Little Village Central Iowa 9: Independent Iowa

Happy Place

EXPLORE INDEPENDENT IOWA:

50 things that make the state a more special, strange and livable home.

14

Frozen Food

Hunkering down for the winter can be a messy process for Des Moines food truck owners.

15

Fifty Nifty

Who needs first-in-the-nation status?! Iowa’s got cool stuff from Council Bluffs to Lansing.

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

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Faith Brooks as Ella, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, 2022-23 Season

EDITORIAL

Publisher

Arts Editor Genevieve Trainor genevieve@littlevillagemag.com

managing Editor Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

News Director Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

Art Director

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

multimedia Journalist Adria Carpenter adria@littlevillagemag.com

Events Editor, Design Assistant Sid Peterson sid@littlevillagemag.com

Staff Writers Courtney Guein courtney@littlevillagemag.com

Lily DeTaeye lily@littlevillagemag.com

Social media manager Kim Bates kim@littlevillagemag.com

Spanish Language Editor Spenser Santos

calendar/Event Listings calendar@littlevillagemag.com

corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

December contributors

Britt Fowler, Chris DeLine, Colin Boyd Shafer, Dana James, Elaine Irvine, John Busbee, John Martinek, John Lombardi, Kachna Baraniewicz, Kent Williams, Lauren Haldeman, Ramona Muse Lambert, Sam Locke Ward, Sarah Elgatian, Tom Tomorrow, Tyler Erickson

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

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PRODUCTION

Digital Director Drew Bulman drewb@littlevillagemag.com

marketing Analytics coordinator Malcolm MacDougall malcolm@littlevillagemag.com

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President, Little Village, LLc Matthew Steele matt@littlevillagemag.com

Advertising Matthew Steele ads@littlevillagemag.com

creative Services Website design, Email marketing, E-commerce, Videography creative@littlevillagemag.com

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Distribution manager Joseph Servey joseph@littlevillagemag.com

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Bill Rogers, Ellen Keplinger, Emily Burress, Huxley Maxwell, Justin Comer, Sam Standish distro@littlevillagemag.com

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meet this month’s contributors:

Audrey brock wrote the humor column Brock About Town for Little Village from February 2019 to November 2022. She will seek new adventures outside of Iowa in 2023.

Avery Gregurich is a writer living and writing at the edge of the Iowa River in Marengo.

Dana James is founder of Black Iowa News. blackiowanews. bulletin.com, @blackiowanews

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

megan bannister is the freelance writer and blogger behind OlioInIowa.com, which features unique destinations, roadside attractions and “world’s largest.” She is also the author of the

Issue 9 , Volume 1 December 2022

cover by Tyler Erickson

The world’s largest strawberry. Iowa’s hilliest hike. A museum full of salt and pepper shakers. Jazz at the Greenwood Lounge. Explore 50 statewide gems picked by LV. Plus: How to support DSM food trucks in the winter.

You could see your bio here.

book Iowa Supper Clubs and the forthcoming book, Secret Iowa

Sean Dengler is an Urbandalebased writer interested in food, arts and agriculture. He has written a column for the North Tama Telegraph/Traer StarClipper for more than six years.

Shelly melton is a Japanese artist from Iowa City. She enjoys drawing for friends and running her cat’s Instagram page.

Tiffani Green is an Iowa Citybased writer and Little Village columnist. Her food column, The Takeaway, features reviews of local take-out restaurants.

Tyler Erickson is a photographer based in Des Moines. He has a devout love for distance running, bicycle touring, and photographing honest moments of the human experience.

Culture writers, food reviewers and columnists, email: editor@littlevillagemag.com

Illustrators, photographers and comic artists, email: jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Top Stories

Protesters disrupt carbon capture conference in Des moines, face close call with SUV by Lily DeTaeye, Nov. 10

Led by Buffalo Rebellion, about 100 people marched through the streets of Des Moines to the Iowa Events Center on Nov. 9 to protest the National Carbon Capture Conference and Expo. Three companies at the conference have submitted proposals and/ or applied for permits to build a carbon capture pipeline through Iowa and surrounding states.

‘I am my sister’s keeper’: Trans femmes in central Iowa share home and resources through the Trans Housing Project

by Genevieve Trainor, Nov. 15

Zoie Taylor owns two houses across the street from one another in Des Moines, home to Taylor, her children and fellow trans femmes. Some of them work, some manage disabilities. None of them pay rent. Each home has space reserved to help someone through a short-term crisis, if necessary, part of a mutual aid mission.

Letter to the editor: Dangerous rail merger threatens rural Iowa

by Justin Hollinrake of Ames, Nov. 30

If you ask folks in the Quad Cities about the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern railroad merger, they’ll likely cite worries about disrupting downtown areas or holding up rush hour traffic. But the proposed merger matters for rural Iowa, too. And as the midterms fall into the rear-view mirror, we must ask ourselves how to best support these parts of our state.

Catch up on Little Village’s most-viewed headlines from last month. Read more at LittleVillageMag.com. Subscribe

Photo Gallery: Halloween on the Hill rises from the grave by courtney Guein, Nov. 3

HOTH took a pause in 2020 and ’21, but their comeback on Oct. 31 was bloody sweet. The Sherman Hill neighborhood brought back the classic “Thriller” performance in the center of the tour, and featured some new sights, sounds and horror villains for their one-night-only annual fright fest.

news, events, dining recommendations and LV Perks: LittleVillageMag.com/ Support

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

This issue of Little Village is supported by:

Adamantine Spine Moving (45)

Bravo Greater Des Moines (31)

Broadlawns (33)

Campbell’s Nutrition (8)

Catch Des Moines (27)

Christopher’s Fine Jewelry (30) Collins Community Credit Union (31)

Curate (10)

Des Moines Art Center (11) Des Moines Botanical Gardens (52)

Des Moines Metro Opera (37)

Des Moines Performing Arts (13) Des Moines Playhouse (4) Des Moines Symphony (35)

Full Court Press (2)

Greubel Legal Services (45)

Independent Highland Park/Oak Park Neighborhood (26-27)

- Ananda

- Bill’s Window and Screen Repair - The Slow Down - The Collective

Independent Historic East Village (46-47)

- Des Moines Botanical Gardens

- Wooly’s

- Raygun

- The Breakfast Club

Infinite Resource: Amplified (32)

Iowa City Downtown District (11)

Iowa Department of Public Health (36, 37)

Iowa Environmental Council (28)

Iowa Public Radio (45)

Kum & Go (31)

Mainframe Studios (35)

Nearwood Winery (29) Noce (43)

Oasis Street Food (35)

Orchestrate Hospitality (48) Primary Health Care (42) Science Center of Iowa (43)

Sierra Club (41)

The James (17)

Think Iowa City (50)

University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (29)

Varsity Cinema (56) xBk (38)

Recent Eastern Iowa Reader Survey Data 25,000—40,000 per issue

LittleVillagemag.com readership 200,000 monthly article views 74,000 unique monthly visitors

REcENT READER SURVEY DATA

mEDIAN AGE: 37 18-24: 14% 25-34: 20% 35-44: 21% 45-54: 17% 55-64: 14% 65+: 10%

AVERAGE NUmbER OF cHILDREN 1.85

mEDIAN PERSONAL INcOmE: $50k $40k—60k: 23.4% $60k—80k: 20.9% $100k+: 15.8% $20k—40k: 12% <$20k: 15.8% $80k—$100k: 12%

GENDER Female: 49.25 Male: 47.25 Nonbinary/other: 2.5%

EDUcATION Masters: 35.8% Bachelors: 38.5% Ph.D: 12.3%

Some college: 7.8% Associates: 4.5%

Join Little Village’s family of advertisers and start making a strong, personal connection with the local community today. Request a media kit:

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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.

Excerpt from “The Caretaker,” a Christmas story submitted by Tom Gingerich

THE OLD mAN WAS ON HIS KNEES busily mulching one of Oakland’s expansive flower beds when he noticed the SUV approaching in the brisk, early November air. Slowly negotiating the narrow, winding roads traversing the hillside, it pulled up near him. A young man emerged, a leather-bound notebook in his hand, and began walking toward him. The older man slowly stood and tossed his hand spade into a nearby wheelbarrow.

“Caretaker,” the old man volunteered, touching his chest, moving forward. “Michael Thoreau. May I help you?”

The young man smiled at him and offered his hand in the early morning chill. “Good to meet you, Michael. I’m Craig Summerhill,” he said. They shook. The old man’s hand was callused

and hardened from working long hours. Craig wondered how a man of his age (he looked to be in his seventies) could have such a strong grip and still be working at such a physical job. His scruffy beard and tattered jacket and jeans showed his dedication to the landscape.

“I’ll bet you know quite a bit about this cemetery and its history, don’t you?” he asked. “How long have you been working here, Mr. Thoreau?”

“Call me Michael,” he said, turning to his right and scanning Oakland’s vast expanse, a contented look on his weathered face. Craig followed his gaze and saw the green, peaceful hillside falling far away to the east, densely covered with towering oaks, maples and white pines—with hundreds of tombstones scattered throughout.

“Forever,” he replied, wearing a devoted expression. “Started right out of high school. Worked the summers here for several years before that. Never really wanted to do anything else

HAVE AN OPINION?

Better write about it!

Send letters to: Editor@LittleVillageMag.com

as strange as that seems to some folks. Fell in love with the place and never left.”

Craig shifted the notebook to his other hand and withdrew a pen from his shirt pocket. “Could you spare some time to fill me in about the place, Michael? Some of the history—your memories about working here?” he asked. “I work for the press. Doing a feature about the place.”

“Me?” Michael responded.

“Sounds like you’re the guy I should be talking to,” Craig said. “Could you set aside a few minutes sometime?”

The old man smiled. He turned, and gestured toward a large, vine-covered wooden pergola nearby with several benches beneath. “How about now?” he offered. “I was about to take a break anyway.”

Read the full story at littlevillagemag.com.

I’VE LIVED IN SmALL-TOWN IOWA mY ENTIRE LIFE and have always loved the sense of community and pace of life it has provided. From less traffic and noise to knowing your neighbors and business owners, there is truly nothing that

compares.

However, the challenges of living in a smaller community can also be magnified when it comes to access to healthcare. Often, specialists are located miles away, and costs of gas and time spent commuting can add up quickly.

Of course, programs such as Medicaid managed care bring a lot of opportunity to bring needed services to Iowans. Being an enrollee allows access to care through telehealth, and can even provide transportation services when needed.

I’ve always believed the benefits of living in

STRESS FRACTURES

a smaller community outweigh the difficulties it presents. But without Medicaid managed care, many could even be faced with the decision to leave their home, family and job in order to access care.

Medicaid managed care meets enrollees where they are and allows us to receive treatment, connect with providers, and stay healthy, while also allowing people like me to continue to live in the communities we love. —Jan Beltz, Indianola

Unhoused as a teen, Tracy belle now rehabilitates Iowa birds, coyotes, raccoons

and more through her nonprofit, Wildthunder W.A.r.S. (Nov. 8)

I love you so much. You’re not a victim, not a survivor. You’re a f$#%ing warrior and show others of us who were homeless and unstable the way it’s done to rebuild a life worth living. Love you so very much!! —Cyn M.

Awesome article, you are my hero… thank you for all you do for the animals.

—Robin T.G.

JOHN MARTINEK

Iowans overwhelmingly approve constitutional amendment that ‘prohibits current and future common-sense gun laws’ (Nov. 9)

The wording was totally misleading.

—N.W.V.

I don’t know which is worse: That they were fooled by the wording, or they Weren’t fooled by the wording!

—Wendy P.

Even police officers voiced concerns over this amendment. It will make their jobs more dangerous and harder. This terrifies me as a parent when it comes to school shootings. I just don’t understand Iowa anymore. —Brook E.

It’s up to us to make sure that every murderer who should never have been allowed a gun in the first place is made famous alongside the politicians who all but put the loaded gun in their hands.

—Erin M.

I imagine the wording on the ballot made

it hard for people who didn’t know what it was for. I voted no, but I imagine most of the folks that I saw at my polling place (people over 70) probably voted yes.

—Nalani P.

Story County, that’s interesting. I voted against it in Southside Des Moines. As a dual Midwesterner-Texan gal I was raised with strong gun-owning and gun-safety values. Seems pretty common sense to expect gun owners to know how to own & use guns with respect for the seriousness of it all. —Jill K.

Iowa will not receive $30 million in federal aid for child care (Iowa capital Dispatch, Nov. 10)

Another reason why young families move out of state. —Hung

Turns out, when your state is run by Republicans it turns into a shithole pretty fast. —Randy K

They likely forgot to apply and are taking a defensive posture to hide their f*ck up.

—Dave D.

If only the state could find 3M to match it! Like, in that 1B+ surplus … —Shelley R.

It’s $3M in lost future tax cuts for the wealthiest Iowans. That’s where the current $1B+ surplus will end up going too.

—Gale K.

IOWA CITY DISTRICT DOWNTOWN

is

INTERACTIONS

If Iowa Democrats were in charge during Covid the children would be behind another year and the economy would be in tatters. Sick of the bull crap. —Edward L.C.S.

Why is the governor so hateful to low income Iowans? —Emily C.E.

That’s what the oligarchy is like. “If you’re rich it’s because you’re a good person, if you’re poor it’s because you’re bad.” —John F.M.

But she decreased the age limits of daycare providers and increased how many kids they can care for. She “fixed” the issue already. —Nicole D.C.

The cruelty isn’t a bug of our Republican government, it’s a feature. —Donald B.

The scary thing about politics sometimes is not the people you don’t know. It’s the one’s that you know exist and the

things you know about them that they got away with. —Soultru

‘I am my sister’s keeper’: Trans femmes in central Iowa share home and resources through the Trans Housing Project (Nov. 15)

Love Em and Zoie!! These communities deserve legs, longevity, rest, and respect from city govt housing policies that develop and capitalize faster than most residents can typically manage alternatives. Power to the people! Trans solidarity. —@kataclysmcntral on Twitter

Art supports climate justice at the Iowa Environmental council’s inaugural Green Gala (Nov. 15)

We had a fantastic time hosting our 1st Green Gala & Art Auction & we look forward to bringing it back next year! Thank you @LittleVillage for joining us last week! —Iowa Environmental Council

MOMBOY

LAUREN HALDEMAN

JANUARY 31, 2023

Rae Wynn-Grant is dedicated to wildlife ecology research, but it wasn’t until life brought her to Kenya at age 20 that she had ever taken a hike, pitched a tent to camp, or seen a wild animal. While there, she studied East African lions—top carnivores that live in close quarters with local communities—and observed that problematic interactions between the two groups threatened conservation efforts. Now, Dr. Wynn-Grant is finding similar patterns for North American black and grizzly bears.

