Illumifest

Illumifest held on September 28th, 2013 at 4200 Mills Civic Parkway (West Des Moines City School Campus) is A Fall Festival of Light. It offers a variety of activities and events for people of all ages!  The excitement begins Saturday afternoon with the inagural edition of the Illumifest Car Show.  The carnival rides and games will open Saturday morning and run throughout the day, and well as a wide variety of food stands.  Saturday evening will feature many of the Illumifest events that have made this festival the fastest growing community event in West Des Monies. 

*all information taken directly from Illumifest website.

Schedule of Events 4200 Mills Civic Parkway Saturday - September 28, 2013
Illumifest Car Show Registration	11:00-2:00pm
Carnival/Food Vendors Open	1:00pm
Illumifest Car Show	2:00-4:00pm
FREE Paddle Boat Rides	3:00-8:00pm
Chinese Association Displays and Exhibits	4:00pm
FREE Lantern Making (Limited to first 1,000 people)	5:00pm
FREE Hot Air Balloon Rides (Rides are limited  & allow only two people per ride, riders must meet height restriction to ride)	5:30pm
FREE Facepainting by Library Teen Board in the    WDM Library Cafe.	6:00pm
FREE Outdoor Movie - Disney's  "Brave"	7:30pm
Fireworks Extravaganza over the Campus Pond	9:00pm
Festival Concludes	9:15pm

The hands-on lantern making activity starts at 5:00 pm.  Get creative and decorate a paper lantern to light the night!  Each lantern comes with its own LED light to illuminate your creation!  Supplies are limited to the first 1,000 people, and when they are gone...they are gone.

FREE Disney/Pixar movie "Brave" will be shown on a HUGE outdoor screen Saturday evening!  Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy this fun movie on the lawn of the WDM Library at 7:30 pm.

FREE hot-air balloon rides will be available Saturday evening starting at 5:30 pm.  Three balloons this year for shorter waiting lines!  Weather can play a huge role in the number of rides available.  Rides are limited to only 2 people per ride, and riders must meet a height restriction in order to ride.   

Adel Sweet Corn Festival

One of my favorite festivals of the summer (I think I might say that a lot since I just love summer festivals) is the Adel Sweet Corn festival.  The 2013 festival is on August 10th this year.

The event begins with a 5k at 8am and a parade from 9:30-11 and then the vendor fair with inflatables for the kids commences with a huge FREE corn feed!  Tons of the sweetest Adel sweet corn is given away and you can eat all you want until they run out.  There is a free will donation box there if you want to donate.  There is usually a long line, but as soon as the feed starts, the line goes fast.

In past years KIOA was there giving out prizes and there were live animals and sheep sheering demonstrations.  Lots of other food and product vendors are there as well selling the usual fair food like corn dogs and tenderloins.

This festival is worth the short drive to Adel for some of the most delicious corn and a fun morning.

We usually park in one of the areas where there is shuttle pick up because parking right around the festival is tough, but the shuttles run often and are are a short trip.

Who doesn't love a celebration based around corn?!

Which festival is your favorite of the summer??

Weekend Review - June 28th - July 1st

June 28th
unWINEd
Come out to the terrace overlooking Grey's Lake every other Friday evening from 5:30pm - 8:30pm for live music, beer and wine.  Burgers and other food will be available from the grill. Music by Soul Searchers on June 28th.

June 28th - 30th
Des Moines Art Festival

June 28th
Yoga at The Glen
6pm-7pm 
All ages welcome!
Free outdoor yoga compliments of Power Life Yoga to live music!Yoga starts at 6:00pm, stay and enjoy the music until 11:00.
Every participant receives a free bottle of water and a complimentary sweat towel.
Caribou Coffee will be serving up free fruit smoothies. Enjoy a drink on Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar's patio.Caribou Coffee will be serving up free fruit smoothies. Enjoy a drink on Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar's patio.

June 29th, 2013
Downtown Farmer's Market
7am to noon

June 29 - 30, 2013
ArtsFest Midwest: The Other Art Show
Iowa State Fairgrounds' Varied Industries Building, Des Moines
Sat 10 - 6 p.m.; Sun 10 - 5 p.m.
Admission: Free

June 29, 2013
Iowa Barnstormers vs. San Antonio Talons
Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center, Des Moines
7:05 p.m.

