Create Your Year of No Regrets

February 4, 2010 by tdomf_93aab  
Filed under Events

CREATE YOUR YEAR OF NO REGRETS
Thursday, Feb. 4    1 – 4pm
Connxions Event Center
3901 NW 121st Street, Urbandale, IA 50323
$79 (Earlybird $65)

How will you make 2010 your BREAKTHROUGH year? Toss out stale new year’s resolutions and discover how to create an energizing, astounding year for yourself!

monarch butterfly feedingJoin Dr. Christi Hegstad of MAP Professional Development Inc. for Create A Year of No Regrets, an afternoon designed just for you. In this inspiring workshop you will uncover your vision, engage in thought-provoking exercises, and leave with a personalized action plan to live your year of no regrets, beginning immediately. Past participants have started companies, planted gardens, run marathons, gotten their finances in order, traveled overseas, and so much more! Pre-registration required; details and testimonials can be found at www.TheLifeOfNoRegrets.com.

The Albaugh Classic

Taillight2If you are a car buff, you’ll want to be in Ankeny on Saturday for The Albaugh Classic sponsored by Karl Chevrolet.

It’s your chance to see Dennis Albaugh’s collection of 130 Chevrolets; some say it is the best Chevy collection anywhere!

At the same event you will see the cars that hundreds of other folks are bringing

  • classics (pre-War and post-War)
  • street rods and modified
  • Corvettes
  • cars and trucks

You will be able to vote for your favorite 12 classics and see what the judges think of cars and trucks in 20 other categories.

Where? Albaugh, Inc. at 1525 NE 36th Street in Ankeny. (Do not believe the maps you get from either Google or Mapquest!) Instead take I-35 to exit 92, turn west on E. 1st Street (0.2 mi) then north on NE Delaware (2 mi), turn east on NE 36th (0.4 mi) and you will see it on the right as you approach the underpass at I-35.

When? Saturday, August 8th from 6:30 am until 4:00 pm. Get there early. It’s going to be hot!

How much? $10 or free to those 12 and under.  Thanks to Karl Chevrolet all the proceeds go to Ankeny High School.

DAlbaugh16

photos by James G. Lindberg and dok1

Swimming around Des Moines 2009

Lookin’ for a place to swim? You have lots of choices: indoors; outdoors; chlorinated and not. If you have never heard The Swimming Song, check out this YouTube video with Loudon Wainwright III (who wrote the music and lyrics). My favorite version is the somewhat quicker version by Kate McGarrigle.

Here’s a pretty good list of municipal pools, or in the words of The Swimming Song,

salt my wounds, chlorined my eyes
I’m a self-destructive fool, a self-destructive fool

Maybe you would rather be in some of the natural waters. There are several. You can check the water quality (bacteria) in some through Iowa DNR but not Saylorville. Water quality seems to be better this summer than last.

photos by flickr by Northfield.org and peasap

Jazz in July 2009

It’s time!

  • it’s Des Moines
  • it’s summer
  • it’s hot and humid

It must be time for Jazz in July, and it’s free to all.

Each summer Metro Arts Alliance through generous sponsorship presents Jazz in July – and what a great deal this summer; we even have one day of Jazz in July that occurs in August! You can visit the Jazz in July website  or you may want to check out the links below to see the bands, parks, sites – 27 groups, 19 locations, and 19 dates.

That’s the schedule. It’s all free. Try some.

photos by flickr by olivander and volume 12

2009 Two Art Festivals in Des Moines

First, the Des Moines Arts Festival is the big one. It’s coming up so be prepared to show up in Western Gateway Park.

  • Friday, June 26, 4-10 pm
  • Saturday, June 27, 10 am – 10 pm 
  • Sunday, June 28, 10 am – 5 pm

The festival website is so thorough and easily navigated that I couldn’t add anything worthwhile; you should go there for all of the information: 

  • a listing of artists and links to their websites
  • listing of performing artists with links
  • the live music
  • street theater
  • interactive arts
  • food

Thanks to the generosity of sponsorsDes Moines Arts Festival is free. 

The second show in town is ArtFest Midwest. It’s at the Fairgrounds and it’s also free.

  • Saturday, June 27, 10 am – 6 pm
  • Sunday, June 28, 10 am – 5 pm

There will be a free shuttle between the two events.

photo by James G. Lindberg

July 4th 2009 around Des Moines

 

Lookin’ for something to do on the 4th of July? Maybe this will help. You can check out the Web sites for most cities and towns of Central Iowa for updates or try the selections below.

Why not start celebrating on July 2nd with the Des Moines Symphony’s Yankee Doodle Pops Concert?

  • concert: Thursday July 2nd, 6:30 pm, west of the Iowa State Capitol Building, Roxi Copland Band
  • concert: Thursday, July 2nd, 8:30 pm, same place, The Des Moines Symphony
  • fireworks: following the concerts
  • food, fun, fireworks, free
  • bring food to donate

Urbandale always has some of the best of the metro’s 4th of July celebrations.

  • parade: Saturday, July 4th, 10 am along 70th north to Aurora then west to Urbandale Middle School
  • fireworks: Saturday, July 4th, 10 pm by Urbandale Middle School (rain date, Sunday July 5th)
  • plenty more on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; check it out

Waukee celebrations will be held on July 3rd and 4th.

