Around Des Moines

This coming Monday is St. Patrick’s Day so I must start with the standard, but extremely important, reminders. If you are celebrating with alcohol, have a designated driver. That person could be a friend, a cab driver, or a bus driver, if you end the night early enough

The other St. Patrick’s Day warning goes out to the younger folks. Do not dive into or inch towards the central part of the street during Monday’s parade. Drivers of floats have lots of details they must notice. It is easy not to see a small child picking up candy. It may be fun to see who has collected the most stuff but as in any sport, disobeying rules can get you disqualified.

The Des Moines St. Patrick’s Day Parade always draws a crowd. It is presented by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and starts at noon on March 17th. The parade will follow Locust Street from 15th Street eastward across the Des Moines River to the Embassy Suites Hotel.

If you prefer more compact entertainment, there will be a free Irish Fest at the State Historical Museum (600 East Locust) from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Activities include watching dancers and listening to music. There will also be weavers, spinners, and Irish language lessons.

This will be the third Saturday of the month and that means the vault at the State Historical Museum will be open for tours. The cost is $12 for adults, $8 for children 7-12 years old. The tour starts at 10:30 a.m. and is limited to 20 people. At 1:30 p.m. is a tour of the Civil War Battle Flag Preservation Laboratory. This tour is limited to 7 participants, ages 16 years and older. Its cost is $20, or $18 for Historical Society members, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Iowa Battle Flag Preservation Fund. Both tours last an hour. Make your reservations at (515) 281-7395.

The Democratic Party’s county conventions are on Saturday the 15th, as is the state Libertarian Party convention. The Polk County Democrats will gather at Valley West High School in West Des Moines. The Libertarians will gather at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston.

J.D. Flanagan is the scheduled performer for Botanical Blues on Sunday the16th. Cost is $4 for adults. Time is 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Location is the Botanical Center on the east side of the Des Moines River.

Performing at Ritual Cafe (between 13th and Locust) will be Steve Kastli on Friday and Sharon Bousquet on Saturday. The time for both is 8:00 p.m.

Spring break for the Des Moines Public Schools is next week, March 17th through the 21st. That may mean more or fewer crowds at some of your favorite activity sites.

Grand Canyon: A River at Risk opens at the IMAX in the Science Center of Iowa on Friday the 14th. The film follows two father-daughter teams down the river to raise awareness about water issues across the globe.

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