Little Village Issue 339 - April 2025 by Little Village Magazine

Your Annual Guide to Recreation in Iowa

Keep It Up, Team

Siders

say bye bye to Birdland Pool without a fight.

With City Park Pool under construction, IC will have to look elsewhere for

Sepak Takraw, a.k.a. foot volleyball, has players bicycle-kicking like Pelé.

Little Village (ISSN 2328-3351) is an independent, community-supported news and culture publication based in Iowa City, published monthly by Little Village, LLC, 623 S Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Through journalism, essays and events, we work to improve our community according to core values: environmental sustainability, affordability and access, economic and labor justice, racial justice, gender equity, quality healthcare, quality education and critical culture. Letters to the editor(s) are always welcome. We reserve the right to fact check and edit for length and clarity. Please send letters, comments or corrections to editor@littlevillagemag.com. Subscriptions: lv@littlevillagemag. com. The US annual subscription price is $120. All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. If you would like to reprint or collaborate on new content, reach us at lv@littlevillagemag. com. To browse back issues, visit us online at issuu.com/littlevillage.

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EDITORIAL

Publisher

Jordan Sellergren jordan@littlevillagemag.com

Editor-in-Chief

Emma McClatchey emma@littlevillagemag.com

Arts Editor

Chuy Renteria chuy@littlevillagemag.com

News Director

Paul Brennan paul@littlevillagemag.com

Graphic Designer

Kellan Doolittle kellan@littlevillagemag.com

Calendar/Event Listings

Sean Haskins calendar@littlevillagemag.com

En Español Editor

Claudia Pozzobon

Corrections editor@littlevillagemag.com

April Contributors

Alice Cruse, Alissa Cornick, Avery Staker, Benjamin Skeers, Broc Nelson, Casey Maynard, Elisabeth Oster, John Busbee, K. Twaddle, Karla Janette Monroe, Kembrew McLeod, Kristy Hartsgrove Moores, Lauren Haldeman, Mike Kuhlenbeck, Mónica Quintero Restrepo, Ramona Muse Lambert,

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Meet this month’s contributors!

Alice Cruse is a soon-to-be graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in International Studies.

Avery Staker is a queer Des Moinesbased photographer born and raised in rural Iowa.

Ben Skeers is a writer, cartoonist and social worker from West Des Moines. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence at the Correctional Release Center, in Newton, Iowa.

Broc Nelson is a lifelong music fan, improviser, Quad Citizen and enthusiast of all things creative, tasty and weird.

Elisabeth Oster is a freelance writer and designer, and collector of dad rock.

John Busbee produces The Culture Buzz, a weekly arts & culture radio show on www.kfmg.org, covering Iowa’s arts scene with an inclusive sweep of the cultural brush.

K. Twaddle is an Iowa transplant and a lifelong book enthusiast. She lives in rural Iowa with her partner and three cats.

Karla Janette Monroe (she/her) is a queer-Latina photographer and owner of Karla Janette Photography, dedicated to LGBTQ+ and POC inclusion.

Kembrew McLeod is a founding Little Village columnist and the chair of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa.

Kristy Hartsgrove Moores (she/her) is a local theatre maker and professor at the University of Iowa. She loves her husband Mark, her garden, and her cat Ricky Marie.

Lauren Haldeman is a graphic novelist and poet. She has received an Iowa Arts Fellowship, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award and fellowships from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Mike Kuhlenbeck is a freelance journalist and National Writers Union member based in Des Moines.

Mónica Quintero Restrepo is a student in the MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish at the University of Iowa. Her primary interests include poetry, fiction, cultural journalism and pastry. She is the author of the poetry book Tal vez a las cinco. Mónica also has an alter ego, Camila Avril.

Ramona Muse Lambert makes art and music. Sometimes she’s in charge of dinner, too. Buy her art at ramonamuselambert.com.

Sam Locke Ward is a cartoonist and musician from Iowa City. He self publishes the comic zines Voyage Into Misery and ’93 Grind Out.

Sara Williams is a multidisciplinary artist who was raised in Bondurant, Iowa. She currently resides near Amana.

Sarah Elgatian is a writer, activist and educator living in Iowa. She likes dark coffee, bright colors and long sentences. She dislikes meanness.

Tyler Erickson is a photographer based in Des Moines. He has a devout love for distance running, bicycle touring and photographing honest moments of the human experience.

Winston Jamison is a proud member of his community; when he's not writing he enjoys espresso at night and volunteers.

Kick balls, toss bags, observe wildlife, listen to music, make art or read this magazine poolside at a park near you.

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

This issue of Little Village is supported by:

Historic Valley Junction (39)

Honeybee Hair Parlor and Hive Collective (24)

House of Glass (76)

Independent Downtown Iowa City (64-65)

— Release Body Modification

— Mailboxes of Iowa City

— The Green House

— Revival

— Critical Hit Games

— Hot Spot Tattoo & Piercing

— Yotopia

— Record Collector

— Beadology

— Get Fresh

Independent Highland Park/Oak

Park Neighborhood (77)

— Des Moines Mercantile

— The Slow Down

Independent Northside Marketplace (22-23)

— R.S.V.P.

— Willow & Stock

— Pagliai's Pizza

— John's Grocery

— George's

— Dodge St. Tire

— Artifacts

— The Haunted Bookshop

Iowa City Communications Department (46)

Iowa City Downtown District (26)

Iowa City Girls Softball (45)

Iowa City Public Library (38)

Iowa Department of Health (66, 76)

Iowa Public Radio (55)

KCCK Jazz 88.3 FM (66)

Kim Schillig, REALTOR (18)

KRUI 89.7 FM (6)

Linn County Conservation (49)

Liz Firmstone, REALTOR (12)

Martin Construction (32)

Musician's Pro Shop (12)

MYEP (24)

New Pioneer Food Coop (4)

Next Page Books (46)

Nodo (10)

Old Capitol Screen Printers (16)

Orchestra Iowa (60)

Phoebe Martin, REALTOR (11)

Polk County Conservation (6)

Prairie Lights Bookstore & Cafe (9)

Prairiewoods (47)

Public Space One (6)

Pullman Bar & Diner (76)

Pure Luxe Apothecary (18)

Raygun (17)

ReFocus Film Festival (72)

RSFIC (16)

Shakespeare's Pub & Grill (76)

Theatre Cedar Rapids (32)

The Club Car (24)

The Daisy (46)

The Dandy Lion (38)

The Englert (63)

The James Theater (58)

The Wedge Pizzeria (12)

Tim Conroy, REALTOR (24)

University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art (78-79)

Vino Vérité (14)

Wig & Pen Pizza Pub (9)

Wildwood (60)

Willis Dady Homeless Services (55)

Wright House of Fashion (80)

xBk (56)

Letters & Interactions

LV encourages readers to submit letters to Editor@LittleVillageMag.com. Please include your name, city of residence and any relevant job titles or affiliations. Letters may be edited for accuracy and style. To be considered for print publication, letters should be under 500 words. Preference is given to letters that have not been published elsewhere.

GOV. rEYNOlDS: lAST WEEK you signed away civil rights protections for transgender Iowans. Why did you do that? Because you don't like them? Because you don't understand them, or fear them, or because they are a threat somehow? Do you believe they are people not worthy of being treated like human beings? I don't know what it's like to be transgendered but I know they want to be loved and accepted, cared about, respected and free to live their lives with dignity, without fear or judgment, the same as you and me. Live and let live. They have hopes and dreams, celebrations and disappointments. They have families, friends and loved ones. They are our fellow Iowans and Americans. Why do you persecute them? Why would you deny freedom and liberty to any American? Are these not the very foundations of what this country was founded on?

To my readers, may I remind you that

the American Declaration of Independence states that we are all granted the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When Gov. Reynolds is up for reelection Nov. 3, 2026 I implore you to remember how she has violated this core American principle. Elect a new governor that cares about and respects the rights and freedoms of all Americans.

—Jon Feaver, Iowa City

BETWEEN THE IOWA lEGISlATUrE writing out transgender protections in the state constitution and the University of Iowa deleting cultural communities and programs that serve students, it is apparent that there is an attempt to erase progressive policy and law that protects and serves Iowans that historically have been maligned. If the rule of law acts as it should to protect the civil rights and liberties of all Iowans, perhaps these immediate injustices will be

HAVE AN OPINION?

a momentary blip on the radar of progress. But for those who live with the uncertainty of their place and inherent dignity, allies need to support all efforts to roll back this newly laid roadblock that says it is OK to hide misguided ignorance and hate behind legislation and policy agendas.

The moral arch of the universe continues to be on the side of the unjustly treated. Lastly, to those who are angry and dejected, you are not defeated; you haven’t been heard—yet.

—Garry Klein, Iowa City

Iowa becomes the first state to erase parts of its Civil Rights Act (Feb. 28)

What happened to "Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain"? Shame on her for not upholding our state motto. —Adonis A.

It's horrifying. It's also super unfortunate for non-trans people who are going to be discriminated against (legally)

because of this erasure of gender identity as a protected class. —J.R. H.

Is this hell? No, it’s… —Jackie L.

She’s hiding her bigotry, hate, and prejudice behind a shitty, propped up cardboard cut-out of women and girls and it’s disgusting. The only people being “PROTECTED” here are the actual offenders (the VAST majority being white, straight, American men, statistically) by placing the blame on a marginalized population. Shame on her. Do some research. Do what’s just and true. Iowa lawmakers move to prioritize corn, pork and dairy in school lunches (March 4)

Are the bills more ludicrous this year? This one is right up there. —Joyce G.

But, I thought they were trying to push healthy eating…pigs living in their own shit and corn drenched in chemicals is not healthy… —Ariane P. "Food pyramid"? How 1980s. —David W.C.

MOMBOY

So if this was Wisconsin they would prioritize cheese, Idaho would be potatoes, North Carolina would be tobacco…. Why don’t we just prioritize children before politics? —Renee S.

LAUREN HALDEMAN

How about we prioritize the best nutrition at the lowest cost instead of trying to use our schools to help farmers mitigate Trump’s tariffs? —Gregory D.

Ethical concerns surround Sen. Joni Ernst’s relationships with top military officials who lobbied her committee (March 5)

This puts her vote for Hegseth into a certain context. —Michael W.

The same people who said Kamala slept her way to the top.... —Alex G.

Thanks for letting women down with your shitty example. —Melita T.

UI’s International Writing Program makes drastic cuts after Trump administration terminates grants (March 6)

A tremendous loss for this state. This was an absolute gem that brought international attention to Iowa and joy and connection to so many. —Tony O.

I'll donate to support this program! Some of the most amazing novels I've read have been from grads of the program!! —Connie F.

And what IWP was able to do with that 1 million is incalculable. —Elisabeth L.

Screw them, then. Seems like a million bucks shouldn't take long to raise in this town. —Rich Y.

A rare bird lands on your porch. After a time, it bursts into flames. Emerging from the ashes is a warm, cuddly, playful baby phoenix. You’ll experience a less metaphorical version of this miracle if you’re lucky enough to adopt Phoenix, currently a resident of the Iowa City Animal Center. A 4-year-old(ish) beagle mix, Phoenix’s shyness will quickly melt once she knows she’s safe, loved and home. Pay a visit and find more info at icanimalcenter.org.

Send your personals for consideration to editor@ littlevillagemag.com with subject line “Personals.”

INTERACTIONS

The U doesn’t have 1 million a year until sanity in the U.S. is restored? The UI foundation? —Becci J.R.

I am sure they have it. They should ask the football program for a donation. Or make the top heavy administration take an across the board pay cut. —Christine K.

Instead they will launch a fundraiser when they could do without. We have nonprofits that are going to be fighting to survive and a campaign for the U will take from them. I’d really like to see the U step up and use their considerable resources to keep this program running. —Becci J.R.

Keep fighting! We will win. Spread the word about this potential loss. Thank you, Little Village, for your outstanding reporting. —Lisa P.

If we do not start standing strong for our way of life, our way of life will cease to exist, that much, at the very

least, is quite clear. —Cameron D.

Call your senators and representatives!!! When I called the offices of Grassley, Ernst, and Miller-Meeks yesterday, no one that I spoke to knew this had happened. Make them state, on the record and to their constituents, whether they would prefer to stand up for a sixty year tradition in Iowa, founded by Cedar Rapids native and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Paul Engle, and dedicated to the peaceful collaboration of artists from around the world, OR if those legislators would prefer to worship Trump. I know it is unlikely to make a difference, but when we are past this horrific place and better people are in power, I want there to be no room for Senators or Representatives who sacrificed their honor and intellect on the altar of Trump to be able to say they didn’t know, they were duped, or they thought they were representing the people’s will. —Adam W.

Iowa State University rescinds some admission offers for graduate students (March 10)

INTERACTIONS

This may just be the start. It will be interesting to see how the craziness in DC, cutting important research programs, will impact foreign student enrollment. If it does take a nosedive, we should look to Kimmie as a sycophant and enabler of Felon47 and Muskrat's rampage through agencies, for financial support of our state's universities whose budget will be dramatically impacted by this loss of enrollment income. —Bob B.

Physical media is (still) king at The Source, Davenport’s storied two-story used bookstore (March 10)

Despite Amazon, independent book stores carry on! To me this is encouraging in a world where computers demand that I prove that I am human! —Thomas S.

Just stepping in the Source a spell is cast on you……..and you're in search of a book. —Deb B.

I miss working at the store but it's in good hands now. Stop in and meet Stephen and Anne. —Cindy H.K.

George Pekios was my great-grandpa. Bob-Grandpa, and of course Uncle Dan. The Source Bookstore is my absolute favorite place in the world and I would’ve taken it over from Dan if we lived in the Quad Cities. Thank you so much for loving and caring for The Store as much as the Pekios family does! —Jamie M.

We are honored to carry on the Pekios legacy. Please come see us when you're in town. We'd love to meet you! —Source Book Store

So nice to have met you both yesterday! We can’t wait to return and so happy to stumbled upon such a vast inventory! —Schatzen K.

Iowa loses $11 million as Trump administration cuts funding for schools and food banks to buy from local farmers (March 11)

Taking healthy, local food out of our kids mouths and hurting Iowa farms. This administration is off to a great start. I doubt it changes anyone’s voting lines though sadly. —Sean R.

The cruelty is the point. —Wendy D.

Cornhole or bags? *of 68 votes

44% Cornhole

56% Bags

INTERACTIONS

University of Iowa sends email to grad students saying it will ‘no longer guarantee financial support’ for them (March 14)

I was a graduate teaching assistant in 1972 so I know how vital these students are to teach undergrad classes. What will the university do without them? This will be devastating to the university and the students affected. —Kathy D.

That is the intended effect. This administration is literally waging war against its own citizens. —Thaddeus Z.

The University should be reaching into its endowments to ensure that the PhD students on campus do not live in fear while they work to complete their studies. It would be

ACCOLADES

The Daily Iowan was named the Iowa Newspaper Association's 2025 Newspaper of the Year for the fifth time. An independent newspaper staffed solely by University of Iowa undergraduates, the DI earned 33 awards this year, including 15 first-place winners.

After being unceremoniously fired on Valentine’s Day, along with hundreds of other National Park Service employees, Iowan Brian Gibbs returned to his “dream job” at Effigy Mounds National Monument on March 24. The sweeping, haphazard termination of some 24,000 probationary employees across six agencies by President Trump and Elon Musk in February was ruled illegal by a federal judge on March 13. Gibbs—whose story made headlines, leading to him delivering an opening speech for Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa City—was reinstated. In a Facebook post, the park ranger, poet and educator was realistic about the fact his job remains in jeopardy, but celebrated the win. “Despite this uncertainty, I am committed to staying in the present moment … I will carry the legacy of your love and support with me in my teachings.”

the right thing to do. —Patrick K.

Understandable and regrettable. —Milton H.

Killing funding for grad students hurts everyone. Graduate assistants make it possible for professors to manage high-capacity classes, and are often responsible for a lot of teaching themselves, giving undergrads more choices and support through their college experience. And to be clear, this isn't something universities control. This is on the legislature. —Wendy P.

Bill shuts Iowa’s largest counties out of economic development funds for three years (March 20)

We need to drive them all out of Des Moines with our pitchforks. —Julie C.

The sad part is there are rural communities in Johnson County (and I’m sure the others too) that have been taking advantage of these subsidies to revitalize their communities that will

now be left empty handed. This is such an unintelligent approach. —Jay M.

Doesn't this violate Trump's ban on DEI initiatives? This is clearly a DEI measure. —Craig A.

Punishing us in yet another unlawful way. Blue here all the way. —Debbie L.H.

They want Iowa to be one big hog lot with a couple of occasionally entertaining college sports teams. —Scott K.

And the brain drain will continue. —Julie K.

Let’s give all the economic benefits to those 4 counties. From there that will spur economic growth for the whole state. The money will just “trickle” down to the other counties, right? Similar to how the future tax breaks for the rich will work in our country. I mean we don’t want to support the parasite counties of our state. They just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get to work building their economies. —Brent C.

Correction from last month's issue

In March's story on Mission Creek Festival, Brian Johannesen was referred to as Englert executive director. He is in fact Englert's programming director. John Schickedanz is the executive director.

CEDAr FAllS, MArCH 21

I saw you at the Kwik Star on Greenhill. You looked like you had walked straight out of my tabletop roleplaying imagination—long ginger hair and impeccable metal grunge vibes. I wanted a pic but it was too awkward to ask. Next time, maybe I'll roll the dice.

Submit to Missed Connections! Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear in print or online. Think you’re the subject of one? reach out: littlevillagemag.com/missed-connections

Nonfiction for Nature Lovers

Ihave always loved learning about the natural world. As a kid, l adored Sylvia Earle and kept my backpack full of Ranger Rick magazines. Even now, when I see a good natural sciences book come through the library, I get just as excited as I used to when I was a kid. Environmental themes are a trend in children’s publishing, especially nonfiction, so I get to be excited a lot lately!

Children’s Books to Inspire Spring Adventures

We have some fabulous new children’s titles for you to check out at ICPL, including Your Island by Jon Klassen. The board book rounds out a beautiful trilogy by the Caldecott winner. Your Farm and Your Forest , published simultaneously, are equally lovely and follow a similar trajectory. Each opens with a sunrise and finishes after the sunset.

I was thrilled to see a new edition of Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre (author) and Steve Jenkins (illustrator) come out this year. A Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book of 2008, Vulture View has long been appreciated for the graceful way it depicts the lives of turkey vultures and the important part scavengers play in ecosystems. It’s an engaging and accessible information book for early readers, and now it has updated end matter based on the most current science. That means one of my favorite nonfiction read-alouds is as relevant and factual as ever.

