The Raccoon Rivery Brewery is truly one of the most unique businesses in Des Moines. For starters, the building exudes historical significance as the flooring, elevator door, and open spacing are all leftovers from their initial use as a car dealership. The building was transitioned some years back and is now one of the most popular restaurant/brewery combinations in the city.
The brew beer, in case you didn’t know that.
We have been writing on Desmoinesisnotboring.com for a year and a half now. It’s been fun, we have had a good time learning about the city as we write to help prove Des Moines is NOT Boring. But, last weekend was a first for me.
I spent Saturday night downtown and was blown away by the number of people out and about…it was insane!
Please find the Friday Guest Blog below, this was written by Shawn Harrington
By now, most of us know it’s Home-show season and many will be getting out to take advantage of it. It’s the perfect set-up for anyone looking to dive into a project in the near future that can now knock out 2 months worth of driving store-to-store-to-store in one stop. Better yet, sometimes it’s better to walk into a home-show that features bringing value to your own without having to stop by Mr. “this-can-opener-has-37-uses” guy in between each booth.
This year’s Home & Remodeling Show put on by the Homebuilders Association is sure to work that out as it is made up entirely of local vendors. Formerly held at Hy-Vee Hall, the annual event has jumped around locations and now this weekend’s will be at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, same location as 2009’s. You will notice as soon as you hit the door that there has been one major change. Free Admission! Those of us as participating vendors in the show have covered all of its costs, so all you have to do is show up.
The Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines originally opened on 1939 and has always been a pretty unique venue. Originally the Ballroom was unique because there were very few ballrooms in the Midwest. It seemed only people on the coast could ‘get down’ back then, and if it weren’t for Tom Archer that may still be the case today. Luckily Archer brought the Ballroom era to Des Moines, which might have been the first not boring thing in the city.
Regardless, Archer’s efforts were the spark for what is now known as the Val Air Ballroom. I know, same name…I was just trying to ensure you were awake. The building has the same name, but not the same ambiance. Where there was once Ballroom dancing and $.25 admission, now there is Hip-Hop, Rock N Roll, and Roller Derby.
Who knew the Gateway Market had amazing catering?
I sure didn’t. I was blown away at the quality of their catered food this past weekend at the Startup Weekend. Typically catered food is a little less great, for lack of a better term, because it was prepared and shipped. I think most assume that would be the case with any catering, but somehow the Gateway Market shipped fantastic food. Granted, Pulled Pork and pasta are not the most difficult items, but somehow they were very well received…maybe it was the bread from South Union Bakery.
Many people think Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting is like human-cock fighting. Others think it is barbaric and just completely crazy. I will admit, I am not the biggest MMA fan around, but this weekend things change. They change because a good friend of mine is fighting in Des Moines for the first time in a couple of years. Kevin “The Fire” Burns is fighting with the MCC organization this Saturday at Hy-Vee Hall.
Please find the Friday Guest Blog below, this was written by Shawn Harrington
This is actually not about St. Patrick’s Day, even though we will be buzzing around those types of green parties in the next week or two. When the green beer and Shamrock Shakes run out, and Irish-celtic celebrations quiet down, it’ll be time to shift our focus to April 22nd, which just happens to mark the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.
The first Friday of the month in Des Moines means a couple different things, it is the first payday of the month for some, for others it is a day to gather on a reoccurring basis. There are breakfast groups who choose the First Friday to gather, entertainment groups, you name it is usually a good day to find an excuse to get together. There is one group in particular who has used the first Friday of the month to gather all year, and are just about to celebrate their first Friday1 year anniversary.
Proof is an amazing place for lunch in Downtown Des Moines, one that I have been known to go to more than once a week. I don’t usually eat out that much but I seem to always find my way to Proof, guess that is because the food is amazing!
Their owner and head Chef Carly Groban is one of 4 semi-finalists from Des Moines for the James Beard Rising Chef Award, which is:
Deemed “the Oscars of the food world,” by Time magazine, The James Beard Foundation Awards are the country’s most coveted honor for chefs; food and beverage professionals; broadcast media, journalists, and authors working on food; and restaurant architects and designers.
So, what is the JG Faux show?
I have been asking around since I was asked to be on the show, but it seems like no one has a true grasp on what I can expect.
One person said – They have a very funny Craigslist segment where they look at advertisements and make fun of them – I guess that is sort of like Leno and his funny headline bit.
Another said – It is like a talk show, only different.
Another said – There are really no words to describe it.
Please find the Friday Guest Blog below, this was written by Shawn Harrington
For anyone who regularly checks up on us, I’m sure you’re probably used to hearing our over-biased support towards locally owned, locally operated, locally produced, etc… The subject may focus on restaurants, the farmers markets, whatever comes to mind. So here’s one more to add into that category: locally written.
One thing a city like Des Moines can benefit from bringing in its new residents, or rather its ”transplants”, is the talents that these outsiders bring to the table. Hollywood’s own children are not always the top actors, and usually the best doctors in town can be from thousands of miles away. With the talented individuals being found within our own town, it sometimes takes someone else bringing in their own experience to bring these people together and start showing off what we have.
