Weekend Pick: Arts, Sports, and Politics

On Sunday, March 9, 2008, the hour of 2:00 a.m. will be lost as Daylight Savings Time begins. The theft of time will put sunrise in Des Moines at 7:36 a.m. and sunset at 7:15 p.m.

The Polk County Republican Convention is on Saturday, March 8th. The location had to be moved to Hy-Vee Hall from the county convention complex. The original location would not have handled the 1126 delegates, 500 alternates, and 200 junior delegates selected at the January caucuses. There is a social reception on Friday, March 7th, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Hy-Vee Hall (730 Third Street); cost is $10.

For a different type of oratory, head over to the State Historical Museum (600 East Locust) at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday for the Poetry Out Loud Competition. High school students will perform poems written by Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, and many other poets. The winner of this state championship will compete in April at the nationals in Washington, DC.

A documentary, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, will be shown at the State Historical Museum on Thursday, March 6th, at 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, March 9th at 2:00 p.m. Cost is $5. The film looks at underground hip-hop MC’s and DJ’s from the 1980’s to the present day. The Floor Spiders will perform and answer questions after each showing. Take time to look at the artwork by students from across Iowa that is in the museum’s lobby.

The Lipizzaner Stallions perform at Wells Fargo Arena (730 Third Avenue) at 2:00 and at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. They will also be performing in Ottumwa at the Bridge View Center on Monday and Tuesday, the 10th and 11th, at 7:30 p.m. The low-end price for tickets in Ottumwa is $105. You can also catch the show in Spencer on Saturday, the 8th, at 2:00 and at 7:30 p.m. at the Clay County Regional Events Center.

The Iowa boys high school basketball championship games will continue through Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Des Moines Women’s Club’s 100th Annual Art Exhibition runs from March 8th through next Sunday, the 16th. Local professional and amateur artists will have work on display in the galleries at Hoyt Sherman Place (15th and Woodland). Admission is free.

Leslie Becker will give a gallery talk on Cornelis Ruhtenberg’s paintings now on exhibit at Olson-Larsen Gallery (203 5th Street, West Des Moines). The talk is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Peter Pan will be performed by the Iowa Dance Theater at Hoyt Sherman Place on Saturday at 2:00 and at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $14-$25.

This week’s performer at Botanical Blues is Paul Johnson. Adult tickets are $4.00; time is 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The location is the Botanical Center (909 Robert D. Ray Drive).

Kidsfest will be held in the Varied Industries Building at the fairgrounds from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Tickets are $7. This fun-filled event raises money for Children & Families of Iowa.

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