Open Wide! Jaw-Dropping Mouths of the Animal World by Dr. Letizia Diamante and Ed J. Brown really brought me back to my Ranger Rick days! It’s a playful, up-close look at the incredible mechanics of mouths and the different ways animals use them. At its core, it’s a big book of facts (Did you know some sharks can turn their stomachs inside out?) geared toward older readers, with action-packed illustrations and interactive guessing games. It left me surprised at just how much I didn’t know, which is one of my favorite things about nonfiction.

I also enjoyed Lindsey Leigh’s The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves. It turns out there is an awful lot going on in caves (like waterfall-climbing fish!), and Leigh introduces us to it all through inviting, graphic-novel-style illustrations. I’m always on the lookout for nonfiction that will make kids—especially more reluctant readers—laugh, and this book checks that box. It certainly had me giggling!

—Alissa Cornick, Des Moines Public Library

Jashar Awan’s newest picture book Every Monday Mabel radiates pure joy. The wonderful cover artwork gives observant readers a glimpse of why, according to Mabel, “Monday is the best day of the week.” I have loved Awan’s previous titles, especially Towed by Toad , but this one feels like a new creative stride. Lucy Ruth Cummins, another personal favorite author-illustrator, really did this work justice in its book design. Everything about the presentation showcases Awan’s colorful style and wonderfully paced narrative.

A Pocket Full of Rocks demonstrates how a little imagination can turn common seasonal objects—rocks, petals, shells and acorns—into one-of-a-kind treasures. This is a quiet, gentle read is great for any time of the year. Be sure to look for it at a BookWalk near you soon.

Sir Michael Morpurgo and Emily Gravett’s newest title The Ogre Who Wasn’t is a fabulous modern princess story. Princess Clara is the kind of royal readers will cheer for, preferring to collect creatures from the garden than attend to her prescribed princess duties. She decides to raise a tiny “ogre”—actually a toad in a tiny crown—and decides to raise it in her room. Morpurgo’s fun, fast-paced narrative is brought to life by Gravett’s exuberant illustrations. Fans of her work will see some familiar faces, and adult readers will certainly note the stylized nods to Munch’s Princess Elizabeth of The Paper Bag Princess

And now for some illustrated nonfiction! Discover critters from around the world through Melissa Sweet and Brian Lies’s new title Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum. This “exhibit” is specifically designed to celebrate the tiniest mammals on the planet. The information is neat, digestible and sure to excite aspiring zoologists. Iowans will recognize at least one featured animal from their own backyards!

—Casey Maynard, Iowa City Public Library

This is Not My Beautiful House

First Stops

Incarceration begins with a lot of moving around.

BY BENJAMIN SKEErS

What does it mean to be incarcerated in Iowa? This column describes the post-conviction experience of a nonviolent offender from eastern Iowa, in his own words. It focuses on the stark realities of life inside—realities few people care to imagine, but tens of thousands of Iowans have faced.

Prison doesn’t smell as bad as you’d think. County jail does. County jail smells worse than you’d think. County reeks of despair, broken dreams and bodily fluids. Shame and sweat seep from the cold walls. Prison, on the other hand, smells stale—an odor of cleaning agents and dust stuck in time, thousands of human skin cells with nowhere to go.

It’s not a straight shot from the courthouse to prison. There are stops in between. After your sentencing, where life as you know it cuts like one scene of a movie jumping to another, you are taken, cuffed but in street clothes, to a little hidden room in the courthouse. Being cuffed in front of your loved ones is its own sort of torment. The room looks more like a broom closet than a cell, and there you sit until deputies show up to drive your convicted self to County.

The day I was sentenced was one of the worst blizzards of 2024. It took awhile.

County jail is the worst. Every prisoner has horror stories of their time in County. Simply put, the place

just sucks. It’s gross, loud and full of people at their worst behavior. The food is straight-up punitive, and the staff constantly on edge.

I was lucky; I only stayed in County for nine days. Before going inside, I had surgery on my hand and metal pins jutted out of my knuckles, so I was placed in Medical. It was rough. There were six of us in one cell. Everyone else in Medical was detoxing, so they were throwing up around the clock, a constant sickening chorus. The lights never went off and we weren’t let out except for a five-minute shower every other day. One night I woke up to another inmate kicking me, and two other inmates pulling him off. He was taken away and never returned.

On my second to last day, I was taken to the hospital to have my pins removed. It was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. I was in striped scrubs with chained shackles on my hands and legs. I had to sit in the waiting room while a deputy stood over me and other patients stared. On a bright note, the deputy was very kind to me. But I felt so ashamed, so naked.

The hospital was near my house; in fact, the deputy’s vehicle took the same exit I had taken hundreds of times, except this time we turned right when home was left.

The next day I was taken to the place all prisoners in Iowa go: the Iowa Medical Classification Center, better known as Oakdale.

NORTHSIDE

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The Iowa Medical and Classification Center, also known as Oakdale via Iowa Department of Corrections

MARKETPLACE NORTHSIDE MARKETPLACE NORTHSIDE

He vivido doce

días aquí

pOr MÓNICA QUINTErO rESTrEpO me levanto a las ocho desayuno arepa como si la arepa fuera fácil de conseguir y no hubiera que pedir la harina en Amazon me lavo el pelo todos los días porque la humedad no lo deja prosperar lavo los calzones el consejo es de mi mamá porque no hay lavadora en el edificio: se baña, los lava, no se acumulan me pongo los mismos tres calzones todos los días: el que esté seco, limpio, ese va tiendo la cama y barro: es tan chiquita la casa que me demoro lo mismo que se demora el agua en hervir en la tetera quiero que parezca como si no viviera nadie abro las ventanas que entre un poco de luz aunque no sea suficiente: hay un árbol que se la queda toda me despido de Pereque el perro de peluche que tiene mi edad y llevo a todas partes fue a Edimburgo, a Paris, a Madrid, a la casa de Diana en Holanda ahora está en lo alto de la biblioteca como un dios que lo ve todo abro la puerta en una competencia con las moscas: un segundo y se entran reviso que haya cerrado la puerta con seguro dos hasta tres veces bajo los 25 escalones voy por la bicicleta bajo, volteo a la derecha, voy hasta Gilbert, bajo, bajo, bajo, bajo, giro a la derecha en el semáforo antes del puente, paso el edificio de Biología, giro a la izquierda y al final, ahí está Phillips Hall un compañero de clase le dice Phillips Hell quizá no ha descubierto esa ventana por la que se ve el atardecer rojo como en una pintura realista saludo a Violeta y a Karen y de pronto ya es de noche

luego todo se repite salvo el clima hay días de 25, otros de 30, unos de 35 dicen que mañana será 38 lo dicen en Fahrenheit 100 y yo no entiendo hago amigos estos días también silencio me enredo hablando inglés estoy aprendiendo a pronunciar brewery inalienable descubrí que estaba pronunciando mal caffeine el otro día se me enredaron los ojos: me desperté y estaba viendo doble ya fui al gimnasio

desde mañana, todos los días, menos los domingos, a las 10:00

Llevo doce días en esta ciudad impronunciable para mi mamá que habla español le enseño como a una niña de escuela a i o wa

Hay días en que quiero ser mexicana

pOr MÓNICA QUINTErO rESTrEpO

decir wey, esa morra escucho a Karen en mi mente lo dice con ganas parece el cielo aunque lo que más quiero decir es chinga tu madre lo aprendí en Casas Vacías el libro de Brenda Navarro luego quiero ser argentina pero sí sos boluda dice Sofía y tiene razón a veces soy tan boluda y luego quiero ser española venga, Cami vamos a por ello hasta hace un mes odiaba esa a atravesada qué estorbo pero entonces escucho a Violeta y quiero usar el presente perfecto para todo que he subido la foto a Instagram me apetece nos han invitado a una fiesta de disfraces y quiero seguir siendo colombiana escucho a Camila con su bumangués mucho gustame calle la jeta escucho a Javi con su costeño sincelejano el verga atravesado en todas partes yo les enseño el parce, vos qué y termino diciendo ese boludo, parce, chingatumadre, wey

Mónica Quintero Restrepo es estudiante del MFA en Escritura Creativa en Español en la Universidad de Iowa. Le interesa la poesía, la narrativa, el periodismo cultural y la pastelería. Es autora del libro de poemas Tal vez a las cinco. También tiene un alter ego: Camila Avril.

Open Source

Sometimes touchscreens and touching grass go hand in hand.

BY AlICE CrUSE

What do you see when you walk out your door? This isn’t a mindfulness exercise; scientists want to know.

Johnson County residents will join folks in more than 600 cities and counties in the worldwide City Nature Challenge this April. It will be the community’s third time participating as one of only two Iowa counties—Polk and Johnson—to join the challenge.

The City Nature Challenge began in 2016 as a competition between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and has since blossomed into a global event covering six continents. Its goal is to see community members take an interest in their area’s wildlife while gathering data to aid sustainability efforts.

Iowa City joined the international initiative in 2022, coordinated by the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability. It sat out for 2023 due to understaffing, but returned the following year on a larger scale, partnering with Johnson County Conservation to expand its local scope to all of Johnson County.

University of Iowa Sustainability Program manager Beth Mackenzie said including the whole county in the initiative, not just the Iowa City area, increases the potential for submissions from more rural parts of the county.

Community members partake via a free app, iNaturalist, which allows

All-Terrain Wheelchairs

Testing out one of the Indian Creek Nature Center’s new all-terrain wheelchairs allowed 15-year-old Rylie Erbacher to join her family on a hike for the first time ever.

“It took a bit to get used to driving it, but it’s super nice and it goes over the grass and gravel so well,” said the Cedar Rapids teen.

The center purchased three of the bigwheeled, self-driving wheelchairs (two adult-sized and one child-sized) following a successful fundraising campaign last year that brought in more than a quarter million dollars. Use of the chairs is free and open to anyone with permanent or temporary mobility impairments. Call 319-362-0664 or visit in person to reserve.

“My favorite spot was the Sycamore Loop to the east of the Nature Center, next to the creek,” said Steve Kriz, who tried out an allterrain wheelchair during ICNC’s summer BioBlitz. “I sat in one spot to listen to the wind going through the trees and watched the leaves and branches sway with the wind. … Then I lost track of time on the trail and had to call the Nature Center to let my wife know I was OK.”

users to snap photos of wildlife and identify them in real time by drawing from an extensive database. These photos are geotagged, which lets researchers at the University of Iowa observe local findings during the event’s span.

“You can do it at your own pace and at your own leisure,” Mackenzie said. “And so I just want to encourage people to get outside and do what they can.”

Though Mackenzie said the event is too young to have recorded any consistent ecological changes in Johnson County yet, she hopes loyal community participation will translate into quality information for researchers.

“If we participate year after year, over time, it gives

us insight into changes that might be happening,” Mackenzie said.

Last year the local effort drew 126 participants who returned 1,482 observations. Johnson County’s most common observation was the American Robin, but users also shared pictures of squirrels, turtles, frogs, snakes and more.

Besides wild animals, community members can also submit images of insects, plants and fungi. Even animal tracks can be reported, since the iNaturalist app has a feature that can identify species based solely off of footprints.

Mackenzie said the event offers a great opportunity to teach children about the environment. “It's really meant for anybody. And you can just go in your backyard and do it.”

For those who want to explore beyond the confines of their yard, the UI Office of Sustainability and the Environment has linked a comprehensive list of public use areas within Johnson County that eager users can reference for their environmental adventures.

To make the event as accessible as possible, UI is also offering two in-person tutorials for using iNaturalist: one on April 26 at Kent State Park at 6 p.m. and another the next day at the Iowa City Public Library, 1 p.m.

The app can be used anytime, even after the City Nature Challenge concludes. Curious users can even explore the app’s open source data to browse wildlife observations from across Johnson County to across the globe.

City Nature Challenge participants will also have the opportunity to reuse their iNaturalist skills at the BioBlitz at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory on July 12. That event is coordinated by Mackenzie and the UI Office of Sustainability and the Environment.

“The prairie is only about five years old, so it’s been really fun to see how it’s changing over time or what are some of the more common species that we're seeing,” Mackenzie said.

And with the fifth year

of Ashton Hill Prairie also comes the fifth anniversary of its BioBlitz.

“We love that it’s a pretty successful community event,” Mackenzie said. “We get many families and community members who attend, and some of them have been attending year after year. So the prairie is growing along with them, which is really fun.”

In contrast to the independent nature of the City Nature Challenge, the BioBlitz will see university faculty and students in attendance to help participants with identifying local species, and share how the day’s findings will factor into their research.

Mackenzie also urges those who want to keep investing in the community’s sustainability efforts to join in a UI-sponsored Miyawaki Forest Tree Planting beginning on April 25. This initiative will utilize the Miyawaki Method, a dense planting technique designed for biodiversity and sustainability. The event’s kickoff falls, appropriately, on Arbor Day. Planting will continue over the following four days, or until it’s complete.

Registration for both the Miyawaki Forest Tree Planting and the Ashton Prairie BioBlitz can be found on the UI Events Calendar. The City Nature Challenge does not require registration, but participants can prepare for the event by downloading and testing out the iNaturalist app.

BioBlitz Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory, Iowa City, Saturday, July 12 from 9 to 11 a.m.

City Nature Challenge April 25-28, Johnson County

Miyawaki Forest Tree Planting Day Kickoff northeast of Hillcrest Residence Hall, Iowa City, Friday, April 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. (additional planting days April 26-29)

Butterfly Weed Public Domain

Purple Coneflower Public Domain

Monarch Butterfly Public Domain

Redstart Public Domain

Bag Meets

Hole

Cooler than horseshoes and safer than lawn darts, cornhole is a tailgate staple turned serious sport.

BY pAUl BrENNAN

Aslanted board with a hole cut in it. A small beanbag. An underhand toss. Almost everyone knows what the game is from that basic description. But what’s its name?

Cornhole? Bags?

Whatever you call it, it’s been a staple of tailgating, backyard cookouts and beach parties for generations. Tossing a beanbag through a hole on a board requires enough skill to keep overly competitive friends engaged, but the game is also easy enough that young kids and slightly inebriated uncles can play.

We know the game was popular, more or less, in the Midwest in the mid- to late-19th century, but not exactly where it originated. There are multiple origin stories, the most common of which involves a 14th century cabinetmaker in Bavaria who watched a group of boys entertaining themselves by throwing rocks into the opening of a groundhog den. According to the story, that inspired him to craft a slanted board with a hole and fabric bags filled with dried corn, along with rules for a game that was safer than throwing rocks at a wild animal’s burrow.

Unfortunately for Bavaria's claim, there are no contemporary accounts of this, and no plausible explanations for why the alleged invention disappeared from the historical record for the next 500 years. What we know for sure is versions of cornhole were being played around the U.S. by the time Heyliger de Windt of Chicago received the first patent related to the game in 1883.

“My present invention has for its object to provide a new game which shall be particularly suited to indoor amusement, and which may be played with apparatus that will be inexpensive, simple, durable, and noiseless,” de Windt wrote in his patent application.

The application describes a “game-board having means for supporting the same in an inclined position, and having an opening through which an object may be tossed” and “bags filled with beans or equivalent mate.”

Calling it “a new game” was a bit of a stretch, even if you discount the Bavarian story, but moving it indoors was novel and in keeping with a growing market for “parlor games.” Windt called the game “Parlor Quoits.”

Quoits is a game that aficionados—almost all of

Play like the Pros

A summary of ACL’s cornhole rules

Boards: Two 2 ft.-by-4 ft. boards are placed 27 ft. apart. Each has a 6 in. diameter hole. The back is raised 1 ft. above the ground, slanting downwards.

Bags: Two sets of four (6 in.-by-6 in., 5.56.5 oz. each)

Teams: Two teams of two players take their place beside a board, across from their teammate (not diagonally). Each round, one player from both teams pitch four bags towards the opposite board. The next round, the other team members will pitch. Rounds continue until the game ends.

pitching: Underhand and overhand throws are both acceptable. Pitchers may not cross the foul line, which is at the front edge of their board. A round is over when all eight bags have been pitched.

Scoring: Bags through the hole earn three points. Bags on the board get one. A bag dangling over the hole is still one point. Points are totaled at the end of each round. The point total of the lower-scoring team is subtracted from the total of the higherscoring team, who bank the remaining points. The other team gets no points. The scoring team pitches first in the next round.

Winning: The first team to earn 21 or more points wins. The winning team does not need to beat its rival by two points.

whom are in the U.K.—will tell you is very different from horseshoes, even though it is almost identical to horseshoes. The main difference is you throw a quoit (a ring usually made of metal or stiff rope) at a stake in the ground, instead of a horseshoe.

Quoits clubs sprang up all over England in the 19th century. It was so popular that eventually a tabletop version was created for pubs. The first rulebook for tabletop quoits was published in 1881, two years before de Windt got his patent.

Whether or not de Windt was aware of indoor quoits when he invented his indoor game is unknown. But he wasn’t the only one having those thoughts. A Massachusetts toy company soon introduced “Faba Baga,” which used a slanted board with two holes of different sizes, one large beanbag and some smaller bags.

In the 1890s, newspaper stories about the popularity of games that could have been Parlor Quoits or Faba Baga began to appear, but none of them used

those names. They were always referred to generically as beanbag-tossing games.

Cornhole’s biggest surge in popularity is often attributed to a September 1974 article in Popular Mechanics that explained how to build your own game boards and laid out the rules that are still in use in backyards and at tailgates today. Popular Mechanics called the game “bean-bag bullseye.”

That name didn’t stick. As the game went pro in recent decades, cornhole beat out bags for its name. ESPN began occasionally showing American Cornhole League (ACL) tournaments in 2017. (In addition to ACL, there are also two leagues without TV contracts: the American Cornhole Association and the American Cornhole Organization.) But it wasn’t until COVID hit in 2020 that ESPN began leaning on the naturally socially distanced game to fill in programming gaps as sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics, were cancelled. Ratings grew, and now ACL tournaments are more than just filler content for the cable network.

ACL has 16 pro teams, none of them from Iowa. But Iowa does have one claim to cornhole fame that ACL doesn’t. In 2014, four intrepid local players divided into two teams—Team Fry and Team Gable— set the Guinness World Record for “Longest marathon playing doubles cornhole.”

