes and other documents. Scholars, journalists and others are still exploring what Nixon tried to keep hidden. The quote at the beginning of this article was unknown until the New York Times published a story about it last month. It was found by Kurtis Hanna, a lobbyist from Minnesota who supports drug legalization, while researching the audio archives posted online by the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.

There has been plenty of anecdotal evidence over the last five decades that Nixon didn’t think marijuana was dangerous and kept it classified that way because it was politically advantageous. But to hear the man actually say it is still surprising. —Paul Brennan

ICPL Friends Foundation Fall Book Sales

Saturday, Oct. 5 & 19, 10 AM - 3 PM Lobby, Meeting Room D, & Book End

Join us for a pay what you can book sale!

Owners of our Literary Loot tote bags can bring their bags to receive 3 free books at the sale.

Halloween Storytime & Trick or Treat Cart Parade

Thursday, Oct. 31, 10:30 AM - 12 PM Meeting Room A & Storytime Room

Join us for a special Halloween Storytime followed by a Trick or Treat Parade & crafts in the Storytime Room.

Rock the (Winter Reading) Vote October 23 - November 5 Children’s Room

Kids are encouraged to stop by the ICPL Children’s Room and cast a vote for the Winter Reading Program mascot! Scan here to learn more!

I’m not a robot

AND NEITHER ARE WE!

beginning, we’ve been advocates for rules and regulations. … We have had zero instances of anything negative happening [from] our products, and we haven’t heard of anything in the cannabis beverage space at all. So they’re safe, they’re tested, they’re regulated.”

SF 2417 also bans smoke and vape products, sets a 25 percent tax on cannabis beverages purchased at bars and restaurants (but not at stores), and caps THC levels at 4 mg per 12 oz container.

It was that last provision that caused Iowa’s fledgling but sure-footed cannabis drink-makers to bristle. As they understood it, and thought lawmakers did too, 4 mg is an appropriate limit per serving, not per container. Their 10 mg THC drinks had 2.5 servings per can, and had proven more popular with customers than the 7 mg and 4 mg varieties.

Hartman said paranoia about “dangerous products,” as Gov. Kim Reynolds described them after signing SF 2417, isn’t coming from consumers. “It’s really a legislator push. And that’s where I just wish I knew and understood where and why their push was happening. Is it money?”

“Cannabis has been a sore subject for so many years, and there’s been a stigma,” she continued. “And I think that if we can professionalize the industry and show people that we’re in it for the right reasons, we can see movement forward.”

In June, Climbing Kites and Day Dreamer teamed up to sue the state, arguing the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services’ interpretation of the new law was incorrect and would likely force the companies to relocate their business out of state. A federal judge refused to block enforcement, and the beverage companies decided to drop the lawsuit and comply with the new standard. They proceeded with the expensive task of eliminating their bestselling 10 mg THC products from stock.

“There is an alternative [universe] where we didn’t have these things at all,” Selix said. “That was pretty scary.”

Kites, Dreamer and Happy Can all say they have no intentions of leaving Iowa. And since cans are heavy to ship, they’re not even all that interested in distributing out of state, apart from unloading their 10 mg stock where it can be legally sold.

“We wanted to continue our business here in Iowa, since it is the hub and catalyst of our business,” Iversen said. Cannabis-infused beverages are pricey to make and to buy (typically $20 a four-pack). The fact Iowans are readily willing to pay it, even after the 4 mg THC cap, indicates they’re as enthusiastic about this new breed of beverage as the brands themselves, he explained.

Each brand has its own colorful can design, meticulously tested flavors and niche within the market. And they all seem to agree: rising tides lift all boats.

“At the end of the day, we’re all at the Capitol together,” Hartman said. “We’ve got to keep coming back every year and fighting for it.”

Minnesota is the best model for a cannabis-friendly state, according to Selix. When recreational marijuana became legal there in August 2023, the hemp-derived market was already thriving. Today, cannabis beverages have their own sold-out tasting festivals in the Twin Cities, and have contributed to more than $10 million in tax revenue in the first year.

“They have such tight regulations and monitoring of it. And there’s some really innovative companies out there making really cool stuff,” Selix said. “I think every state should look at what Minnesota has done. They’re onto something. They’ve done it right.”

The Gopher State set the THC limit on beverages to 10 mg a container. Selix said there are “rumblings” within the industry that federal regulations may advance in the near future, making 10 mg the standard across the country—and giving Iowans their favorite potency back.

“We really want the federal government to say, ‘This is what we want out of these products,’” Selix said. “That would be kind of a dream scenario for us.”

For now, it’s enough to have broken the glass ceiling of Fareway’s refrigerator section.

CULTURE

Prairie Pop

Jeremy Pfaff is skateboarding across the state for a great cause, with a little help from his skater/punk friends. bY KeMbreW McLeOD

Imagine doing RAGBRAI—riding the entire length of Iowa—on a skateboard. Jeremy Pfaff plans to do just that as he departs Davenport on Sept. 25 to head west across the state. If the street skating gods are on his side, he’ll reach Sioux City around Oct. 10.

Pfaff first discovered skateboarding when he was 10 years old after watching the film Back to the Future in 1985, and got into punk soon after, because the two go together like peanut butter and jelly.

“I’m not that good, but I still enjoy it,” Pfaff said. “Skateboarding is fun. It’s something that you can do by yourself or with people, and it’s a community. You can go to any city in the world with a skateboard, and another skateboarder will come right up to you, and you’ve got an instant friend on the trip.”

helps drain the cerebral fluid, so it relieves the pressure. He’s been surgery free for over three years, but he had three brain surgeries before his first birthday.”

The father and son share a Sept. 25 birthday, which will make the launch of his project extra special when the newly minted 49-year-old kicks off in Davenport. The journey includes

“SKAtebOArDING IS FUN. It’S SOMetHING YOU cAN DO bY YOUrSeLF Or WItH PeOPLe, AND It’S A cOMMUNItY. YOU cAN GO tO ANY cItY IN tHe WOrLD WItH A SKAtebOArD, AND ANOtHer SKAtebOArDer WILL cOMe rIGHt UP tO YOU, AND YOU’Ve GOt AN INStANt FrIeND ON tHe trIP.”

—JEREMY PFAFF

The seeds of Skate Across Iowa for Hydrocephalus, Pfaff’s brainchild, were planted after his son Cadogan was diagnosed with the condition when he was four months old. He’s now 4.

“Hydrocephalus is excess fluid in the head that expands the ventricles and causes pressure on the brain,” Pfaff explained, “and untreated, it can be fatal, but there’s a lot of things they can do to remedy it. My son has a shunt, which

a stop in Des Moines on Oct. 3 for a benefit show at The Dark Slide skate shop, which will feature some of the bands who have donated tracks to a Bandcamp compilation album also supporting Pfaff’s cause.

Anthony Jackson—the drummer for River City Rejects, a street punk band from Omaha, Nebraska—helped put together the comp after he saw some of Pfaff’s social media posts about the trip.

“Being a father of an 11-year-old and a 9-year-old, I would do just about anything in my power to help another family,” Jackson

Cadogan sits on his skateboard Courtesy of Jeremy Pfaff

told me. “I immediately sent Jeremy one of our tracks and asked a handful of other bands to contribute to the compilation that Jeremy was putting together. But it wasn’t until I met Jeremy in person at one of our shows that I finally understood how important this compilation is.”

Even though skaters and punks get caricatured as antisocial misanthropes, these subcultures tend to be as community-minded as a Kiwanis Club, if not more.

“Skateboarders and punk rockers are really the people that will come together the quickest and without a care about anything else and give what they can,” Pfaff said. “A couple of the bands gave me unreleased material, and another band recorded an exclusive song that hasn’t been released anywhere else.”

To plan the route, Pfaff used the “walk” option on Google Maps to figure out how to get from town to town. “The roads are pretty rough, but this company Loaded Boards sent me a skateboard that has these large, soft wheels that I’ve taken through some gravel and some rough areas already, and they seem to handle it perfectly,” he said.

This ambitious project hasn’t been without its obstacles. Pfaff launched a fundraiser to help pay for transporting the heavier items that he needed, but didn’t secure enough money in time.“So, I’ve changed what I’m taking … to travel as lightly as possible,” Pfaff said. “Hopefully the fundraiser gets enough so that I actually have money to stay in hotels or motels and get something to eat each day.”

Still, he has been overwhelmed by the support from the skateboarding community, in the U.S. and abroad. Like from Skullen Skates, a family-run business based on a small island in the United Kingdom. Skullen Skates’ Danny Butcher designed the logo for Skate Across Iowa for Hydrocephalus—a character that was nicknamed “Cornelius” after it was suggested by his social media followers.

“I asked if anybody would be willing to donate and help me with the artwork, and Danny jumped right in.”

“Etnies, a bigger skateboard company, also has sponsored me with a lot of product,” Pfaff continued. “They were completely down, which was a little surprising to me. I reached out to them, hoping but not expecting anything, but they were right there, ready to go. That just goes to show how skateboarding is the glue that holds us together, because we support each other.”

Kembrew McLeod grew up surrounded by skateboarders in Virginia Beach, but his skills on the deck are pretty whack.

CULTURE

Spare No One BUMPER CROPS

There are no sweeter words for a fan of the silver ball than “free play Wednesday.”

bY LUcAS beNSON

As an increasingly older, increasingly grumpy Iowa City townie, I have never been more hesitant to write a glowing review of a place. But my god, if you haven’t been hanging out at SpareMe, especially on Wednesdays, what are you even doing with your life?