MARCH 21, 2023

Maureen Beck loves to prove people wrong. Born with one hand, she tried rock climbing for the first time after a camp counselor told her she could skip it. Her love of the sport was instantaneous, but there was no guide for climbing with one hand. Unfazed, she decided to figure it out for herself through trial and error—one of her early adaptive climbing innovations even involved taping a metal ladle to her arm. Before long she was leading a crew of passionate adaptive climbers around the world, forging a path for a new generation.

APRIL 30, 2023

In photographer Anand Varma’s hands, a camera is not just a tool to capture what he sees—it’s a way to illuminate the layers of beauty and complexity that are otherwise hidden from our naked eye. He has devoted years of his life to developing innovative techniques—even building some of his own equipment—to create intimate, dramatic, and surprising images of nature. His ultimate goal: to spark a sense of wonder about our world.

Keep On Truckin’

Food truck owners have important choices to make once temperatures dip.

bY mEGAN bANNISTEr

As fallen leaves give way to fallen snow, patios get packed away, plants move indoors and sandals are shelved until next summer. The changing season also means it might be harder to find your favorite local food truck.

It’s no secret that Iowa winters can be brutal. Temperatures dip well below freezing for weeks on end and roads become slick with snow and ice, not to mention the occasional polar vortex or two. So it makes sense that by and large these mobile eateries tend to shut down when things freeze. But much like their delicious offerings, when they call it quits for the year—and how they’ve learned to hang in there—varies from truck to truck.

For local vegan food truck Veggie Thumper, the season typically comes to a close in the early part of December, weather permitting. Owner Lyssa Wade says you might see the popular purveyor of vegan soul snacks at a pop-up or special event during the colder months, but maneuvering the colorful school bus-turned-mobile-kitchen on icy roads isn’t something she likes to do.

Now that Wade has a few winters under her belt, she says that her cold weather process is a well-oiled machine. But it didn’t start that way in 2019.

“When the first winter hit was when it got super real,” Wade told Little Village. “I’d read that the water line shouldn’t freeze because it was blocked from the wind, but that was a lie.”

Even though it had been drained, the bus’s water line froze, blowing off the faucet heads and cracking the case on the water pump. So Wade did what most entrepreneurs do and turned to YouTube to figure out how to repair her water line and keep serving hungry fans.

After learning from what others have done, Wade said she lined everything in heat tape. Then she plugged every crack and hole she could find to ensure that the bus stayed warm enough to keep her equipment from freezing. Still, the experience of spending time on the bus in the colder months isn’t an enjoyable one.

“Even if it’s 40 degrees outside, that means it’s freezing in the bus,” she said “The service

window creates a big vortex to suck in cold air.”

While Wade says the metro may have a few long-haulers who stick out the cold, Veggie Thumper isn’t alone in its decision to close down when the Iowa weather begins to turn. Dave Barry, owner and operator of the burgerand sandwich-focused food truck Top Bun, says that his typical season runs from roughly March through October.

“I learned early on that owning and operating a food truck is way more difficult and time consuming than most people would ever imagine,” Barry said.

For Top Bun, the danger to the truck’s equipment and the safety risk to its staff are enough to keep it parked until the spring thaw.

“We would love to be open year round, but we have experienced issues in the past that make opening in the winter very challenging,” Barry said. “Our plumbing system which is essential for operation needs to be winterized or it can freeze up and cause costly repairs.”

Like Wade, Barry has firsthand experience with water lines freezing, and even had a water heater crack a couple of years ago when the truck opened on a day that was too cold for their equipment to handle.

“That was a learning lesson as well so we try not to push it too much as far as the end of the season goes,” he added.

But business owners in the food industry are used to having to learn as they go, especially after the last few years. Barry shared that the pandemic has also changed how many local food

trucks, including his own, operate.

“Since COVID started, a large portion of what we do has been private events, whether that be graduation parties, corporate events, weddings, block parties and more,” Barry said.

Like the pop-ups and special events Veggie Thumper also participates in, these are often opportunities to bolster the truck’s business and attract new customers. In addition to their loyal fans and frequent visitors, Barry said that Des Moines’ food truck community has another strength: each other.

“I found that the food truck community is very welcoming and there are so many helpful people out there,” he said. “We do not look at other food trucks as competitors, we look at them as friends, and that has made a world of difference for us. I’ve spent countless hours in person or on phone calls with other local food truck owners, new and seasoned vets, giving advice and taking advice.”

Keeping an eye on their websites and social media will be the easiest way to find your favorite truck, especially in the shoulder season. If you want to support your favorite truck, even in the off season, both Wade and Barry recommend buying gift certificates and stocking up so you can enjoy your favorite eats come spring.

Some of Top Bun’s private event customers have already gone one step further and started booking their 2023 events. Not only does booking early ensure that your favorite food truck is available for your desired date, but it also helps the truck fare through the winter months. Talk about a win-win.

Glen Lowry / Little Village

Independent Iowa Awards

Little Village celebrates the places, people and businesses that define our state.

50 Ways to YourExplore State

mONUmENTAL SITES A Tribute to 12 Black Lawyers

Down the street from the golden dome of the Iowa Capitol sits a 30-foot-tall testament to the defiance, brilliance and legacy of 12 Black lawyers who founded the National Bar Association in Des Moines in 1925. They formed the association after some members were denied admittance to the American Bar Association because of their race.

In 2018, artist Kerry James Marshall created the immense black manganese ironspot brick sculpture, inspired by the talking drums of West Africa—and much more.

“The large-scale sculpture embodies the notion of communication among diverse peoples and a legal system that—though not perfect— strives to be balanced,” according to the Des Moines Public Art Foundation.

The Black founders from Iowa include a who’s who in Iowa history: George H. Woodson, S. Joe Brown, Gertrude E. Rush, James B. Morris and Charles P. Howard, Sr. The base of the sculpture bears the names of all of the founders, although their stories and the sculpture itself aren’t as well-known as they ought to be.

The next time you’re in Des Moines, stop by the sculpture at Hansen Triangle Park, Grand and 2nd Avenues, and marvel at the artistry. Learn more about the Black trailblazers and their quest to make Iowa more equitable.

—Dana James

Elwood, the Giant Concrete Gnome

With a stout body, a kind face and a pointy red hat, Elwood is the gnome Reiman Gardens deserves. Standing 15 feet tall (hat included) he’s a good size for the 17-acre gardens on ISU’s campus. He also gives Ames a claim on a world record, as long as that record is carefully defined.

As soon as Elwood was erected in 2010, he became the World’s Tallest Concrete Garden Gnome. “Concrete” is the key word here. Soluś is an 18-foot tall garden gnome in Nowa Sól, Poland, but he’s made of fiberglass. And Guinness World Records bestows the title of World’s Largest Garden Gnome on Harold, a Canadian piece of work that’s one inch shy of 26 feet. Harold, who has an oddly proportioned

best town? boring. best restaurant? Hackneyed. best tourist attraction? Nah.

Little Village staff and contributors would like to draw your attention to these truly Iowa-y sites, stories and experiences. Some are recommendations, others cautionary tales, but all make our godforsaken state just a little more amazing. Introducing, the Independent Iowa Awards.

Kerry James marshall’s monument to 12 black Lawyers in Des moines. By Black Iowa News

body and disturbing face, started life as an attraction at a small amusement park on Vancouver Island and is made largely of scrap metal and, judging by photos, children’s nightmares.

Before Elwood, Gnome Chomsky of Kerhonkson, New York, held the concrete title. After Elwood, the 13.5-foot-tall gnome’s owners rebranded him as “The Original World’s Tallest Concrete Garden Gnome.”

—Paul Brennan

Council Bluff’s Giant Concrete Phallus

Ask any film buff what was the greatest year for Hollywood films and the answer is inevitably 1939. The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and several other notable films were released that year. So was Union Pacific

A fictional tale of square-jawed good vs. dastardly evil as the titular railroad heads from its

eastern terminus in Omaha to Utah, ads for the movie promised “the greatest train wreck ever filmed.” Director Cecil B. DeMille specialized in such spectacles. He also specialized in self-promotion. DeMille combined the two as he staged the film’s world premiere in Omaha in April 1939, just a few days ahead of the 70th anniversary of the golden spike ceremony in Promontory Summit, Utah, that marked the linking of the Union Pacific with the Central Pacific Railroad.

Omaha was an obvious choice for a special premiere. It’s the starting point of the Union Pacific in the movie, even though President Lincoln designated Council Bluffs as its eastern terminus in 1863. So, Council Bluffs staked its claim to movieland glamor with a 56-foot tall concrete replica of the golden spike unveiled in conjunction with the movie premiere across the Missouri River.

The giant concrete spike wasn’t part of DeMille’s premiere plan, but there were photographers at the unveiling, so he attended and made a speech. The Union Pacific Railroad designated the site near its passenger terminal in Council Bluffs “Mile Zero,” as part of the unveiling.

Elwood the Giant Gnome Courtesy of Reiman Gardens

Courtney Guein / Little Village

These days, if Council Bluffians want to catch a train they have to go to the Amtrak station in Omaha. But the golden spike monument, 100 times the size of the original spike and impressively phallic, remains.

—Paul Brennan

Public Art in the Capital City

Iowa has a lovely natural landscape, but its cultural landscape is equally impressive. A glance at public art in Des Moines shows a wealth of photogenic colors, styles and historical influences.

Begin with the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines’ Western Gateway. Masterfully landscaped, this collection represents the most significant donation of artwork ever made to the Des Moines Art Center. Twenty-five works

of art, with room for additional pieces, are featured in an accessible 4.4-acre park. This pedestrian-friendly entry greets eastbound travelers into the downtown area with an awe-inspiring welcome. Top photo ops include Jaume Plensa’s Nomade, Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin Large, and Robert Indiana’s Love.

Connecting New York City and San Diego is one third of Andy Goldsworthy’s Three Cairns behind the Des Moines Art Center in Ashworth Park.

Overlooking downtown Des Moines from the east, just outside the stately Judicial Branch Building, is James Ellwanger’s Shattering Silence, powerfully depicting breaking the silence of inequality, beginning with the landmark 1839 Iowa Territorial Supreme Court ruling that prohibited former enslaved man Ralph Montgomery from being extradited back to Missouri as a runaway slave.

Hundreds of Iowa bridges serve as functional public art, as well. Take High Trestle Trail Bridge, the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge and the bridges of Madison County, to name a few.

—John Busbee

Davenport’s Favorite Shapes

Stone fortresses erected in the aftermath of the War of 1812. Mansions built by Mississippi lumber barons. Queen Anne style buildings with all the asymmetry, pointy roofs, dormers and decorative porches. Bridges with steel arches, stitching together the Iowa and Illinois sides of the Quad Cities.

The region’s distinctive silhouettes inspired Davenport’s odd little Architectural Sculpture Park in Lower Lindsay Park, located near the trailhead of the gorgeous Riverfront Recreation Trail. The concrete, wood and limestone shapes debuted in 1999.

“Nearly 50 area historic preservationists, businesspeople, recreation enthusiasts, and river activists came together over a two-year period to develop the community-built project,” according to the River Cities’ Reader.

Lower Lindsay got another collection of intriguing objects this fall: Sunday in the Park, a public art piece that brings to life the 1860s Georges Seurat masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte in 12 striking fiberglass figures.

“The sculptures were made by Thom Gleich of Davenport, with the help of Davenport Central and Augustana students who painted them with [Ted] McElhiney and Ben Sunday, using techniques that were similar to Seurat’s pointillism,” the Quad Cities Times reports.

After a restoration by retired art teacher Jean Downey, the figures floated down the river—or perhaps they scootered down the Mississippi River Trail—from Credit Island this November, where they were originally placed in 2000 due to the island’s similarity to Paris’s La Grande Jatte. While Sunday in the Park is more accessible at Lindsay Park, it’s a loss for Credit Island, a historic and somewhat spooky recreation area hiding a rad red pedestrian bridge.

—Emma McClatchey

Yayoi Kusuma’s Pumpkin Large in the Pappajohn Sculture Park in Des moines.

Emma McClatchey / Little Village

Dogtown Mural Black Renaissance

Murals by Black artists and murals depicting Black people have popped up all over Des Moines in recent years. The vibrant murals with bold themes add some flavor and raise the visibility of people who sometimes operate in the margins of their own city. With a million things competing for a motorists’ attention, in flashes, the murals command attention away from the mundanity of driving to larger-than-life depictions of Black home ownership, Black achievement and Black joy.

East of Drake University in Dogtown, Black Renaissance, a mural by artist Jill Wells, a Drake alumna, is a visually stunning representation of BIPOC culture, featuring a songstress with long black braids at the center. The mural is located south of 24th Street and University Avenue at the music venue xBk Live. Wells said, “The Lotus flowers and foliage symbolize resilience, the black butterflies symbolize transition and renewal and the mural’s moody ombre color palette of blue, black, purple and pink represent royalty and dignity.” The mural’s design captures the spirit of music, Black entrepreneurship and community success, she said.

Hairstyles have served as an important part of Black culture for hundreds of years. Today, absent laws like the CROWN Act, which seeks to end race-based hair discrimination at school and at work, Black people can be penalized for hairstyles that represent their culture, like braids, locs, twists and Bantu knots. Think Black hair hate isn’t real? Even former first lady Michelle Obama wanted to wear her hair in braids, but straightened it instead because she felt it would be too much for the American people. Let that sink in.

Black Renaissance is towering and resplendent. Black, Indigenious and people of color will see themselves reflected in the mural’s magnificence and braids and feel a connection to this time and place. Representation is everything. Even the mural’s name projects a rebirth—and maybe a bold new world where Black hair is celebrated and hair discrimination is a disgraceful footnote in the past.

—Dana James

God and Hollywood on Mays Island

Visitors to Mays Island in Cedar Rapids may wonder why there’s a Ten Commandments monument in Plaza Park. Religious zeal? Not really.

Some connection between Mount Trashmore and Mount Sinai (where Moses received the commandments, according to Exodus)? Nope. It’s more a tribute to the promotional skills of Cecil B. DeMille, a major producer and director in Hollywood’s Golden Age.