As part of that year’s Fry Fest in Coralville, the four played 112 back-to-back games of cornhole outside the then-Marriot Hotel and Conference Center. The first bag was tossed at 3 p.m. on a Thursday and the final one landed 26 hours, 12 minutes and 44 seconds later, beating the old record by almost two hours. (It was Fry Fest’s second Guinness entry. In 2010, it set the record for the largest group hokey-pokey with 7,384 dancers.)

After setting the record, Brad Moliterno was asked by the Press-Citizen what it took to finish the marathon cornhole session.

“Just some energy drinks here and there, and staying focused on bringing this world record to Iowa,” he said.

All Hands on Deck

Des Moines residents are calling on city officials to save public swimming pools and re-invest in the North Side.

BY MIKE KUHlENBECK

Generations of Des Moines residents have flocked to their neighborhood swimming pools for fun and to find relief from the heat, especially during potentially deadly heat waves. For almost 90 years, destinations have included the historic Birdland Pool at 300 Holcomb Ave in Highland Park, which opened to the general public on May 31, 1936. The original pool closed on Aug. 18, 1982, but was replaced and reopened June 3, 1984.

Considered an “iconic” landmark, the 50-meter pool has eight lanes and is equipped with diving boards and water basketball hoops. For 41 years, the Des Moines Swimming Federation (DMSF) has hosted an annual swim meet at Birdland, sanctioned by USA Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming. It draws hundreds of swimmers from around Iowa every summer.

But as the City of Des Moines struggles with budget shortfalls, Birdland Pool has faced the threat of closure.

Trying to bridge a $17 million gap in the city’s budget, Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders proposed closing Birdland after the 2025 aquatics season, citing “consistent low attendance, high repair costs” and the construction of the Reichardt

Community Recreation Center, which will have an indoor pool.

Des Moines Parks and Recreation director Ben Page told KCCI News that Birdland has filtration and mechanical issues which make for costly repairs and upgrades. If the pool closes, the city would save

an estimated $200,000 in the budget and upwards of $3 million in repairs.

DMSF board president Stacey Artikov told Little Village in an email that Birdland Pool is “an essential home” to the organization and local swimmers.

“Its closure would not only impact our team but also

Sign at Birdland Pool. Chris Cole / Courtesy of Des Moines Swimming Federation

the broader community that relies on it for lessons, lap swimming and summer fun,” Artikov said. “There are very few pools of this size in the metro, and the ability to train, compete and build a love for the sport in such a well-run outdoor facility has been invaluable to our athletes. Our team has experienced firsthand the incredible atmosphere and dedication of the Birdland staff.”

A Change.org petition titled “Save Birdland Pool from Closure” has received over 2,300 signatures, as of print time. In the comments section, residents voice concerns about the lack of accessibility at other local pools.

“I grew up going to Birdland Pool,” Ramona writes. “After all, I did not have transportation to get to other pools. It is the same for children now. They can walk to Birdland Pool. Is the city going to provide free transportation to and from other city pools for children?”

That point is echoed by Stefanie. “There are children who don’t have access to transportation for other pools. I’m tired of watching the suburban expansion on steroids while city officials strip the urban centers of grocery stores, small businesses, places for children to be safe and close to their homes.”

The petition’s author, Liz Weinheimer, grew up on the North Side of Des Moines in the Union Park area. She swam for the North High School Swim Team and the North Side Otters Swim Team. She also worked as a lifeguard at Birdland Pool. “My grandparents even used to swim at Birdland when they were young,” Weinheimer told Little Village in an email.

Besides volunteering at Otter swim meets, Weinheimer is a certified USA Swimming official and works most USA swim meets. Carrying on the family tradition, Liz Weinheimer’s daughter, a sophomore at North High School, is a member of the North High Swim Team and has been on the Otters since she was 6 years old.

“Birdland has been on the ‘chopping block’ for years now,” Weinheimer said. “Even when I was working there, it was also rumored that Birdland was going to close.”

The potential closure is a striking parallel to the city’s proposed closing of the Lonny Kerman Natatorium in 2018. North Side residents and the broader swimming community rallied to save it.

“The North Side feels as though they are often picked on as a path of least resistance—which is not true, as the survey shows,” Weinheimer said. “It honestly feels as though the North Side gets things taken from it quite often and in today’s world, swimming is sadly one of the first sports to go.”

Pools typically run at a loss, as they are expensive to maintain, which makes them an “easy target” for budget cuts and privatization, no matter how storied their history.

Pool-goers ride the water slide at Birdland Pool. Courtesy of Tyler Erickson

The Camp Dodge swimming pool in Johnston, built in 1922, was one of the world’s largest swimming pools until it closed in 2001.

“Low attendance is a farce as they did not take full pool utilization into account,” Weinheimer said about Birdland. “There are two to three teams that utilize the pool outside of traditional pool hours. When I discussed this with the representatives at the budget meeting, I was told that they only used the hours of operation attendance for utilization, which is not the correct way to approach that.”

"pOOlS ArE NOT A MONEY-MAKING VENTUrE, THEY ArE A lIFESAVING VENTUrE. THAT IS HOW THEY SHOUlD BE VIEWED. I WOUlD HOpE THAT WE CAN All WOrK TOGETHEr TO SEE THAT All THE CITY pOOlS CONTINUE TO HAVE A VErY IMpOrTANT, SAFE SpACE WITHIN OUr COMMUNITIES ... SOMETIMES, YOU DO HAVE TO SpEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY."

— LIZ WEINHEIMER

recognize the significance of Birdland and other public pools,” Artikov writes. “These facilities provide so much value to so many in our community.”

City officials hosted two public information sessions on Feb. 25 and 26. The city council hearing for the 2026 fiscal budget, which goes into effect on July 1, is set for April 7.

Challenging the city’s assessment, Weinheimer would like to know if they counted the adults who use the pool before traditional hours, swim lessons and diving lessons, adding, “I would be interested to see more numbers of all the area pools.”

Little Village contacted DMPR and Aquatics to inquire as to whether or not these factors were taken into account, but did not receive a response.

“Why was the community not approached to maybe provide ideas to help with utilization? Or to see what other avenues we can find to help Birdland attempt to close the financial gap?” Weinheimer said.

After public outcry, Sanders rescinded his original decision—for the time being. On Feb. 24, Sanders amended his budget proposal to allow the pool to

stay open through 2026 while saving an estimated $180,000. The amended proposal includes:

• Rotating monthly closures of Des Moines’ five major aquatics facilities, where each facility would close for one week at a time at least twice a year, saving an estimated $100,000 annually.

• Closing the Reichardt Community Recreation Center during the summer when outdoor pools are open, saving an estimated $40,000 annually.

• Ending the Neighborhood Association Capacity Building Grant, with estimated savings of $40,000.

“The recent proposal to explore funding solutions is encouraging, and we hope the city continues to

“I appreciate the effort that the city manager is showing to keep the pool open after hearing the community’s feedback,” Weinheimer said. “I know that this will all happen again as soon as the 2027 budget is being discussed, so we need to find longterm solutions for the capital costs and not just the operational costs. We need to come together as a community and city to help alleviate these issues.”

For young people, especially those without money, public places such as swimming pools are disappearing at a disturbing rate, leaving fewer spots to hang out where it can’t be considered loitering or trespassing on private property.

“I am strongly in favor of keeping Birdland open,” Des Moines City Council member Chris Coleman wrote in an email to Little Village. “I am proud of and moved by the young people who attended budget hearings, made signs, wrote letters and changed the debate.”

Coleman’s “50-year love affair” with Birdland started as a kid when he went to the pool with his parents. He now takes his own children to Birdland, where they’ve graduated “to the big pool and diving board.” As they got older, they swam for the Otters and lifeguarded at the pool.

“I believe in positive supervised activities for youth, and Birdland provides it,” Coleman writes. “While it is located in Ward 2, residents I serve in Ward 1 are the closest neighbors. This great pool serves people in every quadrant of the city. Linda Westergaard and I are going to work to build attendance in 2025 so we can easily justify it [staying] open for a long time to come.”

Public pools aren’t just amenities, but harm reduction tools. “The Birdland area is unique in that the river is right there, flowing through the community,” Weinheimer explained. “That area also is home to a lot of minorities, which statistics show that unfortunately minorities drown at a much higher rate. We should be making every effort that every child knows lifesavings skills and has the awareness and understanding of water safety. The river is very dangerous—a lot do not understand the impacts of the currents, which leads to drownings.”

Aquatics activities not only help improve and develop individual mental and physical health, but also social skills. Many people cannot afford memberships to private gyms or fitness centers, let alone transportation to visit pools outside the area in which they live. Pool closures, as well as shuttering public parks, disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

What’s more, aquatic activities are the only athletic and fitness options for those with certain disabilities. Lifts and especially zero-depth entry systems—a ramp or wading area that offers gradual submersion from the pool’s edge—are more accessible than stairs. (Birdland and Ashworth pools do not have zero-depth entry, while Teachout and Nahas do, as do Northwest

Aquatic Center and Valley View Aquatic Center.)

“While swimming can be of great social, mental and physical benefit to people without disabilities, it can have just as much, if not more, beneficial impact for people with disabilities,” according to The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability.

“Pools are not a money-making venture, they are a lifesaving venture,” Weinheimer writes. “That is how they should be viewed. I would hope that we can all work together to see that all the city pools continue to have a very important, safe space within our communities. Continue to create initiatives and ideas that allow our children and families to use these pools more. Sometimes, you do have to spend money

City Council public hearing for the 2026 fiscal budget Des Moines City Hall (400 Robert D. Ray Dr), Council Chambers, 2nd floor, Monday, April 7 at 5 p.m.

to make money.”

There are many swimming pools in Iowa built during The Great Depression through the Works Progress Administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to create jobs and to invest in the wellbeing of those communities. Some wish to bring that spirit of rejuvenation back to the 21st century.

If more pools participated in early morning and evening hours (until at least 7 p.m.), they suggest, this could increase attendance, as it wouldn’t conflict with traditional working hours.

“We need the community to continue to use Birdland and all the area pools,” Weinheimer writes. “Make a conscious effort throughout the summer to show the city that those pools are important. Come up with ideas to better use the pools. If you have any ideas, communicate them with me and I will get them to the right areas. We need everyone on board with this to make sure our children have a safe place to hang out.”

Community members are invited to provide feedback on the budget at DSM.city/Budget before the budgeting process concludes in April. The Des Moines City Council is scheduled to hold the final public hearing on the budget on Monday, April 7.

Vintage postcard of Ashworth Pool in Des Moines, Iowa's oldest municipal pool.

Public Domain / From To Be A Cat Vintage

Pool-goers play in the water at Birdland Pool. Courtesy of Tyler Erickson

Natalie Lawrence (left) and Lexi Wells, Fashion Coordinator at Wright House of Fashion, pose at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center pool. Lexi is reading Sacrifice State: iowa Voices on Environment and Justice, published in 2024 by the Iowa Environmental Council. Karla Monroe / Little Village

Pool's Out for Summer

It isn't easy staying cool in Iowa City while the only outdoor pool gets a facelift.

BY pAUl BrENNAN

Natalie Lawrence (left) and Lexi Wells, Fashion Coordinator at Wright House of Fashion, pose in the pool at Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center. Karla Monroe / Little Village

The last time Iowa Citians didn’t have an outdoor public pool for the summer, Harry Truman was president.

The pool that served Iowa City swimmers and poolside-loungers since 1949 closed for the final time at the end of last year’s season. Construction on its replacement—which will feature “a zero-depth [entrance] leisure pool, six 50-meter lap lane pool, diving tank with low and high diving boards and new bath and filter house,” according to Iowa City Parks and Rec—is supposed to begin in April and run through April 2026. A grand opening for the new City Park Pool(s) is scheduled for May 2026.

After more than seven decades of use, City Park Pool was showing its age. There were cracks and chips in the pool’s surfaces, and on parts of its deck. It was leaking badly. In 2022, Parks and Rec estimated the pool was losing 30,000 gallons of water every day. Parts of the facility weren’t in compliance with accessibility standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

CITY pArK pOOl WAS MEANT TO BE AN AlTErNATIVE TO DANGErOUS WATErS. IOWA CITIANS HAD BEEN SWIMMING IN THE IOWA rIVEr DUrING WArM WEATHEr SINCE THE CITY WAS FOUNDED IN 1839. THE WATEr WAS USUAllY DIrTY, THE CUrrENTS WErE OFTEN DANGErOUS, BUT THErE WASN’T AN AlTErNATIVE FOr THE GENErAl pUBlIC UNTIl THE BIG DIppEr OpENED IN 1923.

Replacing City Park Pool is a major part of the Recreation Facilities and Programs Master Plan approved by the Iowa City Council in 2022. But potential changes to the iconic pool generated a lot of concern among dedicated swimmers and people who worried about a loss of the “classic simplicity” of the old pool, as then-Councilmember John Thomas put it.

“When I look at that preliminary drawing, that aesthetic character of the pool, which I kinda view as classic simplicity of a pool in a forest, isn’t represented in that proposal,” Thomas said, when the council reviewed the first design sketches.

Public input kept coming, and changes were made to the design.

With City Park Pool closed, where else can locals go to beat the heat? Here are the closest public options.

Indoor Pools in Iowa City

Mercer Park Aquatic Center, 2701 Bradford Dr

Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S Gilbert St

Splash Pads in Iowa City

Fairmeadows Park, 2451 Miami Dr Tower Court Park, 1124 Tower Ct Wetherby Park, 2400 Taylor Dr Weatherdance Fountain, Ped Mall, 210 S Dubuque St

Outdoor Pools in Other Cities

Coralville Community Aquatic Center’s outdoor pool, 1513 7th St (3.2 miles from City Park)

North Liberty Aquatic Center’s outdoor pool, 520 W Cherry St (8.1 miles from City Park)

Kalona Public Pool, Kalona City Park, 1120 E Ave (19.9 miles from City Park)

Mt. Vernon Swimming Pool, Davis Park, 919 2nd Ave N, Mt. Vernon (21.7 miles from City Park)

Jones Pool, 201 Wilson Ave Dr SW, Cedar Rapids (25.9 miles from City Park)

Ellis Pool, 2000 Ellis Blvd NW, Cedar Rapids (28.3 miles from City Park)

Bever Pool, 2700 Bever Ave SE, Cedar Rapids (29.4 miles from City park)

James Kennedy Aquatic Center’s outdoor pool, 700 Park Rd, Tipton (29.9 miles from City Park)

Cherry Hill Aquatic Center, 341 Stoney Point Rd NW, Cedar Rapids (30.5 miles from City Park)

Noelridge Aquatic Center, 1248 42nd St NE, Cedar Rapids (30.7 miles from City Park)

Marion Swimming Pool*, Willowood Park, 1855 35th St, Marion (39.4 miles from City Park)

*In November, Marion voters will decide whether to approve funding for a new aquatic center. If the referendum passes, the 38-year-old pool will be replaced by a 4.7-acre complex including a leisure pool, lazy river, wave pool, waterslides, obstacle course, diving platform and lap pool—all part of the Outdoor Aquatic Center Feasibility Study presented to the city council in 2021. Construction would begin in 2026 on the nearly $27 million project. Find more info at cityofmarion.org

Mockup of the City Park Pool Replacement Project by Williams Architects. Courtesy of the City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation

IOWA CITY / POOLS

“The history of City Park Pool is important,” Andrew Caputo, senior project manager for Williams Architects, told the city council in September 2023. “I know personally as an architect, history is something that is cherished in the community. History has a role to play in the design process."

Williams Architects handled the design phase of the City Park Pool project. Construction contracts are scheduled to be awarded at the beginning of April. The city council approved a budget of $18.4 million for the project.

Iowa City’s other two pools—at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center and Mercer Park Aquatic Center— will be open this summer, but both are indoor pools, separating the joy of swimming from the sunny weather.

The first pool in Mercer Park, which opened in 1969, was an outdoor pool and was supposed to provide year-round, all-weather swimming thanks to an inflatable plastic bubble that covered the pool in bad weather. The bubble could even be heated for swimming during cold months. Unfortunately, the promised bubble never appeared. The pool also had other problems. In 1985, it closed permanently. Three years later, the aquatic center opened.

Even though Iowa hasn’t had a shoreline since the Devonian age, some lakes have beaches where you can combine sunshine and swimming. But Iowa’s appalling water quality, and the state’s refusal to do anything effective about it, mean beaches often have to close due to E. coli or other forms of pollution.

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 7:30 TO 10:00

Saturday, Apr 19, 10:00-11:30 AM Meeting Room A

City Park Pool was meant to be an alternative to dangerous waters. Iowa Citians had been swimming in the Iowa River during warm weather since the city was founded in 1839. The water was usually dirty, the currents were often dangerous, but there wasn’t an alternative for the general public until the Big Dipper opened in 1923.

The Iowa City Natatorium and Amusement Company built its outdoor pool next to City Park.

Vintage Postcard of Muscatine Swimming Pool in Weed Park, Muscatine. Found at Artifacts in Iowa City CHILDREN’S DAY &

FRIDAY, APRIL 18 1:00 TO 2:00 PM MEETING ROOM A

LittleVillageMag.com

People flocked to it at first, but the Big Dipper’s popularity dimmed over time. Newspapers of the era don’t mention when it closed for good, but ads for the pool stopped appearing after the summer of 1940. By then there were already loud calls for a city-owned pool.

During the 1920s and ’30s, almost every selfrespecting city in the country was building a pool or two. Years of public pressure finally convinced the Iowa City Council to propose a $62,500 bond issue for a pool in 1941. Voters overwhelmingly approved it in a September election, but the project never got off the ground, because three months later, the U.S. entered World War II. The bond money stayed in the city’s bank account.

After the war, revised estimates added $40,000 to the project’s cost. City leaders balked at the new price. It took the death of Keith Howell in 1947 to change things.

In the late spring of 1947, the Iowa River surged over its banks, flooding lower City Park. On June 5, 10-year-old Keith and a friend were playing in the flooded area. Neither could swim. Keith got on top of a floating log that carried him into deeper water. He slipped off and drowned before his friend could get help.

The Daily Iowan responded to Keith’s death by launching a campaign to get the pool built with a front-page editorial titled,“How Much Is a Child’s Life Worth?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Iowa City, could your child swim if he were suddenly faced with a life-and-death struggle in the water?” editor R. Bruce Hughes wrote. “How much would it be worth to you to know at least he would have the chance Keith Howell didn’t?”

Community-wide fundraising efforts began. The city council relented, and a new bond issue was put on the ballot that fall. It passed.

