Weekend Pick: Stay Inside

Saturday’s high temperature keeps dropping the closer the weekend comes. Pull out those toys and games you received for Christmas and just stay inside. If playing with the family or the roommates does not sound appealing, the Minnesota Zoo developed a computer game called WolfQuest that lets the player experience life as a wolf in Yellowstone. It is available as a free download and described in an Associated Press story.

If you must get out of the house, you might like to attend the Iowa Home Show in the Fairgrounds’ Varied Industries Building on Friday (4:00-8:00 p.m.), Saturday, (10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.), or Sunday (11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.). This is just one of several home, garden, and patio shows that will be held across the state in the next few weeks. What makes this one better or worse than any of the others, or how the admission price compares, is something with which I am not familiar. Any experts out there care to offer their opinions in the comments section?

Whether you stay home or brave the weather, remember that snow is to be removed from sidewalks in Des Moines within 48 hours of the precipitation’s last flake. Take it in small parts and it can be accomplished, even in the cold. This snowfall is so light and fluffy that I’ve been able to clear sidewalks easily with just a broom. Although, those who have sidewalks heavily traveled will have packed snow and need a shovel.

If the battery on the car doesn’t work, you might be able to take a local bus to an auto shop to buy a replacement. My delight in being car-free is reinforced at this time of year when people I know get up every couple of hours during the night to run their cars for fifteen minutes just to make sure the vehicles will start come morning.

Plenty of choices exist for people interested in the performing arts. For those with children, or who are children at heart, Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy wraps up its run at the Des Moines Playhouse this weekend. For the more mature audience, the The Male Intellect: The Second Coming!, a solo show by Robert Dubac offers comedic entertainment at The Temple for Performing Arts (10th and Locust). Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, January 17th and 18th; 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 19th; and, 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 20th. Tickets are $22.50

It is week three out of eight for Blues at the Botanical Center. Scott Long and Greg Sutherland are featured. Admission is $4.00 for adults. The time is 1:00-3:00 p.m. If you find yourself south of the Botanical Center on Robert D. Ray Drive, take a quick look at the pagoda and gardens. The grounds still are closed off for construction, but much work has been done in recent weeks.

Monday, January 21st, is the holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal, state, and city offices, including public libraries, will be closed.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. She encourages organizations and performers to send news about their upcoming events to events@AroundDesMoines.com.