Who isn’t looking for presale tickets?
Anyone?
Yeah, that is what I thought, we all are! Well, you are in luck, the Iowa Events Center is offering presale tickets today only for the George Strait and Reba concert on April 10th in the lovely Wells Fargo Arena. The presale tickets go on sale today at 10am, and run until 10pm tonight, so don’t hesitate!
Hmmm, I am needing me some El Rodeo! Ok, back to proper grammar. I love El Rodeo! I only get one item on their menu, which I realize is a little odd. But, that one item is so good I really don’t want to try any others. True, I know the others are probably just as good…but the Taco Salad Fajita is so amazing it is what I look forward to – and the chips and salsa of course.
The Taco Salad Fajita at El Rodeo is a fajita and a salad mixed together – I realize anyone could have surmised that on their own – but wanted to point it out just the same. I always get the combo meat, beef and chicken. They sit a top onion and green peppers, and a bed of lettuce as well as a unique cheese sauce that gives the salad a very flavorful quality. All that sits in a large “taco” shaped fried shell, which I realize is not that healthy, but it is fantastic so I just block out the thought about healthy eating.
Everyone in Des Moines knows about The Nadas…right? I mean, they are as much an institution here as the Anderson Erickson Dairy Cow. Their performances each year at the Iowa State Fair, the Nadas Silent Night, and basically each time they play in town are so well received they have definitely gone past popular and into Cult status.
Did you know they have been performing in town all month long?
Please find the Friday Guest Blog below, this was written by Shawn Harrington
Several years back, one of those “motivational speakers” showed up in front of my teenage church group to talk about appreciating what you have in life. His main message was simple: to truly appreciate what you do have, you have to sometimes look at what others don’t have. While it may have fallen upon deaf ears at the time to an audience of 16 year-old’s who would rather have been anywhere else on a Sunday evening, those words can now make sense to even the most extreme optimists. This week, a couple examples were on display to show that Des Moines does have RIGHT NOW what many other cities don’t have, or probably wish they had.
Looking for photo’s for Tuesday’s post I took some time to look through local photographer Jake Boyd’s photo’s on his website and on Facebook. Need less to say I was blown away by his visuals and I found out that he has 5 of his photo’s at the Des Moines International Airport in the form of floor tiles. Here are a few of my favorites from Jake’s photo’s on his Facebook page, enjoy:
Who ever though of putting Crab Rangoon’s and Pizza together is a genius! I never thought two of my favorites would go so well together, but Fong’s Pizza on 4th Street Downtown did it. They did it in miraculous fashion, in a fashion that really truly is hard to put to words because the pizza is just that good. They don’t have the shell of the Crab Rangoon, they replaced it with little tortilla strips. But, they do have Crab and the Rangoon…what else do you need? Oh yeah, the PIZZA! They team the normal Crab and Cream Cheese with a Pizza. How? Not sure really cause it just melted in my mouth and I wasn’t really thinking about the context of the bite…just the bite and the amazing mixture of two of my favorites.
One of the great things about our Des Moines community is collaboration. Whether it be with helping a neighbor blow the snow out of their driveway or different community groups working together to build a stronger core. Regardless of the example, collaboration is one of the key facets to the strong sense of community in Des Moines and a trait that makes our city stronger.
A unique example of collaboration is teaming a non-profit business with for-profit businesses for the common good. The YMCA of Greater Des Moines has teamed with the White Rabbit Group and RPO Consulting to offer a free workshop called Reinventing Des Moines. This workshop is not truly aimed at reinventing the city, rather it is aimed at reinventing your career – should that be a step you are looking to take.
Please find the Friday Guest Blog below, this was written by Shawn Harrington
There’s too much significance to today’s tragic one-year anniversary of an event that has forever changed so many lives that I must stray from the main theme of this site. While I promise to return soon to the content of Des Moines, I must reflect this week on the events that happened 900 miles away and hit too close to home, in more of a literal sense than I ever thought was imaginable.
Last week I mentioned my opinion about people jumping into freezing water in the middle of winter, I called them crazy. I think it’s an opinion many people have so I am not alone. This week, it is yet another activity outside in the dead of winter, only this one doesn’t involve a body of water.
Saturday marks the 21st Anniversary of the Red Flannel Run, which pits runners with either a 3 or 5 mile course through downtown Des Moines. At least with the run, the participants are dressed for the conditions. I have actually done this run in the past and it is not that bad, if the sun is out and the weather cooperates. That said, I have to take the same stance, anyone who is interested in running or jumping into a lake in the middle of winter is a little crazy. But, I also have a ‘no running outside if it is under 30 degrees’ policy, so I can see how it can be done…and a little crazy really isn’t that bad. Now, there is always a guy who runs these races — not sure if he does the Red Flannel specifically — but he does all of the other road races during the year. Anyway, this guy always wears a leather garment over his mid-section and that is it…no shoes…no socks…nothing. Can we all agree that is a little crazy?