City Park Pool opened on June 11, 1949. Admission was 40 cents for adults, 15 cents for children. According to the DI, 1,100 people visited the pool on opening day.

In collaboration with Lexi Wells, Fashion Coordinator at Wright House of Fashion; photos by Karla Monroe (@karlajanettephoto); modeled by Natalie Lawrence (@nnataliellawrence) and Lexi Wells (@lexwells_); styled by Lexi Wells; makeup by Chica Dalia (@chica_dalia) and Isabel Canchola @lolitasluxelashes; swimsuits, gold chain belt, high heel red pumps and Stella McCartney platform sneakers from Jamie Hudrlik of ContempoLA; AJ Morgan red sunglasses from Revival Iowa City.

Basic Touches in Sepak Takraw

We asked Jeremey Mirken, coach of the USA Sepak Takraw team, for some tips.

1. An inside kick is used for receiving and setting up plays.

• Hike up your foot between your knee and hip, closer to your knee.

• Don’t angle your foot up or down—keep it flat. (Try curling your toes inside your shoe.)

• Don’t snap your kick, but rather think of it as a lift. You want the ball to hit your foot and gently rebound off of it.

Practice this: Try juggling multiple inside kicks in a row on one side, then the other.

2. Toe kicks happen in front of your body.

• For control, the ball needs to hit your shoe laces.

• "Kick" by moving a slightly bent knee from flexion to extension.

• The angle of your foot is key to your success. Toes curled too far up/backward, will direct the ball backward toward your body instead of straight up.

Practice this: Work on your toe kick until you achieve a slight backspin and the ball travels straight up and down.

3. Headers are used for three purposes: to deflect an opponent's serve, to spike over the net and to set up for your next kick. The goal of the basic header is to push the ball up.

• Keep your eyes on the ball, tilt your head back and bend your knees about 3-4 in.

• As the ball approaches, extend your legs (but do not jump) to make upward contact with the ball right at your hairline.

• Eyes should remain open to watch the ball throughout the movement. Keys to success: Watch the ball, maintain a consistent forehead angle and use the lower body to generate "pop.”

4. A good knee touch requires the ability to anticipate where the ball is moving and position the body accordingly.

• Once positioned and balanced, lift one foot as if marching.

• To send the ball straight up, the thigh must be near flat when contact is made and the ball must hit centrally.

• To send the ball high, a contact point near the knee cap is key.

A variation: For a lower knee touch, contact should be made closer to the mid-thigh.

You’ve Been Served

Soccer meets volleyball in the highflying sport of Sepak Takraw, one of Des Moines’ favorite pastimes.

BY CHUY rENTErIA

Last summer in Linnan Park, I came across a group of people volleying a hard yellow plastic ball to one another across a net. Instead of bumping and spiking the ball with their arms, they were mostly using their feet.

From a bench some distance away, I could hear the crack of the ball as one person would serve with a full-force kick above their head. The other team would return with a combination of touches between its players. At times the volleys would end in dramatic fashion, a player flipping in the air to spike the ball over the net (a move I’ve come to learn is called a roll spike—also a popular subject of YouTube compilations). The ball would land before the person did, their body twisting and correcting mid-air before landing on the ground, like a cat.

I could tell this was a friendly, low-stakes game among hobbyists, not unlike the casual games of soccer, basketball and pickleball in parks around Iowa. Still, the players possessed undeniable flexibility, coordination and overall athleticism—qualities necessary to succeed at Sepak Takraw.

The basic rules and flow of the sport would be

I COUlD HEAr THE CRACK OF THE BAll AS ONE pErSON WOUlD SErVE WITH A FUll-FOrCE KICK ABOVE THEIr HEAD.

recognizable to anyone familiar with volleyball. Teams compete against each other by hitting a ball over a net. If a team cannot return the ball within three touches, then the other team gets a point. Unlike volleyball, one person can touch the ball multiple times, and no hand or arm touches are allowed (head, knee, even shoulder touches are fair game).

The origins of Sepak Takraw go back thousands of years, with historians claiming it may be one of the foot-and-ball games that evolved from the Chinese game of cuju, which was the Han dynasty’s version of keepy-uppie. (FIFA also recognizes cuju as the predecessor to soccer.) The modern version of the

strong.

sport was standardized in 1960 between the countries of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Myanmar. It has been an official sport in the Southeast Asian Games for half a century.

Among Des Moines’ large immigrant and refugee communities are some of the best Sepak Takraw players in the U.S. I spoke with DaChar Liu and Christ Moo, members of the official U.S.A. squad. Moo has won gold in international tournaments in Thailand and South Korea, and is serving as Liu’s mentor going into the 2025 ISTAF Sepak Takraw World Cup in Bihar, India.

We videocalled shortly before Liu was set to fly to the Patliputra Stadium, where the tournament was scheduled to start March 25. International flights and relations have been, let’s say, strained, and he had been having visa issues. I asked if it was all squared away.

“Not yet,” Liu said. “I haven’t got denied today, so that’s a good start. It’s kind of a scramble to get everything together but I’m working on it for sure.”

(Liu was able to get his visa in order and represent Team U.S.A. in the tournament.)

Both picked up the game as children, with Moo playing in his native Thailand before moving to Iowa in 2017. A soccer fan born and raised in Des Moines, Liu “got pulled into” Sepak Takraw after seeing his uncles kick a ball around.

“We’d all get together and play at the Watlao Buddhavath temple over here on the south side of Des Moines,” Liu said. He only recently started playing competitively. “I got back into it almost two years ago and I actually met Christ that first day. I had no idea who he was, but turns out he lives down the street from me. And we share the same passion for the game.”

Moo ran drills with Liu, most focused on ball touch. “He’d want me to juggle before every practice. He’d set a goal, like juggle 300 balls consistently without

Above and left: Players perform overhead kicks during a game of Sepak Takraw at Pioneer Park Community Center on March 11, 2025. Right: A player juggles the ball. Avery Staker / Little Village

dropping it.” (Juggling in Sepak Takraw, like soccer, involves keeping one ball in the air without using hands or arms.) “He’d take a tennis racket and smack a couple balls towards me and I’d have to receive them. Getting comfortable with the ball is the main thing. And from there on, you can decide whether you want to be a spiker, server or a feeder.”

Liu is a server, but he’s training in the feeder position as well. Moo’s bread and butter is spiker, but he’s also a competent server. “They call it a Tekong. I try to get all positions so I can help other players get better.”

Moo is focused not just on training Liu, but building up the local and national Sepak Takraw scene. That scene is most active in the summer, with regular statewide tournaments on weekends.

Minneapolis’s Takraw scene serves as a good model. “They have a lot of courts, like [how most cities have] basketball courts, out and about, spread out through the city,” Liu said. “California, Texas, Indiana has small tournaments almost every weekend. Omaha has a lot of very good players.”

Team U.S.A. has a player from Omaha, Nebraska and two from Minnesota. The national team coach, Jeremy “Coach Jer” Mirken, is based in Round Rock, Texas.

“Man, it’s definitely hard to get everybody all out at once” for World Cup prep, Liu said. “Everybody still has their own lives. But for India, we’ve been able to meet in the middle, which is here in Iowa. I took some weekends and went up to Minneapolis as well. Christ has went to Omaha, training with the other player that’s going to India.”

“And that’s all on your own dime?” I asked.

“Yeah. Spend a little bit, take a little bit of your time, you know? But if it’s something you love to do, as long as it’s not burning your pockets that much, you’ll still find your way,” Liu said.

Moo recently married, which is a big reason he couldn’t afford the trip to India for himself. But for the average Sepak Takraw player, getting into the game is as easy as showing up.

“When it gets nice out, we’ll go out to the [Watlao Buddhavath] temple,” Moo said. “They have two courts set up out there. That’s where I met a lot of the guys. We all go meet up there and play friendly matches, pick-up games and stuff out there.”

Liu said you can find him there “six out of seven days of the week” during the warm weather months. “We’ll be there Monday through Saturday, even Sunday, sometimes, depending on whether there are tournaments.”

“It’s definitely welcoming” to newcomers, he assured. “Come by. You don’t even have to play. You could just come watch. That's how my interest got sparked: I saw and I was like, ‘OK, well, that’s something I want to do’ and just got into it. [And if you want] to get better, you can come to us. We can train together, because Christ is one of the nicest guys I know. He’s open to helping anybody.”

“Get the shoes,” Moo advised. “Get a ball.”

Who knows; with enough dedication and local guidance, you may end up posterizing opponents across the world with roll spikes of your own.

The bucolic charm of Flock 9 Studios is reflected in their earthy art pieces and do-it-yourself ethos.

BY JOHN BUSBEE

Weavers have utilized sustainable raw materials for millenia. The artists behind Flock 9 Studios are no exception to that tradition. From smaller multi-element sculptures to large onsite installations, the pieces created in their open-air studios share a kinship with the natural world.

Pam Dennis and Ryk Weiss, the braintrust behind Flock 9, work primarily with willow and clay. They source materials from a 39-acre tract of land near their Ogden homestead (and studio), on which they’ve cultivated large sand willows and other plants for over three decades.

The old farm property has become their creative Eden. The century barn? Repurposed as a showroom, storage and sound studio for Weiss. The chicken coop? After replacing the roof, it became Dennis’ primary kiln area for her raku work. They also added a standalone, high-light building that serves as a workshop and additional showroom.

“I always liked clay when I was young,” Dennis explained. “When I started teaching willow basketmaking at the Des Moines Art Center, I also got a free class. I don’t make functional pottery, and one day when I was watching this guy making a large platter, I thought, ‘Y’know, if I just put some holes on the edge of the ceramic platter, we could have woven legs on it.’”

This guy was Mark Gordon, an artist-in-residence at the Des Moines Art Center. “He was making some really strange things that had no function whatsoever, but that I really liked,” Dennis said. Gordon shared insight into ancient techniques, including raku, which involves removing a ceramic piece hot from the kiln and applying combustible materials to the surface, such as horse hair or sawdust.

“While Ryk would come to work in Des Moines, he would drop me off at the Art Center and I would just help Mark with his work. He was the one who started me on pit fire, then it went to raku. He would come to our studios in the country to fire them in a bonfire, since he couldn’t do that in Des Moines. I thought that would be really cool, to put these real big balls on willow stands—Ryk would make them, because he’s better at that—and when Mark left, I told him that I really didn’t like to copy other artists, but

DES MOINES

I really would like to continue with those spheres.”

“He just politely replied, ‘Well, y’know, it's kind of a universal form, Pam. I think it’s OK.”

From there, her muse began creating legged ceramic pieces using willow, some smaller tablesized sculptures and large vertical pieces that could stand in a corner to display, often reaching from floor to ceiling. Spheres became a signature element of their works, ranging from palm-sized to more than a foot in diameter. Dennis’ raku color palette ranges from a blend of earthy tones to pieces with dazzling metallic accents and bold jewel tones.

“As we developed, we started incorporating copper

tubing into our works,” Weiss said. “It lasted longer than willow, and was more appealing to businesses that wanted our installations. Clients liked our work, but the willow was a bit too rustic for their offices. The copper made it work for them.”

One client that has fully embraced the willow is Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens. Their first installation in the Ames center was a gargantuan Moby Dick, part of a 2007 exhibit of iconic moments in literature. Their willow-made whale looked like it was breaching the surface of a grassy ocean.

Flock 9 Studios has also worked with Area Education Agencies to offer workshops for educators

plant 9 From Outer Space

Courtesy of Flock 9 Studios

and the public.

“These workshops help connect the garden patrons to the installation,” Weiss said. “When we did the Moby Dick installation, we had people make hundreds of little fishes out of willow and inscribe them with their name. When the installation was to be taken down, anyone who wanted to could come back and claim the fish they made.”

They are now planning what may be Reiman’s first permanent mural, to celebrate their 30th anniversary. They will lead a public workshop in which participants can make leaves to be incorporated into the mural.

“Our murals are 3D, and this will be a prairie scene,” Dennis said. “I’ve been spending the last two months and will continue for the next two months to make thousands of flowers, birds and leaves.”

The staff at Reiman Gardens embrace the ephemeral nature of willow, allowing the material to degrade before visitors’ eyes over the course of years. Eventually, they invite the artists back to replace the old willow with new.

“I like the prospect that it’s going to be very renewable and that people will see how it doesn’t last,” Dennis said of the installation. “In five years, those willows [that had been harvested] will have grown back to replenish the exhibit.”

Grow a Pot Garden

That is, a garden of edible plants sprouted from a few humble containers.

BY KrISTY HArTSGrOVE MOOErS

We are now living in the bizarro timeline and food is just going to get more expensive, so all of us should be thinking about brushing up our gardening know-how. I started gardening in 2020 and I am still an amateur, but I can tell you a lot about how to start and nurture a plant from seed to get a lot of yield. I am also a cheapskate, so I can share tricks on affordable options.

Start a small container garden and before you know it, you will have enough to share with your neighbors. Or don’t, you know? I’m not here to tell you what to do. I'm here to tell you how to do what you want to if what you want to do is what I’m doing, you know what I’m saying?

The Plant

First, decide on a plant that bears fruit, root or leaf you would love to eat. I can speak from experience, you shouldn’t grow rutabagas if you think they’re disgusting, especially because most people would agree with you and you won’t be able to get rid of them. For real, though, you would be surprised how many delicious fruits and vegetables are easy to grow, and can

be grown in pots on your patio if you are an apartment dweller with no ground to work in. Radishes can thrive in pots and arrive ready to eat (greens and all) in the space of a month or so. It is also really easy to grow bush beans, snap peas, many varieties of peppers (hot and bell), and even certain varieties of squash and eggplant in containers.

Some vegetables fare better when the seed is planted directly outside after the first frost, including beans and greens, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and all the herbs. It is actually really fun to grow snap peas: you just drop them in the ground and they sprout like fairytale magic. All of these come in varieties that are suited to growing in containers, just check the seed packet and it will tell you.

long enough to grow the entire plant from seed after last frost. Getting a seedling from a local grower will give you a great head start. Seedlings that have been grown under greenhouse lights and hardened off (meaning they have experienced outdoor conditions already) will be hardy and ready to plant after Mother’s Day. You can find them at local nurseries, but it’s also worth scanning local Freecycle and Buy Nothing groups. A lot of people who start seeds at home end up with many more plants than we can fit in our gardens, and we are very willing to share our bounty for cheap or free.

The Pot & Dirt

If you want to grow tomatoes, peppers or eggplant— baby, we are in Zone 5A. Our growing season is not

Once you choose your plant, you need to find a pot that is big enough for the plant’s roots to spread out (don’t go smaller than 18 inches across for most vegetables, larger if you can find it) that has adequate drainage so the roots don’t get soggy. You can find pots at any garden store, but I like to check the Habitat for Humanity ReStore or Crowded Closet first, because they will be way more affordable. I have also found many excellent pots on the side of the road, so keep your eyes peeled. You can also repurpose old industrial buckets and recycling bins—anything that is at least 18 inches in diameter with good drainage holes will work. The quality of your dirt is important. You don’t need to spend a lot of money, just be aware that container gardening requires dirt that isn’t thick and compacted like top soil (otherwise your roots will get squished). You can buy a bag of container soil at any garden store, and it’s usually not super expensive (Theisen’s has good deals). If you want to mix your own you can (compost mixed with peat moss and perlite will typically do the trick), you just might end up with a lot of dirt you don’t have space for.

by A.S. Johnson Jr. Public Domain / Found at Artifacts in Iowa City

When to Plant

Make sure to keep your seedling indoors in a sunny location until after our last frost date, which this year will be April 28 (according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a recommended resource for gardeners). Many plants can’t take frost and will often die completely in the cold or be injured badly enough that they don’t grow to their potential for the rest of the summer.

If your plant is outside and there is a surprise frost after April 28, try to bring it inside if you can. If that is not possible, cover it with an old bedsheet or some burlap and drag the pot as close to your building as you can. You can get plastic cloches at the Dollar Tree which work well for small plants. Be careful about using plastic sheeting; if plastic comes in contact with the plant during a freeze it can end up doing more harm than good.

Water & Sunlight

Plants in containers need to be watered more often than plants in the ground, so plan on watering them at least once every other day depending on the weather. Also, make sure the plant is in a spot to get enough sunlight. Most plants need six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day in order to thrive. If your patio is cement and gets really hot, put some wood underneath the pot to keep the soil cool so the plant’s roots don’t scorch.

Fertilizing

Get a simple, cheap, all-purpose fertilizer from the store (or ask for some in a buy nothing group, people usually have extra) and follow the directions on the box. You just want to make sure the plant is getting adequate nutrition to bear fruit.

When you are growing a vegetable in a pot, the plants can’t connect to the earth to get nutrition in their roots, so you need to be thoughtful about fertilizing. As you hang out with your plant more, the two of you will start to vibe and you can tell when the plant needs an assist (the leaves will dry or look curly, or the fruit will be shaped weird, for example).

Pruning

Some plants need to be pruned a little to encourage growth and fruiting. In the case of a tomato, for example, you would need to check and see if your variety is “determinate” or “indeterminate.” A determinate variety will grow only so big and will produce their fruit all at once. An indeterminate variety will continue to grow throughout the summer and will bear fruit continuously until the first frost (in Iowa City that will be Oct.13, again according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac).

You can use your hands to prune or a clean pair of scissors. If you want to get fancy you can buy pruning shears anywhere from Dollar Tree to Earl May. Just be sure to wash them after you use them.

Congratulations, you’re a farmer! Now go get some overalls! You’re Iowan; it’s your birthright.

Can You Dig It

A cult classic documentary about two rival psych rock bands is getting a riveting re-release, two decades later.

BY KEMBrEW MClEOD

Multi-award-winning filmmaker

Ondi Timoner has amassed a wideranging body of work about people she calls “impossible visionaries.” Her documentary subjects tend to stray from social convention and take the path less traveled, which can sometimes put hers in impossible situations. I imagine that nothing was more difficult than making Last Flight Home, a 2022 film that documented her father Eli Timoner’s decision to intentionally put an end to his long, extraordinary life.

Dig! was hard to make for other reasons—unhinged rock ’n’roll madness reasons. This DIY film, which established Timoner as a vital cinematic force, followed the twisted paths of two rival bands that were locked in an absurd rivalry: The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre. Shot between 1996 and 2003, largely by herself and her brother David Timoner, it was a chaotic family affair. The siblings wound up stranded and homeless on the streets after BJM imploded one night on tour, and Ondi also landed in a Georgia jail after riding in a van with a bandmember who was caught with weed. But it was all worth it.