In 1956, DeMille had been a successful producer/director for over 40 years, but he’d never won an Oscar and he was bitter about it. His new film, The Ten Commandments, was a Technicolor remake of his 1923 film of the same name. Stuffed with stars, trading on the prestige of an all-American version of the Bible enjoyed in the Eisenhower era, it was designed to be Oscar bait. DeMille even came up with a unique way to promote the film.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles had been

distributing paper scrolls featuring the Ten Commandments to schools and courthouses around the country since 1953, in hopes of improving the morals of Americans. DeMille saw a chance for a big publicity boost. He tried to talk the Eagles into upgrading their commandments from paper scrolls to bronze monuments in major cities to be unveiled in conjunction with his film opening in those cities. The Eagles opted for granite instead, and agreed to pay for creation and placement of the 1,600-pound monuments. DeMille agreed to provide stars from his movies for the monument unveilings.

Cedar Rapids got its monument in April 1957,

The artist Jill Wells in front of Black Renaissance. By Black Iowa News

but by then DeMille had lost interest in the monuments. A few weeks earlier, the even more starstuffed Around the World in 80 Days had won the Oscar for Best Picture, and DeMille wasn’t even nominated for Best Director. There were no Hollywood celebrities present when the granite monument was erected in Cedar Rapids.

The Eagles kept the monument program going until 2006, and according to a site dedicated to tracking the granite blocks, they eventually placed 196 monuments around the country, including four in Iowa. After Cedar Rapids, monuments were placed in Iowa City and Burlington. The whereabouts of the fourth monument is uncertain, according to the site. It was originally in Des Moines, but was last seen in the Story County town of Maxwell. The site asks anyone who knows its current location to get in touch.

—Paul Brennan

The Majestic Mount Trashmore

It’s difficult for me to choose a favorite thing about Iowa, because I’m about to leave it, and that sort of thing has a tendency to make you all misty-eyed about things you might have once considered unremarkable. However, one thing I know for a fact I’ll miss like a limb is the view

from my office’s break room window. Every afternoon, when I grow weary of the indignities of customer service, I make myself a cup of coffee and sit in one of the plasticky industrial armchairs and look out at Mount Trashmore, a former Cedar Rapids landfill turned state-of-theart, mixed-elevation recreation area. It is a grand, sun-dappled peak, on which children gleefully sled in the winter and young couples picnic in the summer. Its beauty makes my heart skip a beat. It is also, like, 90 percent actual garbage. How’s that for a metaphor?

Audrey Brock

a ton of good vibes in the Library. You can go there to repair your ride, sign up to volunteer, buy some cool used gear, or maybe even just have a beer and sit on a work table to chat if you’re not in the mood to get dirty. It’s a load of fun and increasingly one of the most important resources this community has to offer. 10/10 would recommend! Fix yo’ bike!

—Jordan Sellergren

So Many Taps, It’s Nuts

The appeal of The Cellar Peanut Pub in Pella and Newton is simple: lots of beer and lots of nuts. They serve more than 50 craft beers on tap at any given time from all around Iowa, and an unlimited source of peanuts. Owned by beer fan Marty Duffy V since 2002 and staffed by knowledgeable “pubtenders” ready to preach the craft beer gospel, this is one of those friendly neighborhood spots great for a quick drink, all-day hangout, and everything in between.

—Kim Bates

History, Jazz and a Rad Jukebox

EXcELLENT SERVIcE

Iowa’s Coolest Bicycle Co-op

It can be a little bit intimidating to start fixing your bike, but there’s a place you can go to learn how to do it in the company of a bunch of dummies who are learning bicycle competency just like yourself. The Iowa City Bike Library, founded in 2004, has settled into its relatively new Highland Court location and truly come into its own. There are five available work stations, a ton of resale bike gear, an endless pool of tools and supplies, dozens of refurbished bikes for sale in the $100-500 range (and more in the back waiting to be fixed), as well as community outreach programs, Women/Trans/Femme nights, group rides, multilingual access and outreach, and just

The Greenwood Lounge is a Des Moines institution. Need proof? The Greenwood opened the year that Prohibition ended: 1933. It has all the features and mystic dive bars aspire to. Constance Depler-style booze hounds hold court on the walls above the “stage,” watching over the goings-on. The “stage” is really just the place on the floor where the tables have been pulled to the side. The felt on the pool table has its very own topography, giving a great advantage to the many who have spent decades playing on it. Their jukebox selection is unrivaled, except maybe, just maybe, by The Alpine Tap down the street. But the plug is pulled on it around 8 p.m. nearly every night of the week because that is when the music starts.

There’s jazz jams and cover bands every week, as well as countless up-and-coming local acts and regular sets from Iowa music legends like Dave Zollo, Bob Pace, and The Soul Searchers. There is usually no cover, but tips are encouraged, collected in a plastic beer pitcher by the front of the speakers. Be sure and tip Bill too, and thank him. He’ll be behind the bar, saying very little and probably wiping a glass. But know that he’s been the one holding the whole Greenwood scene together for many years behind now, and hopefully many more to come.

—Avery Gregurich

Iowa’s magnificent metaphor, mt. Trashmore. Shelly Melton / Little Village

Ames’ Homiest Book Store

Tucked into Main Street in downtown Ames, between a supply store and a kitchen store, sits a cozy book shop with a selection of previously loved and newly released books, curated to serve readers of many languages, ages and interests. Dog-Eared Books hosts eight separate book clubs (from Thrills & Chills to the Good Trouble Book Club for Middle School Students), two lit-centric podcasts, the “Off the Leash” blog, an ISU Emerging Writers’ Series, trivia and other events that reflect their philsophy, which is in part: “We believe reading and storytelling make us better humans, connecting us and allowing us to better care for one another.” From personal experience, I can say that they’ve upheld this mission statement. Not only do they have sections based on pop culture (including BookTok) and classics, they’re ready to uplift local authors. Book submissions, author signings and book launches are all part of their business. I can’t think of a cuter place to gather books for the winter.

—Kim Bates

Cedar Rapids Wins at Pizza

Across this Iowan landscape there stands a little known hill. A hill that I would die upon. A hill called Cedar Rapids is the Best Pizza Town in the State.

“Balderdash; _____ has the best pizza!” you may have just exclaimed. But allow me to present three exemplary Cedar Rapidian pizzerias:

Starting with Zoey’s… OK, yes, Zoey’s is in Marion, but “Marion” is still basically Cedar Rapids (please send your complaints to editor@littlevillagemag.com). Let’s just move on: Zoey’s first opened its doors in 1991 and across these decades has been making some of the finest Chicago-style pizza outside of the Windy City and furthermore, having eaten at many of Chicago’s best, I would dare assert Zoey’s can go toe-to-toe with any of them. Sure, they also do a thin crust and it’s great, but CR has a lot of that. I go to Zoey’s because the next best thing is a 4+-hour drive.

Next up is Tomaso’s (on Center Point Road near the co-op). Like Zoey’s, Tomaso’s also does an exceptional Chicago deep dish and a New York thin crust, but you go to Tomaso’s for their Detroit. Before I get into that—we need to talk Tomaso’ses. There are several in the area (plus a semi-related spot called Rosco’s) and they’re all good, but I am specifically talking about the original location, which is independent from the rest. Got it? Good. As I was saying, the Detroitstyle pizza is a thing of beauty. Imagine, if you will, a deep-dish pizza whose cheese is taken all the way out to the far edges where it perfectly caramelizes. If I had to pick an all-time favorite pizza, or just favorite food, this is it. Tomaso’s: subjectively and objectively great.

Let us finish with Need Pizza. If the deep-dish stylings of Chicago and Detroit aren’t to your liking (because, I don’t know, maybe you lack taste. Please send your complaints to editor@littlevillagemag.com), then this one’s for you. Need makes New Haven-style pizza, which is like a cousin to the classic New York ’za but lighter on cheese and with a thinner, chewy/charred crust that’s a bit bagel’ish.

At Need, you order your pizza either red, white or plain. Red is with the usual tomato sauce with mozzarella. White is sauceless with olive oil (not a white sauce), garlic and mozzarella. Plain has the red sauce but lacks the mozzarella and is instead sprinkled with parmesan. You’ll figure it out and it will be delicious however you choose to build it. Incredible pizza aside, Need also puts as much attention towards their beer selection as they do their food, which is a thing that many places (pizza joints especially) could learn from.

A special shout-out to the new Czech Village spot Hospoda, with great Neapolitan-style pizza and on-point draft selection where one can enjoy a proper Pilsner. Cowabunga!

—Joseph Servey

Drink a Manhattan in Cedar Falls

If spending a night in the Cedar Valley, make a trip to Montage on the beautiful Cedar Falls Main Street. Whether it is a date night or a friend’s night, Montage provides a laid-back experience at one of the best restaurants in Iowa. Start the night with one of their specialty drinks such as an Old Fashioned, margarita, martini or an Iowa Manhattan.

Once seated under the mood lighting, order a

Tomaso’s Detroit-style pizza is a thing of beauty.

Joseph Servey / Little Village

The beloved jukebox at the Greenwood Lounge in Des moines. Courtney Guein / Little Village

mouthwatering meal such as a flatbread or pasta dish. My recommendation is the Thai chicken pasta. Cooked with chicken, green and red peppers, green onions and carrots tossed in a rich peanut sauce on Campanelle pasta, all the ingredients blend to make a perfectly made meal.

—Sean Dengler

Read, Tan, Maury

The front door of Book Trader Tan America in downtown Newton holds an ancient poster of a bikini-clad model advertising some by now equally ancient tanning lotion. Once inside, a stark divide forms. To the left, there is one of the better selections of well-organized used books in the entire state, including everything from romance pulp to the classics. And to the right, there is a salon made up of six tanning beds.

As the name suggests, Book Trader Tan America operates both as a bookstore and a tanning salon. This isn’t some designed gimmick either: As this is their 23rd year of business, they seem to have something figured out. Along with their impressive and constantly changing inventory of books, they also have a large selection of horror DVDs, mid-’90s CDs, and board games. Also, a TV is always tuned into that legendary Wheel of Fortune/Maury lineup throughout the afternoon and plays at a decent volume to accompany your book browsing or tanning experience. They have various sales and specials throughout the week, both on books and tanning session

packages, so keep a look out for whatever it is you are after. Book Trader Tan America doesn’t judge and aims to please. Get off the interstate and check it out. You will never see anything like it again. I promise. —Avery Gregurich

The Tastiest Southeast Asian Dining on Ingersoll

Whenever I’m spending a few days home in Des Moines, I make a point to hit Lucky Lotus, a cozy Southeast Asian eatery on Ingersoll Street. The restaurant’s aesthetic is too good. As you walk in, you’re greeted by bright neon lights, lanterns hanging on the ceiling and an abundance of plants. There’s also a giant vintage-y Des Moines Asian Foods sign in the back of the space along with old framed family photographs of the Chens, the family behind LL. Brothers Kevin and Souriyno opened LL in 2019 and are the children of the couple who once owned Café Fuzion, a former restaurant on the East Side.

Let me assure you that anything that you order off of LL’s seasonally rotating menu will be excellent. I like to order their Thai rolls as an appetizer, which are colorful and almost too beautiful to eat, stuffed with veggies and vermicelli noodles, and served with peanut sauce. I’ll be honest, I usually keep it real simple and order the pad thai with tofu (the greatest pad thai in Iowa, IMHO) with a little spice. Next time I visit, I’d like to try the Tom Kha, a hearty coconut milk

soup with lemongrass and veggies, the Green Curry, or maybe the Sweet Potato Panang. All sound like perfect options to grab on a cold winter night in good ol’ DSM.

—Sid Peterson

A Wrestling-Themed Restaurant with a Fandom

Professional wrestling is always playing on the TVs inside of The Flying Elbow, a gourmet hamburger and hot dog restaurant located in downtown Marshalltown. This place leans hard into their wrestling lore, from the myriad of plastic action figures sprinkled around the dining room to the names of the dishes on the menu. There’s their version of a roided-out Big Mac, the George the Animal. And there’s the 24-inch Python Burger, complete with grilled red and yellow peppers, nacho cheese and Cheeto dust.

Owner Garrett Goodman started The Flying Elbow as a food truck in 2017, and within a year had been able to move into a brick-and-mortar building. In the years since, Goodman has grappled with everything that’s been thrown at him. First, the tornado that tore through Marshalltown in July of 2018 also destroyed their building and shuttered their business. Then, as he was working on securing a new location, the pandemic began. They finally reopened in their new location in September of last year. This May, they were voted the #1 Burger in Iowa for 2022 by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. And they weren’t even on the list of restaurants to choose from: their many fans, or “Elbowmaniacs” wrote them in. Who doesn’t love an underdog story?

Avery Gregurich

Best Annual Outdoor Festival Dedicated to Food

The DSM World Food & Music Festival has been around since 2005 and has only grown! It first started in the Historic East Village, moved over onto the downtown bridges, and now exists at Western Gateway Park. This past September, over 50 food vendors, representing 27 countries lined the streets of Locust and Grand between 10th and 13th streets. Each year, the festival also kicks off the event with a Naturalization Ceremony, brings a diverse lineup of music and

cozy and delicious Lucky Lotus. Sid Peterson / Little Village

performances to the main stage, and organizes cooking demonstrations and workshops. Pro tip: bring cash, specifically dollars with you to the festival. Each food vendor offers dollar-taste items that lets festival-goers try many different cultures’ cuisine.

—Sid Peterson

For Dorr, rock history is a social studies lesson. He points to the significance of Elvis, rather than Chuck Berry, carrying the mantle of “King of Rock and Roll” (“... in 1956, in 1957, America was not going to name a Black guy king of anything”) and the intertwining of music and the anti-war movement of the 1960s.

the end, you only get your time. And the older you get the more you understand that there’s a finite amount of time.”

Iowans, make sure you use three hours of your finite amount of time to catch Dorr’s last Backtracks show.

—Genevieve Trainor

Corny State, Clever Jokes

Iowa comedy is thriving. Don’t take my word for it—check out Teehee’s Comedy Club, tucked away near the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines.

This independently owned club brings in both up-and-comers and the best Iowa and Midwest comedians around, every weekend. Teehee’s also has improv shows, Karaoke Night, Bad B*tch Bingo night and so much more. Come for the comedy, stay for the entertainment. And if you love craft beer over national brands, good news: Teehee’s “support local” ethos extends to their beer menu.