Located on the first floor of the Chauncey, SpareMe has a Starship Enterprise worklounge vibe that is both sparse and welcoming. The room is flooded with natural light and the music selection is always refreshingly unpredictable, governed by whoever is working that shift. Speaking of the staff, they are some of the kindest, coolest and most accommodating in town, thanks largely to the personality-focused hiring style of Heather Ruth, one of the guiding hands responsible for making SpareMe the stellar hangout spot it is.

Ruth has also played a big role in the continued evolution of the menu offerings at SpareMe, which has really stepped up its game; the wings are excellent. During our conversation, Ruth gushed with no fake bluster (trust me, I checked) that they also have “one of the best brunches in town, served seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.” (The chilaquiles with barrira are especially fantastic—big shoutout to Chef George!)

Let me tell you something: I love pinball. I fucking love it so much. It’s better than pool, darts and foosball combined and it blows air hockey and skeeball out of the water. I might love pinball more than I love my favorite books or movies. I don’t think I love pinball more than coffee, pizza or music, but I do probably love it more than my dog (sorry, Ruby) and at least a few of my relatives (sorry, Youknowwhoyouare).

So what’s the big draw? Well, like most things, there’s a lot more to pinball then you may realize. I know a lot of people assume the game is pure chance, and sure, chance plays a sizable role in every game. But the better a person is at pinball, the less chance becomes a factor. With enough

Pinball Tournaments and Leagues

tue, Oct. 8, 5 p.m., Attack from MAWs XVIII Stern Army Pinball Tournament, Midwest Ale Works, East Moline

Wed, Oct. 9, 6 p.m., SpareMe’s October Pinball Tournament, SpareMe, Iowa City Sun, Oct. 13, 12:30 p.m., Kingpin Social’s Stern Army Tournament, Kingpin Social at Maple Lanes, Waterloo

Wed, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m., Belles & Chimes Women’s Tournament, Operating Room, Ankeny

thu, Oct. 17, 6:30 p.m., Third Thursday Pinball Tournament, Operating Room, Ankeny

thu, Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m., Monster Mash Pinball Bash, Operating Room, Ankeny Sat, Oct. 26, 5 p.m., Stern Army Monthly Pinball Tournaments, Jay’s Silver Ballroom, Peosta

Sat, Nov. 16, Monthly Pinball Tournament (Oct. Tournament reschedule), Time Out, Ames

Spring-Summer, Beginner’s Pinball League, The Quarter Barrel Arcade & Brewery, Cedar Rapids

Arcades Around Iowa

Analog Arcade bar, Davenport

Up-Down Des Moines, Des Moines

Monsterama Arcade: Des Moines

Operating room, West Des Moines

Find more machines on the Pinball Map:

While all of these qualities make for a wonderful experience, the most compelling component of SpareMe is their selection of pinball machines.

practice, chance is the only thing that can make a person lose a game. It’s also incredibly malleable, as it’s designed for solo or competitive play with up to four players, making it equally accessible and enjoyable for introverts and extroverts alike. This versatility is optimal for moody-ass people like me who sometimes need solo games to mentally decompress, or for a small group of buds looking for a mildly competitive game over cold drinks and moments of honest exchange. You know, bonding or whatever.

SpareMe has a fantastic lineup of pinball machines (kept in pristine condition by Ryan Jerred) that range in theme, era, manufacturer and style of gameplay. The lineup currently consists of Jaws, The Jetsons, Star Trek, Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Foo Fighters, Dr. Dude, Deadpool, Stranger Things, Iron Maiden, Jurassic Park and the newest edition, Halloween, which can be found in the lobby of FilmScene.

If you go on a Wednesday, the machines are set to free play. Honestly, I can’t think of a better setup for a college student or remote worker than to head to the Chauncey, grab a caffeinated beverage at the second-floor coffee spot fix!, then head down to SpareMe to enjoy a delicious brunch and free pinball in between study breaks.

If you’re new to pinball, I recommend playing each machine once or twice until you find one that strikes your fancy. Once you do, play that

Kate Doolittle / Little Village

machine a dozen or so times and try your best to beat your previous high score. Most new players will mash the buttons on both flippers anytime the ball comes near, and that’s fine starting off. Before long, your goal should be to start hitting the ball with the correct flipper (left or right) at the exact moment necessary to achieve the shot you want to make. You may not realize this, but every machine has a complex ruleset and narrative that only unfolds if you pay close attention to the callouts and develop the technical accuracy to complete a series of discrete shots, sometimes within very short time limits.

Or you can skip all that nonsense and just aim for the flashing arrows while trying to keep that little silver ball alive as long as you possibly can!

That’s one of the best parts about pinball— there are so many different ways to enjoy the experience. And honestly, one of the best ways to figure out your preferred style of play is to attend one of the monthly, IFPA-certified tournaments held (usually) the first Wednesday of every month. These tournaments only cost $1 to enter and run from 6-9 p.m. Players are sorted into groups of three or four per machine and will play a total of six rounds throughout the night, with prizes awarded to the top three competitors. These tournaments are about as sweet of gatherings as you’re going to find. Brendan and Annie Fitzgerald, the charming couple who manage them, deserve massive props for curating such welcoming, multi-generational events. At the last tournament, the youngest participant was 8 and the oldest, Ken, was 82. Ken was competing in the tournament with his daughter, who has been playing pinball with her dad her entire life. During one of their rounds, the 8-year-old’s dad (who was also competing in the tournament) pieced together that his grandfather and Ken were buddies back when they were in their 20s.

That right there is a beautiful thing. “As much as we love pinball,” the Fitzgeralds said in an email, “what these tournaments really are is just a natural extension of what Iowa City already does best, which is bringing people together.”

Every Wednesday after the tournament wraps, you can roll across the hallway to FilmScene for Late Shift at the Grindhouse, hosted by friendly neighborhood cinephiles Ross Meyer, Joe Derderian and Aaron Holmgren. They screen a specially selected movie or two starting at 10 p.m., with free prize giveaways before the show and discounted popcorn, beer and soft drinks. The Oct. 9 feature is The Dunwich Horror, with indie cosmic horror The Tower from Iowan auteur Carrsan T. Morrissey playing as the preamble.

Hope to catch you at SpareMe, this or any other Wednesday! And stay tuned for future reviews of pinball destinations around Iowa in a series I call Bumper Crops: A Pinball Odyssey.

A-List: eastern Iowa

Adapt to Survive

What separates a rehash from a revelation? Refocus Film Festival highlights films from Palestinian, Iowan and auteur filmmakers.

bY ArIANA MArtINeZ

“Imean, we might as well address the dog in the room,” chuckled Andrew Sherburne, the co-founder of Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema FilmScene. Sherburne and programming director Ben Delgado eagerly await Oct. 17, the opening night of the Refocus Film Festival and the Iowa City premiere of Nightbitch, adapted from Iowa City author Rachel Yoder’s novel.

The canine-centric comedy-horror film directed by Marielle Heller, starring Amy Adams, is the headliner of the 2024 Refocus Fest. But with 30 other films screening across four days, viewers have plenty more to discover once the dog is out of the bag.

In collaboration with the Iowa City Book Festival, Refocus is devoted to the interplay of art forms—after all, Iowa City prides itself on its City of Literature status. It’s for this reason that Refocus specifically chooses films that experiment with the notion of adaptation.

There’s no question that the studio film market is oversaturated with sequels, remakes, reboots, biopics and franchises, all reliant on adaptation. However, Refocus challenges any simplistic approaches to revisiting already-told stories, offering a more thoughtful compromise.

“I think maybe audiences are disappointed when adaptation is not done with curiosity… I think there’s a way to make a derivative adaptation, and sometimes that happens because it’s a cash grab on existing IP,” Sherburne explained. “But there are beloved stories that I think we would all love to see get the big screen treatment. And sometimes, these films have surprising origins on what source material they may come from. I think that relationship between art forms is always gonna be something worth celebrating and investigating as audiences.”

Delgado agreed. “We don’t think of source materials as intellectual property

when we’re looking at the films that we’re including, particularly because our definition is also relatively expansive when it comes to what adaptation is. So we’re really kind of highlighting the ways in which film can take other art forms and be molded and shaped into something different.”

Take, for example, the selected films spotlighting Palestinian stories and voices in subversive ways. Kamal Aljafari’s A Fidai Film reconstructs domains of power and visual history by using Lebanese footage the IDF looted from the Palestinian Research Center in 1982. Three Promises offers intimate documentation of the Second Intifada in the West Bank, composed of home videos taken by filmmaker Yousef Srouji’s mother in the 2000s.

“tO

that also connects us through time is something I’m looking forward to seeing,” Sherburne said. Another film that should be on the community’s radar is Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross, whose previous film was nominated for an Oscar. Based on the novel by Colson Whitehead about an abusive reform school in Florida, its release was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes, so it’s definitely a notable inclusion.

be AbLe tO Get A VerY HUMAN PerSPectIVe

tHAt ALSO cONNectS US tHrOUGH tIMe IS SOMetHING I’M LOOKING FOrWArD tO SeeING.”

—ANDREW SHERBURNE, FILMSCENE CO-FOUNDER

With major news outlets failing to accurately cover the devastation in Gaza, these films speak to the ways in which Palestinians labor to communicate their reality to the rest of the world.