Dig! won the 2004 Sundance Grand Jury Prize— which Timoner would win again for 2009’s We Live In Public—and it went on to become an eminently quotable cult classic. Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor quips, “I sneeze and hits come out,” while BJM ringleader Anton Newcombe gets into a fistfight with his bandmates and exclaims, “You fucking broke my sitar, motherfucker!”

From a major label perspective, the Dandy Warhols’ pop hooks and their lead singer’s good looks (complete with made-for-music-video cheekbones) made them a much better bet. Less likely to succeed was BJM, whose unstable frontman had a penchant for starting onstage altercations with his group and the occasional unfortunate audience member.

Ondi Timoner visited Iowa City last February for a sold-out screening of the newly released extended 20th anniversary cut, Dig! XX, followed by a Q&A. She also received FilmScene’s Cinema Savant Award, which was given to Werner Herzog the previous year. It was especially poignant for Timoner because her home had just been swallowed by the Altadena fire in Los Angeles two weeks earlier. Her brother David, who lived nearby, also lost all his possessions.

“It’s the first award of my post-fire life,” she said. “To be acknowledged as somebody who made that kind of contribution to cinema is really beautiful, and it feels good to be in such great company. I’ve known Werner Herzog for many years. We shared office space, and he's obviously a legend, and the other recipients are also equally phenomenal filmmakers.”

Timoner’s origins as a filmmaker stretch back to the early ’90s, around the time she founded the Yale Street Theatre Troupe while in college. “I wanted to unite with other artists at Yale University and try to bring politics into the street,” she explained. “It was just really fun to be out on the street and disrupt people’s everyday routines and cause trouble—you know, in a good way.”

Before she started Dig! in 1996, Timoner made 3,000 Miles And a Woman With a Video Camera when she and her college roommate were driving across the country with David. “That film was just me discovering the magic of holding a camera, which enabled me to ask strangers all kinds of questions,” she said. “Buying a bag of chips at a convenience store was infinitely more interesting with a camera in my hand. It got its

name because I asked this one guy what he feared the most, and he said, ‘Women with video cameras.’” Timoner’s street theater and guerilla filmmaking background helped prime her to document provocateurs like BJM’s Anton Newcombe. “I’ve always been drawn to people that draw outside the lines,” she told me. “People who push boundaries and make us think differently about what's possible. People who empower us to try to do things that might

"I'VE AlWAYS BEEN DrAWN TO pEOplE THAT DrAW OUTSIDE THE lINES. pEOplE WHO pUSH BOUNDArIES AND MAKE US THINK DIFFErENTlY ABOUT WHAT'S pOSSIBlE."

—ONDI TIMONER ON ANTON NEWCOMBE

seem crazy at the time, but the world would be a more interesting place if we went for it. And Anton certainly fit that description.”

Ondi and David were a team throughout the making of Dig! until he had to take a step back after becoming a new father. Needing a little more stability than the

Still from Dig! XX via Interloper Films

Courtesy of Ondi Timoner and David Timoner

crazy rock and roll life they were living, David wound up working in reality television while she finished the film. But when it came time to revisit Dig!, he was finally in a position to dive back in as the editor of the XX version. “It was really fun,” he said. “It was a grind, but it was still so much fun. I have never been on a project where I laughed more. It definitely didn’t feel like work.”

One idea he brought was to expand the narration—which was originally voiced by Courtney Taylor-Taylor—so that it was supplemented with counterpoints by BJM bandmember Joel Gion. “I’d been staying in touch with Joel over the years,” David told me. “I saw that he had a Patreon page going, and I was supporting that because he’s a really great writer. He’s really hilarious and he had such a funny inside perspective on the Brian Jonestown Massacre, so we asked him to add more narration.”

It was a blast for this sister-brother team to brainstorm and reimagine the film, and the fun has continued as Dig! XX makes its way into the world.

“We did a Q&A last night together,” Ondi said. “I do Q&As for my movies all the time, but it’s always better doing it with David. We’re not like siblings that just see each other at Thanksgiving. We raised our kids together and, until both our houses burned down, we lived down the road from each other. So it's just more like, ‘Let's get the families together and then sneak off and work on Dig!, you know?”

Kembrew McLeod always reserves the right to rock.

Your voices uskeepreal.

Ondi Timoner with her 2024 Cinema Savant award. Courtesy of FilmScene

April A-liST: FILM

DES MOINES

2025 Des Moines latino Film Festival, Varsity Cinema The Latino Center of Iowa celebrates four days of Latino culture and cinema. The festival sees the opening of select movie runs and special one-off events in a wide variety of genres, from horror to documentaries to screenings with community conversations.

Tuesday, Apr 15, Párvulos Wednesday, Apr 16, Lengua + Sujo Thursday, Apr 16, The Ballad of Tita and the Machines + Rita Friday, Apr 18, La Cocina

Friday, Apr 4, 7 p.m., Bob Trevino Likes It with Filmmaker Discussion, Varsity Cinema Produced by Des Moines native and DSM Roosevelt High School alum Edgar Rosa, Bob Trevino Likes It stars John Leguizamo and tells a story of connection through chosen family. Rosa will join for a post-screening conversation. In addition, 10 percent of Varsity box office sales April 4-6 will be donated to the Roosevelt Senior Party Fundraiser.

Tuesday, Apr 8, 7 p.m., Lifers: A local H Movie with Filmmaker Conversation, Varsity Cinema

Saturday, Apr 12, 9:30 p.m., Field of Screams, Fleur Cinema Co-written and co-directed by Iowa natives Alix Moad & Evan Runkle, Field of Screams is a masked killer horror flick a la Friday the 13th and Halloween. The duo wrote the script while living in Iowa and used it as inspiration. (The antagonist is a burlap-masked scarecrow that terrorizes a farmhouse.)

Sunday, Apr 13, 7 p.m., Lost Boys, Stolen Trucks with Filmmaker Intro and Q&A, Varsity Cinema Lost Boys, Stolen Trucks is a program of short films by Iowa filmmakers Philip Rabalais and Auden Lincoln-Vogel. The evening’s four short films use vehicles as the conduits to explore male relationships via surreal and genrebending forms. Rabalais and Lincoln-Vogel will join for an introduction and Q&A.

Friday, Apr 18, 10 p.m., Jailbait, Fleur Cinema

Friday, Apr 25, various times, On Swift Horses, Fleur Cinema

Tuesday, Apr 29, 7 p.m., Point Break - A Science on Screen presentation, Varsity Cinema Presented in collaboration with STEM Librarian Dan Chibnall and STEM@DRAKE. Terrance Pendleton, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Drake University, joins this screening of the classic Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze flick. Pendleton will break down (no pun intended) the math and science behind how waves form, including the most dangerous tsunamis, but also how to possibly predict them in the future.

IOWA CITY

Cannes-celed FilmScene and the Bijou Film Board take a look back at the films that audiences and critics wrongfully raked over the coals at the Cannes Film Festival. You can decide if the hate was justified.

LOCAL & NOTABLE

little Village's monthly print calendar is a non-exhaustive, curated list of arts and cultural events across LV's reader areas. Want to see more?

Browse listings online at littlevillagemag.com/calendar.

Are you planning an event? Add it to our online calendar: littlevillagemag. com/calendar. (Please include: event image, event name, date, time, venue name and address, admission price or price range and a brief description. No all-caps, exclamation points or advertising verbiage, please.)

Deescalated Pictures

Philip Rabalais

via Largo Entertainment

Sunday, Apr 6, The Paperboy

Friday & Wednesday, Apr 11 & 16, Dancer in the Dark

Saturday & Tuesday, Apr 19 & 22, Happiness

Tuesday, Apr 29, The Mother and the Whore

Monday, Apr 7, 7 p.m., Animation in Bloom: The Films of Ezra Wube, FilmScene

Sunday, Apr 13, 6:30 p.m., Hoop Dreams with Director Steve James, FilmScene FilmScene presents the G.O.A.T. of sports documentaries through its Vino Vérité series, which brings filmmakers influenced by the vérité tradition. Each selection is paired with hand-selected wines from Bread Garden Market. Hoop Dreams director Steve James joins for a post-screening Q&A and reception.

Tuesday, Apr 15, 7 p.m., pride at FilmScene: Seconds, FilmScene

Monday, Apr 21, 6:30 p.m., Minority Report on 35 MM, FilmScene A Science on Screen presentation, a grant initiative that brings science to cinemas nationwide, FilmScene presents the 2002 Phillip K. Dick, Tom Cruise led, Minority Report on 35 MM film. The film includes a pre-show presentation; “AI Said You'd Be Here: From Sci-Fi to Reality.”

Wednesday, Apr 23, 10 p.m., late Shift at the Grindhouse: Rabid, FilmScene

Monday, Apr 21, 7:30 p.m., Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert, Adler Theatre, Davenport

MUSIC

DES MOINES

Friday, Apr 4, 7 p.m., Cory Waller & The Wicked Things and Brad Morgan, xBk live

Friday, Apr 4, 7 p.m., Tank and the Bangas, Wooly’s

Friday, Apr 4, 7 & 9 p.m., Seth Hedquist presents: Agrimusic, Noce Seth Hedquist earned a BS in History (2009) and an MA in History (2015), both from Iowa State University. His work focuses on rural Iowa musicians who played at state and county farm bureau events in the 1920s and '30s. Hedquist combines his background in history and music to spin a story about Iowa agricultural musicians in the early 20th century, in an all original, 12-song cycle.

Sunday, Apr 6, 4 p.m., The Daze Tour w/ Torture, Balmora, Sanction and Azshara, lefty’s live Music

Wednesday, Apr 9, 5 p.m., The Koffin Kats, The rumours, Old Dogs and Dead Don’t Die, lefty’s live Music

Saturday, Apr 12, 9 p.m., Subtlesound. WAV 009, Wooly’s

Thursday, Apr 17, 8 p.m., Halestorm’s lizzy and Joe: The living room Sessions, Hoyt Sherman place

Saturday, Apr 19, 7 p.m., lenard Simpson, Noce

Friday, Apr 25, 7 p.m., Other Brothers and Brother Trucker, xBk live

Friday, Apr 25, 7 p.m., Andrew Hoyt w/ Jason Walsmith & Dickie, Wooly’s Des Moines-based artist Andrew Hoyt celebrates the release of his latest EP with this release show at Wooly’s. Hoyt is joined by fellow local musicians Jason Walsmith and Dickie

Friday, Apr 25, 7 p.m., Allegra Hernandez, Temple Theater, Des Moines Civic Center Guitarist and songwriter (and director of GR!T Records) Allegra Hernandez kicks off the “Made in the Midwest” series, a new concert series presented by Des Moines Performing Arts. Hernandez brings their rock stylings to the intimate Temple Theater.

Saturday, Apr 26, 7 p.m., The Gabriel Espinosa Band ft. pianist Misha Tsiganov, Noce

via Seth Hedquist

A-LIST: APRIL 2025

Sunday, Apr 27, 3 p.m., Napoleon Douglas presents: Soul Sunday ft. Donovan McCamey & Adrienne Brown, Noce

Sunday, Apr 27, 4 p.m., Chip Albright & Friends w/ Maxwell Schaeffer, xBk live

IOWA CITY

Friday, Apr 4, 8 p.m., Arches & Outlaws, Wildwood

Friday, Apr 11, 8 p.m., lady Igraine, Worst Impressions, Cough N Flop & Two Boyfriends, Gabe’s Quad Cities and Iowa City join forces for this stacked lineup of bands at Gabe’s. Representing the Q.C. are the rockers Lady Igraine and Cough N Flop. IC locals Worst Impressions and Two Boyfriends (formerly known as Anti-cash) round out the roster.

Saturday, Apr 12, 5:30 p.m., peak Dead, B-Tho, Yxng raskal, Justin K. Comer and Hadiza, pS1 Close House A fundraising effort of former ICCSD students to re-settle family members displaced from their home in Sudan that also doubles as an eclectic evening of live music, from experimental punk-rap to melodic singer-songwriter jams.

Saturday, Apr 12, 7:30 p.m., The Weather Station, Club Hancher

Saturday, Apr 12, 8 p.m., The Beaker Brothers Band, Wildwood

Wednesday, Apr 16, 8 p.m.,

MUSIC

James McMurtry, Wildwood

Thursday, Apr 17, 8 p.m., The Tallest Man on Earth, The Englert

Thursday, Apr 17, 8 p.m., riding with Killers w/ Wooz, Gabe’s

Saturday, Apr 19, 7 p.m., Fisk Jubilee Singers, United Methodist Church, Mount Vernon Directed by Dr. G. Preston Wilson Jr., the Grammy Award-winning and National Medal of the Arts honorees Fisk Jubilee Singers will perform a program of spirituals. Joining them for several works will be the Cornell College combined choirs.

Saturday, Apr 19, 8 p.m., mssv w/ Sam locke Ward & The Boo Hoos and The Shining realm, Gabe’s The Gainesville power trio mssv is joined by the prolific IC pop music MacGyver Sam Locke Ward and his band the Boo Hoos. Also on deck are fellow locals and psychedelic rocker extraordinaires the Shining Realm.

Thursday, Apr 24, 7:30 p.m., Hayes Carll & Corb lund, The Englert

Friday, Apr 25, 7 p.m., Bongzilla w/ Spirit Mother & Braver Than I, Wildwood

Friday, Apr 25, 8 p.m., Dehd w/ sweat fm, Gabe’s

Wednesday, Apr 30, 7:30 p.m., Katie Dahl, The Englert

CEDAR RAPIDS, WATERLOO, & CEDAR FALLS

Friday, Apr 4, 8 p.m., Holding Hemlock, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Saturday, Apr 5, 8 p.m., rush Cleveland Trio, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Saturday, Apr 5, 8 p.m., Molly Nova & The Hawks w/ Zoot & Newt, The Ideal Theater, Cedar rapids

Thursday, Apr 10, 5:30 p.m., Sun pot, The Ideal Theater, Cedar rapids Sun Pot

is a brand-new three-piece band out of Cedar Rapids consisting of Joey Korch, Daylan Starks and Hunter Schmolze. The trio focuses on improvisation, exploring an all-instrumental sound that utilizes effects and progressions to achieve their chill improvisational jams.

Friday, Apr 11, 8 p.m., Joel Sires Trio, river Glen and Abbie Sawyer, Octopus, Cedar Falls

Friday, Apr 18, Crossover Quartet, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids Crossover Quartet is a collaboration between Red Cedar Chamber Music, Blake Shaw and Dan Padley. Shaw and Padley join the ensemble to form an electric string quartet. Of the collaboration Red Cedar Chamber Music says, “Blake

has been exploring the ‘Freegrass’ style for years and has created a suite especially for us, and Dan's unique sense of harmony and counterpoint will be on display through a multi-movement work.”

Tuesday, Apr 22, 7 p.m., Ellis paul, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids

Friday, Apr 25, 8 p.m., Scotty Austin, peter Dante & rEHAB, The Ideal Theater, Cedar rapids

Friday, Apr 25, 8 p.m., Halfloves, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids

Friday, Apr 26, 8 p.m., Duke Tumatoe, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids

Wednesday, Apr 30, 7 p.m., The Talbott Brothers, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids

QUAD CITIES

Friday, Apr 4, 8 p.m., Deep Galactic Bass Sessions Vol 9., The redstone room at Common Chord, Davenport

Friday, Apr 11, 8 p.m., Chris O’leary w/ Kevin Burt, The redstone room at Common Chord, Davenport

Saturday, Apr 12, 7 p.m., OUTlETprogramme presents: Bryan Day + Bigcat w/ lazy Hex, rozz Tox, Davenport

Sunday, Apr 13, 6 p.m., Bashford w/ Cough N Flop & Company Dimes, raccoon Motel, Davenport

Sunday, Apr 13, 6:30 p.m., Windchimes, phantom threat, Gaunt & Frontal Assault, The redstone room at Common Chord, Davenport

Wednesday, Apr 16, 5 p.m., Olive Klug, raccoon Motel, Davenport

Thursday, Apr 17, 6 p.m., lissie, raccoon Motel, Davenport Iowa transplant Lissie

brings her singer-songwriter vibes to the Raccoon Motel. The “Best Days” singer is joined by local opener Eva Kendall. Kendall is a 13-year old singer-songwriter from the Quad Cities fresh off the debut of her first single “Your Bones.”

Friday, Apr 18, 7 p.m., OUTlETprogramme presents: Brìghde Chaimbeul w/ Ground Water, rozz Tox, Davenport

Friday, Apr 18, 8 p.m., Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes w/ Cedar County Cobras, The redstone room at Common Chord, Davenport

Sunday, Apr 20, 6 p.m., Twisted Teens, raccoon Motel, Davenport

Wednesday, Apr 23, 7 p.m., OUTlETprogramme presents: Circuit Des Yeux w/ Netochka Nezvanova, rozz Tox, Davenport

Mission Creek Festival

Thursday, April 3

6 p.m., Rachel Kushner in conversation with Kim Gordon, Hancher Auditorium

7:30 p.m., La Lom, Hancher Auditorium

Friday, April 4

7:30 p.m., Nat Baldwin, Riverside Theatre

7:45 p.m., Younger, Gabe's

8 p.m., Mabe Fratti, The Englert Theatre

8:30 p.m., Diles Que No Me Maten, Riverside Theatre

9 p.m., Angry Blackmen, Gabe's

9 p.m., Groundwater, The Black Angel

9:30 p.m., Mannequin Pussy, The Englert Theatre

10 p.m., Flore Laurentienne, Riverside Theatre

10 p.m., Dave Helmer, The Black Angel

10:45 p.m., Your Smith, Gabe's

Saturday, April 5

10 a.m., Little Engines presents: MORNING, FUCKERS, The Tuesday Agency

12–4 p.m., Small Press & Literary Magazine Book Fair, Spare Me! Bowling Alley

1 p.m., Literary Translation: Magic, Conversation, and the Art of Community, FilmScene

2 p.m., Srikanth Reddy in conversation with Donika Kelly, FilmScene

2:45 p.m., Samuel Locke Ward, Trumpet Blossom Cafe

Thursday, Apr 24, 6 p.m., Felpup Five w/ The Dave Helmer Band & Good Morning Midnight, raccoon Motel, Davenport It’s a reunion of old and new friends at the Raccoon Motel. Felpup Five describes themselves as old Quad Cities friends playing tunes influenced by the likes of New Order and Saves The Day. They’re joined by Good Morning Midnight, a band originally from Iowa City who are now based in Minneapolis, and another veteran eastern Iowa act, The Dave Helmer Band.

