Around Des Moines

Images of Shakespeare, Stevenson, and Shahrazda are some options for entertainment this weekend.

Drake University students transform Macbeth into a drama set in the near future. The play will be performed April 3rd through the 5th at 8:00 p.m. and on the 5th and 6th at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $4 to $6. Location is the Performing Arts Hall of the Harmon Fine Arts Center (25th and Carpenter). On Friday, April 4th, there will be a pre-theatre dinner and talk at Levitt Hall in Old Main (2507 University) at 6:00 p.m. Cost is $25, including the show, and reservations are required.

Roosevelt High School students will perform Treasure Island on Thursday and Friday, April 3rd and 4th, at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. Tickets are $5.

Rainbows of the Desert’s 11th annual Dance Show will be presented on Saturday, April 5th at Indians Hills Junior High School (9401 Indian Hills Drive, Clive). Tickets are $10 and show time is 7:00 p.m. New York performer Dalia Carella will be featured.

Our Brand is Crisis will be shown at the State Historical Museum on Thursday and on Saturday. Cost is $5, or $4 with donation of a canned food product for the Food Bank of Iowa. The documentary follows political consultant James Carville and his partners as they work on the 2002 campaign of Gonzalo “Goni” Sànchez de Lozada, a candidate for president in Bolivia. If an indoor activity is needed on Sunday, the Grand Canyon Adventure is still playing on the IMAX at the Science Center. Plus, there is always live theater at the Des Moines Playhouse with Sarah, Plain and Tall.

The Iowa Cubs season opens on Thursday, April 3rd. There is a home game every day through the 10th. Times are 3:05 pm. on the 3rd; 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday. All four games are against Round Rock. The best promotion is on Sunday when you get a general admission ticket if you take 3 nonperishable items for the DMARC Food Pantry. General admission is $7.

For those who prefer to hit a ball themselves, city golf courses are now open. If you are buying a Parks and Recreation pass or have business at the administrative offices, check out the department’s website. Some items are now bought at the City Hall information desk and the administrative offices have moved to the City. Armory.

April is a busy month for outdoor enthusiasts. Seasonal passes for the city’s pools are at a discount through April. Registration for Bike to Work Week (May 10th through the 16th) begins on April 4th. The 21st Mayor’s Ride for Trails is on April 19th and registration for that event is now open.

Classifying stars is the topic for the April 4th Drake Municipal Observatory series at 8:00 p.m. On Saturday, the Des Moines Astronomical Society will have an open night at the Ashton Observatory (Hwy. F-17, off of Hwy. 330, west of Baxter) at 8:00 p.m.

M.R. Field encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com. 

(Des Moines, IA, March 27, 2008) The Hot Pink Grannies defeated Lighten Up Iowa 20-14 in a Granny Basketball exhibition game at the Central Campus gym. In post-game commentary, Granny Forward Jewell Chapman said, “I feel like we had a lot of fun.”

Chapman scored the first goal of the game and the Grannies led at halftime 14-6. Lighten Up Iowa had taller players but the Hot Pink Grannies had more experience moving the ball as a team. The Iowa team was so new that when the announcer asked if the players were ready to take the court, the captain said, we “haven’t put [the team] together yet.” Helping round out the team of state employees, including some from the Department of Public Health, were members of the Motorcycle Grannies team from Indianola. In the second half, the Iowa team was helped by members of the Wild Wild West Des Moines Grannies.

The Grannies showed their sneaky sides as they managed to move the ball around the Iowa men who just stood and looked down at some of the more diminutive players in this game of six-on-six basketball played under 1920’s rules. In the exhibition game it sometimes seemed as though this was a preview for the Harlem Globetrotters’ appearance at Wells Fargo Arena on March 30th. The ball bounced off knees and shoulders and at one time was kicked by a Granny. With all the player substitutions, confusion sometimes was unavoidable. At the start of the second half a temporary Iowan found herself with the ball and wondering, “who’s my team?” When she realized the player to whom she passed the ball was not on her team she simply said, “oh, no!”

Granny Basketball games last 32 minutes and are divided up into 4 quarters of 8 minutes each. No running or jumping is allowed and only 2 dribbles are permitted. Unlike the Globetrotters, the Grannies pay for their own uniforms, court time, and travel. Like the Globetrotters, they use their appearances to help raise money for charity.

