The Great Pumpkin Party

We are so lucky to have so many fun, free or inexpensive Fall and Halloween events around the metro.  We of course just can't make it to all of them (though we try!)! Luckily, I have super friends, like my friend Mandi (who is also the Des Moines Dishcrawl Coordinator) who loves to take her kids to do cool stuff.

Mandi had a great time at The Great Pumpkin Party at The Valley Church this week and was nice enough to share about her experience!

This was my first year going, and let me say I am disappointed that I haven’t taken my son every year! I walked in and was instantly in shock, I didn't know which way to go.

 I was as excited at my son was. We ran to the first bright and shinning thing, which happened to be a hall lined with tables of "hands on" chemistry things for the kids to get into.  Very cool. 

Thankfully in our front door goody bag there was a map. We began to come up with some organized plan to try to make it to everything. 

So many inflatables, games, face painting stations and crafts. They had two photo booths which I managed to drag my son to and get great photos at both. 

The lines where long for everything but well worth the wait. Across the street in the brand new community center, they had more inflatables and a petting zoo along with pony rides. 

As hard as we tried, we couldn't make it to everything, but the event runs for a few days so you could always go to the next night to enjoy anything your kid-o might not of enjoyed the first night. 


We especially love this event because they have a special evening just for special needs kids.  It's the same awesome party, but they understand that big crowds aren't always conducive to to some kids needs and they make it happen just for them.


And did we mention this event was all FREE?! Great job Valley Church!

Dinner en Blanc/FlashDine

Have you heard of a Dinner en Blanc?  The concept originated in France as a private dinner party where everything, including the invitees are decked out in white.  A public place is chosen but not revealed to the guests until the day of the event.  Think of it like a FlashMob (You know where singers show up in a public place and put on a concert for surprised onlookers.) but instead of singing, everyone sets up tables, brings food and has a huge dinner party.  

This year marked the 3rd year that Des Moines held it's own version of this special event thanks to some dedicated food-lovers in the area like Larry Cleverly, Kim Wall and Rachel & Sheila Formaro.

The fun part about Des Moines' version is that you don't have to be invited to attend.  Everyone is welcome!  

This year's surprise location was the Riverwalk, right beneath the The Hub restaurant.  It was a perfect, beautiful, shady location.  Last year's FlashDine was held in the Sculpture Park downtown.


I'm already excited to start planning my menu and decorations for next year's event as the best decorated table wins a prize!  Make sure you follow us on Facebook because I'll post the link to the event as soon as it's posted for next year.

While sitting by the river with a glass of wine and our picnic dinner was a perfect date-night, the fun came when we started sharing our dishes with old friends and new.

My tip for this event when you come next year (and I hope you will) is to bring extra food for sharing because conversations happen and friends are made over food.  Don't be afraid to go to other tables and make new friends.  

We are so lucky to live in a city where new concepts are welcomed and embraced!  Such a cool event.

Ragbrai fun! Even if you aren't a biker!

Today's guest post is by my fabulous friend Christie who loves to get out and do fun things with her two adorable boys!  Today's adventure helped to prove that you can have fun during RAGBRAI even without the wheels!

What’s this RAGBRAI thing people keep talking about?  It’s just a bunch of crazy people riding bicycles across the state of IA in 100 degree heat, right?  Wrong!  It’s a week long, state wide (literally) celebration!

My oldest son loves riding his bike so I thought he’d get a kick out of seeing some of the bicyclists as they neared Des Moines.  Little did I know that the bikes are just the excuse for many communities to come together to have some fun! 

Dallas Center was the closest stop in the time we had available to go.  I did some research and found all kinds of fun things going on as the bikers rode through.

We arrived around 10:30 and walked the main stretch to see what we could find.  We found lots and lots and lots of bikes along with a lot of yummy smelling food stands.  If I hadn’t had two small kids in tow, I would have started eating my way through Dallas Center.

Biking not your thing?  What about BINGO where the winning number is selected by a chicken or cow dropping their load on a giant BINGO card?  I was hoping to see the action but it was going to be a while before they let the cow loose to do her business so we moved on.

The kids had seen the bounce houses when we arrived so it was time to let them play a bit.   Next to the inflatables was a small gazebo where a band was playing. 

The whole RAGBRAI atmosphere was so upbeat and fun.  We talked to several riders and everyone was so friendly despite having been on a bike for two and half days.  I overheard several riders talking about how welcoming everyone had been to them as well. 

If you get a chance, check out RAGBRAI at any of the upcoming stops this week (they’re in Des Moines!)  The atmosphere can’t be beat.  For more information, you can check out the RAGBRAI website: http://ragbrai.com/ 

Work at a vineyard for a day!

I was so excited to see this e-mail in my inbox!  2 years ago, some friends and I signed up at Two Saints Winery for their annual grape harvest and we had a BLAST!  We did it again in August of this year.  Two Saints does not charge for their day of picking and provides you with all of the supplies needed.  Their next picking date is September 7th, 2013. at 8:00am.  Call Christine at 641-369-2102 to sign up.  You get lunch, a bottle of wine and a t-shirt for helping.

Summerset Winery also taking reservations for their harvest.  They charge for their harvest though. These spots fill up fast so if you want to get in on it, here are all of the details..

Summerset Winery is Now Taking Reservations their 16th Annual FALL HARVEST!
August 24, 31, September 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2013

You may now reserve your spot for our 2013 Fall Harvest!   As a harvester, you will experience the ambiance of the vineyard as you cut the grapes off the vine, feel them crush beneath your feet during the celebratory stomp and indulge your palate in the flavors of our delicious award winning wines throughout the day.  Harvesters receive breakfast, lunch, commemorative t-shirt, wine and the grape stomp celebration.