Friday, Apr 25, 5 p.m., Hallux w/ Blaster & Bored Housewives, racoon Motel, Davenport

Saturday, Apr 26, 7 p.m., OUTlETprogramme presents: Direct Mutant Action w/ Systems, rozz Tox, Davenport

Sunday, Apr 27, 6 p.m., Normal Bias w/ ronnie Stone, E.T. & Drugwarp, racoon Motel, Davenport

3 p.m., Torrey Peters, Prairie Lights Bookstore

3 p.m., Ryan Joseph Anderson, The TUESDAY Agency

3:15 p.m., Ion Alexakis, Reunion Brewery

3:45 p.m., Nadalands, The TUESDAY Agency

3:45 p.m., Slacker, Trumpet Blossom Cafe

4:15 p.m., Jack Lion, Reunion Brewery

4:30 p.m., Golden Birds, The TUESDAY Agency

4:45 p.m., Good Habits, Trumpet Blossom Cafe

5:15 p.m., Alexis Stevens, The TUESDAY Agency

5:30 p.m., Jordan Sellergren, Reunion Brewery

7 p.m., Sun Centauri, Riverside Theatre

7 p.m., Neko Case in reading and conversation with Melissa Febos, Voxman Music Building

7:30 p.m., Supersonic Piss, Gabe's

8 p.m., William Elliott Whitmore, The Englert Theatre

8:15 p.m., Dawn Richard + Spencer Zahn, Riverside Theatre

9 p.m., The Tanks, Gabe's

9 p.m., Cedar County Cobras, The Black Angel

9:45 p.m., Raekwon, The Englert Theatre

10 p.m., Mark Guiliana, Riverside Theatre

11 p.m., Cabeza de Chivo, Gabe's

CLASSICAL & OPERA

IOWA CITY, CEDAR RAPIDS

Apr 11-13, various times, Rita & La colombe, Coralville Center for the performing Arts The University of Iowa School of Music’s opera season will close with a spring production of French One Acts: Gaetano Donizetti’s La colombe and Charles Gounod’s Rita. The two pieces have enjoyed a recent resurgence in the opera canon. Gounod’s score accompanies a farcical tale of seduction, while Donizetti’s Rita takes a darkly comic look at power dynamics in relationships.

Friday, Apr 11, 7 & 9 p.m., Sean Mason Quartet, Hancher Auditorium

Saturday, Apr 12, 7:30 p.m., Masterworks V: A Solemn Devotional, paramount Theatre

Sunday, Apr 13, 2 p.m., Masterworks V:

A Solemn Devotional, Voxman Concert Hall Orchestra Iowa presents the fifth in their Masterworks series this season with A Solemn Devotional. Joined by the Orchestra Iowa Symphonic Chorus the program features works by Mozart

and Felix Mendelssohn and explores the spiritual and sacred. Come to the performance early for “Insights,” an informal discussion about the program with Maestro Hankewich and guest artists.

Sunday, Apr 13, 7:30 p.m., The Saint paul Chamber Orchestra, Hancher Auditorium

Saturday, Apr 19, 7:30 p.m., Davóne Tines, Hancher Auditorium

Thursday, Apr 24, 7:30 p.m., Third Coast percussion and Jessie Montgomery, Hancher Auditorium Jessie Montgomery, Hancher’s 2024-2025 composer-inresidence presents a new work cocommissioned by Hancher and the University of Iowa and performed by the returning Third Coast Percussion (last seen in Iowa City performing with Twyla Tharp Dance). The new work will open the evening’s program. The performance will be presented in a thrust configuration, with all seating set up on the stage.

Wednesday Apr 30, 8 p.m., The rock Orchestra by Candlelight, Coralville Center for the performing Arts

DES MOINES

Saturday & Sunday, Apr 5 & 6, 7:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m., Masterworks 6: O FortunaCarmina Burana, Des Moines Civic Center

Saturday, Apr 26, 7:30 p.m., Final Symphony: Music From Final Fantasy, Des Moines Civic Center

Marc Perlish / via Third Coast Percussion

Kevin Deas via Orchestra Iowa

THEATRER & PERFORMANCE

IOWA CITY

Opens Apr 4, We’ll Get Back To You, The James Theatre Crooked Path Theatre returns to the James Theatre for the Iowa City premiere of a new play by Rob Bell. Directed by Tony Award nominee Kristin Hanggi, We’ll Get Back To You throws the audience into a job interview that goes off the rails. Watch the production before it premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer.

Opens Apr 18, The Lifespan of a Fact, riverside Theatre Riverside Theatre closes its season and continues its streak of razorsharp-relevant programming with The Lifespan of a Fact. The play centers on an intern given a career-making assignment fact-checking a new work by a celebrated essayist—an essayist who happens to be a little loosey-goosey with the truth.

Wednesday, Apr 23, 7:30 p.m., Varietopia w/ paul F. Tompkins, The Englert

DES MOINES

Through Apr 13, various times, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, The playhouse

Saturday, Apr 5, 7 p.m., Nautical Nerds: A Nautical Themed Burlesque Show, xBk live Des Moines’ Naughty Nerds Cabaret, headed by Troupe Leader Melody Mischief, celebrates all things nautical, particularly of the pirate-y variety. Expect yo-ho-hos, eyepatches and a plethora of dirty pirate shanties.

Apr 11-13, various times, Hadestown, Des Moines Civic Center

Thursday, Apr 17, 7 p.m., Chicago Tap Theatre, Des Moines Civic Center

Sunday, Apr 27, 4 p.m., 360 All Stars, Des Moines Civic Center With runs on Broadway, the Sydney Opera House and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 360 All Stars blends circus, hip hop, BMX biking and more in this high-energy show.

CEDAR RAPIDS, WATERLOO & CEDAR FALLS

Mar. 28-Apr. 6, various times, Grey Gardens,

VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM

MASTERWORKS VI

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

Historic Oster regent, Cedar Falls

Apr 4-12 various times, MadagascarA Musical Adventure Jr., Waterloo Community playhouse, Waterloo

Apr 4-5, 8 p.m., Sign of the Times: U Turn, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids Presented by SPT Theatre (pronounced “spit”) Sign of the Times: U Turn is the latest in the group’s “Writers’ Room” series, where the group writes a series of original comedy sketches to present 15-20 theatrical pieces in one evening.

Apr 4-5, Hadestown, Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls

May 17, 2025

Paramount Theatre

May 18, 2025

Coralville Center for The Performing Arts

Apr 10-19, various times., Barefoot in the Park, CSpS Hall, Cedar rapids Presented by the Rich Heritage of Cedar Rapids Theatre Company, Barefoot in the Park follows a newlywed couple as they navigate co-habitation in their top-floor apartment in New York City. Founded in 2013, this production kicks off RHCP’s 2025 season.

Tuesday, Apr 22, 7:30 p.m., The Cher Show, paramount Theatre

QUAD CITIES

Saturday, Apr 12, 2 & 7 p.m., Ballet Quad Cities: The Firebird: In Concert, Adler Theatre, Davenport Ballet Quad Cities takes on one of Stravinky’s most celebrated orchestral works, and the ballet that put him on the map: The Firebird. The company also presents its rendition of Darius Milhaud’s ballet love-letter to Harlem Jazz, La Creation du Monde. Both pieces are choreographed by Courtney Lyon, the artistic director of Ballet Quad Cities.

Saturday, Apr 19, 7 p.m., rodgers & Hammerstein’s: Cinderella, Adler Theatre, Davenport

Thursday, Apr 24, 7:30 p.m., Illusionist rick Thomas, Adler Theatre, Davenport

LIT & COMMUNITY

IOWA CITY

Saturday, Apr 5, 10 a.m., Writing Grief, porchlight literary Arts Center

A hybrid online or in-person gathering. Local author Jennifer New leads this monthly session that explores loss and sorrow on the page: “Grief is a process, not an event. Writing is a process, not a product. Which is why it’s so well suited to helping us unravel our way through the confusion and pain of all kinds of loss.”

Saturday, Apr 5, 2 p.m., NEA Big read Discussion with DK Nnuro, Stanley Museum of Art

Tuesday, Apr 8, 7 p.m., Jill lens, Stillbirth and the Law, prairie lights

Wednesday, Apr 9, 7 p.m., Christ Offutt, The Reluctant Sheriff, prairie lights

Thursday, Apr 10, 7 p.m., Caitlin roach

in conversation with rachel Yoder, Surveille, prairie lights Writers' Workshop graduate Caitlin Roach will read from her debut book of poems, Surveille, winner of the 2024 Brittingham Poetry Prize. Roach will be joined in conversation by Nightbitch author Rachel Yoder.

Friday, Apr 11, 7 p.m., Jonathan Thirkield, Infinity Pool, prairie lights

Sunday, Apr 13, 5 p.m., Second Sunday Sessions, press Coffee Stop by Press Coffee the second Sunday of every month for a casual art making session.

Monday, Apr 14, 7 p.m., Frank Durham & Tom Oates, Forming the Public, prairie lights

Wednesday, Apr 16, 7 p.m., Kate Folk in conversation with rachel Yoder, Sky Daddy, prairie lights

Thursday, Apr 17, 7 p.m., Sanjena Sathian in conversation with ren Arcamone, Goddess Complex, prairie lights

Monday, Apr 21, 7 p.m., paul lisicky in conversation with Garth Greenwell, Song So Wild and Blue, prairie lights

Friday, Apr 25, 7 p.m., Michelle Herman, If You Say So, prairie lights

Sunday, Apr 27, 3:30 p.m., Spanish MFA Graduate reading, prairie lights

Second-year students from the MFA in Spanish Creative Writing at the University of Iowa (and contributors to our En Español column) will share a selection of creative work they did during their time in the program. This event celebrates the experience of studying the MFA and writing in Iowa City.

DES MOINES

Friday, Apr 4, 7 p.m., poetry palooza performance: ross Gay, Jane Wong, Vince Gotera & Kelsey Bigelow, Grandview University In partnership with Humanities Iowa and the Iowa Poetry Association, Poetry Palooza! Is a brand-new festival celebrating the positive power of poetry. The weekend itinerary includes classroom visits around the state, an awards ceremony, workshops and panels. Friday evening sees the festival's featured poets perform at Grandview University.

Saturday, Apr 12, 2:30 p.m., Donald Quist, Kali White VanBaale & Bailey Gaylin Moore The Past Ten & Thank You for Staying With Me, Beaverdale Books

Monday, Apr 14, 6:30 p.m., Meet Iowa’s poet laureate: Vince Gotera, Beaverdale Books Vince Gotera, Iowa’s Poet Laureate since 2024, reads from Dragons & Rayguns, his latest collection of speculative poetry. Gotera taught at the University of Northern Iowa for almost 30 years and has edited for both the North American Review and Star*Line, a print journal of the international Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association.

Sunday, Apr 27, 2 p.m., Meet the Author: Jeff Bremer A New History of Iowa, Beaverdale Books

DES MOINES

Friday, Apr 4, 5 p.m., First Fridays

Diverse by Design, Mainframe Studios

Mainframe Studios’ April First Friday event explores the intersection of art, diversity and accessibility through multisensory engagement and inclusive design. Curated by Jill Wells, an Iowabased interdisciplinary artist and advocate, this exhibition provides an opportunity to connect more deeply with art in ways that are both accessible and inclusive.

Friday, Apr 11, 5 p.m., Kathranne Knight Recurrence opening, Moberg Gallery

IOWA CITY

Through Apr 5, Elusive Balance exhibition, pS1 North

Saturday, Apr 5, 11 a.m., ICE CrEAM 2025, pS1 Close House Over 40 artists will be on-site at Public Space One' for the 8th annual ICE CREAM. Presented with Mission Creek Festival, the expo presents a wide range of media, from comics, stickers amd buttons to handmade books and more. Also, heads-up if you’re new in town, the title is an acronym: Iowa City Expo for Comics & Real Eclectic Alternative Media. There will

ART & EXHIBITION

be no actual ice cream (as far as we know).

CEDAR RAPIDS, WATERLOO & CEDAR FALLS

Through Apr, All Dressed Up (And Down): Depictions of Clothing in the Collection, Cedar rapids Museum of Art, Cedar rapids

Through Apr 27, Against the Grain: The Artwork of John Schwartzkipf, Cedar rapids Museum of Art, Cedar rapids

John Schwartzkopf, a Cedar Rapids-based woodworker and artist, began working as a professional artist 50 years ago, in that time he developed his signature style involving his bent wood technique. The

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art celebrates the milestone with an exhibition that explores his career and growth into an artist working in both functional and sculptural forms.

Thursday, Apr 24, 1 p.m., Embroiderers’ Guild Demonstrations, National Czech & Slovak Museum, Cedar rapids

QUAD CITIES

Thursday, Apr 10, 6:30 p.m., Cara and Diego romero: Tales of Future past program, Figge Art Museum, Davenport Cara and Diego Romero’s “Tales of Future Past” exhibition opened at the Figge last month, and if you haven’t checked out their exploration of Native identity through that collaborative exhibition, this program is a good reason to stop by. Figge will present a program based around themes found in the couple's work.

Saturday, Apr 12, 10 a.m., Second Saturdays: Free Admission, Figge Art Museum, Davenport Every second Saturday of the month, admission is free at the Figge Art Museum. Why not check out the just opened “Tales of Future Past” exhibit?

Thursday, Apr 17, Curator Talk: Marvin Cone: painter, Figge Art Museum, Davenport

Cara

Romero

3 Sisters,

2022

Archival pigment print.

Courtesy of the artist ©

Cara Romero

Dear Kiki,

Help! I don't know how to tell my family (and friends) I'm AroAce (asexual-aromantic). I've been attempting to drop hints and politely refusing their advice, but to no avail. My friends are super cool and accepting—but my family may not believe me; they fully assume that I'm heavily sexually active. And have recently been pressuring me into getting STI/STD preventional medications and procedures as well as hormonal birth control, and appointments with OBGYNs (which I'll never attend: It's a long story). Still, I see why they think I'm active in these kinds of activities because of my status as a trans man and my involvement in the (safe) fetish subcultures and events in the QC area. Do you have any tips or tricks that might help them and myself to adjust?

Ace Up My Sleeve

Dear Ace Up My Sleeve, Coming out and coming out and coming out! It can feel exhausting, can’t it? It can be tricky for folks whose identities aren’t (as) marginalized to understand the tension between pride and privacy, between needing to be known and drawing boundaries. Just because we open up to others does not ever mean that we are opening ourselves up to debate and questioning—but even the most well-intentioned allies can miss that distinction.

The good news? That’s a them problem. No one is entitled to details about your habits and preferences, no matter how many details you’ve divulged thus far. Unfortunately, polite refusal and deftly dropped hints may be insufficient. Meet them where they are: If they’re comfortable enough with your relationship to offer intimate advice, then they should be comfortable enough to accept your honest feedback on how their pressure makes you feel. It won’t be an easy conversation, but it’ll be worth it.

Now the bad news, Ace Up My Sleeve. They’re right—well, in part. It sucks to hear it and it sucks to say it, but birth control and STI prevention are not only for those who are sexually active. Various studies

over the past decades, across multiple countries, show that nearly half of all trans people have been victims of sexual violence. Statistics for trans men skew higher. It’s infuriating to live in a world where I have to advise someone who chooses to eschew sex to protect himself from sexually transmitted anything, but here we are.

Please don’t let your frustration with your loved ones’ intrusiveness dissuade you from facing this reality. And consider the possibility that they could be feigning ignorance of your choices because they’re afraid to confront their fears for your safety. It may be that they’re not comfortable bringing up the issue of sexual violence and find it easier to pretend that they’re protecting you from risks you’ve opted into. That said, the bottom line is that it’s your life, and the people who love you need to accept that and accept you. Talk to other AroAces in your community (if you don’t have any yet, find them; like any marginality, it’s crucial to remind yourself that you’re not alone). Ask how they approach testing and prevention.

Then, start by coming out as AroAce to your super cool friends; once they’re up to speed, they can be the ace up your sleeve when starting the conversation with your family. It always helps to have someone who understands beside you to back you up. Good luck! xoxo, Kiki

Submit questions anonymously at littlevillagemag. com/dearkiki or non-anonymously to dearkiki@ littlevillagemag.com. Questions may be edited for clarity and length, and may appear either in print or online at littlevillagemag.com.

Kellan

Doolittle/LittleVillage

A FOOD, WINE, BEER, AND MUSIC FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR KCCK’S JAZZ EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

11 LIVE FIRST-CLASS CONCERTS

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Have you ever been part of an innovation team? Its goal is not simply to develop as many new ideas and approaches as possible, but rather to generate good, truly useful new ideas and approaches. The most effective teams don’t necessarily move with frantic speed. In fact, there’s value in “productive pausing”—strategic interludes of reflection that allow deeper revelations to arise. It’s crucial to know when to slow down and let hunches and insights ripen. This is excellent advice for you right now. You’re in a phase when innovation is needed and likely. For best results, infuse your productivity with periodic stillness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Barnacles are crustaceans that form vast colonies on rocks, pilings, whales and boats. They may grow so heavy on a ship that they increase its heft and require as much as a 40-percent increase in fuel consumption. Some sailors refer to them as “crusty foulers.” All of us have our own metaphorical equivalent of crusty foulers: moochers and deadweights that drag us down and inhibit our rate of progress. In my astrological opinion, the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to shed as much of yours as possible. (I’ll be shedding mine in June.)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1088, the Chinese polymath and statesman Shen Kuo published his book Dream Torrent Essays, Dream Pool Essays. In this masterwork, he wrote about everything that intrigued and fascinated him, including the effects of lightning strikes, the nature of eclipses, how to make swords, building tall pagodas resistant to wind damage and a pearl-like UFO he saw regularly. I think the coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to begin your Dream Torrent Essays, Gemini. You could generate maximum fun and self-knowledge by compiling all the reasons you love being alive on this mysterious planet.