The Hot Pink Grannies vs. Lighten Up Iowa game brought in donations to help out lower income senior citizens with some of their expenses. Last year’s match raised money for a basketball court in Ghana. Patrick Choquette, the son of a state employee, was serving in the Peace Corps and thought the school where he taught chemistry, biology, and physics needed basketball in addition to the soccer and volleyball they already played. At this year’s game, Choquette, who now works for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, gave a brief report on the Ghana court. The schools’ students all pitched in to help construct it.

Twelve Granny Basketball teams will play 6 games in Alburton on Saturday, March 29th. The first game starts at 9:00 a.m.; the last one at 3:15 p.m.. The league has expanded and now includes teams in Illinois, Louisiana, and Minnesota. If your organization is looking for a fundraiser, the Grannies would like you to call.

M.R. Field had to catch some basketball action after missing the NCAA games. 

“They consider themselves experts on the Internet because they can go to Google, cut and paste, and call it research.” That was the message Nancy Butler, the librarian at East High School, took to the Des Moines Public Schools School Board meeting on February 19, 2008. Butler believes that the new 9th grade building needs a full-service librarian, not just an associate to check out books. She said she and the principal have agreed to disagree on this point but to Butler a librarian is important to help students learn how to access, to evaluate, and to use material.

Also speaking during the general public comment period of the meeting was Suzette Jensen, a former board member, She expressed concern that official minutes of the board’s meetings have not been including identifying information for referenced documents. Jensen said this makes it difficult for someone to follow board actions through prior meetings.

Concern over timely access to information was expressed by members of the public regarding renovations to the Wallace-Homestead building. There was some confusion as to whether the agenda item should have been labeled a public hearing and if that description meant a vote could not be taken at the same meeting. DMPS staff said they met requirements for meeting notices, mostly through use of the district’s web site and notices posted in buildings. Dan Sloan of Baldwin White Architects described the layout of the floors with great joy. He said the facade of the Greek Revival building will be changed only as necessary to bring the entrance into compliance with accessibility laws. The design was created with the idea that college-level courses are being taught in the building but that it still needs to include security controls, such as having the office at the entrance to the building. Needs identified by students, by teachers, and by the community were taken into consideration. DMPS Chief Operating Officer Bill Good said the needs identified in the site plan, now several years old, were incorporated into the design. The board approved the second payment, in the amount of $72,247.57, to Baldwin White for their architectural services at the Wallace-Homestead building as part of the consent agenda. The total fee is estimated at $569,668 and is now 26% complete. Under separate votes the board also approved contracts for windows, drywall, and doors for the building.

Other items in the consent agenda included a contract for approximately $65,000 (FY 2009) to One Source through the Iowa Association of School Boards to run background checks on prospective employees and for approximately $80,000 (FY 2009) out of the Human Resources budget to the Des Moines Register for job and career fair advertising. The 6-8 Middle School Vocal and General Music Instructional Materials Committee recommended materials for a required general music course ($121,806) and for an elective vocal music course.($40,128).

The East High Foundation asked the board to give support to a proposal by Grandview College to use Williams Stadium at the high school to play home games when it reinstates its football program. Approval was given with the conditions that the DMPS will manage the construction, all funds will be raised before construction begins, and no local option sales tax money will be used. Details include artificial turf to handle the extra traffic, a locker room for the college team, and design costs paid for by the college. East High and Grandview already have a relationship due to their proximity to each other and to scholarships that allow the high school’s graduates to attend the college.

The final main agenda item of the meeting was a monitoring report under Policy Governance related to graduation ends. Superintendent Dr. Nancy Sebring said her staff took the opportunity of this report to look at the data that currently exists, processes, and where the district wants to go. They discovered there are some gaps. During public comments, Mary Ann Spicer said the report contained “lots of universal statements.” She was concerned that many African American students are not progressing as they should be but that the collective district data would not show that. This was an issue raised by board members, as well. Teree Caldwell-Johnson said, “there’s no way I’m going to accept a monitoring report that doesn’t” breakdown data by race, e.g., suspension rates and absenteeism. There was some talk among the board and the superintendent as to what the numbers mean and a work session was suggested to look at the story behind them.

Additional meeting information is available in Part 1 and in a commentary on board communications. I placed a call to the DMPS to inquire about the deliverable for Baldwin White that was in the consent agenda, but had not received a response by the time I posted this item.