“To be able to get a very human perspective

Delgado, who could easily give impassioned testimony for each film (as every good programmer should), said one film everyone should see is The Count of Monte Cristo, noting that it is “very much in the mold of Mission: Impossible.” Refocus also delights in restorations of older films, choosing repertory work that meets their adaptation criteria while featuring a range of cultures. Delgado is looking forward to revisiting the late Shinji Sōmai’s Moving from 1993, about a young Japanese girl witnessing her parents’ divorce. On the other hand, horror

Still from A Fidai Film via Kamal Aljafari Studio

Refocus Film Festival, Various venues, Iowa City, Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 17-20

fans can delight in the screening of Orson Welles’ The Trial, featuring Anthony Perkins and adapted from Franz Kafka’s novel.

A major element of the festival’s charm is its commitment to the community it serves, and several film selections honor artists who have come through or stayed in Iowa. Graham Swon is a Fairfield resident, and his film An Evening Song (for three voices) was mostly shot on location, capturing a 1939 Midwest landscape in a tale about ephemerality and domestic turmoil. Kerry Howley, who earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa and taught at the school, penned the screenplay for Winner based on her profile of whistleblower Reality Winner. Thanks to an award by the Iowa City Public Art Commission, the festival will also feature a video art installation by Iowa City based filmmaker Ian Bennett.

The Refocus team navigated the pandemic in its first year, 2022, and the strikes in its second. Sherburne and Delgado are still feeling the effects of these events, especially in regard to acquiring films.

“It’s taken a lot of conversations with some of the rights holders for these films to make a case for why this is a great place to showcase the work that they’re trying to bring out in the world and why this festival and our audience are who you want to see your film early,” Sherburne said. “We are still a young festival, and ultimately, not everybody knows what a great community that Iowa City is—that it is a place that can help draw some wanted attention to a film.”

In the spirit of proving Sherburne right about Iowa City cinephiles, you can purchase your pass for the fest online at refocusfilmfestival. org. The fest will run from Thursday, Oct. 17 until Sunday, Oct. 20, and there are three tiers of passes to choose from. There’s nothing like spending a weekend connecting with films you may not have otherwise encountered. A new blockbuster hits the megaplex every week, but Refocus comes just once a year.

A-List: central Iowa

Bella Noce

Jazz, drag and ballet combine for a nightclub cabaret that’s never the same twice. bY rOb cLINe

There is a guiding axiom in show business that provides some clarity when things go wrong. That axiom (which we should note is sometimes superseded by, say, a pandemic) is, “The show must go on,” of course. It’s a spirit in evidence in vaudeville culture as portrayed by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in Depression-era films and by Kermit the Frog as he tries to hold things together on the vaudeville-adjacent The Muppet Show

The first presentation of “Voix de Ville,” an original cabaret produced by Max Wellman at his Des Moines club Noce, required an adherence to that tried and true showbiz principle. A couple of days before the Friday, Sept. 13 show, one of the stars of the new endeavor fell ill. (We

will leave it to readers to decide whether or not Friday the 13th was an auspicious debut date.)

“The concept was tested a little more than I had planned,” Wellman said by phone. He described the rush to get the show rearranged and ready. “It threw everything into chaos.”

Still, an advantage of the cabaret format is that the various acts—including Wellman’s own musical performance—can stretch a little here and a little there to fill in the hole left by an absent performer. These performers, according to Noce, include an “elite jazz orchestra,” “drag and ballet professionals.”

“Everyone just flexed a bit,” Wellman said, “and it worked out great.”

Wellman sees “Voix de Ville” as a natural extension of the work he has already done to establish Noce as a key part of the Des Moines arts scene. He noted that when he first opened the club, a longtime model of entertainment booking—hiring touring acts to be in residence at a club—was coming to an end. So Wellman adopted a different model that he says gives audiences the sense that they are “interacting with a company of artists … with some of the flavor of the old residencies.”

“We’re really leaning into a lot of stuff that is already happening at the club,” Wellman explained. “This is really just letting Noce be what it already is.”

Wellman notes that a huge part of Noce’s success has been locally produced shows, and he is proud of the role the club has played in helping to bring those shows to the stage. That work has led to several shows that are regularly performed, delighting both regular patrons and those who visit the club for the very first time.

Asked what he would want a first-time attendee to experience at “Voix de Ville,” Wellman replied, “This is actually built for exactly that scenario.” He hopes the series both leans into people’s preconceived notions of cabaret while also providing a space for artists to stretch and innovate. “This is really my love letter for the art form,” he said.

It’s a love letter that also underpins the Noce business plan. Wellman noted that recurring shows like “Voix de Ville” can help the club consolidate “our marketing efforts around some of these shows we’re trying to bring in off the road.” He emphasized the importance of having high-quality, popular performances on Noce’s stage on a consistent basis. “The way the business works,” he said, “any time that we’re open, we have to be busy.”

This initial run of “Voix de Ville” is set for a total of six weeks, but Wellman imagines a day

when the cabaret is consistently the Friday night offering at Noce. “I would love for it to become the house show,” he said.

To reach that point, Wellman and his collaborators are working hard to develop a sturdy framework that can highlight a range of artistic expression while also providing a consistently high level of showmanship.

“This is an intentionally produced cabaret show,” Wellman said. “We are making a show with good bones and creating space for jazz artists and other performers to play inside those bones.”

“Voix de Ville” will be performed each Friday night at 7 p.m. at Noce through Oct. 18. Scheduled performers include Wellman, a jazz band under the direction of Jason Danielson, vocalist Napoleon Douglas, dancers Amelia and Logan Hillman, and drag queens Tyona Diamond and Domita Sanches. You can explore the club’s full upcoming schedule at nocedsm. com.

Left to right: Domita Sanchez, Max Wellman and the house band, Tyona Diamond.

Jo Allen / Little Village

Voix De Ville, Noce, Des Moines, Fridays, Oct. 4, 11 and 18 at 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1 / 7:00 PM

WITH SUPPORT FROM DEB TALAN

A-LIST: OctOber 2024

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.

Des Moines Area

MUSIC

Tuesday, Oct 1, 6 p.m., Clutch & Rival Sons: The Two-Headed Beast Tour, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m., Cole Chaney w/ Charlie Overman, xBk Live, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m., Jazz Masters: The Des Moines Big Band Plays Count Basie & Thad Jones, Noce, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m.,

Shannon Curtis: The Good to Me Tour, xBk Live, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Cowboy Junkies, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Saxophonist Anthony Orji & Co, Noce, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 3, Quinn XCII: All You Can Eat Tour, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., Social Cinema, JACK, Cavendish, xBk Live, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 4, Juvenile, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Friday, Oct. 4, Sammy Rae & the Friends, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 4, Gatecreeper, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, xBk Live, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 5, Miss May I : Apologies Tour, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Celtic Thunder: Odyssey, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Fever: Gina Gedler Sings Peggy Lee, Noce, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., For via Iowa

King + Country Live: The Unsung Hero 2024 Tour, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Odie Leigh w/ Blood Root, xBk Live, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 5, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 6, 5 p.m., Poltergeist Prom, xBk Live, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m., Luke Bryan, Mind of a Country Boy Tour, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 8, Colter Wall and Friends, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m., Mike Viola, xBk Live, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 9, Melt,

Wooly’s, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m., American Aquarium, xBk Live, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Red Leather, xBk Live, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m., Leonid & Friends, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Trumpeter Sean Kiefer & Co, Noce, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, Ernest, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 11, Mod Sun & Lovelytheband: Here’s Your Flowers Tour, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 11, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie: Better Off Alone Tour, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Bad Luck. w/Crush++ and Kickstart The Sun, xBk Live, Des Moines

Des

Moines Performance Witch, Oct. 4-13, Iowa Stage theatre company, Des Moines civic center, West

Des Moines

A charming devil arrives in the quiet village of Edmonton to bargain for the souls of its residents in exchange for their darkest wishes. Elizabeth should be his easiest target, having been labeled a “witch” and cast out by the town, but her soul is not so readily bought. So begins the synopsis of Witch, Jen Silverman’s adaptation of the Jacobean play, The Witch of Edmonton from 1621. Iowa Stage Theatre Company couldn’t have picked a better time to explore Silverman’s darkly comedic yet utterly current look at a woman’s role in her community.

Saturday, Oct. 12, Briston Maroney, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 12, The National Parks, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 13, Jukebox the Ghost, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m., Halfway to the Hall of Fame Concert, xBk Live, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 14, 6 p.m., Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre, xBk Live, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 6:30 p.m., Kyle Smith, xBk Live, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 16, Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Pianist Tanner

Taylor & Co, Noce, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m., Daniel

Nunnelee, xBk Live, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 18, Stephen Wilson Jr. Son of Dad Tour 2024, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 19, Seether & Skillet, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.,

Bojangles: Napoleon Douglas Sings the Music of Sammy

Davis Jr., Noce, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 19, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 19, The Psychedelic Furs & The Jesus and Mary Chain, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Alabama: Roll on 2 North

Sioux City Film

Sioux City International Film Festival,

AcX Promenade cinema, Oct. 3-6

This film festival in far-west Iowa has showcased independent short films from around the world since 2005, focusing on a new genre each day. A panel of judges will decide who takes home jury awards and cash prizes, while films voted most popular by the audience each day win certificates and are eligible for the Siouxette trophy. The nonprofit Siouxland Institute of Film also presents free educational workshops and community events leading up to the fest, including a free screening of Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary on Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m.