June 30, 2013
Sunday Tunes @ Summerset Winery
Music by Abby Normal, Food by Local Yocals

June 30, 2013
Live At The Creek Kickoff with Decoy & Fireworks

Join us for “Live at the Creek” summer concert series, presented by Stivers, every Sunday from 5 – 8pm at Jordan Creek Town Center! Enjoy live music from the amphitheater or one of the five lakeside patio restaurants, and a wine & beer garden next to the amphitheater. “Live at the Creek” summer concert series is a great way to spend your Sunday evenings. Admission is free and will feature crowd favorites including Decoy, The Tony Valdez Large Band & Retro Rockets, Boomerang, Final Mix, Flipside, and Pianopalooza. Jordan Creek Town Center, “Live at the Creek” FREE summer concert series, Sundays 5-8pm, June 30th through September 1st. Time: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Location: Lake District

July 1st, 2013
Dishcrawl Des Moines - Celebrate Des Moines Independence from boring food.
Landing on the week where our nation celebrates it’s independence, we have set up a Dishcrawl adventure for you. This Dishcrawl takes place in the western part of Down Town Des Moines. Whether it be a twist on a traditional favorite, or exciting new dish at a Des Moines treasure, you don’t want to miss out on this Dishcrawl! 

This event is presented by your local favorite blog, Eat, Play, Love Des Moines. “Looking for fun, fresh places to go in Des Moines? We are giving you reviews of the best places to eat, play and enjoy Des Moines. We'll show you things to do you never even knew existed! We know you'll love Des Moines too!”
It's a guessing game! We’re keeping the names of the restaurants we will be visiting a secret for now, but here and there we’ll give you some hints. Follow us on Twitter @dishcrawldsm and be the first to know!
Where to Meet Us: All ticket holders will be notified of meeting location via email, 48 hours prior to the event.

June 8-July 14

Family Summer Camp at Bass Pro Shops Altoona Iowa

Noon to 5 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday Free crafts, special workshops for kids, and activities! The fun starts at noon (unless otherwise noted)! Activities: Our new Daisy BB Gun inflatable shooting range The fabulous FREE wildlife carousel Casting Buckets Soft Foam Shooting Arcade Workshops (See schedule below) Crafts (different craft each week) 12 – 2 p.m. Homemade Ice Cream - Saturdays only 5-6 p.m. Each child will receive ONE free lanyard (while supplies last) and then earn a FREE pin at the end of each workshop they attend. Here's the workshop schedule: Tuesdays Noon - Bird Watching 1:00 - Fishing 2:00 - Archery 3:00 - Outdoor Discovery 4:00 - Backyard Adventure Thursdays Noon -Archery 1:00 - Shooting & Hunting 2:00 - Wildlife Exploration 3:00 - Water Safety 4:00 - Camping Saturdays Noon - Fishing 1:00 - Water Safety 2:00 - Hunting & Shooting 3:00 - Outdoor Discovery 4:00 - Bird Watching Sundays Noon - Hunting & Shooting 1:00 - Archery 2:00 - Wildlife Adventure 3:00 - Camping 4:00 - Backyard Adventure

Follow us on FACEBOOK HERE for the most current updates and happenings =)

Des Moines Arts Festival

Don't miss this year's Art Festival!  This is an awesome annual event and the 2013 Des Moines Art Festival will be held June 28th (11am-10pm), June 29th (10am-10pm-fireworks at 10pm) and June 30th (10am-5pm) in Downtown Des Moines' Western Gateway Park.

This Art Festival is one of the best in the nation and it's FREE!  Of course you'll want to purchase some yummy food from the vendors and maybe even some art. But, perusing is free!  There are some events you can sign up for in advance for a fee like canvas painting classes as well.

There is music, dancing, games and art projects for kids, food, lots of fun and of course great art!

Check out the Des Moines Art Festival's website for more info about the festival, lodging if you're coming from out of town and more.