M.R. Field covers school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com.  

Iowans tell time by sports. Some of the most important marks on that stadiachron correlate to late winter. They are the high school championships in wrestling, girls basketball, and boys basketball. These take place in Des Moines and usually coincide with major weather events. The 2008 wrestling matches got under way on Wednesday, February 13th.

While having lunch with a friend I commented that I was wondering what to write about wrestling for AroundDesMoines.com. That started my friend talking about her six-year-old grandson and the wrestling matches in which he competes. She is proud of the sportsmanship her grandson displays but wishes he participated in a different sport. She also said it can get to be too much, there were four competitions in two days on one weekend. I was telling another friend about this conversation later that day and she thought it was neat that children as young as four, both boys and girls, are wrestling. The second friend’s brothers competed in wrestling when they were in school.

The 1963 Encyclopedia Britannica calls wrestling “one of the most primitive and universal of sports.” The entry goes on to note that hundreds of wrestling scenes can be found “[u]pon the walls of the temple-tombs of Eni Hasan, near the Nile. These date from approximately 3,000 B.C. “Great reliance is placed upon the power of the arms and particularly of the hands….” If you are interested in details of the 2008 wrestling matches, check out details on the Iowa High School Athletic Association web pages.

For Iowans looking to relive their high school years through other drama, High School Reunion returns to the Des Moines Playhouse on February 15th. Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 6.30 p.m. through March 8th. Tickets cost $40 and include dinner. This is an interactive comedy, with the play and the audience moving from the main stage to the Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre as part of the performance.

The Olson-Larsen Gallery (203 Fifth Street, West Des Moines) has an opening on Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.. New work by William Barnes, Richard Black, Priscilla Steele, Jack Wilkes, and Amy Worthen will be featured. You can also enjoy a retrospective of 50 years of work by Cornelis Ruhtenberg.

“Mojo” Jono Smith is the featured musician at Sunday’s Blues at the Botanical Center from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $4.

Monday is Cultural Advocacy Day. Take a moment and call or write your state legislator to share your opinion on the importance of the arts. Events are scheduled at the Capitol and East Village locations.

The last forum to discuss a diversity plan for the Des Moines Public Schools is on Saturday. It will be held from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Moulton Extended Learning Center (1541 8th Street). After you do your civic duty, go down to Gray’s Lake for an ice fishing lesson from the Polk County Conservation Board. Meet at the North Entrance (1400 Fleur Drive) at 1:00 p.m.

M.R. Field encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com.

In any discussion of girls’ and women’s sports in Iowa I feel compelled to add just a note about Iowa high school girls’ 6 on 6 basketball. It was a wonderful game played by generations of Iowa girls from 1898 until 1993. Catch a little of the history on a site developed by Dennis Brum.

In the history link if you have Flash 5 you will see a very short clip ending with, “There goes Brinkmeyer, all the way down and under and scoops and scores.” Of course that was Lisa Brinkmeyer of Hubbard. Lisa graduated from Hubbard-Radcliffe in 1993, the last year that Iowa girls played 6 on 6 basketball. She is in the IGHSAU Basketball Hall of Fame and also in the record books of softball. Lisa went on to play at Drake on several of Drake’s finest women’s basketball teams.

Lisa is just one example of the tens of thousands of examples of how important women’s sports in Iowa are to the development of strong, capable and confident women. I could tell you about hundreds of athletes who in their earlier lives were “Iowa girls,” many of whom played 6 on 6 high school basketball. I have met them at Drake in the classroom and through Drake sports, great people and great athletes like Jan Jensen of Elkhorn-Kimballton, Jenni Fitzgerald of North Scott, Lisa Geiss now Bluder of Linn-Mar, Tammy Blackstone of Cherokee, Kristi Kinne now Hayes of Jefferson, Laura Leonard of Des Moines Roosevelt, Deha Peyton now Miller of Linn-Mar, Lorri Bauman of Des Moines East, Keisha Cox of Des Moines Lincoln, Connie Newlin of West Des Moines Valley, Nicole Hennigan of Dowling Catholic, Carole Baumgarten of Hartley, Julie Fitzpatrick of Davenport Assumption, Linda Sayavongchanh of Des Moines Lincoln, Julie Rittgers of West Des Moines Valley, Kay Riek now DeLeo of Grundy Center, Natalie Raub of Union, Jan Krieger of Winfield-Mt. Union and these are just a few of the Iowans. (I know it’s provincial, but I am omitting the out-of-staters.) The lives of these people have been molded in very positive ways by their participation in high school sports in Iowa.