American Tour, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m., Tires, Wolves in the Attic, New Member Charles, Easy Fruit, xBk Live, Des Moines Sunday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m., Randy Burk & the Prisoners–Album Release Party, xBk Live, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 21, The Hu with special guest The Funeral Portrait, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 22, Cold War Kids, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 22, Eggy, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Bikini Trill w/ Some

Still from Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary via The Des Moines Register

A-LIST: OCTOBER 2024

Friends, xBk Live, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 23, Redferrin, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 23, The Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards Tour (The Reprise), Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m., Xiu Xiu, xBk Live, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Saxophonist Marvin Truong & Co, Noce, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., P!NK Live 2024, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 24, Danielle Nicole, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m., Martin Zellar, xBk Live, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 25, 9 p.m., Latin Night w/ Son Peruchos, Noce, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 25, Krizz Kaliko & Dizzy Wright, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 25, Best of Both Worlds Hannah Montana Night, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Saturday, Oct. 26, Niko Moon: These are the Days Tour, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Saturday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m., Halloween w/ The Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra, Noce, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m., Standard Time w/ Max Wellman, Noce, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 26, Emo Nite, Wooly’s, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 28, Neck Deep: The Dumbstruck Dumbf!@K Tour, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m., Theory of a Deadman, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 29, Drive-by Truckers: Southern Rock Opera Revisited 2024, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m., The Des Moines Big Band, In Residence, Noce, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m., The Babel Kind, xBk Live, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m., Jazz on the House w/ Pianist Nate Sparks & Co, Noce, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m., Watt Robot w/ Astro Brat, xBk Live, Des Moines

LITERATURE

Sunday, Oct. 6, 12 p.m., Windsor Heights Book Fair, Agora Events Center, Windsor Heights

Sunday, Oct. 6, 12:30 p.m., Jennifer Berkshire–The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual, Central Library, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m., Iowa Author

Awards Dinner, Embassy Suites, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Franklin Avenue Library, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Christopher Brown, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Laura Farmer, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Melissa Clark-Wharff, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m., Meet the Author: Mary Swander, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m., Fall

Author Series: Daniel Kraus, Des Moines Central Library, Des Moines

PERFORMANCE

Wednesday, Oct. 2, Nick Swardson: Toilet Head, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Thursday, Oct. 3, Andrew Santino: Freeze Peach Tour, Vibrant Music Hall, Waukee

Oct. 4-13, Iowa Stage Theatre Company: Witch, Des Moines Civic Center, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m., Becky Robinson: She Gone Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m., Candy: An Immersive Halloween Ghost Story

Experience!, xBk Live, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, Cold Case Live, Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., Dave Attell, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Saturday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m., Ginger Billy’s Backwoods Comedy Tour, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Oct. 18-Nov. 3, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, The Playhouse, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 18-Nov. 3, 7 p.m., Melody Mischief’s 40th Birthday Burlesque Bash, xBk Live, Des Moines

Oct. 18-19, Ballet Des Moines: Movimiento, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m., Des Moines

Storytellers Project: Overcoming, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m. & 10:30 p.m., Brad Williams: Tour ‘24, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 29, Final Act Ensemble at The Playhouse, The Playhouse, Des Moines

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m., Sesame Street Live! Say Hello, Des Moines

Civic Center, Des Moines

FILM

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., Poetry and Film with Poetry Palooza, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m., Sensory Friendly Screening of Flying Lessons,

Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 4, A Different Man, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 9, Daytime Revolution, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., ENO, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 13, The Brides of Dracula with Little Shoppe of Horrors, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Monday, Oct. 14, Sundance Indigenous Film Tour, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Oct. 14 & 15, 48 Hour Horror Film

Project, Fleur Cinema, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 17, Terrifier 3, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Friday, Oct. 18, 11:59 p.m., Rocky Horror Picture Show, Fleur Cinema, Des Moines

Sunday, Oct. 20, National Theatre Live: Frankenstein, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m., The Last American Gay Bar, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 24, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight–Presented with The Fright

Iowa City Performance POTUS: Or, Behind Every

Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him

Alive, Oct. 4-20, riverside theatre, Iowa city

Talk about keeping it current—you can count on Riverside to stage a timely political farce in the final weeks of an especially stranger-than-fiction presidential election season. Playwright Selina Fillinger’s POTUS made its Broadway debut at the Shubert Theatre in 2022. It centers on a group of women fighting to fix a West Wing PR nightmare caused by the titular “great dumbass,” the commander in chief. Imagine!

Zone Podcast, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., The Connection, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

Thursday, Oct. 31, The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Live Shadow Cast, Varsity Cinema, Des Moines

VISUAL ART

Saturday, Oct. 5, Teo Nguyen: “The Politics of Worthiness” Artist Reception, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines

Opens Oct. 11, Larassa Kabel “Between the

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Earth and Sky,” Moberg Gallery, Des Moines Opens Oct. 11, Samantha Box “Caribbean Dreams,” Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines

COMMUNITY

Tuesdays, 6:15 p.m., Swan Prjct: Adult Dance Class, Studio 9 1/2, Des Moines Wednesdays, 6:15 p.m., Swan Prjct: Adult Dance Class, Studio 9 1/2, Des Moines Thursdays, 9 a.m., Swan Prjct: Adult Dance Class, Studio 9 1/2, Des Moines Fridays, 9 a.m., Swan Prjct: Adult Dance Class, Studio 9 1/2, Des Moines

Iowa City

MUSIC

Thursday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m., Brooklyn Rider, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Brendan Tapp, El Rays, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 4, 7:30 p.m., An Evening with Cowboy Junkies, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m., Cesar Rosas (Of Los Lobos) & The Chi-town Playboys, Wildwood, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 4, 10 p.m., Caleb Orr Band, El Rays, Iowa City

Iowa City Literature

Iowa City Book Festival, Oct. 13-20

The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization brings back their annual festival celebrating Iowa City’s rich literary scene. Visiting authors include Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former Iowa Writers’ Workshop instructor Forrest Gander, preeminent writer on the art of writing Natalie Goldberg, Mexican debut novelist and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Nicolás Medina Mora and Oregon-based novelist and songwriter Willy Vlautin.

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Over the Rainbow:

The Music of Harold Arlen, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., International Seven String Guitar Festival, Zion Lutheran Church

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Steven Schick with Iowa Percussion, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 5, 9 p.m., KPOP

DJ Night, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 p.m., Caleb Orr Band, El Rays, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m., A Tale of

Iowa City Performance

Dance Gala: Agile, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa city, Oct. 17–19, $5-$20

This annual celebration of dance at the University of Iowa continues on Hancher Auditorium’s main stage. The program sees work by U of I dance faculty members and creative collaborators. Of note is the presentation of Sombrerísimo by distinguished Belgian-Colombian guest choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Two Cultures, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville

Sunday, Oct. 6, 3 p.m., John Luther Adam’s Inuksuit, City Park, Iowa City

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m., Mike Viola, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m., Alex Williams w/ The Birdhunters, Wildwood, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Run Wilson w/ Lake Drive & The Squares, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m., Scott Kirkhart, El Rays, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m., Faye Dudley

Kick off your holiday shopping season. Original works by the finest Midwest artists working in mixed media, wood, painting, drawing, photography, glass, jewelry, metal, ceramics, fiber and more will be available for purchase.

Admisson

participating artists and event details at www.waterloocenterforthearts.org

& Rockit Man Robbie Young, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville

Friday, Oct. 11, 9 p.m., MJ Lenderman & The Wind w/ Ryan Davis, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 11, 10 p.m., The Mikey Needleman Band, El Rays, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 12, 8 p.m., Aaron Kamm & The One Drops w/ Worst Impressions, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 12, 10 p.m., The Mikey Needleman Band, El Rays, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m., Sarin Reaper, Apostle, Maul of America, Necrotic Theurgist, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m., Joan Osborne and Joshua Radin, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m., John Hiatt, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m., Ingested w/ Phantom Threat, Wyvern, Braver Than I, HGDC, Wildwood, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Adam Whitehead, El Rays, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m., American Authors, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m., Jake Xerxes Fussell, The James Theater, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 18, 10 p.m., Naughty Input, El Rays, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Worst Impressions, El Rays, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Not Quite Brothers, Wildwood, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Destrophy w/ Widow7 & Agony of Defeat, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., Bilal, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 19, 9 p.m., Adeem The Artist, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 19, 10 p.m., Naughty Input, El Rays, Iowa City

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Krizz Kaliko w/ Marcus Yates, Dizzy Wright & Whitney Peyton, Wildwood, Iowa City

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m., Real

Friends w/ Cant Swim, Carly Cosgrave & Slow Joy, Gabe’s, Iowa City

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., Andy Grammer, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., Renée Fleming, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., The Wonderful Smiths, El Rays, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 25, 10 p.m., Krista Lynn Meadow, El Rays, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 26, 6 p.m., Molly Shannon, El Rays, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 p.m., Krista Lynn Meadow, El Rays, Iowa City

Oct. 30-Nov. 2, FEaST, The James Theatre, Iowa City

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., Vitamin String Quartet, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

LITERATURE

Friday, Oct. 4, 12 p.m., 2024 International Writing Program Panel Discussion, Iowa City Public Library, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 11, 12 p.m., 2024 International Writing Program Panel Discussion, Iowa City Public Library, Iowa City Oct. 14-20, Iowa City Book Festival, Various locations, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 18, 12 p.m., 2024 International Writing Program Panel Discussion, Iowa City Public Library, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 20, 10:30 a.m., Family

Storytime: Author Visit with Jill Cronbaugh, Iowa City Public Library, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 20, 1 p.m., Conversation with Natalie Goldberg, Porchlight

Literary Center, Iowa City

Des Moines Performance Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Oct. 18-Nov 3, the Playhouse, Des Moines

The Des Moines Playhouse presents this comedic reimagining of Dracula, which gives Bram Stoker’s tale a touch of the Rocky Horror treatment. Premiering OffBroadway in 2023, this 90-minute Comedy of Terrors follows female vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing as she takes on the campy creature of the night and tries to save Mina, a gender-bent damsel in distress. Get your two-for-one spooky and kooky vibes at The Playhouse this Halloween season.