The City of Five Seasons could not let Des Moines facilitate an Iowa comedy renaissance alone. After Penguin’s Comedy Club closed,

ENTERTAINING

FOLKS

The End of an Era in Iowa Radio

“Thirty-seven years and four months, but who’s counting?”

That’s how long Iowa blues icon Bob Dorr has been hosting his rock and roll history show, Backtracks—a mainstay of Iowa Public Radio’s top-notch music programming. But on New Year’s Eve 2022, that all comes to an end. Dorr isn’t retiring, thankfully: The voice that brought Iowa its very first rock and roll public radio show (even further back, in 1972) will continue bringing us the Beatles Medley and Blue Avenue. But he is stepping away from his three-hour weekly deep dive into the obscure and delightful details of rock music’s past.

“I have a very, very unique perspective in that I have lived through every rock and roll era,” Dorr said of hosting the show. “If you say that rock and roll started in 1954 or five, well—I was only 2 or 3, so I didn’t really have any real perception of that. But I have lived through every year.”

“Every era has its own social implications. So it goes deeper than the notes, you know: where the music comes from, the writers. It has a real impact on our own socialization and our own realization of how we should act, I think. Maybe that’s glorifying rock and roll beyond what it really is. But oh, my goodness, it has been a major part of my life forever.”

For more than 50 years, Dorr—who turns 71 in January and started in radio at age 19—has done the impossible of sustaining himself with work in the music industry. And between his radio work, his record label (Hot Fudge Music), the bands he’s played with and led (including Iowa Blues Hall of Fame and Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree The Blue Band) and various other entreprises, he’s had a hand in just about every aspect of the business.

To anyone else trying to do the same, he advises: “Get some really good caffeinated coffee. And understand that it really is all about the hustle, no matter what.” The hardest part, he says, is accepting that it’s going to be really hard. That the work won’t stop. And obviously he believes it’s worth it.

However, “In the end,” he said, “you really only have your time. … What you do with your time is the whole thing. You can make music, you can make love, you can make money but in

The 2022 DSm World Food & music Festival

Sid Peterson / Little Village

bob Dorr in the IPr studio just before backtracks, Dec. 3. Tony Dehner

Cedar Rapids comedy needed a new home, and found it at The Lucky Cat. With shows on the weekend and a Tuesday open mic, The Lucky Cat also has trivia nights, improv shows and other events to keep those in the I-380 corridor busy.

No one need travel out of state to see great comedy. The Hawkeye State’s got you.

—Sean Dengler

Eastern Iowa’s Best Small-Town Day Trip

One of the most charming small towns in Eastern Iowa, Mt. Vernon, is only a 30-minute car ride up from Iowa City, and just outside Cedar Rapids. If you like antique shopping and really good pizza, maybe you ought to escape to MV for a day.

Start by heading to First Street Community Center, a former middle school/high school east of Main Street. There are a couple of great upscale thrift shops tucked on the second floor of the building, like the Green Door and Room 222 Antiques. If you have time to poke around, also check out the Robert Schueler Art Library, a space filled with antique art books and prints (also on the second floor). Lincoln Wine Bar, also on First/Main Street, is another spot to hit. They have a large selection of tasty woodfired pizzas and wine, plus live local music from time to time.

—Sid Peterson

A Moondog Daydream in Dubuque

Out in the strip mall world that comprises the outskirts of Dubuque, Moondog Music sticks out like a Bernie sticker on a farm truck. Wandering along the crowded aisles and dodging the hanging tapestries, music heads will find a huge selection of new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes and DVDs. Truly, their new LP and CD selection is among the best in the Midwest, and they are a registered vendor for all Record Store Day releases.

Moondog also operates an impressive head shop, sells a whole line of disc golf equipment, and peddles a small selection of rare books, including some works by the Beats, Bukowski and a few collections of underground comics. They will also guide shoppers if they are in the market for high-end turntables and receivers. Don’t sleep on their exquisite selection of bumper stickers, either. They have the usual fare, sure,

but also stock some real philosophical deep cuts to stump fellow motorists. It’s either a reason for rejoicing or an indictment of our times that Moondog Music is book-ended by a Coldstone Creamery and an Advance Auto Parts store. For the last few decades, they have been holding out and holding strong in good ol’ Dubuque, and we should all be glad for that.

—Avery Gregurich

Coolest Annual Conference for Musicians

Each year, the Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC) hosts a conference specifically for the Iowa music community. The event’s geared toward musicians and all interested in the music industry. Participants can attend workshops, listen to local and national speakers and network. This year’s workshops included one about copyright and royalties, another about building a career as an independent artist, and another focused on Iowa music venues with a promoter roundtable. Music University is always free and takes place at Drake University. Make sure to follow DMMC on Instagram for details on next year’s conference.

—Sid Peterson

Baby Goat Therapy

Personally, I believe goats are the cutest animals. They’re one of my favorites due to their mischievous nature, their sass and energy.

Movers and Shakers (But Mostly Shakers)

Have you ever sat at a restaurant table and thought, “These salt and pepper shakers are too bland”? Well, you will after a visit to the Traer Salt and Pepper Shaker Gallery. Check out over 16,000 salt and pepper shaker sets in all sizes and shapes, ranging from chickens and owls to cucumbers, onions or grapes.

Longtime Traer resident Ruth Rasmussen had been keeping her extensive shaker collection in a pair of sheds before the city purchased it in 2008, fundraising to build a permanent home where they could be preserved and enjoyed by the public.

Shaker enthusiast or not, this gallery is one of those niche Iowa gems worth pulling over for. This small building tucked on the outskirts of downtown Traer may look like a quick visit, but you’ll want to stick around for a while.

—Sean Dengler

The Pygmy Patch in Van Meter, Iowa is a most wholesome goat-centric experience. It was formed in 2019 by two farm owners and a yoga instructor to provide an interactive experience for themselves and guests. At the Pygmy Patch guests are welcome to sign up for yoga classes where baby goats roam around and hop on you. You’ll also have time at the end of the class to cuddle and play with the goats. They offer classes open for the public or private classes for birthday parties or special events.

—Kim Bates

GRAND HISTORY

Best Place to Find a Crinoid

What did you think the Crinoid Capitol of the World stored in those big, beautiful bluffs? 500 million years ago, Burlington, Iowa sprawled beneath a warm bath of salt water filled with various evolving creatures, including a concentration of crinoids––sweetly nicknamed sea lilies––a simple Mississipian marine animal for which the town is now celebrated. And do not fret, you don’t have to excavate a 200-foot hill overlooking the river to find one; just take a walk and you’ll spot little stone tubes and discs within the limestone architectural details all around town.

—Jordan Sellergren

Courtesy of the Traer Salt and Pepper Shaker Gallery

Black Iowa History You Weren’t Taught in School

Growing up Black in Iowa, I’ve often wondered how Blacks ended up living in towns like Newton, Keokuk and other Iowa cities. How and when did they get there? Why did they stay? What were the contributions they made—not taught in Iowa classrooms?

The Iowa History 101 Series does a tremendous job answering those questions and uncovering hidden Iowa history in an engaging way. The 60-minute webinars over Zoom debut on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month and approach Iowa history with a cultural lens.

Black Civil War veterans shaped Iowa cities and fought for equality in communities across the state, like in Newton and Keokuk.

Black and white Iowans in the early 1900s celebrated Juneteenth.

Redlining played a role in how the city of Des Moines (and Iowa) was shaped and why its neighborhoods look the way they do.

The nation’s first Black troops trained to be officers during WWI at the 17th Provisional Training Regiment and Medical Officer Training Camp in 1917 at Fort Des Moines on the city’s south side.

Want a more complete understanding of Iowa’s people and places? Sign up for the webinar series. With nearly 70 webinars available on a variety of topics, some hidden gem of Iowa history awaits. Maybe you’ll see your own family history reflected in ways you haven’t thought about before, and learn something new about the state you call home.

—Dana James

Best Copy of a Real Fake Giant

George Hull lied when he arrived in Fort Dodge in July 1868. He said the giant block of stone he had quarried out of the acre lot he’d bought by Gypsum Creek was for a statue of Abraham Lincoln. It wasn’t.

Hull, a cigar maker from upstate New York, was on a mission to prove it was foolish to believe in the literal truth of the Bible, especially passages like Genesis 6:4, “There were giants in the earth in those days…” He’d come to Fort Dodge because the area’s gypsum was known for its blue streaks, which might resemble veins to those willing to believe if the gypsum was carved to look like a body. The five-ton block was shipped to Chicago, where two stone cutters were waiting. The finished product was transported in secret to the farm near Cardiff, New York, owned by a relative of Hull, and buried.

On Oct. 16, 1869, two unsuspecting workers were sent to dig a well where the carved stone

was buried. Newspapers, eager to make a buck, made the discovery of the “petrified remains” of a 10-foot-tall giant into a national sensation. Ministers, eager to believe, declared it proof the Bible was right about giants. Scientists said it was a fake. P.T. Barnum knew a fake when he saw it, but was eager to muke a buck off people eager to believe. After his offer to buy the Cardiff Giant was rejected, Barnum made his own.

Others did too, and soon there were a dozen giants touring the country. By then, everyone knew the Cardiff Giant was a fake. Eventually, people stopped paying to see the fake fossils, and the original giant is now in the Farmer’s Museum of Cooperstown, New York. Barnum’s is in Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Michigan.

A century after news of the Cardiff Giant transfixed the nation, the Fort Dodge Museum and Frontier Village decided it had a 10-foot hole in its collection. That hole was filled in 1980, when Iowa sculptor Cliff Carlson carved a block of local gypsum into an authentic copy of the fake giant. The copy is still on display, commemorating Fort Dodge’s contribution to one of the great hoaxes of the 19th century.

—Paul Brennan

George R.R. Martin’s Three Years in Dubuque

The man whose mind sprang forth the heart and soul of Tyrion Lannister once taught print journalism, freshman composition and science fiction

The cardiff Giant at the Farmers’ museum in cooperstown. Martin Lewison / Creative Commons

lit at Clark University, at the time an all-women’s Catholic college in Dubuque.

In the 1970s, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin owned an 1880s brick Italianate in the area between the bluff and the river north of downtown. Martin has said his favorite historic Dubuque landmark was the Fenelon Place Elevator, a funicular railway that he depicted in his werewolf novella The Skin Trade—published in the 1989 horror fiction collection Dark Visions, also featuring Stephen King and Dan Simmons— set in a fictional town inspired by Martin’s time in Dubuque and Chicago. —Jordan Sellergren

There’s Always An Iowa Connection

The State Historical Society of Iowa is a top destination and most assuredly is not your grandfather’s museum. It has transformed the old concept of “things in glass cases” to interactive, engaging exhibits, offering an enticing variety of themes sure to captivate. Besides, it’s a rite of passage for every young person to hear the trumpeting call of the wooly mammoth just inside the south entrance.

What has become one of the most popular exhibits is “Hollywood in the Heartland.” This special exhibit is filled with titillating memorabilia capturing the stories of Iowa celebrities and business leaders who contributed to history and lore. Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman is featured, as is Brandon Routh (a.k.a. Superman). Norman Lear wrote and directed Cold Turkey, which was filmed in Greenfield. Other memorable films have special behind-the-scene stories, including Field of Dreams and Bridges of Madison County. Visitors can discover AfricanAmerican filmmaker Oscar Micheaux’s Iowa connection, and how Iowa screenwriters influenced many of the feature films that dot many

“top” lists.

Historical exploration happens at other venues, too, such as Hoyt Sherman Place. The home of a Des Moines founding father has been transformed, housing the first art gallery west of the Mississippi. Visits are encouraged, admission is free—even to see the multi-million-dollar masterpiece painting in their collection.

—John Busbee

Iowa’s Only Impeached Civil War Hero

Iowa was a bulwark of the Union in the Civil War, with more of its citizens joining the U.S. Army than any other state per capita. Over 13,000 Iowans gave their lives to defeat the Confederacy. Many veterans went on to politics or government service, but none achieved the dubious fame of William W. Belknap.

Born in New York, Belknap moved to Iowa in 1851 after graduating from law school and set up practice in Keokuk. He became involved in politics and served one term in the Iowa House (1858-60). When the war came in 1861, he was appointed as captain of the local militia, the Keokuk Rifles.

In 1862, he joined the Army as a major in the newly organized 15th Iowa Infantry. Belknap compiled a distinguished war record from Shiloh and Corinth through Sherman’s March to the Sea. In 1869, President Grant appointed him Secretary of War. Belknap was an able administrator, but not an honest one. Within a year, he was accepting bribes.

By 1876, the corruption was too obvious to ignore. (Belknap issued signed receipts for some of the bribes.) The U.S. House began an impeachment inquiry. Belknap immediately resigned,

The House unanimously voted to impeach him anyway. The Senate didn’t convict, but 23 of the 25 senators who voted to acquit publicly stated they were sure he’d taken the bribes.

After months living in Philadelphia, Belknap briefly returned to Keokuk. He soon moved back to D.C., where he resumed his legal practice. Belknap died in 1890, and was buried in Arlington Cemetery. Despite his disgrace as secretary of war, Belknap was still admired by many of the men who served under him in the war. They collected money to raise a monument to him, and a year later a six-foottall granite headstone with a bronze relief bust of Belknap in his dress uniform was placed at his grave.

—Paul Brennan

The Notorious William W. Belknap, Library of Congress

The Highest-Flyin’ Iowan,

George Nissen

Ever mangled a childhood ankle by slipping through the springs of a trampoline on a bad bounce? Well, send your letters to George Nissen of Cedar Rapids, because he’s the one who invented ‘em.

An avid and accomplished gymnast, Nissen was inspired by circus performers, who would do tricks on a trapeze and land safely on a net below. He created the Nissen Trampoline Co., with a factory on Ellis Blvd in 1946, and would go on to become the finest name in hurling children and adults (even Air Force trainees, which I picture as the most whimsical iteration of Full Metal Jacket) for many years. In 1977, Nissen hauled a trampoline to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza and bounced on it as part of a promotion to the Egyptian Gymnastics Federation.

Trampolining would become a worldwide phenomenon, and even an Olympic sport in

2000. Nissen was given the honor of testing out the Olympic trampoline at age 86, the culmina tion of a life dedicated to the bounce.