This is a really fun event to experience Des Moines and all of the local talent, a bunch of local restaurant offerings and see the beautiful sculpture garden downtown.  Check it out!  A very family-friendly, awesome event!

Free Art Exhibits!

If you like art and want to check out some of the newest art displays around, check out the Anderson Gallery at Drake University.  

It was established in 1996 and hosts curated exhibitions of historically significant work, as well as annual showcases of student work from the Department of Art+Design. They are a not-for-profit branch of the Department of Arts and Sciences at Drake University, occupying a versatile 1800 sq. ft. space on the first floor of the Harmon Fine Arts Center.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 4pm. They offer extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm. All exhibitions and exhibition-related events are free and open to the public.

For the current exhibition information check out their website here.

We checked the Magpie Tendencies exhibit a few months ago and were totally impressed. Even my 5 year old can't wait to go see the next exhibit.  

Note: They are only open during the school year.

Swine Fest

Swine Festival is a wonderful collaboration of Iowa's wineries and Iowa's local restaurants teaming up to bring you pork dishes and wine samples all hosted by The Iowa Culinary Institute at DMACC in Ankeny.  It's actually a benefit for the viticulture and enology program at DMACC, so you can drink up happily knowing it's for a good cause!

Basically, you show up and get your map, wine glass and ticket for your bottle of wine and start sampling.  All wine samples, food samples and your bottle of wine are included in the ticket price (Which was $35 for 2013).  Designated driver/children's tickets can be purchased as well (For $20 this year) which included food samples, but not wine samples.

After you find your favorite wine you can trade your wine bottle ticket in at that winery's booth for your bottle of wine to take home.  I suppose you could drink it there, but with hundreds of wine samples, I'm not sure why you would.

Tip: get there early.  The lines start getting longer as the day goes on.

Some of the wineries there were Jasper Winery, Vida Loca Winery, Snus Hill Winery and many more. Some of the restaurants present were, Tacopocalypse, Tamales Industry, Mo Rub, Flemmings and many more.  You won't go hungry at this event!!

The rain held out long enough for spend a few hours basking in the porky goodness and washing it down with the juice of the Gods.  Hope you can make it out to next year's event!  I'll make sure to let you all know when it's time to buy your tickets!

Lunch Unplugged

We had the pleasure of going to one of the "Lunch Unplugged" performances at the Temple Theater last week.  It was so cool!  Each season Des Moines Performing arts sets up lunch hour performances that showcase Des Moines' talent.

Each performance starts at 12:00pm and ends before 1:00pm so you can eat lunch (that you can purchase from South Union Bread Company, which is right downstairs) or bring your own and be back to work all in an hour.  An awesome thing to do if you work downtown or don't have to work and can just come to the show.

Last week's perfomance was by the Des Moines Ballet.  It was really cool to see Des Moines resident Ballet Dancers in action and to learn all about them all while enjoying a yummy South Union lunch.  Other shows this season include The Des Moines Metro Opera, a Folk/Bluegrass Band and a Singer/Songwriter.  This is the third year they have done the series and you can look for them to release the performance schedule for next season soon.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door and you can order your South Union Bread lunch when you purchase your ticket online. We missed the cutoff to order online so we ordered on the South Union Bread website on the day of the show and had it ready for pick up before the show.

So nice to add a little bit of culture to your day!  If you have the opportunity, check out the schedule for the rest of the season and see if you can fit one in.

Bugs your kids will love...Moonbugs!

Kids being silly and showing
off their completed art projects.

Have you heard about the hippest art classes in town?  Moonbugs is the brainchild of artist Abbey Kennedy who started Moonbugs after studying art therapy and honing her skills as a pre-k teacher and also as an art director working with at-risk children.

Seriously cute necklaces the students
made in class for Mother's day gifts.

Moonbugs is held at Abbey's in-home studio near the Art Center.  Abbey offers classes for kids starting at age 2 and even holds special classes for homeschool students.  She has a variety of class times available in the mornings, on weekends and after school.  You can find the calendars here: Moonbugs Class Calendar.

All of the classes include an art project focusing an a project inspired by an influential artist, a creative snack and some playtime.  My son has been attending her classes for a while now and just adores them.  The structure is great because you don't have to commit to a certain day and time every week, you can just sign up for the classes that fit your schedule and that your child would enjoy.  