PERFORMANCE

Oct. 4-5, 7:30 p.m., Lizzie The Musical, The James Theater, Iowa City

Oct. 4-20, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, Riverside Theatre, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m., Body

Convos: A Dance Concert, Cornell College, Mount Vernon Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m., Lizzie The Musical, The James Theater, Iowa City Sunday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., #IMOMSOHARD: Ladies Night, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m., The Moth, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City Oct. 11-12, 7:30 p.m., Lizzie The Musical, The James Theater, Iowa City Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m., And That’s Why We Drink “The Pour Decisions Tour,” The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 11, 8-10 p.m., Lance Burton: Master Magician, Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Riverside Sunday, Oct. 13, 2 p.m., Lizzie The Musical, The James Theater, Iowa City Oct. 18, 19, Run of the Mill Theatre Halloween storytelling, The ArtiFactory, Iowa City Oct. 18-20, Disney’s My Son Pinocchio Jr., Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville

Saturday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m., Bawdy Bawdy Ha Ha: Bawdy Horror, The James Theatre, Iowa City

Oct. 25-27, Charlotte’s Web, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, Coralville FILM

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 10 p.m., Dementia 13: Director’s Cut, FilmScene, Iowa City Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Psycho,

FilmScene, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Jurassic Park, FilmScene in the Park, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 p.m., Red Road, FilmScene, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 6, 12 p.m., The Motive and the Cue, FilmScene, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m., Psycho, FilmScene, Iowa City

Monday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m., Look Back, FilmScene, Iowa City

Tuesday, Oct. 8, ENO, FilmScene, Iowa City

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 10 p.m., The Dunwich Horror and the Tower, FilmScene, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Psycho, FilmScene, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m., STAGES Premiere Screening and talkback, The Amana Performing Arts Center, Amana

Saturday, Oct. 12, 10 p.m., Peeping Tom, FilmScene, Iowa City

Oct. 17-20, Refocus Film Festival, FilmScene, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m., Death Becomes Her, FilmScene, Iowa City

Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m., Filmscream 2024, FilmScene, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m., Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the WereRabbit, FilmScene, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 p.m., The Blair Witch Project, FilmScene, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 26, 11:59 p.m., Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Englert Theatre, Iowa City

Sunday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m., Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the WereRabbit, FilmScene, Iowa City

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 10 p.m., The Crow, FilmScene, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m., Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the WereRabbit, FilmScene, Iowa City

COMMUNITY

Friday, Oct. 4, 5 p.m., Opening ReceptionCatherine Otto, The ArtiFactory, Iowa City

Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m., Body Parts Life Drawing, The ArtiFactory, Iowa City

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m., Thursday Drawing, The ArtiFactory, Iowa City

Opens Monday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m., Evergreen Exhibit, Cornell College, Mount Vernon

CR/CF/Waterloo

MUSIC

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 6 p.m., Shannon Curtis, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m., Billy Joel

Tribute ft. Jim Witters, Paramount

YOU CAN HELP

OCTOBER

2024 EVENTS

GET TICKETS AT ENGLERT.ORG/EVENTS

Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m., Octopus Songwriter’s Open Mic, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Stone Age Queens, Audiowaves, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Dubuque Symphony Orchestra: Pines of Rome: A Passage of Time, Five Flags Center, Dubuque

Saturday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m., Elvisfest: The Nervous Breakdown, Knubby and Fred Rose, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Sunday, Oct. 4, 4 p.m., Octopus Jazz Jam, Octopus, Cedar Falls

FRI, OCT 4

WED, OCT 9

Cesar Rosas & The Chi-Town Playboys

Founding member of the iconic band, Los Lobos

Mike Viola

FRI, OCT 11

SUN, OCT 13

TUES, OCT 15

FRI, OCT 18

SAT, OCT 19

WED, OCT 30

Best known for his work with Panic! at the Disco, Andrew Bird, Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis, Fall Out Boy and Mandy Moore

MJ Lenderman & The Wind

A favorite for indie rock fans looking for an emerging guitar hero

Joan Osborne & Joshua Radin at The Englert

Double-bill with powerful vocals and storytelling at The Englert

Master lyricist and satirical storyteller

American Authors

The band behind the beloved 2014 hit ‘Best Day of My Life’

Bilal at The Englert

Blending jazz, afro-futurism, classic soul, alternative r&b, rock, and classical in his vocals and music.

Adeem the Artist

John Hiatt at Wildwood at The Englert at Gabe’s at The Englert at Gabe’s

Will deliver impossibly heavy and deep subject matter in an empathetic and humane way

Vitamin String Quartet at The Englert

String covers of your favorite pop hits including Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter

SEASON SPONSORS

Sunday, Oct. 6, 2 p.m., Dubuque Symphony Orchestra: Pines of Rome: A Passage of Time, Five Flags Center, Dubuque

Sunday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., Leonid and Friends, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Monday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m., Genevieve Heyward, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Friday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m., Blame Not The Bard, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Saturday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m., Bo Ramsey, Joe & Vicki Price, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, Oct. 12 , 8 p.m., Neutral Red, Guilty of Treason & Jim Jones, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Friday, Oct. 18, 8 p.m., Almost Wizards, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Theory of a Deadman Unplugged, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Eli Alger & The Faster Horses Concert, The Olympic, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., Crybaby, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids

Sunday, Oct. 20, 4 p.m., Octopus Jazz Jam, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Sunday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., Casting Crowns, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:15 p.m., Nosferatu with live musical accompaniment by DATASTREAM, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., Three Dog Night, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Thursday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m., Four Schillings Short, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m., Salt Fox Night, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Saturday, Oct. 26. 7 p.m., Cedar County Cobras, DaddyO & Dan Johnson, Illinois John Fever, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., Orchestra

Iowa Pops I: The Music of Harry Potter, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m., Salt Fox

Night, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m., Octopus

New Band Night, Octopus, Cedar Falls Thursday, Oct. 31, Bat Dance! A Prince Halloween!, Octopus, Cedar Falls

LITERATURE

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 1 p.m., Author Event: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., Author Event: Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion Wednesday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m., Author Event: Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 1 p.m., Author Event: Lori Gottlieb, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Author Event: Hazel Beck, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion

Thursday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m., Author Event: Lindsay Leahy, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion Saturday, Oct. 26, 1 p.m., Author Event: Tina Cho, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m., Author Event: Dale Kueter, Marion Public LIbrary, Marion

PERFORMANCE

Oct. 11-20, The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Comic Thriller, Cedar Falls Community Theatre, Cedar Falls

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Gorilla Theatre, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls Oct. 25-27, The Music Man at Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls Community Theatre, Cedar Falls

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m., Broadway at the Paramount: Shrek the Musical, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m., Red Herring Theatre Presents The Lifespan of a Fact, The Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls

Cedar Rapids Visual Art Inspired by Cedar Rapids: 175 Years of Art, Opens

Oct. 5, cedar rapids

Museum of Art Established in 1849, the City of Cedar Rapids is celebrating 175 years! To coincide with the occasion, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is opening this exhibition that will run through 2025. The works in the exhibit “demonstrate the varied approaches artists have used to interpret and reflect the city,” according to CMA. “They create an image of artistic legacy that extends to the present day.”

COMMUNITY

Opens Oct. 5, Inspired by Cedar Rapids: 175 Years of Art, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids

Tuesday, Oct. 8, Panel Discussion: The History of Horror Films, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls

Thursday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m., Free

Thursday Evening, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m., Guided Meditation at the Grant Wood Studio, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids

Thursday, Oct. 17, 5 p.m., Free Thursday Evening, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids

Thursday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m., Free

Thursday Evening, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids

Thursday, Oct. 31, 5 p.m., Free

Thursday Evening, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids

QUAD CITIES MUSIC

Thursday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m., PIG w/unitcode:machine, Raccoon Motel, Davenport Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Raccoon Motel, Davenport Saturday, Oct. 5, Becky Robinson, Capitol Theatre, Davenport

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m., Brigitte Calls Me Baby w/Emily How, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 6, 6 p.m., Phantom Planet w/ Hembree, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Monday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m. Dylan Earl, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Tuesday, Oct. 8, Bad Religion, Capitol Theatre, Davenport

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m., Melt w/ Maris, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6 p.m., TV COP w/ Early Girl & Company Dimes, Raccoon Motel

Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Academy of St Martin in the Fields | Chamber Ensemble, Gallagher Bluedorn, Waterloo

Friday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m., Hiss Golden Messenger w/ Monde UFO, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m., Mania: The ABBA Tribute, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m., Not.Greenday: Green Day Tribute, Raccoon, Motel

Monday, Oct. 14, 10 p.m., Big Fun w/ Mocktag & Blaster, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m., Dancing Plague w/ Giallows & Glurge, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Thursday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m., Bob Schneider, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6 p.m., Hello Mary w/ Bleary Eyed, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Friday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m., A Taste of Ireland, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Friday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Chicago Farmer w/ Jake Mckelvie & His New Old Band, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, Oct. 19, Set it Off: The Deathless Tour Part 2, Capitol Theatre, Davenport

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., The Magic of Motown, The Adler Theatre, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m., Brother Elsey, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Monday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m., Family Dinner, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m., Cat Ridgeway & The Tourists, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Thursday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m., Mei Semones, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Friday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m., Petti Hendrix, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, Oct. 26, Enter Shikari, Capitol Theatre, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 27, Atmosphere–The Traveling Forever Tour, Capitol Theatre, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m., I Am w/ Life Cycles, Maul & Frontal Assault, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m., David Liebe Hart w/ Blist Her & Del Rockford, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m., Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Thursday, Oct. 31, 6 p.m., Flight Attendant, Raccoon Motel, Davenport

PERFORMANCE

Thursday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m., Shrek the Musical, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Friday, Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m., A Taste of

Des Moines Performance Ballet

Des Moines: Movimiento, Hoyt Sherman Place,

Oct. 18, 19, 7:30 p.m.