—Malcolm MacDougall

Best Turn-of-theCentury Scapegoat

If you haven’t heard of the Van Meter Visitor un til this very moment, it’s possible that’s because the Van Meter Visitor burned itself from your memory with its ungodly stench. This luciferian winged creature was allegedly spotted in 1903 by multiple witnesses (all reputable townsmen!!) in sleepy Van Meter, just southwest of Des Moines along the Raccoon River.

Looking like an alien pterodactyl in a sketch by cryptid researcher Kevin Lee Nelson, the Visitor was said to have robbed, stolen, terrorized, shot lasers from its fore-horn and released stenches that would erase human minds of all thoughts, and soared above town before descending back into its home—an abandoned mine at the edge of Van Meter—where it was eventually sealed for eternity by the town mob.

—Jordan Sellergren

toward Ely. Then keep going till you hit Solon or Cedar Rapids, depending on where you started. Get yourself a drink and then head back in the other direction for home for the second half of a 30-total-mile ride. It’s a 99-percent paved, mostly flat joyride of rural Iowa beauty capped by places to eat and drink. Up the ante and climb Mt. Trashmore, then take the mountain bike trail back down.

—Jordan Sellergren

Ride the Rails in Boone

GREAT OUTDOORS

Spend a Day on the Trail

It might be getting too chilly to bike for some, but once the weather warms I invite you all to share the joy I had in October 2022 on a warm, windy, sunny Saturday when there was nothing else pressing to do but ride my bicycle between Solon and Cedar Rapids.

Jump on the Cedar River Trail in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village or on the six-mile stretch

If you’ve ever wanted the views that come with hiking while skipping the “hiking” part, then rail biking in Boone, Iowa is the activity for you. You’ll still get a workout, but steel wheels on steel tracks make for an easier time.

The 12.5-mile trail takes you from open farmland to the Des Moines River on a rail explorer, which is a pedal-powered vehicle that rides on railroad tracks (don’t worry—no trains ride these rails). Riders have the choice between a two seat or four seat for their ride. This allows couples, groups of friends and families to enjoy the tour together. They operate rain or shine and allow people of all ages to join. There’s something

special about breathing in fresh air, getting the wind through your hair and laughing with friends. —Kim Bates

Iowa’s Most Mountainous Town

Sitting alongside downtown Lansing, Iowa in Allamakee County lies Mount Hosmer, a bluff just over a thousand feet that rises over the Mississippi River. Located in the Driftless region of Northeast Iowa—an area spared from the many glaciers that would eventually flatten the state and turn it into a hotspot for agriculture— Lansing and its surrounding area looks and feels like a different state altogether, far removed from the flat expanses typically associated with Iowa. Deep valleys wind through rock and tree-covered hills, and those lucky enough to drive through the area are taken on a tour of some of the most diverse and beautiful geography the state has to offer (cell phone service not guaranteed).

For those who take the trip to Lansing, the view from Mount Hosmer stands above all, offering an incredible view of the Mississippi and the nearby Black Hawk Bridge, which spans over 1,600 feet across the river and on into Wisconsin. A winding paved road offers both cars and pedestrians access to Mount Hosmer’s summit, with memorial plaques, overlooks and various park amenities along the way. After taking in the view, visitors can look to Shep’s Riverside Bar and Grill for food and drinks while overlooking the Mississippi (albeit at a lower elevation), or head to the Driftless Area Education and Visitors center down the road for an interactive look of the history of the driftless region, including countless artifacts used by the area’s indigenous population long before the arrival of Europeans.

—Drew Bulman

Emma McClatchey, from Kevin Lee Nelson’s sketch

The Magic of a Suspended Canvas Parabola

I’m suspended between a sappy evergreen and a light pole, several feet above the grass, gently swaying with the wind in College Green Park. I have a book, water bottle and snacks—kettle-cooked chips, some variety of carbonated fruit juice, or whatever else I can find at the coop. Is there anything better than hammocking?

College Green is the closest green space to my apartment, but it isn’t my favorite hammocking spot in Iowa City. The trek there takes me past the Old Capitol, through Hubbard Park, around the Iowa Memorial Union Amphitheater and across the green pedestrian bridge. Off to the left are two trees near the railroad crossings. I string up my hammock there, overlooking the Iowa River. As the sun sets, the water becomes a mirror, reflecting lights from the Memorial Union and Advanced Tech Lab. Once a family of deer strolled past, and I watched them munch on the tall, banked grass.

—Adria Carpenter

Tubing in the Driftless

If you need a good warm weather activity, head to the Driftless Area and tube down the Upper Iowa River. The beautiful landscape of northeast Iowa provides a breathtaking view as you float down the river. This part of the state looks like nowhere else in Iowa, and is perfect to look at during the slow pace of a float, especially with a few drinks along the way. The rugged, tree-covered bluffs with valleys in between make for a remarkable sight. Unlike the rest of the state, which is organized into cities or square miles of farmland, Mother Nature divided up the Driftless Area. Homes dot the landscape where she left a bit of hospitable land, and she pushes floaters down the river at her will to witness the beauty of what she made. This area is the most breathtaking part of the Hawkeye State.

—Sean Dengler

Tame Hike, Killer Views

I’ve had out-of-state friends tell me there are no good hiking trails in Iowa. Well, Squire Point in North Liberty proves them all wrong. Don’t let the hidden opening and steep hill leading down

to the entrance deter you. If anything, let it encourage you. This beautiful trail wraps around the Coralville reservoir and it’s perfect for hiking with your family, friends, dog, etc. Along the path there is workout equipment to play on or include in your hike if you’re there to get a work out in. Regardless of the season, the path offers great views. In the summer, the wind from the lake cools you; in the fall, you’re surrounded by warm golds, oranges and reds. In winter, the snow clinging to the trees and ground below your feet feels like a wonderland, and the plants flourishing in the spring remind you of new beginnings. I highly recommend.

—Kim Bates

Best Small Town Ruled Over by a Giant Fruit

My first-ever no-parents road trip in high school took my friends and I through Strawberry Point, and it’s held a special place in my imagination ever since. The 15-foot-tall fiberglass strawberry atop a pole outside of the city hall/police station is an obvious attraction—a 1960s town marketing ploy that has certainly paid off in the Instagram age—but the community over which it looms is pleasant as well.

One can wake up, grab coffee, do a little shopping, eat all three meals and go to bed again all within the walls of the quaint and historic Franklin Hotel/coffee shop/restaurant. I’d recommend stepping outside, however, and into the spacious intersection of Mission Street and Commercial/Elkader during the Friday Night Farmers Market season to hear some music and shop a broader range of local crafts, baked goods, flowers and produce. (Note: you are obligated to tithe 10 percent of your strawberry purchases to

The evening market was founded in 2021 to provide an open-air venue for vendors and live music amid COVID spread, but is likely to outlast the pandemic.

Once you’ve collected enough snacks to constitute a trail mix, consider venturing outside of The Great Fruit’s gaze. Strawberry Point is adjacent to Iowa’s oldest state park, Backbone State Park (est. 1919), full of the Driftless Region’s signature steep ridges, thick forests, ancient dolomite walls, trout streams and 21 miles of rugged trails for adventurous hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers to conquer in the name of the One True Berry.

—Emma McClatchey

The Divine Superposition of Shoefiti

I’ve long been captivated by “shoefiti,” the custom of throwing a pair of shoes tied by the laces over telephone wires. In high school, classmates told me that hanging shoes signified gang territory, drug hotspots, or were used to memorialize dead members, but it’s hard to believe my small Southern town had such a strong gang presence.

The World’s Largest Strawberry down the road.)

The fiberglass fruit of someone’s labor towers over the town of Strawberry Point. ©2022 Google

Maybe they’re tossed for good luck, as a celebration, as a prank, or just because they can be.

The best shoefiti in Iowa City is outside the Little Village office. I call them the Dubuque Street Sky Shoes. They have a counterpart, the North Dubuque Street Sky Shoes, which are near the Emma Goldman Clinic. I spotted the East Court Soles while biking home one night, and I think the Burlington Power Shoes are still suspended, though I haven’t found them since my initial encounter.

It’s the mystery of shoefiti that fascinates me. And I don’t really want to know the answer. I want to watch them dangle, framed by the sky, clouds and buildings, and wonder who wore them, and why they’re there. Maybe I’ll toss my shoes one night and find out what the fuss is about.

—Adria Carpenter

The Highest Place to Get High

Iowa has a range of cornside attractions, from the Field of Dreams in Dyersville to the Buddy Holly Crash site in Clear Lake (if you’re new to Iowa—yes, the spot where the music died is a tourist destination).

One you might not expect to find on flat farmland is Hawkeye Point, Iowa’s highest point of elevation. Within four miles of the Iowa/ Minnesota border, about 30 miles west of Spirit Lake and Okoboji in Osceola County, Hawkeye Point—a whopping 1,670 feet above sea level—is marked by a kitschy sign and flat circular mosaic depicting the state of Iowa. Visitors can wander the area, taking in street signs that point to far-flung destinations around the world, a bulletin board of license plates, an American Gothic photo stand-in, boulders, benches and a nearby

historic silo.

Want to stick around a while? Check if the Hawkeye Point campsite is open for reservations. I’m not saying you legally can or should take advantage of the remoteness of the location and the one-third-of-a-mile-high altitudes to get as stoned as Coloradan, but in theory one could.

—Emma McClatchey

PRODUcTS & ODDITIES

Iowa’s 100th County

Ah, Bloom County. The reason my Gen Z-cusp mind sees the ’80s primarily as black-andwhite pen illustrations. Comic creator Berkeley Breathed famously lived in Iowa City for four years, so as is the grand Iowa tradition, he’s ours forever. This is, however, cemented by the fact that the boarding house in which Opus, Bill the Cat and a variety of other Bloom County characters live is based on Iowa City’s most chaotically aesthetically mangled house, the Linsay/ Lindsay/Bloom County house on E College Street. If you’re in the mood to relive a childhood Sunday spent on the floor of your folks’ living room looking through the Sunday funnies, pop on down to your local library and get out a collection or two!

—Malcolm MacDougall

Most Popular Four Letters in Iowa

If you’re from Iowa, then you have undoubtedly encountered an ICON.

To University of Iowa students and professors, that’s the Iowa Courses Online course management system. For the nerds in the room,

it’s the Mindbridge Foundation’s Iowa Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. Art lovers will be familiar with Fairfield’s ICON Gallery: Iowa Contemporary Art. In Central Iowa, there’s Iowa Confluence Water Trails. In the northeastern part of the state, you’ll find ICON Donuts, with locations in Cedar Falls and Waterloo. If you work with the prison system, you’ll have encountered the one real acronym of the bunch: the Iowa Corrections Offender Network. And perhaps the newest instance is found at ICON Arts Academy, now auditioning for the 2023-24 school year.

That’s a lot of ICONs.

The oldest by far is the ICON Science Fiction and Fantasy convention, established in 1975. The Mindbridge Foundation (which is also responsible for AnimeIowa and Gamicon) held the 47th ICON in October 2022. Alternating locations between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City/Coralville, ICON carries the prestige of being the oldest science fiction convention in Iowa. More than that, it’s a damned good time. It’s the perfect mix of welcoming and close-knit, with ample opportunities to volunteer and a track record of fascinating guests, starting with inaugural Guest of Honor Roger Zelaney in ICON’s first year. (I met Cory Doctorow there in 2010 and still get that geeky buzz when I think back on it.)

Iowa Contemporary Art came next, establishing a nonprofit in 2003 and opening its gallery space in 2007. In 2016, the master plan for the Iowa Confluence Water Trails was adopted, working toward education in conservation, water safety and more by increasing access to 150 miles of rivers and creeks across Central Iowa. ICON Donuts & Sweetery was established in Waterloo in 2018, opening its Cedar Falls location just last year, in November 2021. ICON Arts Academy, intensive arts education for students 14-19, is just getting off the ground, building a new home for dance, theater, music and design

students in Iowa City.

Of course, we would be remiss not to mention our own dear, departed Icon: Iowa City’s 19932001 alt weekly whose staff went on to found Little Village

Iowa’s Best NonCommercially Viable Native Fruit

Though Iowa’s not quite the tropical fruit capital of the USA, it’s a native home to one of the most distinct and little-known fruits of the northern states, the pawpaw. With a collection of folksy names—Hoosier banana, custard apple, banango—and a taste that’s reminiscent of mango, banana and a slight overtone of yeast, it’s just waiting to be the hottest new trend in craft beers. It’s not commercially viable since it bruises easily and doesn’t transport well, but thanks to dedicated fans ’cross the Midwest, you can get your own pawpaws to plant and enjoy right in your backyard for cheap. Iowa’s one of the worst

—Genevieve Trainor

states for biodiversity, so planting native flora like the pawpaw tree is one small way you can help Iowa be that little more ecologically diverse.

—Malcolm MacDougall

Hooray! for the State’s Tastiest Tap Water

Your drinking water has to be pretty top notch in order to get mentioned in a song like “Hooray! For Ames Water” by Smiling Stone Soup. But lucky for Ames, it’s just that good.

Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Lyle Hammes says that good drinking water starts with a good water source. “We’re sitting on a very good aquifer here in Ames,” he explained. “It’s an alluvial aquifer. It’s very plentiful in water and it has good water quality that we get to start with. There are some deeper aquifers that have more minerals and dissolved gasses in them and we don’t have to deal with that. Other places have to use surface water from rivers and lakes that has more organic material in it that can contribute to taste and odors that we don’t have.”

Ames also has a top-notch water treatment facility. Updating the water treatment plant was a $52.5 million project completed in August of 2017. Since then, the plant has been providing great tasting drinking water to over 18,000 homes and businesses, the Iowa State University campus, the National Centers for Animal Health and the Xenia Rural Water District.

Good things are born out of hard work and that’s certainly true for the Ames Water Treatment Plant. According to Hammes, the plant is staffed 24/7 to make sure that operations are running smoothly.

“We need to make sure the water keeps running for the citizens,” Hammes said. “And we have a very good track record of good tasting and very reliable water supply.”

—Lily DeTaeye

Most Interesting DSM Neighborhood to Watch Grow

In the past few years, some of my favorite new local businesses have sprouted up in HPOP, Highland Park/Oak Park. Des Moines Mercantile, a modern general store that opened in 2020, is incredibly fun to browse through.