The mimosa is known as the “sensitive plant.” The moment its leaves are touched, they fold inwards, exposing the sharp spines of its stems. Why do they do that? Botanists say it’s meant to deter herbivore predators from nibbling it. Although you Cancerians sometimes display equally robust and hair-trigger defense mechanisms, I’m happy to say that you will be unlikely to do so in the coming weeks. You are primed to be extra bold and super-responsive. Here’s one reason why: You have finely tuned your protective instincts so they work with effective grace—neither too strong nor too weak. I look forward to the new connections you will make.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): While sleeping in my bed on a recent night, I dreamed of an old friend I had lost touch with for the last 20 years. It was wonderful. We were remembering mystic breakthroughs we had while younger. When I awoke the next morning, I was delighted to find an email from this friend, hoping for us to be back in touch. Hyper-rationalists might call this coincidence, but I know it was magical synchronicity—evidence that we humans are connected via the psychic airways. I’m predicting at least three such events for you during the month of April, Leo. Treat them with the reverence they deserve. Take them seriously as signs of things you should pay closer attention to.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A star that astronomers call EBLM J0555-57Ab is 670 light years away. Its diameter is the smallest of any known star, just a bit larger than Saturn in our solar system. But its mass is 250 times greater than Saturn’s. It’s concentrated and potent. I’ll be inclined to compare you to EBLM J0555-57Ab in the coming weeks, Virgo. Like this modest-sized powerhouse, you will be stronger and more impactful than you may appear. The quality you offer will be more effective than others’ quantity. Your focused, dynamic efficiency could make you extra influential.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran jazz pianist and composer

Thelonious Monk was an influential musician in part because he didn’t hew to conventions. According to music writer Tarik Moody, Monk’s music features “dissonances and angular melodic twists and are consistent with his unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences and hesitations.” Many of Monk’s most innovative improvisations grew out of seeming mistakes. He explored and developed wrong notes to make them into intentional aspects of his compositions. “His genius,” said another critic, “lay in his ability to transform accidents into opportunities.” I'd love to see you capitalize on that approach, Libra. You now have the power to ensure that apparent gaffes and glitches yield positive and useful results.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author Richard Wright said that people “can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” That’s rarely a problem for Scorpios, since you are among the zodiac’s best sleuths when exploring your inner depths. Does any other sign naturally gather more self-realization than you? No! But having said that, I want to alert you to the fact that you are entering a phase when you will benefit from even deeper dives into your mysterious depths. It’s an excellent time to increase your self-knowledge to unprecedented levels.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Andean condors hunt for prey while flying through the sky with their 10-foot-wide wings. They’ve got a good strategy for conserving their energy: riding on thermal currents with little effort, often soaring for vast distances. I recommend that you channel the Andean condor in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. Always be angling to work smarter rather than harder. Look for tricks and workarounds that will enable you to be as efficient and stress-free as possible. Trust that as you align yourself with natural flows, you will cover a lot of ground with minimal strain. Celebrate the freedom that comes from embracing ease.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): While hiking in nature, people often rely on their phones to navigate. And what if their battery dies or there’s poor cell service out in the middle of nowhere? They might use an old-fashioned compass. It won’t reveal which direction to go, but will keep the hiker apprised of where true north lies. In that spirit, Capricorn, I invite you to make April the month you get in closer communication with your own inner compass. It’s a favorable and necessary time to become even more highly attuned to your ultimate guide and champion: the voice of the teacher within you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool.” Aquarian author John Steinbeck wrote that. I think it’s useful counsel for you in the coming weeks. What does it imply? Here are a few meditations. 1. Be tuned in to both the small personal world right in front of you and the big picture of the wider world. Balance and coordinate your understandings of them. 2. If you’re willing to shift your perspective back and forth between the macrocosmic and microcosmic perspectives, you’re far more likely to understand how life really works. 3. You may flourish best by blending the evaluative powers of your objective, rational analysis and your intuitive, nonrational feelings.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The earliest humans used bones and pebbles to assist in arithmetic calculations. Later, they got help from abacuses and crude mechanical devices. Electronic calculators didn’t arrive until the 1960s. All were efforts to bypass tedious reckonings. All were ingenious attempts to manage necessary details that weren’t much fun. In that spirit, I encourage you to seek time-saving, boredom-preventing innovations in the coming weeks. Now is an excellent time to maximize your spaciousness to do things you love to do.

Brazen Kitchen

Carnegie Stout Public Library

Dimensional Brewing

Dottie’s Cafe

First Brewed

First Reserve

Jubeck New World

Brewing

L May Eatery

Main Street

Mario’s Italian

Monk’s Kaffee Pub

Oolong Asion Cuisine

Paul’s

Riux Records

River Lights Books

Smokestack

The Lift

The Spot

The Vault Restaurant & Lounge

Wayfarer Coffee

Wicked Dame

FAIRFIELD

Arandas

Cafe Paradiso

Convention Center Box

Office

Everybody’s Whole Foods - Grocery

Fairfield Economic Development Assoc.

India Cafe I

Information Center

Istanbul Grill

Mira’s Organic Cafe

Nobel House Kava

Thai Deli

GRIMES

Breadeaux Pizza

Grimes Public Library

HIAWATHA

Hiawatha Public Lib.

Roaster’s Coffee

HILLS

Old 218 Tap

HUXLEY

Casa Azteca

Fenceline Beer Lab

Flight Bar & Grille

INDIANOLA

Cabin Coffee

Copper & Fringe

Beauty

Crouse Cafe

Des Moines Metro

Opera Feed & Foster

Funaro’s Deli

Groggy Dog

Indianola Public Lib.

Mojo’s Bar

Pageturners

Bookstore

Savor the Rise

The Corner Sundry

The Local Vine

Uncommon Grounds

West Hill Brewing Co.

IOWA CITY

AJA Estate Services

Alley Cat

Artifacts

Baroncini

Basta

Beadology

Bike Library

Billion & Billion Auto

Billion Hyundai

Bluebird Diner

Highlander Center Coffee Emporium

Colonial Lanes

Cortado

Crepes De Luxe

Critial Hit Games

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Dandy Lion

Daydreams Comics

Daydrink Coffee

Deadwood

Deery Brothers Ford

Deery Brothers Jeep/ Dodge

Deluxe Bakery

Discerning Eye

Dodge Street Tire

Donnelly’s

Dream City

Dublin Underground

Dulcinea

Eastdale Plaza

El Senor Cactus

Emma Goldman Clinic

Estella’s Taco Joint

Falbo Bros. Pizza

FilmScene

FilmScene - Chauncey

Gabe’s

Geoff’s Bikes

George’s

Gerber Collision & Glass

Grizzly’s

Haba Salon

Hairport

Hands Jewlers

Haunted Bookshop

Heim

Herteen & Stocker

Heyn’s Iowa City Hills Bank

Hilltop Tavern

Hive Collective

Honeybee Hair Parlor

Hot House Studio

Hotel Vetro Lobby

IC Downtown District

India Cafe

Iowa City Public Library

Iowa City Senior Center

Iowa Hawk Shop Tech

Department

Jakob Piano Studio

Jame’s Theater

Java house

Jimmy Jack’s Rib Shack

Joe’s Place

John’s Grocery

Kindred Coffee

Kirkwood Liquor

La Regia

La Wine Bar

Laundromania

Lepic Kroeger Realty

Little Village HQ

Outdoor Rack

Little Village Office

Maggie’s Farm WoodFired Pizza

Marco’s Grilled Cheese

McDonald Optical

Mesa 503

Mesa Pizza

Mickey’s

Midtown Family Restaurant - East

Midwest One Bank

Molly’s Cupcakes

Muddy Feet Yoga

Musician’s Pro Shop

NEX Apartments

Community

Oasis

Old Capitol Indoor

Rack - North

Old Capitol Outdoor

Rack - North

Old Capitol Screen

Printers

Outdoor Rack - Linn & Market

Ped Mall Outdoor

Rack Dubuque & Wash

Ped Mall Playground

Rack

Pop’s Old & New BBQ

Prairie Lights

Prairie Lights Cafe

Press Coffee

Public Space One

R.S.V.P.

Ragstock

Rapids Reproductions

Raygun

ReStore

Record Collector

Revival

River City Dental

Romantix

Shakespeare’s Pub

Short’s - East

Soseki

Stan’s Barber & Stylists

Stella Studio 13

Stuff, Etc

Systems Unlimited

T-Spoons

Thai Spice

The Airliner

The Club Car

The Englert Theatre

The Graduate

The Green House

The Konnexion

The Shop

The Vine

The Wedge Pizzeria

Trumpet Blossom

Cafe

UI QuickCare

UI QuickCare - East

UI Rec Center

Vfw

Wedge Pizza

Whitedog Auto

Wig & Pen - East

Wild Culture

Kombucha

Wildwood Saloon

Willow & Stock

World of Bikes

Yotopia

JOHNSTON

Johnston Library

Sovereign Tattoo

Stoney Creek Hotels

KALONA

Best of Iowa

Kalona Brewing Co.

Kalona Chocolates

Kalona Coffee House

Tequila Grill

Tuscan Moon

KNOXVILLE

Atlantic & Pacific Pub

Casa Grande Mexican

Deng’s Garden

Dingus Lounge

Fast Freddy’s Pizza

Grand Theater

Peace Tree Brewing

Revive Hair Studio

Wackos

MARION

Alter Ego Comics

Belleza Salon & Spa

Frydae

Giving Tree Theater

Kettel House Bakery

Marion Public Library

Short’s

Uptown Snug

MOLINE/E MOLINE (IL)

Analog Arcade Bar II

Co-Op Records

East Moline Coffee Co.

Milltown Coffee

Rust Belt

MOUNT VERNON

Bijou Theater

Chameleons

Fuel

Lincoln Wine Bar

The Local, Glen Mayr Winery

White Tree Bakery

NORTH LIBERTY

Bluebird Diner

Capanna Coffee

Copper Boar

El Azul

Java House

Johncy’s Liquor Store

Laundromania

Linder Tire

North Liberty Auto

North Liberty Library

Premiere Automotive

Smash Juice Bar

Smokin Joe’s Tobacco & Liquor

Suga Peach

Sugar bottom bikes

The Lounge barbershop

Urban Fuel

Wig and Pen

PELLA

Butcher’s Brewhuis & Deli

Cellar Peanut Pub

In’t Veld Meat Market

Iris Coffee Company

Main Street Markt

Pella Books

Pella Convention & Visitors Bureau

Smokey Row Coffee

The Brew Coffee

The Queue

The Wijn House

Vander Ploeg Bakery

Windmill Cafe

PLEASANT HILL

Breadeaux Pizza

Copper Creek 9

Great Escape

La Feria Mexican

Pleasant Hill Diner

Pleasant Hill Public

Lib.

Rolling Smoke BBQ

RIVERSIDE

La Chiva Loka

ROCK ISLAND

Bayside Bistro

Ragged Records

URBANDALE

Bike World

Campbell’s Nutrition

Friedrichs Coffee

Hotel Renovo

Living History Farms

Microtel Inn

Palmer’s Deli & Market

Revel Hotel by Hilton

Rieman Music

Tasty Tacos

Ted’s Coney Island

Urbandale Public Lib.

WASHINGTON

Cafe Dodici

Coffee Corner

Frontier Family Rest.

Lewbowski’s Rock n’ Bowl

Panda Palace

Taste of China

The Hair Bar

The Wooden Spoon

Bakery Outlet

Washington Public Lib.

WATERLOO

Bluebird Diner

Capanna Coffee

Copper Boar

El Azul

Java House

Johncy’s Liquor Store

Laundromania

Linder Tire

North Liberty Auto

North Liberty Library

Premiere Automotive

Smash Juice Bar

Smokin Joe’s Tobacco & Liquor

Suga Peach

Sugar bottom bikes

The Lounge barbershop

Urban Fuel

Wig and Pen

WAUKEE

Central Standard

Home Sweet Cone

Kue’d Smokehouse

Kyle’s Bikes

Palms Theatres

Saints Pub

WEST DES MOINES

Atomic Garage

Banana Leaf

BeerStyles

Bike World

Budu/Bu

Coffee Cats

Early Bird Brunch

Eggs & Jam

Element West Hotel

Friedrichs Coffee

Hilton Garden Inn

Hurts Donuts

Hyatt Place West

Jay’s CD & Hobby

Kavanaugh Gallery

Keg Stand

La Barista

Roslin’s on Fifth

Sheraton Hotel

The Distillery @ the Foundry

The Hall @ the Foundry

The Rewind by Hilton

Townplace Suites

Val Air Ballroom

In print at least monthly since July 2001, Little Village is among the longest-running free alternative publications in the Midwest.

We distribute an average of 20,000 free copies each month at about 800 Iowa locations.

Known to support and participate in the local, brickand-mortar community at above average rates, nearly all LV readers picked up the mag while visiting their favorite food, retail, performance or other cultural venue.

LV readers are deeply invested in community.

73% are, and have 1-2 children per household on average. 98% voted in 2020, and 96% in 2022. With your help, we’ll reach 100% in 2024!

Bread Garden Market

Burger Haul

Buzz Salon

Carousel Motors

Cielo

Clarion Hotel

New Pioneer Co-Op

New Pioneer Co-OpOutdoor Rack

Nodo - Downtown

Nodo - North Side/ ACE

Oaknoll Retirement

Hometown Market

Knoxville Barber

Knoxville Public Lib.

Manny’s Diner

Mrs. D’s Family Rest.

Nearwood Winery

One Eleven Pub

Rozz-Tox

SLATER

Slater Public Library

Town & Country Markets

Valley Junction

Foundation

Waterfront Seafood

Wellman’s Pub

West Des Moines

Public Library

lEX lETO

I am here but I must go LEXLETO.BANDCAMP.COM

Lex Leto has released their highly anticipated second studio album, I am here but I must go in collaboration with the Christine Burke Ensemble. Beautiful yet jarring, all six tracks are extremely well-ordered and create an enchanting story. The album trucks listeners through the hills and valleys of Leto’s mind and transports them to the mystical countryside of Chelsea, Iowa. Leto’s soft voice paired with the ensemble emphasizes the fairytale tone of this new release.

THE SOUNDSCApE IS IDYllIC WITH SOMBEr lYrICS, BUT THE TWO ElEMENTS TOGETHEr BUIlD A BEAUTIFUl HAUNTING ENErGY THAT lOOMS

OVEr EACH SONG.

I am here but I must go, captures a feeling equivalent to being on a rollercoaster while watching Ari Aster’s Midsommar. The soundscape is idyllic with somber lyrics, but the two elements together build a beautiful haunting energy that looms over each song and increases in intensity further in the album.

From the first track, “Laura,” you’re welcomed into Leto’s new world. The deeply tuned instruments speak to a primal intensity, engulfing the listener in a sensual force that feels inevitable, and preparing them for the uncharted journey to come. After being softly embraced by the Burke Ensemble’s spatial soundscape consisting of waves

and strong winds, Leto pierces through the song with a clairvoyant sense of timing and seamlessly weaves into its frequencies in a hypnotic dance. The opening verse immediately signals that this album is a journey of selftransformation and the unpredicted dangers of uncovering the unknown.

Progressing through the album, the tracks eerily cultivate a sense of fear— one that’s compelling yet unsettling. Much like the unforeseen horrors of aforesaid Midsommar, this fear doesn’t repel; instead, it keeps you on edge, eagerly anticipating what’s to come. The fourth track, “B-Side,” stands as a magnetic interlude, immersing the listener in an ensemble of synths and warping sonic waves, like traveling through a portal into another dimension.

The next track, “Iowa,” awakens listeners, setting them to a state of alertness with an artfully simple yet effective drumline. Each beat is made with such care and sureness that it builds into the sound of a ritualistic pulse, like it’s expelling something from inside. The drumline powers Leto’s lyrics and transmits the message clearly to listeners, pulling them deeper into the album’s dreamy sound.

The final track, “New Song,” is an exorcism of past-self. Each instrument follows their own diabolical path of sound, layering over one another and creating a chaotic masterpiece that is effective in mirroring the chatter of the mind and the ways intrusive thoughts feel. The finale of the album is a purge of sound, both unsettling and refreshing, leaving the listener in a detox state of renewal and cleansings.

The payoff for listening to I am here but I must go in its entirety is extremely rewarding. It starts delicate and soft, luring in its prey. Halfway through, the sound becomes so entrapping that it’s impossible to stop listening. Leto takes newness to a whole other level, experimenting with their vocal capabilities—and the collaboration of work with the fabulous Burke Ensemble strikes beautiful quirks.

This collaboration was so alluring. Through each listen, I found something I could return to. Leto is uncovering new territory and I am excited to hear what’s next.

—Winston Jamison

Dystopian fiction tends towards themes of technocratic authoritarianism, the persecution of marginalized groups and generally, bad vibes. There is often a Byronic hero or some sort of picaresque adventure that awaits the protagonist who, against all odds, finds some sort of victory in the face of all-encompassing oppression. To be sure, now is a great time to dive into some dystopian art, but rarely, if ever, does this art show what happens when the dust has settled. What happens to the survivors of the end times?

Margaret Driscal, a Quad Cities native, offers up a refreshing look at the apocalypse on Mommy Planet, a folk song cycle that imagines the year 4000, in which late-stage capitalism and climate change have won, leaving surviving humans, robots and Mommy Planet herself passing an acoustic guitar around a campfire for one final night of singing and reflection on everything that’s transpired in the wastelands.

Opening with “Sympathy For A Robot Pt. 1,” Mommy Planet treats us to a whimsical song from a robot’s point of view, noting that nothing happened to robots after the rapture. Being ageless and lacking human traits has its days, yet robots, too, are longing for the end. The more somber “Sympathy For A Robot Pt. 2” closes the album with the lines, “I’ve done it! I’ve broke fever/I’m the first Robot believer/and I believe that the rapture is coming back for me,” tying everything together with nice bookends, but the rest of the album explores more.

“Dust Bowl” personifies the loneliness and unrelenting rage of a dust bowl, akin to Neko Case’s “This Tornado Loves You.” This literal and metaphorical personification of weather

phenomena is a harbinger of death and longing. Driscal’s voice itself is dusty and melodic. “Humidity” and “Help Me” similarly tie love and loss and longing to the changing of the weather, rounding out a triplet of heartfelt and clever songs. “On Live” showcases a story of a lone survivor, satellite streaming their own slow demise to whatever may be left of their audience, now raptured or otherwise dispatched by the dust bowl. “You must be a Plus Member to see my face/I’ll be on Live until I die,” summarizes well our own social media-centric culture. Subscribe, ring that notification bell and keep watching, no matter how banal, until death. As long as the reactions and money keep flowing and we are all tethered to the inevitable, why stop?

MOMMY PLANET IS rAW. DIY IN ITS prODUCTION AND FEATUrING prIMArIlY DrISCAl’S VOICE AND GUITAr, IT CApTUrES THE CHArM OF WATCHING A FOlK ArTIST SUrprISE A CrOWD WITH INTEllIGENT lYrICS THAT CAN MAKE YOU lAUGH AND CrY IN A SINGlE MElODY.