Ballet Des Moines has much to celebrate this season, having appointed a new Rehearsal Director in Joshua Bodden, a 23-year veteran of the dance industry with stints at Miami City Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem, among other distinguished companies. Another cause to celebrate is their presentation of Movimiento, a program featuring new commissions by renowned choreographers Katlyn Addison and Mariana Oliveira and a live performance by Colombian musician Juan Sebastian Ramirez Espinosa.

Ireland, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m., Brad Williams, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m., Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Adler Theatre, Davenport

FILM

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m., M, The Last Picture House, Davenport

Sunday, Oct. 20, 5 p.m., 48-Hour Film Fest, Putnam Museum, Davenport

Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., Disney’s Hocus Pocus in Concert, The Adler Theatre, Davenport

DUBUQUE MUSIC

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m., Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen with Special Guest Boogie Monster Funk, Five Flags Center, Dubuque

Saturday, Oct. 5, 1:30 p.m., Scott Wilcox, Fergedaboudit Vineyard & Winery, Dubuque

Saturday, Oct. 5, 3p.m., Manic Hive Fest, Smokestack, Dubuque

Saturday, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m., Rat PackLIVE at the Vineyard, Fergedaboudit Vineyard & Winery, Dubuque

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Dubuque

Symphony Orchestra: Pines of Rome: a Passage of Time, Five Flags Center, Dubuque

Sunday, Oct. 6, 2p.m., Dubuque Symphony Orchestra: Pines of Rome: a Passage of Time, Five Flags Center, Dubuque

Friday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m., Here Come the Mummies/ Toxhards, Cod Fish Hollow, Maquoketa

Saturday, Oct. 12, 1:30 p.m., Ralph Kluseman, Fergedaboudit Vineyard & Winery, Dubuque

Saturday, Oct. 19, 1:30 p.m., Steve McIntyre, Fergedaboudit Vineyard & Winery, Dubuque

Friday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m., Enemies of Confusion, Smokestack, Dubuque

PERFORMANCE

Oct. 11-26, Love, Lies & the Lottery, Bell Tower Theater, Dubuque

Oct. 29, 7 p.m., Readings Under the Influence, Smokestack, Dubuque

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m., Sesame Street

Live! Say Hello, Five Flags Center, Dubuque

VISUAL ART

Oct. 25, DuMA Gala 2024, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque

Opens Oct. 26, Dubuque by Design, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque

Dear Kiki,

I feel like I’ve been in love so many times that it’s difficult to trust my feelings now that I find myself here again. Can love be real if it isn’t rare? Does it cease to be special if it’s common? Can something so frequent still be meaningful? Sometimes it feels like my heart is like Strega Nona’s pot of spaghetti—a magical pot that can go completely out of control if you lack the skill to control it. I want to be sure I’m Strega Nona here and not Big Anthony, flooding the town with love and forced to eat it all until I’m sick. Do you know any good spells for controlling cauldrons overflowing with love pasta?

—Strega or No?

Dear Strega,

Have you ever gazed into a pair of deep brown eyes?

Around 79 percent of all humans have brown eyes, including yours truly. But their ubiquity does nothing to lessen their appeal. I’ve drowned in dozens of dark irises over the years, and I’m always willing to return to that well.

Do you recall how it feels to drink a glass of plain old water after vigorous exercise? Did you know roses are the most common flower in the world? And while we’re speaking of hearts, 13 percent of all deaths globally are caused by heart disease—but each of those deaths certainly meant something to the loved ones of the deceased.

There is no need for something to be rare to be meaningful. The sun rises every day, without fail, but we can still be caught off-guard with wonder at each sunrise. Love is no different. The rush when you first fall can strike hard and feel shocking, but love itself is the most common thing there is, and it is all the more miraculous for that, in my opinion.

But enough of the sappy shit. Let’s dissect your analogy a bit.

Love absolutely has the power to get away

tHere IS NO NeeD FOr SOMetHING tO be rAre tO be MeANINGFUL. tHe SUN rISeS eVerY DAY, WItHOUt FAIL, bUt We cAN StILL be cAUGHt OFF-GUArD WItH WONDer At eAcH SUNrISe. LOVe IS NO DIFFereNt.

from us if we don’t know what we’re doing, especially when we’re caught up in the freefall of fresh infatuation. It can overflow the caudron and send sloppy spaghetti tendrils all over town: jealousy, obsession, maybe even a big ol’ meatball of codependency. And it is not pleasant to have to clean up the mess that causes.

Here’s the thing, though. The cauldron didn’t belong to Big Anthony. It wasn’t just his lack of skill at fault in the story; he was messing around with a power that was not his. What’s more, he was conjuring for the wrong reasons: He wasn’t feeding the townsfolk because they were hungry, but because they didn’t believe him about the magic.

Your heart is your power. No one else’s. And I suspect that your intentions are pure: You’re not chasing love because you have something to prove, you’re welcoming love despite an excess of caution.

So how do you control the cauldron? Well, you can blow three kisses at it if you need a breather. That worked for Strega Nona. But you’ve “been in love so many times” without burying an entire village in carbs. I think you know your own heart well, Strega. You’re not cooking in someone else’s cauldron. Trust yourself and trust your power.

And please don’t discount the incredible value of ordinary things. Looking at scarcity as the definition of value is capitalism talking; love can’t be constrained within that paradigm. Let it flow!

xoxo, Kiki

Jordan Sellergren / Little Village

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): On those infrequent occasions when I buy a new gadget, I never read the instructions. I drop the booklet in the recycling bin immediately, despite the fact that I may not know all the fine points of using my new vacuum cleaner, air purifier or hairdryer. Research reveals that I am typical. Ninety-two percent of all instructions get thrown away. I don’t recommend this approach to you in the coming weeks, however, whether you’re dealing with gadgets or more intangible things. You really should call on guidance to help you navigate your way through introductory phases and new experiences.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I knew a Scorpio performance artist who did a splashy public show about private matters. She stationed herself on the rooftop of an apartment building and for 12 hours loudly described everything she felt guilty about. (She was an ex-Catholic who had been raised to regard some normal behavior as sinful.) If you, dear Scorpio, have ever felt an urge to engage in a purge of remorse, now would be an excellent time. I suggest an alternate approach, though. Spend a half hour writing your regrets on paper, then burn the paper in the kitchen sink as you chant something like the following: “With love and compassion for myself, I apologize for my shortcomings and frailties. I declare myself free of shame and guilt. I forgive myself forever.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Be HEARTY, POTENT and DYNAMIC, Sagittarius. Don’t worry about decorum and propriety. Be in quest of lively twists that excite the adventurer in you. Avoid anyone who seems to like you best when you are anxious or tightly controlled. Don’t proceed as if you have nothing to lose; instead, act as if you have everything to win. Finally, my dear, ask life to bring you a steady stream of marvels that make you overjoyed to be alive. If you’re feeling extra bold (and I believe you will), request the delivery of a miracle or two.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Nineteenth-century Capricorn author Anne Brontë wrote *The Tenant of Wildfell Hall*, which many critics regard as the first feminist novel. It challenged contemporary social customs. The main character, Helen, leaves her husband because he’s a bad influence on their son. She goes into hiding, becoming a single mother who supports her family by creating art. Unfortunately, after the author’s death at a young age, her older sister Charlotte suppressed the publication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It’s not wellknown today. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, so as to inspire you to action. I believe the coming months will be a favorable time to get the attention and recognition you’ve been denied but thoroughly deserve. Start now! Liberate, express and disseminate whatever has been suppressed.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What is the most important question you want to find an answer for during the next year? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to formulate that inquiry clearly and concisely. I urge you to write it out in longhand and place it in a prominent place in your home. Ponder it lightly and lovingly for two minutes every morning upon awakening and each night before sleep. (Key descriptors: “lightly and lovingly.”) As new insights float into your awareness, jot them down. One further suggestion: Create or acquire a symbolic representation of the primal question.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Scientific research suggests that some foods are more addictive than cocaine. They include pizza, chocolate, potato chips and ice cream. The good news is that they are not as problematic for long-term health as cocaine. The bad news is that they are not exactly healthy. (The