They have the coolest coffee table books, such as one I bought about music festivals around the world. Next door is The Slow Down Coffee Co, a coffee shop and community gathering place that also opened in 2020, and it’s worth checking out. They frequently host LGBTQIA+ game nights, artist meetups, book clubs, and so many other fun events. (Tip: follow their Instagram @ slowdowndsm to find these events!) In the past month, a new vintage shop, the Divine Times Vintage, opened on Euclid, and I’m excited to check it out! They have multiple vintage vendors in the space and a great mix of clothing, home goods and furniture.

—Sid Peterson

Best Local Tributes to American Gothic

After moving to Iowa last year, I was surprised to learn that American Gothic was an Iowan artifact. I recognized the painting, but couldn’t tell you much about it, and could tell you even less about Iowa. So, I visited the Grant Wood collection at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and after examining a few paintings I thought, “Wait, was he gay?” That was my second surprise, and my third was learning that the painting itself was in Chicago, not Iowa.

Perhaps as a consolation prize, or to inform oblivious outsiders like me that Iowa exists, Iowans across the state have made their own American Gothics, from eye-catching recreations to chuckle-worthy parodies.

Last year, I spotted the American Gothic Barn near the entrance to Palisades-Kepler State Park. It’s hard to miss and exactly what it sounds like: a barn-sized version of Wood’s masterpiece, painted by middle school art teacher, Mark Benesh.

The Grant Wood Rest Stop is also impressive. Outside, it features rolling hills, covered picnic wagons, themed windowpanes, and inside, cornrow tiled-floors, mosaic restroom artwork, and cutouts of the farmer and daughter (my third surprise was learning they weren’t married). I encountered another mosaic rendition in the women’s restroom at the Eastern Iowa Airport. It’s cute.

But my personal favorite is a low-effort, blackand-white sign on Highway 1. The front reads, “You’re keeping up with the Joneses – You’re in Jones County, Iowa!” beside the farmer and daughter. The other side reads, “You’ve kept up with the Joneses – You’re been in Jones County!” and shows their backs. On both sides, the figures are on the right, so they don’t actually align. It’s so lazy that it’s endearing. —Adria Carpenter

Ames’ top-notch water treatment facility. Courtesy of the City of Ames

A Burgeoning Film Festival Scene

Seventeen film festivals are scattered throughout the state and calendar, offering a seductive dive into the world of indie filmmaking. At iowaculture.gov/media, Produce Iowa provides a list with links to fests of all stripes, including Ottumwa’s horror-filled Halloweenapalooza, Iowa City’s newly minted, lit-centric ReFocus Film Festival and Des Moines’ 48 Hour Film Project and Latino Film Festival.

Most fests have a mix of short, animated, student and documentary films, anchored with some features. The appeal lies not in the slick blockbuster allure of major studio projects, but in experiencing the raw testing ground for emerging filmmakers. Often, recognizable stars will work on small indie films as “passion projects,” sometimes to keep the creative juices flowing in this elemental world of indie filmmaking, or to produce a small project that wouldn’t even be looked at by major studios or distributors.

A top benefit of attending film festivals is direct contact with many of the filmmakers. Festivals will feature panel discussions, giving film fans firsthand glimpses into the processes and challenges of filmmaking, along with the rewards. For longtime attendees of festivals,

they capture their own tales of seeing a career launched, or a rising star in their nascent stages. All is grounded in making films for the aesthetic rewards it brings—and, for some, the outside chance that scouts at festivals may see a film that catches their attention, and finds a fast track to distribution. Lights, camera, action.

—John Busbee

Iowa’s Influence on Nouvelle Cuisine

While reading through a copy of The French Menu Cookbook by Richard Olney—a book to be pondered as much as followed, with wonderfully evocative writing and a delightful exploration of French food techniques—I noted the author made a surprising amount of references to Iowa, in particular Des Moines. A quick Google turned up that Olney (1927-99) was born in the northwestern Iowa town of Marathon. He attended college at the University of Iowa before becoming a food writer in France, where he was a contemporary of Simone Beck and Julia Child. Olney was one of the strongest voices in the push for seasonal menus and locally sourced foods in the ’70s; Chez Panisse owner and farm-to-table activist Alice Waters considered Olney a major influence on her career and approach to food, as did sommelier Kermit Lynch.

After being out of print for a while, the French Menu Cookbook is back in a new edition, so I highly recommend picking it up, stopping by a local farm or signing up for a CSA, and taking a stab at a pot au feu, a duck-leg confit or possibly, if you’re feeling extra bold, some calf’s brains and tripe.

—Malcolm MacDougall

EVENTS: DEcEmbEr

DECEMBER 2022

Planning an event? Submit event info to calendar@littlevillagemag. com. Include event name, date, time, venue, street address, admission price and a brief description (no all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please). To find more events, visit littlevillagemag.com/calendar. Please check venue listing in case details have changed.

Drunk Book Club Friday, Dec. 23 at 9:30 p.m., Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines,

$10-15

Add some mystery to your Christmas Eve Eve! Drunk Book Club is a monthly event where comedians Kristy and Onnalee read a whole entire book on stage at Teehee’s, for your amusement, then drunkenly discuss it. December’s book is The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926) It’s the third novel to feature detective Hercule Poirot, and it’s considered to be Christie’s masterpiece. In 2013, the British Crime Writers’ Association voted it the best crime novel ever.

Literary Luxuries

Fridays, Dec. 9, 16 and 30 at 10:30 a.m. Story Sprouts, Greater Des Moines Botanical Center, $3-10

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. Beaverdale Books Pop-Up Bookshop, Jasper Winery, Des Moines, Free

Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. Des Moines Storytellers Project: Generosity, Hoyt Sherman Place, $12-28

Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Meet the Author: Sonya Mack, Jasper Winery, Free

Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Reading on the Margins Holiday Party, Franklin Ave Library, Des Moines, Free

Bluey’s Big Play Tuesday and

Wednesday, Dec. 27 and 28,

Des Moines Civic Center, $28-74

Australia’s most popular export since Hugh Jackman, the preschool kids’ show Bluey has won over both children and parents with its incisive storytelling and warm family bonds. Now the Heeler family—Bluey, her little sister Bingo and parents Chilli and Bandit—are taking to the stage in this touring production that uses large-form puppetry to bring the characters to life. Written by series creator Joe Brumm, with new music from the program’s composer Joff Bush.

Theatrical Thrills

Opening Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Ballet Des Moines: The Nutcracker, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, $32-82

Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 and 1:30 p.m. Hansel and Gretel, Des Moines Community Playhouse, $6

Opening Friday, Dec. 9 A Christmas Carol, Stoner Theater, Des Moines, $25-40

Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Skyler Bolks: Stand-Up Comedy, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, $15-20

Friday, Dec. 9 at 9:30 p.m. Rock ‘N Roast, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $10-15

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. DSM Sketch Pad: MerryThanksmas, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20

Saturday and Sunday, Dec 10 and 11 The Nutcracker, Stephens Auditorium, Ames, $30

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Dayton Bissett & Aaron Naylor: StandUp Comedy, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20

Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. Final Ensemble: Holiday Broadcast to the Troops 1943, Des Moines Community Playhouse, $10

Friday-Sunday, Dec. 16-18 A Very Merry Tallgrass Holiday, Tallgrass Theatre Company, West Des Moines, $10-20

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. MadCAP Improv, Class Act Productions, Altoona, $50

closing Sunday, Dec. 18

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Des Moines Community Playhouse, $29-53

Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. A Miserable Holiday Cabaret, xBk Live, $30-50

Thursday, Dec. 22 at 2 and 7 p.m. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, Des Moines Civic Center, $31-65

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 10 p.m. Comedy XPeriment, Stoner Theater, Des Moines, $25

Opening Tuesday, Jan. 3 Cats, Des Moines Civic Center, $40-125

Makers, Bakers & Brews Holiday Market

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m., Peace Tree Brewing, Des Moines

Peace Tree Des Moines presents a local vendor pop-up market, featuring both makers and bakers, allowing you to indulge your sweet tooth or grab something to bring for holiday dessert while wrapping up your shopping for the season. Vendors include 3 Bean Bakehouse, Alt Dessert Bar, Catknot, Domestic Bones, Ladyfern Clay, Nixon & Norman, Pie Bird Pies, Pints By Beth ice cream, Red Dragon Herbs & Teas and Red Thread Upcycles & Glass Studio. Enjoy Peace Tree brews while perusing.

Community Connections

Friday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. Opening

Reception: Winter Group Show, Moberg Gallery, Free

Fridays, Dec. 9 and 16 at 5 p.m.

Holiday Promenade, Historic East Village, Des Moines, Free

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m.

Peppermint Trail, The Avenues of Ingersoll & Grand & Roosevelt Cultural District, Des Moines, Free

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 12 p.m. The Pollinate Holiday Market, The Firehouse, Des Moines, Free

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 12 p.m. Xmas

Art N Craft Sale Benefit for Animal Lifeline, Lefty’s Live Music, Des Moines, Free

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. Iowa

Asian Alliance Pho King Cook-Off, The River Center, Des Moines, $40-60

monday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m.

Watercolor Art: Winter Series 1, East Side Library, Des Moines, Free

Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.

Inclusive LGBTQ Workplace Policies & Leglislative Workshop, One Iowa, Online, Free-$30

via Des Moines Civic Center

Britt Fowler / Little Village

Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.

Ornament Craft Night, Confluence Brewing Company, Des Moines, Free

Thursdays, Dec. 15, 22 at 4 p.m. Free Gift Wrapping, Confluence Brewing Co., Des Moines, Free

Fridays, Dec. 16, 23, 30 at 6 p.m. Dome After Dark, Des Moines Botanical Garden, Free-$10

Friday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. Ugly Sweater Party, Exile Brewing Co., Des Moines, Free

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. Santa at Big Grove Brewery, Des Moines, Free

Ugly Sweater Winter Party, xBk Live, Des Moines, Thursday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m., $10-15

Celebrate the beginning of the winter season by throwing on your ugliest sweater and heading out to xBk. They’re hosting a big party with performances from local performers Coco Chanel, Big Smoke Sp, Tony Guns and Static Soul. Several vendors will also be popped up in the venue: SiriCasso, Indigo Moore, Cie Cie’s Sweet Treeats will be at xBk for the evening. There’s a prize for the best sweater of the night, so dress accordingly!

Musical Marvels

Friday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. Des Moines

Gay Men’s Chorus Winter Concert Preview, Des Moines Art Center, Free

Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Christmas w/The Nate Sparks Big Band, Noce, Des Moines, $15-100

Friday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. Jinnouchi Power w/Good Morning Midnight and Pleasants, xBk Live, Des Moines, $10

Friday, Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. Avi Kaplan w/Maddie Poppe, Wooly’s, Des Moines, $20-22

Friday, Dec. 9 at 9 p.m. Antonym to X’s and O’s, Look at Me, L and N Music, Gas Lamp, Des Moines, $10

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Merry Axemas, xBk Live, $10

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. 80 Grit and Wapsi River Ramblers, Gas Lamp, $10

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. Local Music Showcase, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, Free

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. Deb Talan (of The Weepies) with Brad & Kate, xBk Live, $20-25

Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O, Noce, $20-50

Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ‘Tis the Season with the Beach Boys, Des Moines Civic Center, $55-115

Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Matt Banwart: Album Recording, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $15-20

Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Us Vs Them, xBk Live, $15

Friday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m.Shaun Johnson & the Big Band, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, $25-38

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tonic Sol-fa, Hoyt Sherman Place, $24-52.50

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m. Holiday Party w/Anthony Attallla and Casa Bonita, PLATFORM, Des Moines, $10

Sunday, Dec. 18 at 11 a.m. Cribbage Tournament, Peace Tree Brewing, Free

Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. Puzzlepalooza Jigsaw Puzzle Competition, Peace Tree Brewing, $40

Thursday, Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. Winter Survival w/Polk County Conservation, East Side

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 9 p.m. The BASSberry Jam, Lefty’s Live Music, Des Moines, $10

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1718 Live, Local and Loud Holiday Special wThe Finesse, xBk Live, Free

Sunday, Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. Holiday Spectacular, Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Franklin Jr. High, Des Moines, Free

Sunday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Nikki Lane w/Jaime Wyatt, Wooly’s, $20-25

Thursday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Lauren Vilmain, Noce, $15-45

Thursday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Mindrite w/MARCATO, Wreckage Of The Modern City & The Curse of Hail, Wooly’s, $29

Friday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, Des Moines Civic Center, $40-94

Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. A Nella Thomas Christmas VI, Wooly’s, $12

Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. A Freddy Gazzo Christmas, Noce, $20-45

Friday, Dec. 23 at 9 p.m. Hip Hop Song Contest, Lefty’s Live Music, $25

Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. The Feel Right w/SHARANE, Noce, $15-45

Friday, Dec. 30 at 9:30 p.m. Tha Mix-Up, Teehee’s Comedy Club, $10-15

Coco Chanel. Cat Dooley

MidAm’s

MidAmerican operates five coal plants in our state—landing them on the naughty list as the biggest carbon polluter in Iowa.

Emma

Pottery Peepshow: New Year’s Eve Edition

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 and 10 p.m., Five

Monkeys

Inc, West Des Moines, $50

If you’re planning a New Year’s resolution to get in touch with your creative side, you can get a head start here! Paint-your-own-pottery shop Five Monkeys Inc is hosting not just one but two sessions of burlesque and ceramics on New Year’s Eve. Need to hit the hay early or have big plans later on? Catch the 6:30 p.m. Pottery Peepshow, featuring performances by Rosie Tempest, Luci Jest and Mae the Force. Mae returns at 10 p.m. for the late-night edition, joined by Moonbow Bloom and Dame Denna Desire. Your $50 ticket includes $20 towards your ceramic project as well as snacks and prizes.

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 11:30 a.m.

Noon New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop, Robert E. Lee Community Center, Iowa City, $10

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. NYE Party w/Pianopalooza and The June Bugs, Wooly’s, Des Moines, $15-100

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve Masquerade, Koru Aronia Berry Farm, Homestead, $75

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. Lvvmaking for the New Year, xBk Live, Des Moines, $15

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. Great Gatsby’s New Year’s Eve Ball, Ideal Theater & Bar, Cedar Rapids, $25

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. New Year’s Eve Pops: Frank & The Great Ladies, Des Moines Symphony, Des Moines Civic Center, $40-95

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. Amy Friedl Stoner’s New Year’s Eve, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $38-48

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. The Wild Party: NYE Celebration, Noce, Des Moines, $110-190

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8:30 p.m. Bringing in 2023, Jameson’s Public House & Restaurant, Waterloo, Free

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve w/Mr. Softheart, Anthony Worden & Joel Sires, Octopus, Cedar Falls, $15

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve w/Dustin Sheridan and Casa Bonita, Platform, Des Moines, $10-40

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve w/Richie Lee and the Fabulous 50’s, Back Berner Bar & Grill, Tiffin, Free

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. Diplomats of Solid Sound w/ Jordan Sellergren, Wildwood Saloon, Iowa City, $20-40

Saturday, Dec. 31 at 9:30 p.m.