The penultimate track, “The Year 4000,” dives further into all of the above themes, employing Driscal’s sharp lyricism and balancing touches of humor with heartbreak.

Mommy Planet is raw. DIY in its production and featuring primarily Driscal’s voice and guitar, it captures the charm of watching a folk artist surprise a crowd with intelligent lyrics that can make you laugh and cry in a single melody. For all the weight of the concepts, Driscal is never preachy or sanctimonious; instead, we get to feel the warmth of the characters facing imminent doom. May we all perish with a song in our hearts.

—Broc Nelson

Cory Peak has to be one of Iowa’s most adventurous artists. Probably best known as the bassist for the grindcore/emoviolence powerhouse that is Closet Witch, Peak recently produced beats and did animation for the Iowa hip-hop project Negus Lamé. On top of all of that, Peak has been at work producing electronic music collected now on Computer Image.

WHETHEr THrEATENING

“Spending Time With You,” propelling the listener into a chipmunk-tuned vocal sample as the house beat builds and stutters. We go from our heads in the clouds to our feet and hearts pumping on the dance floor in short order.

Yet these two tracks, at a combined total of around six and a half minutes, are the longest tracks on Computer Image. Each new sound exploration that follows is brief enough to catch our attention with their contrasts, but also short enough to not overstay their welcome. “Caught In Space” careens forward with high BPM breakbeats and spaced out synth pads. “Revelia” keeps the party going with Detroit-house beats while a yacht rock inspired organ delivers a sense of calm before wonky breakdowns and pitch bent guitar sounds disrupt any daiquiri sipping.

DIZZY BrIDGES

Spot the pattern DIZZYBRIDGES.BANDCAMP.COM

DTO BlOW OUT EArDrUMS WITH FAST GrINDCOrE Or lAYING DOWN SMOOTH HIp-HOp BEATS, pEAK ClEArlY lOVES TO EXplOrE THE WOrlD OF SOUND.

Electronic music has a dense network of subgenres and microgenres, which typically can be parsed out quickly on full-length albums, even if there is some crossover or dabbling amongst those subgenres. Computer Image seems to balk at that idea. Whether threatening to blow out eardrums with fast grindcore or laying down smooth hip-hop beats, Peak clearly loves to explore the world of sound, and each track on this album is a new opportunity to peak (pun intended) down some new electric avenue.

“Carvenchi’s Prayer” opens the project with lush vocal harmonies sporting a touch of distortion. As the chords build and progress, a calm, nearly spiritual effect takes hold. Albeit too fast paced for ambient music, this track elicits the same kind of meditative effect. When the slowly building distortion drops out, the effect is elegiac. A four on the floor house beat kicks in on

“Rise Of Mentauris” evokes a danceable dungeon-synth-meetschiptune vibe that hypnotizes before the jerky breakcore inspired “Hardwired To The Face” turns things around again. This track is probably the closest to an electronic version of a Closet Witch song on Computer Image. A soulful “Interlude” welcomes in a series of soul-touched samples over what could be a hiphop beat on “Mar4” that calls to mind Graduation-era Kanye West production.

The next two tracks offer danceable psych-jazz before the album reverts back into a twisted chiptune breakcore offering with “Never Dreamed.” Computer Image closes with “Glown,” which brings back the heavy vocal chords from the beginning over a bass funk riff reminiscent of Bowser’s castle on the SNES.

Despite what may seem like a torrential downpour of conflicting ideas, Cory Peak manages to keep Computer Images from whiplashing the listener into oblivion by thoroughly creative and intelligent composition and pacing. This album is never a slog or too chaotic to enjoy. In fact, it may be just the kind of forward thinking we all could benefit from. Explore, create and do it like no one is watching.

—Broc Nelson

izzy Bridges’ new album is holistic, with hidden themes and lyrical depth to decode. Up for the challenge and armed only with the hint “Spoon-meets-Carlo Rovelli,” I enveloped myself in the poetry and existential questions of this Iowa-based art-rock quartet.

Starting with patterns within my grasp—separate from ideas of physicists and time—I noted the subtle inclusions of borrowed lyrics from Bob Dylan, along with a couple of lines from Paul and Linda McCartney’s deep cut “Heart of the Country.” These Easter eggs, a marvelously insidery game of I Spy, fit deftly within the psychedelic, orchestral soundscapes and rhapsodic detail to which the album dedicates itself.

The instrumental experimentations are delightful and impressive from start to finish. Through each sonic twist,

psychedelic, slowing down and caking on reverb that falls squarely into Beatles territory. And even later, a cacophony of horns explodes out of the moody tenseness of “What is time?”

Speaking of time, the aforementioned Carlo Rovelli, cited by Dizzy Bridges, is an Italian theoretical physicist known for his ideas on the notion and, more specifically, the order of how quantum time flows. Or, simply put for the reviewer out of her depth, the idea that time doesn’t happen linearly. And in Dizzy Bridges’ speak, since time is all out of order, “We’ll write this book in a straight line / That’s how you’ll keep this all straight in your mind.” The time here is cyclical, looped just like the melodic themes of notes and reoccurring choruses.

Charted across songs and the buzzwords, emblazoned and frantic, are circling thoughts of time—reversing it, looping it and running it out. The listener is pulled deep into the singer’s mind, hidden behind ’90s post-punk affectation, stuck on new time and new years and new stars. Spot the Pattern is philosophical poetry bathed in cellos and tinkering pianos.

The final track is a case of genre whiplash, but an eagerly accepted reprieve from 31 minutes of existentialism. “On New Year’s” brings warmth, punctuated with clapping and sounds of company, almost like the song is performed around the light of

THE INSTrUMENTAl EXpErIMENTATIONS ArE DElIGHTFUl AND IMprESSIVE FrOM STArT TO FINISH. THrOUGH EACH SONIC TWIST, A FlUTTErING pIANO IS A COMFOrTING MAINSTAY, GUIDING THE MElODIES UpSTrEAM, prACTICAllY SKATING ON GlASS.

a fluttering piano is a comforting mainstay, guiding the melodies upstream, practically skating on glass.

“Getting time” kicks off these unconventional choices with cascading counter-melody piano notes, wailing guitar solos and breathy sighs reminiscent of The Zombies’ “Time of the Season.” “Bit better” matches cellos with guitar rock for a harmonious, but provocative, partnership. Within “Nova (break),” the band fully breaks into the

a campfire. Although not outwardly spiraling about time, the song acts similarly to a real New Year’s Eve celebration. If you sit long enough in the celebratory countdown, the existential dread of a new year rises above both the artificial warmth of liquor and the authentic warmth of company.

And in Dizzy Bridges and Carlo Rovelli’s world, what even does a new year mean?

—Elisabeth Oster

EASTOVER PRESS

Margaret Yapp’s Green For Luck is a refreshing shock to the senses. Every page asks the reader to unlearn their expectations.

I hear all the time that readers want to be surprised—I even tell my own students that—but it’s been a long time since I experienced it. In Green For Luck, it happens page after page. Even when a form is repeated, the content

clouds rolling in and passing; some need close attention while others sear immediately into you. Those searing moments also deserve closer attention. How did Yapp do this so quickly? How did we move from ephemeral to visceral in such a small space?

Yapp plays with form throughout the book. For example, the table of contents comes after the book’s first four poems, and a third of the book is written as a play. Glacial Eratics’ stanzas are placed in the corners of a double-page spread, each independent though certainly connected. On several different pages I wrote “is this a form” or “did she invent a form?”

It is clear that Yapp has spent a lot of time studying poetry. These poems feel pared down and exacting; they are not an exercise in experimentation but the product of careful attention to the auditory which makes them smart on the page. Her language is quick (“Like how flood water busts empty space & emptiness / inevitably return : return : return : returns”) and playful (“Pissed & eager, downstairs dreamer, body by IBS”). It is human.

While many of the poems use casual language and deal with the

SOMETIMES SONIC, SOMETIMES MEANDErING, SOMETIMES All IMAGErY, THIS COllECTION pUllS FrOM All MANNEr OF STrUCTUrES AND ArT FOrMS TO CrEATE A COllAGE OF lANGUAGE, COHESIVE AND INTENTIONAl, THAT MEDITATES ON THIS MOMENT.

and construction are fresh and vital. Yapp is an innovator, clearly in love with language and its parts. And her debut poetry collection is a testament to her felicity.

Sometimes sonic, sometimes meandering, sometimes all imagery, this collection pulls from all manner of structures and art forms to create a collage of language, cohesive and intentional, that meditates on this moment.

It was hard to break away from reading Green For Luck, which made it hard to give each poem the space it sometimes needed. These poems are dense and elusive, like storm

Iwas a daughter who left her mother. This is a fairly common experience, from my understanding of the world, many children leave their parents, either to move down the street or across the country. My act of leaving was comparatively short in distance but long in duration, as I packed my suitcase once and never brought it back.

Blue Light Hours by author and Grinnell College instructor Bruna Dantas Lobato perfectly encapsulates the sweet melancholy of being a child who has left, and a parent who has been left, immersing the reader in gentle goodbyes.

third-person perspectives can be just as intimate as first. The final section of the novel remains in third person, but slips effortlessly between mother and daughter as “Reunion” explores the way they have changed and stayed the same, becoming reflections of each other even as they have also gained new identities.

Lobato’s skill with language and detail cannot be lauded enough. In a world filled with tragic familial narratives, this novel wastes no time lingering on the absent father figure— the tragedy here is that of growing older. The daughter’s moments of growth are subtle, but unfurl under her mother’s digital gaze. She increasingly takes on the role of an emotional caretaker to her mother, keeping more of her true desires and increasing guilt to herself. Her central conflict is achingly relatable, which makes the transition to the mother’s perspective so vital. The mother, despite her mourning, only wants what is best for her child. This desire is also the offer of forgiveness, for both her daughter and the external reader. It offers a balm we did not ask for, but that many of us need.

everyday, there’s a precision to them that makes their accessibility feel feral. Green For Luck is Iowan, too. It is a treatise on the prairie, on survival. It luxuriates in the good middle of this state and the animalness it takes to live.

This book took me to school. It made me remember why I love to read, why I love poetry, why art cannot be reined in by convention or expectation. Green For Luck should serve to many as an introduction to sound poetry, to conveying a vibe, to the grit and vim and vigor that language espouses.

—Sarah Elgatian

The novel—expanded from a short story originally published in the New Yorker—is broken into three sections, “Daughter,” “Mother” and “Reunion.” The first-person “Daughter” follows the unnamed narrator as she arrives in the United States to attend school. Her heart lives in two countries as she falls in love with Vermont but aches for Brazil, her joint desires making it impossible for her to fully exist in a single space. She and her mother connect through Skype calls, their conversations riddled with conflicting needs—to be longed for and to be happy.

The narrative changes to a thirdperson close perspective for “Mother,” allowing the reader to see how her mother spends her days trying to determine her place in the world when she is not defining herself as a caretaker. Her fear, joy and pride are all visceral despite the slight removal in the narrative structure, showing that

lOBATO IS A MASTEr IN THE ArT OF SUBTlETY, GENTlE rElATIONSHIpS AND IDENTITY... EVEN IN ITS SADNESS, [BLUE LIGHT HOURS] IS STUNNING IN ITS BEAUTY.

In many ways, Blue Light Hours is unhurried. Its pace matches the winter walks the daughter takes through the first segment of the book. With a less skilled author, I would define it as slow, but Lobato’s scenes are so intentional and delicately crafted that I instead settled in for the journey.

Lobato is a master in the art of subtlety, gentle relationships and identity. For a little while, Blue Light Hours offered me a reprieve from the world and left me feeling at ease. Even in its sadness, it is stunning in its beauty.

—K. Twaddle

BrUNA DANTAS lOBATO Blue Light Hours

BLACK CAT

MArGArET YApp Green for Luck

We can stop HIV, Iowa—

test

Talk with your partner before having sex.

Talk about when you were last tested and suggest getting tested together. Talk to your healthcare provider about your sex life. Ask them what STI tests you should be getting and how often.

Get tested! It’s the only way to know for sure if you have an STI or HIV.

Many STIs don’t cause any symptoms, so you could have one and not know.

If you feel like you can’t ask your regular provider for an STI or HIV test, find a clinic that provides free or low cost confidential testing.

treat

All STIs, including HIV, are treatable. If you test positive for an STI, work with your healthcare provider to get the right treatment.

Ask for partner services to get your partner tested & treated.

If you test positive for HIV, your provider or testing location will help connect you to treatment and resources!

STI Awareness Week is April 14–20— but taking care of your sexual health is something you can do all year! Learn more & find free testing near you at stophiviowa.org

18. Pine

19. Brought aboard 20. Entrée kept on the menu?

23. Particle studied by Michael Faraday

24. Unadon fish

25. Plastic alternative

28. In favor of a Bond-approved martini preparation?

34. “___ to the Mets” (Strokes song)

35. Light beige

37. In position to swim the backstroke, say

38. Skyrocket

40. Language from which “shampoo” comes

42. Parks or Luxemburg of 20th-century political activism

43. Manuscript mistakes

45. They may be given to actors onstage

47. South of Mexico?

48 Controlled again, as a doggo?

50. Clicks a “thumbs up” button, perhaps

52. Vacation hrs.

53. Recycling receptacle

54. “Acting your wage,” for

some, and what’s evoked by this puzzle’s theme answers

61. 180

63. Snore-inducing

64. Brainstorm product

65. Not accidental

66. Sty cry

67. Suffragist and abolitionist Lucretia

68. “To wrap up ...”

69. Rice measurements, briefly?

70. Otherwise

DOWN

1. Ran a tab

2. Skirt type popularized in response to the success of its opposite

3. Rough day for Caesar

4. Certain bro, perhaps

5. Where to get pintura highlights

6. “Skin So Soft” company

7. Mojito herb

8. More likely to shock some traditional viewers

9. Lovecraft’s tentacle-mouthed creature

10. Ontario neighbor

11. Pie crust ingredient

12. “Love the Way You ___” (Eminem ft. Rihanna song)

13. What “vintage” is a euphemism for 21. Pilates target

22. Scottish cryptid, familiarly

25. Total phony

26. Flip over

27. Unit of tapioca

28. TGIF part: Abbr.

29. Two tablespoons

30. National Cheddar Fries Day mo.

31. Mall stall

32. Logically follow

33. Closes in on

36. Platonic

39. Rap Sh!t creator Issa

41. Complete flop

44. Harness

46. Crack

49. Stadium sandwich (or not, depending on whom you ask)

51. Eventually

53. Rips off

54. Thigh muscle

55. Receptacles at a meeting or conference

56. Subject of a classic crossword theme type

57. Forearm bone

58. Excessively loved one

59. Team that moved to Brooklyn in 2012

60 Scandal suffix

61. She played Beatrix in Kill Bill

62 Hamilton bill

Me�lon Symposium

On Museum Ethics and Provenance Research

May 1 3, 2025

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art presents a three-day symposium this May that will showcase the museums's recent advancements in restitution and provenance research while engaging in insightful conversations with field experts on ethical museum practices and the critical exploration of cultural heritage.

The symposium will feature a series of presentations and conversations:

• Thursday, May 1: "Reclaiming Heritage: Leadership in Restitution and Repatriation in Iowa," a panel discussion in collaboration with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, examining the role of institutions in addressing historical injustices.

• Friday, May 2: A presentation by the Stanley Museum of Art’s Mellon Team detailing their ongoing provenance research.

• Saturday, May 3: A keynote lecture by Dr. Ciraj Rassool, a leading scholar in provenance, held at the Stanley

Mellon Curatorial Fellow on Provenance Research

Stanley Museum of Art

Ciraj Rassool

Senior Professor of Historical Studies

University of the Western Cape in South Africa

Peju Layiwola

Cory Gundlach Curator of African Art

May 1 | 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Reclaiming Heritage: Leadership in Restitution and Repatriation in Iowa Shambaugh Auditorium

May 2 | 2:00- 4:00 pm

Mellon Team Provenance Research Panel and Conversation

Stanley Museum of Art

May 3 | 2:00- 3:00 pm

Mellon Symposium Keynote Lecture by Dr. Ciraj Rasool

Stanley Museum of Art

This program is free and open to all. To learn more, visit stanleymuseum.uiowa.edu or scan the QR Code.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Stanley Museum of Art in advance at 319-335-1727 or stanley-museum@uiowa.edu.

Axe, Fon. Wood, brass

Little Village Issue 339 - April 2025

Your Annual Guide to Recreation in Iowa

Keep It Up, Team

Support Little Village

INDEPENDENT NEWS, CULTURE & EVENTS

Top Stories

THANK YOU TO THIS ISSUE’S ADVERTISING PARTNERS

Letters & Interactions

HAVE AN OPINION?

MOMBOY

LAUREN HALDEMAN

INTERACTIONS

INTERACTIONS

INTERACTIONS

ACCOLADES

Correction from last month's issue

CEDAr FAllS, MArCH 21

Nonfiction for Nature Lovers

Children’s Books to Inspire Spring Adventures

First Stops

He vivido doce

días aquí

Hay días en que quiero ser mexicana

Open Source

Sometimes touchscreens and touching grass go hand in hand.

All-Terrain Wheelchairs

Bag Meets

Hole

Cornhole? Bags?

Play like the Pros

All Hands on Deck

Pool's Out for Summer

Indoor Pools in Iowa City

Splash Pads in Iowa City

Outdoor Pools in Other Cities

IOWA CITY / POOLS

LittleVillageMag.com

Basic Touches in Sepak Takraw

You’ve Been Served

strong.

Grow a Pot Garden

The Plant

The Pot & Dirt

When to Plant

Water & Sunlight

Fertilizing

Pruning

Can You Dig It

Your voices uskeepreal.

April A-liST: FILM

DES MOINES

IOWA CITY

LOCAL & NOTABLE

MUSIC

DES MOINES

A-LIST: APRIL 2025

IOWA CITY

MUSIC

CEDAR RAPIDS, WATERLOO, & CEDAR FALLS

QUAD CITIES

Mission Creek Festival

CLASSICAL & OPERA

IOWA CITY, CEDAR RAPIDS

DES MOINES

THEATRER & PERFORMANCE

IOWA CITY

DES MOINES

CEDAR RAPIDS, WATERLOO & CEDAR FALLS

VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM

MASTERWORKS VI

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

QUAD CITIES

LIT & COMMUNITY

IOWA CITY

DES MOINES

DES MOINES

IOWA CITY

ART & EXHIBITION

CEDAR RAPIDS, WATERLOO & CEDAR FALLS

QUAD CITIES