Moonbugs classes are a relaxed environment where kids learn to enjoy art without pressure or competition, learn real art techniques as well as delve into sensory-stimulating projects and just have a great time being with other kids.  Plus, parents get time to meet with other parents for coffee or get some errands done. It's a win-win!

I encourage you to explore the Moonbugs website. I think you'll immediately get a feel for what a great activity your kids will be participating in when they come to a class. Check it out!

Don't play with my (glass) heart!

Today we took a short drive (25 minutes south of Des Moines) to Indianola to take a fused glass class at Indianola Glass Creations.  The store is so neat with lots of already-made, unique items to purchase.  Blown-glass earnings, rings and pendants make great Valentine's Day gifts guys!  It's also about 5 miles south of Summerset Winery so you can stop for some wine too to round out your v-day gift or stop in for the Sunday tunes from 2pm-5pm on most Sundays! Also very fun!

Indianola Glass Creations offers so many cool classes!  They have stained glass classes, jewelry making and beading classes, wire wrapping classes, lamp work and blown glass classes, and fused glass classes like we took today. (Click on the links for class times and prices.)  They also offer pottery painting and other general art classes, 32 classes in all!

The description of the class said "for all ages" so I brought my son along with us and he had a blast!  I think his glass sun-catcher valentine came out better than mine =) 

My sun-catcher before
being fired in the kiln.

Nathan's sun-catcher before
being fired in the kiln.

There was a wide age-range from seniors to little kids and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Rachel, the instructor said that she does a lot of girls-night classes where she pulls out the mixer and whips up some margaritas to enjoy while they work.

A finished product. Wouldn't
you love to get one of these
from your little valentine?

Nathan had fun designing
his sun-catcher.

The class prices are extremely reasonable and these are definitely projects you wouldn't take on at home, I guess unless if you owned a kiln or torch and don't mind pieces of glass around the house. Rachel was extremely helpful and

    patient with us.  I need a lot of direction!

We can't wait to try some other classes! We are already signed up for the St. Patrick's Day decorations and Easter egg classes! These classes are only $10 per person and make great gifts!  I encourage you to give it a shot!  You may just have a new hobby!  

Note: Understandably, it takes a few days for

some (not all)  of the projects to be finalized           in the kiln, so make sure to ask if the class you pick will require you to come back to pick it up if you are coming from a distance for the class.

So you think you're an artist?

You don't have to have taken tons of art classes to have fun at these painting classes!

All around the area, venues are popping up that offer a painting class along with options to purchase or bring in wine and snacks!  These make great girls-nights and have specified sessions that you can bring kiddos.  Some even offer date-night options where you each paint half of a picture on your own canvas....Valentine's Day date perhaps??

A few places offering these classes include :

*The Social Canvas in Waukee...They offer wine and beer for purchase, but allow you to take your own snacks.  We brought cheese and fruit last time and it was great!

*El Arte Uncorked which meets at local restaurants. This is kind of neat because you can order appetizers along with a wide selection of drinks while you paint.

*Wine & Canvas which also meets at local restaurants. They are also offering cookie and painting classes now! I'll let you know when I check THAT out!

*Glazed expressions in Clive...They've recently taken the plunge in offering these canvas classes after offering pottery and glass painting classes for a while now.

Tip: Make sure you check living social, group on or deal chicken as they often have coupons for these places!

Performing Arts for Kids!

Did you know you can take your kids to see awesome live shows at the Civic Center and Des Moines Playhouse?

Nathan gives two thumbs up for the Des Moines Symphony's Children's performance of "The Carnival of the Animals".

The next show at the Civic Center is on March 2nd and 1:00pm and is "The Ugly Duckling". Tickets are only $8 and they have a pre-show that allows kids to do crafts and meet performers!  Very fun!

Buy tickets for this show and other Civic Center shows here:

Des Moines Performing Arts

The next Des Moines Playhouse show is "The Kid Who Ran For President". It plays from March 1st to March 17th and you can purchase tickets here:
Des Moines Playhouse