Comedy Kickback: NYE Black Iowa Streams Comedy Show, Teehee’s Comedy Club, Des Moines, $15-20

Out with the Old

via Pottery Peepshow

Wheel Haus Saturday, Dec.

17 at 5 p.m., Reliable Street, Ames

The most freewheelin’ art sale this holiday season is coming to Reliable Street! Upstate New York artist Abe Dubin, aka the Orange Man, provides a live musical skateboarding expo, and anyone who bridges the worlds of visual art and wheelsports is welcome to sell their creations. Orange Man hosts art+skating events in communities across the country. Wheel Haus welcomes art and merch by skaters, bladers, BMXers, unicyclists and more! Come support the artists and round out your shopping.

Explore Ames!

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. Winter Gnome Craft, Prairie Moon Winery, Ames, $15

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. Ames Figure Skating Club Holiday Gala, Ames/ISU Arena, $10

Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The Making of An Opera, w/Des Moines Metro Opera, Northcrest Community, Ames, Free

Thursday, Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. Winter Crafternoon, Ames Public Library, Free

Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

Ecstatic Dance, Reliable Street, Ames, $10 suggested donation Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. Casey Joe Collins, Alluvial Brewing, Ames, Free

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. Holiday Favorites w/Felicity From The Satin Dolls, Ames City Auditorium, $5

Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4 p.m.

Gingerbread Build-Off, Torrent Brewing Company, Ames, Free

Thursday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Lyndsay Nissen & Space Camp, Alluvial Brewing, Free

Eastward, ho!

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m.,

Plaid Tidings, Revival Theatre Company, Hilton Doubletree Hotel, Cedar Rapids, $75

Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m.,

The Quire Presents: Multitudes—A Queer Celebration, Opstad Auditorium, City High School, Iowa City, Free

Big Bash with the Heartlanders!,

Friday, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m., Xtream Arena, Coralville,

$35-125

Support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County with an evening out at the rink! This second annual event sees the Iowa Heartlanders hockey team take on the Kalamazoo Wings. All ticket sales benefit one-on-one mentoring for the young people of Johnson County through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Choose from VIP seats at $125, which include complimentary refreshments and a post-game meet-and-greet, the Ice Level Party Deck for $75 ($60 for children under 12) or standard $50 ($35 child) economy tickets. And don’t forget to buy your chance for a shot on goal! For $5 per puck or three/$10, you can take a shot at winning $10,000. In the 2020-2021 year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County provided more than 18,000 hours of mentoring to nearly 300 children in the region. Hometown hockey is a fantastic way to support that work!

Sunday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m., Iowa City Flea Holiday Market Crawl, Brix, Heim & Tru Coffee, Downtown Iowa City, Free

Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 9 p.m., Feed Me Weird Things: The Stein/Smith/Shead Trio, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, Iowa City, $10-15

Wednesday-Saturday, Dec. 14-17, ICPC Holiday Ephemera Extravaganza, PS1, Iowa City, $20-5

Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Dec. 15, 16, 18, Shaken and Stirred: A Crooked Cabaret, The James Theater, Iowa City, $10

Friday-Sunday, Dec. 1618, Orchestra Iowa Holiday Spectacular, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, $18-59

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Englert Local Showcase: PYSOP, YXNG RASKAL and Aseethe, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, $10-15

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. Benefit Show for CommUnity Crisis Food Bank, Trumpet Blossom Cafe, $10 minimum donation

Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 20, 21 Tokyo Godfathers, FilmScene–The Chauncey, $8.41-12

via Wheel Haus

courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson Co

Dear Kiki, I can’t stop escaping into a fantasy land. I’m pretty happy and don’t think there’s anything I really need or want to escape from (though there has been stuff in the past and I think I started doing this as a child for pretty understandable reasons), but the temptation to enter into a world of fantasy is just too much for me to resist sometimes. So nice in here! << echo >> I’ve done this my whole life and it’s been great fodder for art, but I don’t think it’s healthy and I don’t really know how to stop. I need to get grounded and am looking for advice so I can reenter the real world.

Thanks, Sweet, Sweet Fantasy Baby

escape from precisely because you indulge your fantasies on a regular basis, and that keeps you steadied and better able to competently evaluate threats.

Of course, if you do that close self-eval and determine that actual harm is coming from this habit (neglecting responsibilities, dissociating while operating heavy machinery, losing track of what’s real), then you’re right to try to mitigate things. Meditation is one way: There’s a balanced feeling that comes from engaging and holding still simultaneously, from hearing the world around you and letting go, rather than blocking it out. But mindfulness is a practice. It is worthwhile for many reasons, but it will likely take up just as much of your time as the fantasizing you trade for it.

LOOK ArOUND YOUrSELF, FIrST. THE WOrLD HAS A WAY OF GETTING INSIDE OUr HEADS AbOUT WHAT’S “HEALTHY” AND WHAT’S NOT. DON’T LET SHAmE TAKE AWAY SOmETHING FrOm YOU THAT, bY ALL APPEArANcES, IS WOrKING FINE. THErE IS NOTHING INHErENTLY UNHEALTHY AbOUT DrIFTING OFF INTO FANTASY, WHETHEr IT’S DAYDrEAmING, rOLE PLAYING Or FULL ImAGINATIVE ImmErSION.

Dear Sweet, Sweet Fantasy, Let’s start at the top. This is a lifelong coping skill that has advanced your artistic practice and landed you in a spot in life where you feel confident saying “I’m pretty happy,” and that there’s nothing you “need or want to escape from.” That sounds fantastic, tbh. So, why do you want to let go? Is this fantasizing impacting your life in some way? Are you finding that it takes time from your family or your work or other things you’d rather prioritize? What leads you to the decision that it’s not healthy?

Look around yourself, first. The world has a way of getting inside our heads about what’s “healthy” and what’s not. Don’t let shame take away something from you that, by all appearances, is working fine. There is nothing inherently unhealthy about drifting off into fantasy, whether it’s daydreaming, role playing or full imaginative immersion. If spending time in a fantasy land doesn’t harm yourself or others, then maybe reevaluate your definition of “healthy.”

You point out that you’re not necessarily escaping “from” anything. That’s fine! Many of our coping mechanisms are there not just to triage but to help us maintain. It may well be that you don’t see anything in your life that you need to

Gratitude lists are another way of keeping a check on yourself. Instead of focusing on what you may or may not want to escape from, center your thoughts each day on the reasons you have to stay. Reminding yourself of the things and people you value can help you choose to be fully present for them.

Every different means of controlling our minds, from runner’s high to beer goggles, is a form of escaping into fantasy. Some people become so engrossed in a book that they feel like they’re waking up when interrupted. Humans crave fantasy, or else storytelling would never have been invented. It’s one of the most basic parts of who we are. Don’t let it control you, but don’t devalue it completely. —xoxo, Kiki

KIKI WANTS QUESTIONS!

Submit questions anonymously at littlevillagemag.com/dearkiki or non-anonymously to dearkiki@littlevillagemag.com.

Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online at littlevillagemag.com.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian comedian Margaret Cho dealt with floods of ignorant criticism while growing up. She testifies, “Being called ugly and fat and disgusting from the time I could barely understand what the words meant has scarred me so deep inside that I have learned to hunt, stalk, claim, own and defend my own loveliness.” You may not have ever experienced such extreme forms of disapproval, Sagittarius, but—like all of us—you have on some occasions been berated or undervalued simply for being who you are. The good news is that the coming months will be a favorable time to do what Cho has done: hunt, stalk, claim, own and defend your own loveliness. It’s time to intensify your efforts in this noble project.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The bad news: In 1998, Shon Hopwood was sentenced to 12 years in prison for committing bank robberies. The good news: While incarcerated, he studied law and helped a number of his fellow prisoners win their legal cases—including one heard by the US Supreme Court. After his release, he became a full-fledged lawyer, and is now a professor of law at Georgetown University. Your current trouble isn’t anywhere as severe as Hopwood’s was, Capricorn, but I expect your current kerfuffle could motivate you to accomplish a very fine redemption.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I stopped going to therapy because I knew my therapist was right, and I wanted to keep being wrong,” writes poet Clementine von Radics. “I wanted to keep my bad habits like charms on a bracelet. I did not want to be brave.” Dear Aquarius, I hope you will do the opposite of her in the coming weeks. You are, I suspect, very near to a major healing. You’re on the verge of at least partially fixing a problem that has plagued you for a while. So please keep calling on whatever help you’ve been receiving. Maybe ask for even more support and inspiration from the influences that have been contributing to your slow, steady progress.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): As you have roused your personal power to defeat your fears in the past, what methods and approaches have worked best for you? Are there brave people who have inspired you? Are there stories and symbols that have taught you useful tricks? I urge you to survey all you have learned about the art of summoning extra courage. In the coming weeks, you will be glad you have this information to draw on. I don’t mean to imply that your challenges will be scarier or more daunting than usual. My point is that you will have unprecedented opportunities to create vigorous new trends in your life if you are as bold and audacious as you can be.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Journalist Hadley Freeman interviewed Aries actor William Shatner when he was 90. She was surprised to find that the man who played Star Trek’s Captain Kirk looked 30 years younger than his actual age. “How do you account for your robustness?” she asked him. “I ride a lot of horses, and I’m into the bewilderment of the world,” said Shatner. “I open my heart and head into the curiosity of how things work.” I suggest you adopt Shatner’s approach in the coming weeks, Aries. Be intoxicated with the emotional richness of mysteries and perplexities. Feel the joy of how unknowable and unpredictable everything is. Bask in the blessings of the beautiful and bountiful questions that life sends your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Of all the objects on earth, which is most likely to be carelessly cast away and turned into litter? Cigarette butts, of course. That’s why an Indian entrepreneur named Naman Guota is such a revolutionary. Thus far, he has recycled and transformed over 300 million butts into mosquito repellant, toys, keyrings and compost, which he and his company have sold for over a million dollars. I predict that in the coming weeks, you will have a comparable genius for converting debris and scraps into useful, valuable stuff. You will be skilled

at recycling dross. Meditate on how you might accomplish this metaphorically and psychologically.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Tips on how to be the best Gemini you can be in the coming weeks: 1. Think laterally or in spirals rather than straight lines. 2. Gleefully solve problems in your daydreams. 3. Try not to hurt anyone accidentally. Maybe go overboard in being sensitive and kind. 4. Cultivate even more variety than usual in the influences you surround yourself with. 5. Speak the diplomatic truth to people who truly need to hear it. 6. Make creative use of your mostly hidden side. 7. Never let people figure you out completely.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In my dream, I gathered with my five favorite astrologers to ruminate on your immediate future. After much discussion, we decided the following advice would be helpful for you in December. 1. Make the most useful and inspirational errors you’ve dared in a long time. 2. Try experiments that teach you interesting lessons even if they aren’t completely successful. 3. Identify and honor the blessings in every mess.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “All possible feelings do not yet exist,” writes Leo novelist Nicole Krauss in her book The History of Love. “There are still those that lie beyond our capacity and our imagination. From time to time, when a piece of music no one has ever written, or something else impossible to predict, fathom, or yet describe takes place, a new feeling enters the world. And then, for the millionth time in the history of feeling, the heart surges and absorbs the impact.” I suspect that some of these novel moods will soon be welling up in you, Leo. I’m confident your heart will absorb the influx with intelligence and fascination.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Jeanette Winterson writes, “I have always tried to make a home for myself, but I have not felt at home in myself. I have worked hard at being the hero of my own life, but every time I checked the register of displaced persons, I was still on it. I didn’t know how to belong. Longing? Yes. Belonging? No.” Let’s unpack Winterson’s complex testimony as it relates to you right now. I think you are closer than ever before to feeling at home in yourself—maybe not perfectly so, but more than in the past. I also suspect you have a greater-than-usual capacity for belonging. That’s why I invite you to be clear about what or whom you want to belong to and what your belonging will feel like. One more thing: You now have extraordinary power to learn more about what it means to be the hero of your own life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s tempting for you to entertain balanced views about every subject. You might prefer to never come to definitive conclusions about anything, because it’s so much fun basking in the pretty glow of prismatic ambiguity. You LOVE there being five sides to every story. I’m not here to scold you about this predilection. As a person with three Libran planets in my chart, I understand the appeal of considering all options. But I will advise you to take a brief break from this tendency. If you avoid making decisions in the coming weeks, they will be made for you by others. I don’t recommend that. Be proactive.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet David Whyte makes the surprising statement that “anger is the deepest form of compassion.” What does he mean? As long as it doesn’t result in violence, he says, “anger is the purest form of care. The internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect, and what we are willing to hazard ourselves for.” Invoking Whyte’s definition, I will urge you to savor your anger in the coming days. I will invite you to honor and celebrate your anger, and use it to guide your constructive efforts to fix some problem or ease some hurt. (Read more: tinyurl. com/AngerCompassion)

ELIZAbETH mOEN Wherever You Aren’t ELIZABETHMOEN.COM

When Elizabeth Moen and her band rolled into the AudioTree Studios in Chicago in mid-December 2019, she had just wrapped up a whirlwind back-toback 18 shows in Italy in November following the release of two new singles, “Headgear” and “Ex’s House Party,” originally planned for her fourth album. Already looking forward to that release, Moen excitedly performed them during the AudioTree Live session along with three more new songs.

Moen had all of the preliminary tracks in consideration for the album recorded by early 2020. Then the pandemic made landfall in full force. Faced with canceling her upcoming tour, she paused the work and put out a brilliant collection of songs titled Creature of Habit, along with an additional five more singles.

Moen finally released the album with the title Wherever You Aren’t in November. In an interview with Tony Dehner of Iowa Public Radio, she explained, “I had this dream of a label, a booking agent, a manager. I kept just waiting and waiting. But then I was like, ‘Hold on!’ I have an amazing, super-supportive fan base, who have already donated to the record, who wanted to hear it. So I decided to just put it out myself! That’s what I’ve always done.”