Lisa Brinkmeyer VanDeventer now works at the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Incidently the IGHSAU does a great job for us, Iowa. As they point out on their website the IGHSAU “is the only organization in the nation solely devoted to interscholastic competition for girls. Over 70,000 students participate in IGHSAU sponsored events.” Be grateful. And don’t forget about the upcoming Iowa girls basketball games this month and in March: district and regional pairings and state tournament pairings.

At $8/session tickets for the tournament games are a bargain. The district and regional games are less, and you will see some of tomorrow’s leaders. Maybe you will see your future attorney (Newlin, Blackstone), veterinarian (Miller), physical therapist (Fitzpatrick), Habitat for Humanity director (Baumgarten), sportscaster (Leonard), or your daughter’s basketball coach (Bluder, Jensen, Fitzgerald).

Photo credit: Photo on flickr by kurros

Guest Writer: James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.

Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Central Iowa News, Athletes, 6 on 6 Iowa Girls’ Basketball

Today may be Super Bowl Sunday but Wednesday, February 6, 2008, is the 22nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This year’s theme is “All In” but when I talk to people about the day, I push for women being in all parts of the game. That means not only playing, but also coaching, being referees, managing, reporting, and owning. Even understanding the rules of the game as fans is important.

When writing the accompanying post about the basic rules of football, I realized just how much football is a game of strategy, individual ability, and teamwork. While I think memorizing details of sports teams and games over a span of years is a display of obsessive-compulsive disorder, having knowledge of the rules is good training for many professions. In politics, as in football, rules can give a player the opportunity to run all the way and the option of taking a protected breather. Football also demonstrates that strategy needs to change depending upon the opponent, the condition of the playing area, and the current physical condition of any given player. Being this adaptable, and prepared, is good for a business owner and for a campaign manager.

Teams that win based on the scores of individual performers could be good for understanding how a business can grow while allowing telecommuting. Track and field is an example of this. A discus thrower may place third in her competition, while a teammate could win the 100 meter hurdles. The competitions take place at different times and with different standards. Yet the outcomes of both competitions are included in the recognition accorded to the entire school or national team. Moreover, much of the training between meets is done as individuals.

Athletes learn about discipline and consequences. In Iowa’s schools, athletes know that they won’t play if they fail classes. Athletes also understand that they cannot be at peak performance if they don’t stay in condition and eat properly, particularly during a sport’s season. For the purposes of this commentary I won’t delve into the special treatment given to some star players, and the excuses made for their performances off the playing field.

Girls and women in Iowa have numerous opportunities to partake in organized or individual sports. In addition to playing golf on several golf courses, there is ice skating in the winter and public pools for swimming in the summer. There is the amateur portion of the triathlon, a marathon, non-profit races (e.g., Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure), and a rowing club. There is a group of women playing Granny Basketball and other women playing soccer, football, and even skating in roller derby competitions. Des Moines plays up the high school girls’ basketball tournament as much as it does the boys’ tournament. There are numerous teams in the state’s many colleges and universities, with women competing in sports that include basketball, soccer, tennis, softball, field hockey, cross country running, rowing, volleyball, and track and field.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.  

Iowa has a women’s football team, but many women, and probably some men, know nothing about the game. For Super Bowl Sunday, here is a quick and limited primer:

A football team is composed of players who specialize in certain positions. Only 11 players from each team are allowed on the field at any time. Team is used also to describe the role a group of players takes in the game. For example, there is an offensive team to handle the ball, a defensive team to stop the other team from scoring, and assorted special teams, such as the team that moves in for field goal attempts. The Quarterback is part of the offense.

The football field is 100 yards long with an “H” shaped goal post at each end. Where a goal post stands is called the end zone. Each team has an end zone and half the field (50 yards), which they alternate for the second half.

Touch downs (6 points) and field goals (3 points) are the most common forms of scoring. A touchdown occurs when a player runs into the end zone while holding the ball or catches the ball while standing in the end zone. After a touch down, a team is given an opportunity to score extra (conversion) points. This can be achieved by kicking the ball over the goal post (1 point) or by carrying the ball into the end zone (2 points). A field goal is awarded when the ball is kicked over the goal posts. Distance from the post, distance of the ball off the ground, and effects of the wind are some elements that factor into a field goal. If a member of the opposing team captures a live ball (i.e., a ball in play) but is tackled while in the end zone, that is called a safety (2 points). The safety is not seen very often but it has helped win some games.