sugar in chocolate neutralizes its modest health benefits.) With these facts in mind, Pisces, I invite you to re-order your priorities about addictive things. Now is a favorable time to figure out what substances and activities might be tonifying, invigorating addictions—and then retrain yourself to focus your addictive energy on them. Maybe you could encourage an addiction to juices that blend spinach, cucumber, kale, celery and apple. Perhaps you could cultivate an addiction to doing a pleasurable form of exercise or reading books that thrill your imagination.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): During some Wiccan rituals, participants are asked, “What binds you? And what will you do to free yourself from what binds you?” I recommend this exercise to you right now, Aries. Here’s a third question: Will you replace your shackles with a weaving that inspires and empowers you? In other words, will you shed what binds you and, in its stead, create a bond that links you to an influence you treasure?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If I had to name the zodiac sign that other signs are most likely to underestimate, I would say Taurus. Why? Well, many of you Bulls are rather modest and humble. You prefer to let your practical actions speak louder than fine words. Your well-grounded strength is diligent and poised, not flashy. People may misread your resilience and dependability as signs of passivity. But here’s good news, dear Taurus: In the coming weeks, you will be less likely to be undervalued and overlooked. Even those who have been ignorant of your appeal may tune in to the fullness of your tender power and earthy wisdom.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the coming days, I invite you to work on writing an essay called “People and Things I Never Knew I Liked and Loved Until Now.” To get the project started, visit places that have previously been off your radar. Wander around in uncharted territory, inviting life to surprise you. Call on every trick you know to stimulate your imagination and break out of habitual ruts of thinking. A key practice will be to experiment and improvise as you open your heart and your eyes wide. Here’s my prophecy: In the frontiers, you will encounter unruly delights that inspire you to grow wiser.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Now is an excellent time to search for new teachers, mentors and role models. Please cooperate with life’s intention to connect you with people and animals who can inspire your journey for the months and years ahead. A good way to prepare yourself for this onslaught of grace is to contemplate the history of your educational experiences. Who are the heroes, helpers and villains who have taught you crucial lessons? Another strategy to get ready is to think about what’s most vital for you to learn right now. What are the gaps in your understanding that need to be filled?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The English language has more synonyms than any other language. That’s in part because it’s like a magpie. It steals words from many tongues, including German, French, Old Norse, Latin and Greek, as well as from Algonquin, Chinese, Hindi, Basque and Tagalog. Japanese may be the next most magpie-like language. It borrows from English, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, French and German. In accordance with astrological possibilities, I invite you to adopt the spirit of the English and Japanese languages in the coming weeks. Freely borrow and steal influences. Be a collector of sundry inspirations, a scavenger of fun ideas, a gatherer of rich cultural diversity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here are my bold decrees: You are entitled to extra bonuses and special privileges in the coming weeks. The biggest piece of every cake and pie should go to you, as should the freshest wonders, the most provocative revelations, and the wildest breakthroughs. I invite you to give and take extravagant amounts of everything you regard as sweet, rich, and nourishing. I hope you will begin cultivating a skill you are destined to master. I trust you will receive clear and direct answers to at least two nagging questions.

7 Hills Brewing

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MUNK rIVerS Practice

Most of the press around Des Moines band Munk Rivers mentions their self-declared genre “yearncore.” While obviously somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it speaks to the very human emotions that weave through the lyrics of lead singer and frontperson Charlotte Judkins.

Siblings Charlotte and Tucker Judkins started performing as Munk Rivers last summer after they relocated to Des Moines from Webster City. Incidentally, the band name comes from the translation of “Des Moines” which is, “of the monks.” And, yes, they’re aware that there used to be another Des Moines band called the River Monks.

The duo released two singles in February, and then in March they added drummer Izzy Marx and bassist Max Green after seeing them perform at a house party in the Drake University neighborhood. After playing a few shows in town—including xBk, a stage at 80/35 and one in Omaha at The Blindspot—the band started working on and recording their new EP Practice Room (recorded at Girls Rock! DSM with Phil Young at Trilix Studio helping mix and master the songs).

The EP leads off with “Sacramento” which, according to an email from Tucker, was the first song Charlotte wrote when they first moved to Des Moines. Though Izzy and Max are layering a rhythm structure, the parts of the song by the early duo shine through. Charlotte’s vocals ride beautifully over the chugging bright and clean rhythm of the guitars.

Charlotte’s sweetly sung breathy soprano recalls Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star, who carved a path decades ago for this type of laid-bare personal songwriting. Written right before a gig, “Ceramics” is a beautifully open-hearted song dedicated to Charlotte’s girlfriend: “Know that I amuse you when I can′t help looking around/Crying when the plane you’re on is freaking you out/I could be made of ceramics, honey/If it meant you′d never put me down.” The underlying music is a circular loop of guitars, bass and marching drums. The addition of layers of instruments builds to a dizzying crescendo, built on a buzzy guitar solo that runs the song out.

The secret weapon of Munk Rivers is Izzy Marx. She’s the clockwork heart beating behind the songs, oftentimes providing a simple beat like the marching rhythm in “Ceramics.” But, if you listen closer, she brings some really interesting fills and syncopation on songs like “Sacramento.” The song opens with a four-on-the-floor beat and then adds percussion-like clicks and light cymbal rides before blooming into a full kit beat with lots of great in-the-pocket embellishments and fills. The old adage applies here: show me a great band, and I’ll show you a great drummer.

The EP wraps up with the first co-write of all four members of Munk Rivers, “Tunnels Forever” and it is obvious. Each of the members fit into their slots in the mix and Max Green’s sliding bass line takes the harmony lead. The song has a trick up its sleeve in a harrowing, bombastic bridge. Charlotte sings, “I cannot change anything back/ So I wait to feel loved like a welltimed attack,” then BOOM. We get powerhouse vocals that we can only assume she was holding back for this. “I can′t hold onto it/I can’t hold onto it/Look in my eyes!/Look in my eyes!” The drums crash, the guitars wail. Necessarily, it’s the last song on the EP and, honestly, I’m not sure how they would have followed that.

Practice Room is a snapshot of a brand new band, fresh off the

heels of fleshing out their lineup and gaining visibility amidst a long-standing and vibrant Des Moines music scene. Watching the interviews on YouTube with the Drake Broadcasting System and Urban Plains makes it easy to get caught up in the blush of excitement from the band; lightning captured in a bottle and yearning, I suppose, for the next opportunity to bring their music to the world.

—Mike Roeder

KL!NG 5 SONG SWEETIE PIE! KLINGIOWACITY.BANDCAMP.COM

During the last gasps of August, KL!NG’s first EP came into the world, grew legs, and personified itself into a fun house. Think buckets of neon green paint, a ball pit, a wallto-wall mirrored metallic bathroom and a projector dedicated to running continuous episodes of Twin Peaks

That’s the setting each attendee stepped into during KL!NG’s hyper-DIY release party, transforming a residential home for two performances of 5 SONG SWEETIE PIE! complete with a local band lineup and a burlesque performance. It’s a rare occurrence where the listener gets the chance to step inside the album, beckoned by a circus of flaming guitar riffs, dual harmonies and shuddering drum beats.

Self-described as “experimental garage rock basement candy,” the trio fuses a supergroup of Iowa City talent via Lex Leto, Elly Hofmaier and Aaron Knight. Now, a little over a year after the band’s official formation, beginning with a raucous live debut at two back-to-back festivals (Iowa City’s Infinite Dream and Whitewater’s Strange LaGrange), KL!NG puts their playfulness to

audio in swift, eight-minute fashion. The first song, “under yer nose!” doesn’t start, it roars. Droning guitars and trippy chanting devolve through the acrobatic quality of Hofmaier and Letos’ vocals, where screams punctuate words and octaves drop in an instant. Representing some of the best basement-brewed grunge, each song is meticulously recorded and produced by KL!NG, along with mixing and mastering magic from Avery Moss.

With each listen, the smallest details emerge, making the final product more hypnotic and addictive, all swept up in explosive drumming and repetitious chords that flirt between surf rock and distorted punk. At one point, a raw moment from the recording session interjects the opening track’s wall of sound as Knight tells the rest of the band, “Yeah, let’s listen back to that.” It’s intimate and charming—just like their homemade merch or band flip phone. On “automobile!,” the EP reaches its highest point, creating a sound collage of engine ignitions and train whistles—all while listing the forms of transportation the singer is, indeed, not. Hofmaier growls deep into the microphone, “I am not an elevator / why don’t you just take the stairs,” in an act of defiant, delicious liberation.

Throughout these five tracks KL!NG is on a high wire, pulling off a balancing act between genres, voices, guitars and tempo beats. Something’s gotta give. And it does, closing out with the song “unlaced!” For just under a minute, the line breaks, and the soundscape cracks open into an ear-splitting finale, satisfying and far too brief of a peek inside the fun-house pipes.

One of the first rooms that greeted release party houseguests was a punctuation-themed room, drenched with glittering exclamation points hung from the ceiling. If you couldn’t tell from the stylization of the band name and the tracklist, exclamation points are kind of their thing. So, in true KL!NG fashion, this EP deserves the most enthusiastic round of (!!!).

—Elisabeth Oster

ThisJanuary, while visiting Tulsa with a friend, I made an effort to reconnect with my redneck roots. We went firing at an indoor gun range. Across the street was a church with a sign announcing the coming of its gun sale. Later, at the tattoo parlor, as his own gun pierced me with a cool proficiency, the tattooist proved dismayed at our choice of gun range: a notoriously sketchy outfit, it turned out, where a few weeks previously a patron had shot his two friends, and then himself, dead inside its skinny, single-exit firing hall. The night ended with a pilgrimage to the old headquarters of the Oral Roberts Ministry, for a time the most energetic promulgator of rightwing American evangelical Christianity. Today the building is in ruins: a squat, sinister, windowless brick inlaid with white diamond lacing, which is itself likely laced with asbestos.