  • parade: Saturday, July 4th, 2 pm
  • music by Standing Hampton: 6-9:30 in Centennial Park (west of Waukee HS, south of the stadium) 
  • fireworks: 9:30 pm in Centennial Park

West Des Moines will celebrate for two days.

Windsor Heights has a lot planned for July 4th at Colby Park at 69th and School with access off University Avenue (map)

The Iowa Cubs are out of town on the 4th but they are home on the 2nd and 3rd, and they’re promoting the Holiday Fireworks Spectaculars at Principal Park

  • Thursday, July 2nd, game time 7:05 with the spectacular fireworks after the game
  • Friday, July 3rd, game time 7:05 with the spectacular fireworks after the game

Heartland Nationals and the Good Guys Car Show will have fireworks, but it will cost you.

If other cities update their websites and post their activities, I’ll try to keep up.

Here’s another!

Carlisle has plans that include

  • kiddy parade on Friday the 3rd from 6 – 7 pm
  • a bigger parade on July 4th at 9:30 am
  • fireworks on July 4th at 10 pm
  • and more

photos by flickr by brungrll and jmtimages

Fridays at the Fountain in West Glen 2009

People are searching for Fridays at the Fountain. OK, then. Here you go!

Looking for something to do once the work week is over? Fridays at the Fountain started in May and you missed Dick Prall, but there is still time through the end of July to hear music, make friends, and unwind from the week.

Every Friday through the end of July, you can attend Fridays at the Fountain. More details at their website.

  • $5 (and you’d better be 21 ‘cuz liquor, wine and beer are sold)
  • 5:30 until 8:00 pm (Then what will we do?)
  • Fountain Plaza in West Glen Town Center
  • just off Interstate 35 and George Mills Parkway
  • near Jordan Creek in West Des Moines

Live entertainment – from pop to jazz.

The 2009 band lineup taken from West Glen’s pdf file is:

Afterwards, go see Bomi Mistry for healthy treats at Fuel.

photo by flickr by MorBCN and by  James G. Lindberg

technorati tags:

2009 Greek Food Fair

It’s a great Des Moines event. Put it on your calendar.

2009 Greek Food Fair (their Web site is so good, I wouldn’t have to say any more, but)

Your friends will be there!

photos by James G. Lindberg


Memorial Day in Des Moines, 2009, part 3

President Obama asked all Americans recently to make an extra effort to honor our veterans this Memorial Day. While I have many reasons and many relatives that always make me think about veterans and service on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Obama’s invitation prompted me to go to the Memorial Day Program at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. It was a good decision.

There were veterans, young and old, many decorated (including the 8% who are women). They came from every branch of the military and stood in turn while a band played the song of each branch

In the photo above you can see Representative and Vietnam veteran Leonard Boswell; keynote speaker, Iowan, Vietnam veteran and ex-POW, now retired Lt. Cmdr. Larry Spencer, and Vietnam Veteran Marty Cardines of Des Moines, all standing in front of Patrick J. Palmersheim, Executive Director of the Iowa Department of Veteran Affairs. and 1st Lt. Martha Kester, a Chaplain in the Iowa Army National Guard (seated). Cardines (shown below and left) received medals for service and exceptional courage in Vietnam. His actions in Vietnam were exemplary, but his records were not carefully kept. It has taken decades for the bureaucracy to catch up, but catch up it did, and everyone present was honored to be part of the recognition ceremony.

Near the end of the ceremony National Guard member, Edwin Gonzalez (whose photo is shown below), a native of Honduras, was sworn in as a U. S. citizen. He is scheduled to be deployed overseas within two months. He was happy and proud.

Me too.


Retired Lt. Cmdr. Spencer, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War and ex-POW offered comments with grace and humor, understating the difficulties he experienced as a prisoner of war. He emphasized the importance of communication, of community in the home and in the service, and of the joy of being part of Iowa and the Midwest. He closed by saying that any day that you wake up, look at the door to your bedroom, and find a knob on the inside, you know it is going to be a good day.

photos by James G. Lindberg

Honoring veterans, part 2

Not all families were so fortunate to have their loved ones return from war safely. Every family has its own stories. Every combat veteran’s story is difficult. Every veteran is affected and every family is affected. The veterans themselves are least likely to use the term hero. In one sense the following is one family’s story, in another every family’s.

The Purple Wren’s family is just one example.

  • her Uncle Kay Anderson, a science teacher turned navigator in the Army Air Corps in WW2, was killed on take-off when his bomb-laden B-17 clipped the tree tops; he is buried in England
  • her father Bob Renshaw as an infantryman in the South Pacific fought in some of the toughest battles of WW2 including beach landings; he returned safely and deeply affected
  • her Uncle Stan Swanson served in the Army in WW2; near 90 he lives in Arizona
  • her only other uncle, Minnesota native, Medal of Honor winner, Lt. Colonel Leo Thorsness was an F-105 pilot flying Wild Weasel missions over Vietnam when he was shot down, captured, and held in Hanoi for six years. His backseater was Iowan Harold E. “Harry” Johnson. His story is powerful, and he is a frequent speaker in the Midwest. You can hear his story in a 90 minute video at Pritzker Military Library. You may also want to read Leo Thorsness’s book Surviving Hell: A POW’s Journey.

Every family has its own stories.

photo by flickr by OZinOH

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