A ball goes out of play when the player carrying it touches the ground with a knee or elbow. When you see a player catch a ball and drop immediately to his knee, he is stopping the action for that play. If a ball is thrown, the receiver must be inside the field or in the end zone. Otherwise the toss is considered incomplete. As soon as the player carrying the ball rushes over the side lines, the ball is dead. If he catches the ball with at least one foot on the side line, the play does not count.

The team with the ball has four attempts (downs) to move the ball 10 yards. If the ball cannot be moved 10 yards in 4 attempts, the ball changes hands. The 10 yards can become 15, 20, or more due to penalties or tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The line of scrimmage is the yard line where the ball was when it last went out of play.

There are 60 minutes in the game, divided into 2 halves of 2 15-minute quarters each. Some plays, such as incomplete passes, will automatically stop the clock. The referees also can have the clock stopped, kept running, or pushed back.

There are numerous penalties that can be assessed against a team but the opposing team has the opportunity to ignore some penalties. For example, if the defense moves too close to the offense before the ball is in play, that is called offsides. But if that play resulted in a touchdown, the team that has the ball may decline the penalty and keep the touchdown.

M.R. Field is edtior of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

According to a KCCI-TV meteorologist, after this week the average temperature in Des Moines starts to rise. A glance at The Weather Channel’s web site confirms this. Of course, with 8 degrees Fahrenheit forecasted for Saturday’s high, history may be of little comfort to city residents. According to The Weather Channel, January is the coolest month, July the warmest, and June the wettest. The lowest temperature on record is -30 deg. in 1884; the highest is 110 deg. in 1936. According to the National Weather Service’s Climate Summary, 2007 in Des Moines was the 12th wettest, the 5th snowiest, and tied for the 24th warmest on record.

There is one benefit to this seasonal cold. Three ponds in the city are now open for ice skating. A green flag means skating conditions exist; a red flag means the proper conditions do not exist. You can skate at Greenwood Park, MacRae Park, and Gray’s Lake Park. The first two are open sunrise to sunset. Gray’s Lake is open 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

In just over two weeks, the Des Moines Winter Games will begin. These are designed for fun with a low entry-fee for participants and opportunities to watch the activities for free. If you are enjoying the exercise, remember that Wednesday, February 6th, is the 22nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The theme this year is “All In.” One of the organizations holding activities around the day encourages people to wear sports attire of their favorite team. In Iowa, we have competitive teams in roller derby, soccer, and football. There is also Granny Basketball for women over 50, but they take referees of all ages. There is a tryout for Granny Basketball on Thursday, January 24th, at the DMPS Central Campus, at 1800 Grand at 5:30 p.m.

Chinese New Year, Groundhog Day, Michaelmas, and Imbolc are some of the celebrations that take place as mid-winter approaches in the early days of February. Chinese New Year (Gung Hoy Fat Choy!) will be celebrated on February 7th. It will be the year of the rat. For those who prefer Michaelmas, Ash Wednesday is on February 6th. I’m never sure whether to think of the blessing of the candles as a thank you for providing light through the long winter nights or as a plea for them to last through the last few weeks of winter weather.

I like cold weather but there is something about Des Moines that makes it worse than any other place where I’ve lived. The day I had to photograph Des Moines at mid-Winter as part of my seasonal environmental art project was not pleasant. This was in February 2006 and the temperature was not too bad; it was in the 20’s with some sunshine. Yet, by the time I finished the last shot, caught the bus, and made it back to my apartment, I was chilled through to the bone. It took more than two hours for me to warm up.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

The Orange Bowl will pit the University of Kansas Jayhawks (#8) against Virginia Tech’s Hokies (#3 and the Atlantic Coast Conference champions). It will be played in Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida, and will be broadcast on the FOX television network and on ESPN radio. The game begins at 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. For those who like clearly-stated corporate associations, the football game is known officially as the FedEx Orange Bowl. The halftime performance by ZZ Top seems to mock the caucuses. The band consists of three baby boomers with Texas roots who played during ceremonies for Pres. Bush’s 2001 inauguration. Kansas fans no doubt hope that Thomas Frank’s 2004 book, What’s the Matter with Kansas?, is only a question for the Democratic Party, not for their gridiron team.