This is the kind of day, and the kind of condemned building, you can easily imagine a teenaged Justin Carter having and hanging around. Carter, now grown and Iowa-based, is the author of the debut poetry collection Brazos, and a young man of Carter’s background is often the protagonist of this ruminative meditation on the speaker’s relationship to his native Texas Gulf Coast—into which runs the titular Brazos river, like a razor-inflicted diagonal slash down the flesh of Texas.

To fill out the speaker’s day, you would need to add the sub rosa administration of graffiti, as well as a large number of cheap beer brands, about which Carter displays a charming erudition. For much of the collection’s span, one finds oneself requesting a stern word with the wayward youth. The reader’s consternation climaxes with the prose poem “Trash Fires.” The poem teaches us to read its title as a complete sentence: “We learned aerosol cans sound like gunshots when burnt.”

It’s a happy thing that the young man wound up a talented poet. But I don’t want to mislead; only some of the poems undertake the sociology of the nogoodnik. Others are lyrical reconstructions of childhood memory, while still others track the rightward drift of our politics—as in another prose poem, based on real events, in which a local paranoid with, naturally, a seat on the school board “[says] the talking doll she bought said Islam is the light when its string was pulled.”

The volume works hard to evoke its time and place through the accretion of physical detail: not only “Miller Lite & motor oil” (sometimes the poems excessively signal their blue-collar milieu), but also more offbeat objects, like the speaker’s grandmother’s “combination radio & can opener.” These, too, were real. And the one in this poem evokes cannily well a sense of its owner. Who among us has had no relative touched by the harmlessly irrational love of the two-in-one gizmo?

Carter is interested in both hidden words and in what words hide. Like many of his contemporaries, he is concerned about what declarations of collectivity leave out: “there’s this gulf between the classes that can’t be bridged by the word y’all.” (This suspicion has fortunately not prevented him from including two poems on sports, an underdeveloped topic in American poetry.) In what I found the book’s strongest section, a series of elliptical couplets about a case of adultery (“Homestead”), the guilty party contemplates “the seven-letter word for why // you can never fit together the way / you want. Hint: it begins h, ends -band.” The second

line break draws our attention to the different relevant senses of the split phrase: “the way you want to fit together,” but also “the form of your desire.” The suppressed “us” inside of “husband” surfaces in the final poem of the sequence: “So this, // he said. Us. It isn’t that bad. / Isn’t most love a little fucked up?”

A late poem references the speaker’s move to a certain “state with four letters & three vowels.” For all his love of occluded words, this assured debut gives readers reason to hope Carter will continue unoccluding his own. —Nick Dolan

tAtIANA ScHLOte-bONNe

Such Lovely Skin

PAGE STREET PUBLISHING

Never in my memory has a book kept me from sleep or made me avoid everyday objects. Officially, Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlotte-Bonne is the most unsettling book I have ever read, full stop.

The novel follows the narrator, a teen girl named Viv who is a relatively well-known video game streamer, in the months following her baby sister’s death. Viv’s voice is authentic and sympathetic, which makes her a narrator easy to follow. As readers, we understand why she makes the decisions she makes. We know this is a horror novel, the back of the book tells us that a demonic mimic will haunt Viv, but the execution of this promise still manages to surprise.

Schlotte-Bonne’s language is careful. She created a narrator who

loves horror—is attracted to it and unphased by it—which should make building a scary atmosphere harder, because Viv doesn’t scare easily. She is lonely and bereaved and racked with guilt, but she doesn’t scare easily. So when she starts to believe she’s being followed, it’s already serious.

When we first see Viv’s mimic it feels like the false jump scare you might expect at the beginning of a horror movie, and Viv dismisses it as such. But it isn’t. And it’s unnerving.

Sometimes Viv’s descriptions drop hints for the reader that she herself doesn’t pick up on, which gave me the feeling of wanting to shout at the “screen” to warn her. Viv is so used to elements of horror and so focused on finding a way to help her parents recover financially from her sister’s death (with her income from streaming) that the tension is palpable. It had me stuck to my seat and turning my phone to “Do Not Disturb” so that I could get to the resolution.

I want to describe the characters and quote passages from the book, but it is difficult to do without context or without spoiling some part of the story. The climax happens naturally, seeming like the obvious next step in the plot, but even in that moment I wasn’t sure how things were going to go for Viv.

Genre fiction and YA both get passed over (too) frequently for not being “serious.” I want to really urge folks who veer away from either to try Such Lovely Skin. SchlotteBonne understands plot structure, character building and emotional stakes. Her prose is exacting, evocative, honest. Schlotte-Bonne wrote a book about a haunted video game that manages to be funny and real and moving. I can’t imagine dismissing this book.

I may never look at a video game the same way (thankfully, I am not a gamer, only a friend of gamers) but I am also a little more grateful for my friends’ niche interests (you never know whose occult knowledge will lead to the discovery of a demonic mimic!) and the ways we can recognize one another.

—Sarah Elgatian

JUStIN cArter Brazos BELLE POINT PRESS

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20. Pro ___ (for now)

21. Sock hop apparel

23. Slanted writing?

25. Word on a wedding announcement

26. Literary mode for a lot of punk rock

27. Part of a sentence

29. Anti-apartheid Nobel Laureate Desmond who coined the phrase “Rainbow Nation”

31. The Fairly OddParents fairy

32. Makes public

34. Clothes with cups

38. “It’s ___-brainer!”

39. Attire for a resident

42. Miner matter?

43. “Nur Geträumt” band (OK fine, also “99 Luftballons”; they have other songs, you know)

45. Served up a whopper

46. Many a dub musician

48. “Rad,” from AAVE

50. “You betcha!”

51. Clichéd

54. Sneakily clever

56. Neck division?

57. Hybrid undergarment

61. Granola morsel

62. Has possession of 63. Certain sex position ... or a possible description of 17-, 21-, 39- and

57-Across

65. With all rocks removed?

66. Facts and stats, for a debate

67. Not as nasty

68. Brand with Slow Churned desserts

69. Votes in favor

70. Oracles

DOWN

1. Crush container

2. Get Smart gadget

3. Gabs and gabs and gabs

4. Shape atop a scepter

5. Marshmallow candy unit popular in spring

6. Dugout vessel

7. Iron ___ (component of rust)

8. Treatment at a day spa

9. Otherwise

10. One might remove a knot

11. Old MacDonald’s jingle?

12. Add decoration to 13. “I’m digging the flavor!”

18. First-class

22. “Make yourself comfy!”

24. The Three Gorges, e.g.

28. Costa del ___ (“sun coast”)

29. Walked heavily

30. Country set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics

32. “Sorta”

33. Solid that is less dense than its liquid state

35. Soul group with the 1976 hit “Car Wash”

36. Pro who may move oils

37. Furry mammals that form groups called rafts

40. ___ carte menu

41. Hilton-owned hotel chain

44. Hurdles for high-achieving H.S. students

47. Toy sound?

49. ___ Royal Highness

50. Channel with a Twilight Zone marathon every New Year’s Eve

51. Steakhouse cut

52. Participated in crew

53. “Cut it out!”

54. Rho follower

55. Bricks that hurt to step on

58. Beyoncé’s second solo album

59. Birthplace of cacio e pepe

60. XXX-XX-XXXX nos.

64. Do up, as some laces

Little Village issue 333 - October 2024

RENÉE FLEMING

SOPRANO

VOICE OF NATURE: THE ANTHROPOCENE

DANCE GALA: AGILE

C OMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET

STAR DUST: FROM BACH TO BOWIE

INDEPENDENT IOWA NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

24

trick or treason

36

Happy

Halloweed

46 Something Wicked

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Meet this month’s contributors!

Top Stories

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

SAGE ADVICE

SPICY STAFF GOOD THYMES

Interactions

HAVE AN OPINION?

PERSONALS

SMOKE SHOP

Where is your Little Village?

Sponsor a rack!

Novels that Shake Skeletons from their Closets

INTERACTIONS

ACCOLADES

I

II

Summer

III

IOWA cItY, SePt. 7

SePt. 20

BIG DICK ENERGY

Nixon in Iowa: A Poorly Aged Idea

Nixon in Iowa: Authoritarian Chic

MERMAID the littlest

RUSALKA

COMMUNITY

Nixon in Iowa: Ottumwa Days

INDEPENDENT

A CUT Above the Rest

Rising Tides

The art director and editor-in-chief share a Climbing Kites Transfusion to take the edge off the production of this issue.

Emily Rundell / Little Village

How Nixon Made Marijuana a Boogie Man

ICPL Friends Foundation Fall Book Sales

Halloween Storytime & Trick or Treat Cart Parade

CULTURE

CULTURE

Spare No One BUMPER CROPS

Pinball Tournaments and Leagues

Arcades Around Iowa

Adapt to Survive

A-List: central Iowa

Bella Noce

A-LIST: OctOber 2024

Des Moines Area

MUSIC

Des

Des Moines

Sioux City Film

Sioux City International Film Festival,

AcX Promenade cinema, Oct. 3-6

A-LIST: OCTOBER 2024

LITERATURE

PERFORMANCE

FILM

Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him

VISUAL ART

COMMUNITY

Iowa City

MUSIC

Iowa City Literature

Iowa City Book Festival, Oct. 13-20

Dance Gala: Agile, Hancher Auditorium, Iowa city, Oct. 17–19, $5-$20

LITERATURE

Des Moines Performance Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Oct. 18-Nov 3, the Playhouse, Des Moines