In the same interview, she described the new, bigger sound of this record. “I kind of leveled up, I think,” which is an understatement. The early views did not prepare us for the full monty of this album.

At its core, Wherever You Aren’t is

a continuation of Moen’s sweeping vocal acrobatics and the vintage tone of her trusty 1968 Gibson ES-340. She soars to heights of passion and dives to the depths of darkness—often in the same song. On “Where’s My Bike” she confesses, “I’m sick of singing songs about my exes/ Should join somebody else’s band/ Play songs about their life instead of mine/Be a part of a very marketable brand/Or I could keep wallowing all afternoon/Only think about my own problems.” The dry self-deprecating humor in “Where’s My Bike” encompasses her wit and frankness so completely that this could become her signature song.

Repeated listens reveal the attention to detail that elevates this album to her best so far. “Synthetic Fabrics,” a song that touches on the thoughts that keep her up at night, soars. At the bridge of the song, when she attempts to “bore herself to sleep,” her brain decides otherwise, plaguing her with what-if scenarios. The use of a Psycho-esque string in the mix helps portray the panic she feels.

Another excellent moment is the dramatic turn in “Emotionally Available.” The song opens as a beautiful breezy Latin soul number, adorned with a flute. The chorus swells like an approaching storm, with bombastic horns as she demands that her lover admit to her that they are not emotionally available or capable of new love. Her vocals ride this weather front—a dark, menacing monotonic turn from the pretty birdsong of the verses. This is a fascinating venture into new song territory for Moen.

Moen can be forgiven for holding Wherever You Aren’t as her offering to a label. It’s a fully realized calling card of soulful vérité examination of the day to day. Her stopand-ponder thoughts are whipped up to a creamy, dreamy soul-pop confection, the center of which is not always as sweet as it appears. But, then, the best treats are often layered.

—Michael Roeder

bcJSPS Myth Arc BCJSPS.BANDCAMP.COM

BCJsPS Myth Arc is a collection of pieces improvised over two days in Chicago by Brian Penkrot, Justin Comer and Jason Palamara. Myth Arc is more noisy and chaotic than Comer’s last release; it combines violin, clarinet, laptop synthesis, sampled sound, hand percussion and drums in polyrhythms that shudder with energy.

These pieces aren’t that far from Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music—but this trio brings a different skill set to bear. Reed produced that work solo, setting up feedback loops between multiple guitars and amps. The interplay of three musicians makes Myth Arc a more interactive experience. The listener hears the musicians listening and responding to each other. And the listener is challenged to find the coherent whole in what seems like a collection of tattered, smashed sounds.

Comer has a Masters in Composition, and Palamara is a professor of Music Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University, but they haven’t let their academic experience limit the music they make. Jason and Justin are part of the latest wave of people coming to Iowa City to study and finding a community of like-minded players.

The BCJsPS trio play outside regular ideas of form and intentionality embedded in conventional music, finding a new, improvised structure made possible by achieving a technical peak without thinking in technical terms.

“My Favorite Little Prayer”

combines a recitation of a poem by Thea Brown with a slow, unsteady collection of isolated sounds. The chaotic drumming and Comer’s clarinet glissandos, combined with stuttering instruments and voices, interact with delay effects to build an echoing dub space. The saxophone “melodies”—sometimes three notes spaced out over 30 seconds—echo 1950s noir detective movie jazz soundtracks, but chopped up like confetti and thrown up in the air to see how it lands.

“Compline” is the most “Metal Machine Music” piece on Myth Arc: a continuous drone from wind instruments and what sounds like slide guitar combined with drunken glissandos. Sheets of hard-to-identify sounds weave in and out. Palamara’s amplified violin recalls John Cale’s viola on the Velvet Underground’s “Heroin.” This music is more for surrendering to than listening to.

“Zebra” combines polyrhythmic drumming with scronky violin and clarinet outbursts. It’s anti-jazz. It deliberately avoids finding any groove and replaces sophisticated harmony with atonal fragments. Yet it has formal structure, where each phrase is led off by drums, followed by violin and clarinet playing short phrases. It has a start-stop rhythm. After every phrase, they pause before inventing a new atonal outburst that ends as arbitrarily as it begins.

“Manners” samples what sounds like a 1950s educational film-strip about good manners, but structurally it’s a succession of rude interruptions. It devolves into an argument between fluttering drone notes, anti-rhythmic drums and harsh amplified violin drones. As chaotic and dense as “Manners” is, it still has a constant through line. At around 3 minutes 30 seconds, Palamara introduces a triumphant melodic figure on the violin. Very much like Indian Raga the three players stay on the major scale with a pedal tone on the root note. In the end it fades away with an acousmatic flutter of processed voices or instruments.

—Kent Williams

Submit albums for review: Little Village, 623 S Dubuque

bY ScHINDLER:

THE LIFE OF cELINA KARP

bINIAZ William B. Friedricks ICE CUBE PRESS, LLC

am a Holocaust survivor, and every survival story is unique. What makes mine unique is that I was fortunate enough to be on ‘Schindler’s List.’”

These are the words of Celina Karp Biniaz, one of youngest to be included on Schindler’s List and among the last of the remaining survivors.

The story of how Oskar Schindler’s list saved over a thousand Jewish prisoners from death at the hands of the Nazi regime was generally unknown until the publication of Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally in 1982.

The list, according to author William B. Friedricks, director of the Iowa History Center at Simpson College, “was actually several lists, and it referred to a compilation of nearly eleven-hundred names of Jewish prisoners designated to work at businessman Oskar Schindler’s new armament factory in Brünnlitz, Czechoslovakia. Inclusion on its list was essentially a passport to safety and kept the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews) from being sent to the Nazi death camps.”

In the first chapter, Friedricks introduces readers to Celina at the age of 8 with her aunt gifting her a white puppy in 1939. This snapshot of her “wonderful childhood” in Poland provides a devastatingly stark contrast to the horrors that awaited them after the Nazis invaded her homeland that year.

When Celina and her parents

arrived in Iowa in 1947, most people were not interested in hearing about their painful experiences during the war. They decided to keep the past to themselves, live in the moment and look to the future.

Celina excelled in her studies, graduating from North High School and Grinnell College before earning a Master’s degree at Columbia University. She started a family of her own and fulfilled her calling as an educator, teaching elementary school students for 25 years. For decades, she kept her wartime memories “bottled up, hidden beneath the veneer of her picture-perfect suburban life.”

Then, in 1993, director Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List debuted on the big screen, creating a global stage for people to confront the harrowing realities of the Holocaust, allowing survivors to tell their stories to a public now willing to listen.

Breaking her “wall of silence,” Celina started a new chapter of her life, captivating audiences around the country with her story of struggle and survival, which is chronicled in remarkable detail in Friedricks’ Saved By Schindler: The Life of Celina Karp Biniaz.

Friedricks first heard Celina speak in 2017. Approximately two years later, he was invited by the Iowa Jewish Historical Society to discuss writing a book about Celina’s life, a massive undertaking which proved even more difficult as the world was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friedricks was scheduled to meet Celina in March 2020, but the trip was canceled. Social distancing protocols prohibited in-person interviews and restricted access to libraries and archive centers. As evidenced in these pages, the urgency to share Celina’s story triumphs in the end.

Blending scholarly focus with passionate storytelling, this inspirational biography celebrates Celina’s life and the resilience of the human heart in the darkest of times.

––Mike Kuhlenbeck

LOVE AND POTATO SALAD

Jason Thomas Smith SELF-PUBLISHED

Iwon’t lie to you. I wasn’t going to read Love and Potato Salad until I read the press quotes on the back of the book. Riddled with jokes but also, quite possibly, real exclamations from shocked readers (“‘Your novel is extremely offensive. Any further attempts to contact any members of our staff for any reason, and we will be forced to inform the proper authorities’ - Today’s Women Christian Faith Magazine”), I knew that I had to find out what this shit show was all about. I was surprised to find that not only did I genuinely enjoy the absurdity of this book, I found it intelligent as well.

Jason Thomas Smith’s self-published 2022 release is the unrequited love story of the beautiful Sally Jones and the tragic Sparky Ganja. Much like a Shakespearean tragedy, we know the ending right at the beginning. There is a terrible event that takes Sparky Ganja’s life at the Jones Family Barbecue—we just need to figure out how it happens. And we do that by following Chip, an interdimensional omniscient narrator with a whole slew of addictions but a gentle heart.

Through time-travel, meet-cutes and astute, if flawed, narration by Chip, readers are able to absorb every angle of the story. In what was a fantastic choice on Smith’s part, Chip’s all-knowing commentary allows readers to feel as if they’re floating above the plotline much like the alien spaceships that eventually make their appearance. Yes. Alien spaceships.

As you can probably already tell, this novel is filled with ridiculous situations. Somehow, Smith has combined potato salad, drug cartels, aliens, and the familiar passive aggression of your average Midwestern family into one novel, but it never feels disjointed. Rather, Smith’s engrossing prose assures the reader that everything will become connected by the end of the book. And he does not disappoint. It’s a wild ride, but it’s a pleasurable one.

And not only does Smith connect the dots, he also manages to deliver airtight commentary on fate and inevitability. Set against the chaotic backdrop of impending doom to Sparky Ganja, these moments of existential reflection are refreshing and help us contextualize the chaos.

But Love and Potato Salad is not for the faint of heart. While we are able to level with Chip and the other characters in this book in a human way, we also see their very human “flaws.” Sex addiction, binge drinking, drugs, and rough language are the hinges many jokes rely on. While they get easier to forgive as the narrative unfolds, this book may not be fit for squeamish readers.

But raunchy humor aside, Love and Potato Salad feels folky even in its modernity. Smith has created a well-balanced tale of love, heartbreak and fate, even if he relies on potato salad more than your average author. If you’re a fan of Chuck Palahniuk or Thomas Pynchon, you might just like this one. Bonus points if you’ve studied English in college and can pick up on the subtle literary jabs sprinkled throughout. And I can only imagine this book becomes a whole new experience if you spark up a little ganja to go with it.

—Lily DeTaeye

SAVED

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Reader Survey

Thank you for reading Little Village! Our goal is to provide you with relevant and meaningful stories and to make every issue of Little Village a great one. We value your feedback, and we appreciate you taking the time to complete this two-minute survey to help us plan for 2023. *NOTE: All sections optional; all answers confidential.

Fill out your survey today, then cut it out and mail it in (or drop it off): LV HQ, 623 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240. Rather take it online? Visit LittleVillageMag.com/survey (before Dec. 20, please!)

Which print edition of Little Village do you read?

Eastern Iowa Central Iowa Both

How often do you read the print edition of Little Village?

Never miss an issue

Occasionally This is my first time When I can find it When covers catch my eye

What other magazines do you read regularly?

Gender equity

Quality health care Quality education Multiculturalism

Critical Culture

Please select the content that you read regularly:

Arts Features Astrology

Columns (Prairie Pop, Fractured State of Iowa Nice) Comics Community News Crossword Puzzle Dear Kiki En Español Events Calendar Food & Drink Interactions

Literature Sports & recreation Theater/performance

In 2022, how many times a month on average did you... __Eat at a full-service restaurant? __Order take-out or food delivery? __Visit a bar or nightclub? __Consume locally made beer or cider? __Attend a live concert or theater production? __Go to the movies? __Visit a fitness establishment (gym, yoga, etc.)?

What is your personal annual income?

Less than $20,000 $20,000-$39,999 $40,000-$59,999 $60,000-$79,999 $80,000-$99,999 $100,000+

Has a Little Village advertisement influenced your buying decisions in the last six months?

Yes / No

Given the choice, would you prefer to do business with a Little Village advertiser?

Yes / No

What is your zip code?

How long have you lived in your current metro area?

What are your primary (top 1-3) news sources?

Letters to the Editor Local Album Reviews Local Book Reviews Local Business News Your Village Advertisements

Did you/will you vote in these elections?

2022: Yes / No

2020: Yes / No

How often do you vote in local (city, county, school board) elections?

Always Sometimes Never

How often do you participate in primary elections?

Always Sometimes Never

What issues are you most passionate about?

Affordability and access

Economic and labor justice Environmental sustainability Racial justice

Do you read Bread & Butter magazine?

Yes / No

How often do you check the events calendar on LittleVillagemag.com?

All the time Occasionally Never

Which events do you regularly enjoy:

Art/exhibition Cinema Community/political Educational/lecture

Family Fashion Food & drink Live music

How often do you visit your nearest metro downtown district for pleasure (not work)?

Less than once/week 1-3x/week 3-5x/week 5+ x/week

How do you usually access LV online?

I go directly to LittleVillageMag.com Via Facebook Via Instagram Via Twitter Via LV’s Daily Digest newsletters

I only read it in print

What is your highest level of education?

Some high school High school diploma

Some college Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctoral degree

Do you own or rent your home?

What is your current employment status? Unemployed Employed part-time Employed full-time Self-employed Retired

How many children do you have?

What year were you born?

What is your gender identity?

What is your first language?

What is one thing LV should do more of in 2023?

Period following a onenight stand ... and what can be found in the answer to. each starred clue

Nature Valley product

Commotion

Campbell who refused to be lowballed in Scream 6 salary negotiations

Word before and after “girl”

Oiled, in a way

Identifier for some lesbians

Compete in the ring, in a way

Sorority established at Howard U.

___ sum

You might be advised not to start it

Superhero who can’t bend his knees

Series finale?

Puerto ___

Fit in comfortably

Activartist Yoko 26. Adjective for mortals

Minute ___ lemonade 28. Certain Q&A sesh on a message board 30. Dirk Nowitzki, for 21 years 31. Globetrotter’s

account 35. Va-va follower 36. Volcano in the “Aeneid” 37. 1984 hit that might make you say “A-ha! I remember who sings this” 39. Crater’s edge 40. “Will you take this woman to be your wife?” response, ideally 42. The ___ (NYC opera house) 45. Another name for the bonita shark 46. App followers 47. Like i’s and j’s, but not k’s 48. Say but don’t prove 49. Weightlifters’ food categories, for short 54. LGBT activist and Olympian Louganis 56. Zilch 58. “Coulda done without knowing that” 59. Baltimorean term of endearment 60. Magisterial Blackfoot Valley animals 61. Mirena, e.g. 62. /end

LOST CINEMAS OF GREATER DES MOINES directed by Mark Heggen 2021