Caucus of the Future is being billed as an alternative for people who don’t identify themselves as either Democrats or Republicans. A look at the schedule suggests it is also being held to help plan how to take advantage of the political parties’ conventions being relatively close to Iowa. It is being put together with volunteers and donations and with support of the Sweet Bee information shop. This caucus will have workshops, presentations, games, live music, and plenty of opportunity to learn about different political choices. It will be held on January 2nd and on January 3rd at the Drake Legal Clinic at 24th and University. On the 3rd from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m. the caucus activities wrap up with dinner (vegan), networking, and plans for the future. At 8:00 p.m. there will be what is described as a hardcore punk show with The Power Plant, Waster, Take Control, Shrill, et al. at The Best Place Ever (1159 24th Street).

If you insist upon going to a political caucus, you need first to decide if you are going to attend a Republican or a Democratic caucus. The two parties have different starting times, different locations, and different rules and procedures. Even if you do not want to support a particular candidate, you can still attend the caucus. Indeed, beyond identifying which candidate has the plurality of support, the caucuses are the first step in injecting new ideas into party platforms from the grassroots up. The problem with attending just for the platforms is that there may be nobody caring whether you can make it there and back home.

The preferences shown during the caucuses are not binding upon the delegates elected to the county conventions. However, a statement on the Iowa Republican Party’s web site states that delegates usually feel bound to honor the vote. The Democratic Party selects its county convention delegates based on the number of supporters each candidate preference group has. Both state parties now have precinct caucus locations available on their web sites.

If you need help with historical perspective, on January 3, 2009, Alaska celebrates 50 years of statehood. The next state to celebrate 200 years will be Louisiana (#18) on April 30, 2012.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 

This is the type of weekend for which Sunday bus service is useful. Start Sunday off with a bus ride downtown to the Greater Des Moines Exhibited 14 artists’ reception at the Polk County Heritage Art Gallery (2nd & Walnut). This show is a juried exhibition running through January 31, 2008. The reception on November 18th is from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., with awards presented at 2:00. Skip out about 1:30 to catch the Route 5 bus westbound to the Forest Avenue branch of the Des Moines Public Library (13th & Forest).

Usually the Forest Avenue library is closed on Sundays but it will be open from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the 18th for a special event. Fruteland Jackson will help celebrate the newly-expanded library with a presentation, “All About the Blues.” According to information on a poster promoting the event, Jackson will talk about the origins of the blues, including field hollers and work songs, and will play songs representing the Piedmont, Delta, and Ragtime styles. Leave at about 2:50 p.m., to catch the Route 5 bus for a trip to Drake University.

Guest conductors Robert Sund of Stockholm, Sweden, and Sandra Snow of Michigan State University will join four Drake choruses and the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble on the Jordan Stage at Sheslow Auditorium (2507 University) for “The Earth Adorned: A Scandinavian Sampler.” Also conducting will be Carol Stewart, a Drake music alumna who celebrated her 65th birthday recently. The performances start at 3:00 p.m. so it may not be possible to go to both the library and the Drake events, but it is very tempting to try. The only cost for this afternoon excursion would be the $1.25 bus fares. The events listed above are free admission.

If you prefer sampling music all in one place, check out Little Big Fest at the Hotel Fort Des Moines (10th & Walnut) on Saturday, November 17th. Eleven local bands will play on two stages, an electric and an acoustic. You can hear all of them for $8 or for $10 if you pay at the door. The first group starts playing at 7:00 p.m. and the last one is scheduled for 12:30 a.m.

For those readers in the Christmas mood, Valley Junction has a Holiday Open House with special activities on Thursday, the 15th, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The East Village Holiday Promenade is on Friday, the 16th, also from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker is in the city for one show only, on Thursday, the 15th, at 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium (833 Fifth Avenue). Tickets are $25 to $100.

For sports fans, the Drake Bulldogs women’s basketball team plays on Friday against Sacramento State. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. at the Knapp Center (2601 Forest Avenue). If you’ve been meaning to check out the Iowa Stars hockey team, they play Chicago on Friday and Quad City on Saturday, both games are at 7:07 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena (703 Third).

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.