Reservations are required and the cost is $25/pp. Payment is due at time of reservation and is non-refundable. The grapes need picked even when it rains so come ready, rain or shine.

Schedule:

• 7:30 A.M. arrive at the winery for breakfast and brief tutorial on how to pick the grapes.
• After breakfast head into the vineyard and begin picking an acre of selected grapes.
• Once the grapes have been harvested, bottles of last year’s vintages will be opened andpoured and the vineyard party begins!
• Chow time! You'll be hungry after a long morning of grape picking and cavorting in the vineyard.
• After lunch climb into the barrel and stomp grapes, purchase a bottle of wine for some afternoon libations, place your footprint on the back of your commemorative t-shirt.
• Festivities should conclude around 1:00 - 2:00 P.M.
   

Harvesters should:

• Wear old clothes (grapes may stain)
• Dress in layers (it may be chilly in the morning and warm up in the afternoon)
• Bring pruning shears
• Bring bug spray
• Bring sun screen
• Bring gardening gloves
• Remember, the grapes need to be picked rain or shine!  Bring a rain poncho, if necessary.
   

CALL THE WINERY AT 515-961-3545 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

Notes: We did this 2 years ago and we were able to bring a child along to help as you can see in the photo.  It is tough work to pick all morning, so please check with the winery for questions about age restrictions and make sure that your child would be able to handle working for 5 hours, etc. 

The Color Run - Des Moines

Before

After

The Color Run is coming back to Des Moines for round 2 in just a few weeks on July 13th, 2013.  The start is at the State Capitol Building and this 5k really is one of the funnest around.  

The Color run is un-timed, so weather this is your first 5k or hundredth, you are going to be relaxed and have a good time.

There are a few things you want to remember about this race though. With the sheer number of people participating you need to get there early, really early (or I guess really late would work too) or you'll get stuck in a "wave" that doesn't begin running for a while.  They send "waves" to start every ten minutes or so and with thousands of people, your wave can maybe not start until a hour or so after the start time of the race (9am or 1pm).  Plus, finding a parking spot can be tough too, so if you can have someone drop you off that's ideal, or again get there early to find parking.

Try to wear old shoes because the color powder will stay on your stuff, even after washing sometimes.  They give some suggestions on the website about preserving your well-earned color as well.

So aside from logistics, this is seriously fun.  I was a little nervous about the color powder getting in my face at first, but I totally didn't need to worry, it was like corn starch and totally fun to get all over you!

They provide some light snacks and drink at the end and there are plenty of fun downtown places to party after the race too!

So grab some friends and sign up for the color run.  You'll be doing something fun and healthy whether you walk or run and You'll like it!

Did you Declare Ham Independence?

So, this really fantastic, Norwalk, Iowa based company called La Quercia, that makes the most fantastic Acorn Prosciutto (among other fantastic cured meats), came up with this fun idea to celebrate Ham Independence all over the country.  

These celebrations include local retailers putting together a series of classes, tastings, parties, etc. to celebrate, well, ham! The best display presented will win the grand prize of a whole Acorn Berkshire Prosciutto.  This is a big deal people!

For the Des Moines celebration.  Local stores like Gateway Market, The Cheese Shop, 515 Brewing, Juan O'Sullivans, Centro, Confluence Brewing Co., Creme Cupcake and more set up grand displays of amazing food and beer at Grade A Gardens in Johnston.  Grade A Gardens is this fantastic farm proving local produce right from the gardens in their backyard.  You can find their offerings at the Downtown Farmer's Market.

All of this amazing food, like cheese, bacon cookies, relish trays, pork sandwiches and so much more was enjoyed along with live music, all for just a donation.

What a great way to gather some of the best of Des Moines' local businesses for a great cause (Donations went to the Practical Farmers of Iowa) to have a fun time.  One of the best events of the summer so far!  Almost $2,000 was raised for the cause.  

Thanks to all of the participating businesses for a fantastic and delicious event!  Can't wait til next year!

Fro-Yo Party @ The Juice Co. Recap

We had a great time at our first ever Eat, Play, Love Des Moines community event.  The Juice Company at the Shops at Roosevelt was kind enough to invite 20 EPLDSM readers in for FREE Fro-Yo!  We had a great turn-out and lots of fun sampling their awesome fro-yo.

The flavors they have are strawberry, mango, doubleberry, vanilla, banana, chocolate peanut butter, peanut butter, strawberry, & chocolate. All of the frozen yogurt sundaes are made with fresh ingredients, no artificial colors or flavors. 

I love that there is an "ice cream" place that is so healthy and tastes so great so close by.  I sampled the chocolate first and me and my kid agreed that it was smooth and creamy and tasted a lot like a Wendy frosty. Yum!  I also had the peanut butter and it was definitely my favorite.  It was very rich and delicious.  The hubby had chocolate peanut butter and he said it tasted a lot like a Reece's peanut butter cup.  The strawberry was a favorite among other party-goers too, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of the flavors.

I made sure to catch a photo of each kid trying out the fro-yo to catch their reaction because I think that's the real test if it's good stuff.  Every kid loved it, smiles all around!  What a great alternative to the sugar-filled stuff.

I know we are all familiar with the Juice Company's awesome smoothies and juices.  But, if you haven't had a chance to try their fro-yo, check it out!  We think you'll like it as much as we do!

And keep an eye out for some new juice flavor's they are coming out with!  I got to sample a few the other day and they are delicious and great for you!

Thanks to everyone who came out to make our first event a success!  We look faorward to many more in the future!