FEATURES
THE TIMES-DELPHIC
FEATURES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009
DON’T. MISS. THIS.
PAGE 4
The dark comedy “The House of Yes” opens today. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. and at 2 p.m. in Studio 55 at the Fine Arts Center.
Dogtown at Drake
Festival brings live music, good food and gift vendors only blocks from campus by KATE FOLEY
Staff Writer katherine.foley@drake.edu
The smell of smoked barbecue wafts down University Avenue from the direction of 25th Street. Soon after, the sound of a kick drum setting a rhythm for the local band on stage breaks through the noise of the traffic. At the corner of 25th and University sits a street barricade reading, “Road Closed,” followed by two blocks of food, vendors and games. Dogtown Fest, east of campus, brought local businesses and local musicians together with the community for an evening of entertainment. The two-block party has been on hiatus for the last three years, but its return marked a bigger and better event than any of the predecessors. A popular attraction at the festival was outside of the “21” sushi and sake bar. The bar set up a sumo wrestling mat and people lined up to wrestle one another in giant inflatable sumo
suits. Head Chef Kirby Praseutch judged the matches while spectators surrounded the ring and cheered on the contenders. 21 sold cream cheese-filled shrimp rolls, wantons and delicious Japanese cookies in front of the restaurant. Many of the businesses set up tables by their storefronts with merchandise or food to sell. “[Dogtown] is a great event,” said Brynn Eveland, owner and designer for Fly Graphic Style. “We’re normally not open this late, but we’ll play it by ear today. There are lots of people and it’s still early.” Eveland said her business was doing well during the festival because of its booths’ placement. They were located right by the stage, which had a lineup of local bands like Finn Miles, Menlo and Cashes Rivers playing throughout the evening. Mars Cafe also opened up their indoor stage for performers James Biehn, Seedlings and Curry and Red.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
“The live music is really impressive,” Amanda Sykora (B3) said. Danika Portz (B3) agreed. “The food smells great, and everything is really cheap,” Portz said. There were many Drake students at the festival, but the majority of guests were local residents. Kids were everywhere, playing games like basketball, and enjoying a lollipop tree and having their faces painted. The main part of any festival is its delicious homemade food, and Dogtown was no exception. Food vendors packed the street, from Woody’s Smoke Shack, to Bibb’s BBQ to 21’s Asian selections. Platinum Kuts, on the corner of 23rd Street and University, offered a full rib dinner for only $10. Mars Cafe sold coffee and pastries at its outdoor table. There was even a small family selling egg rolls and crab Rangoon out of the back of their pickup truck. Among the food and merchandise vendors was a table with a single sign that said “Will
Work 4 Clean Air.” The table was for 1Sky, an organization dedicated to clean energy alternatives to coal. Iowa organizer Matt Denner stopped festival-goers and asked them to sign petition postcards. Denner said these cards will be mailed to Sen. Tom Harkin, pressuring him “to pass a stronger energy bill this year that actually makes a change.” “One phone call is worth about 100 e-mails,” Denner said. “We’ve already filled up the Senator’s inbox.” Food, music and shopping made this year’s Dogtown Fest an entertaining and affordable night for visitors. The event ran from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., with most of the businesses staying open the entire time. It was an easy way for local shops to reach out to customers while giving something back to their community.
The two-block party has been on hiatus for the last three years, but its return marked a bigger and better event than any of the predecessors.
VIDEO OF THE DOGTOWN FEST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.TIMESDELPHIC.COM
Transfer student gets the Drake experience Building a future one note at a time by LINDSAY SCARPELLO
Staff Writer lindsay.scarpello@drake.edu
photo by STEPHANIE SANYOUR | Staff Photographer
CHILDREN VISITING THE FARMERS’ MARKET in the Drake Neighborhood had the opportunity to climb up into a fire truck from the Des Moines Fire Rescue last Wednesday. The farmers’ market recently concluded for the year. It operates from May through September, often providing unique features for visitors including a firetruck as well as belly dancing lessons.
“Drake is definitely more of a consistent learning environment,” said Nate Huston (AS1), a 23-year old transfer student to Drake this semester. “It was definitely the right choice coming here, no question.” Huston is just one of many transfer students you see strolling around on campus, unsure whether you should recognize them or not. Transfer students account for a larger population on campus than most would think. Sometimes they arrive to Drake after making choices that seem almost impossible to make. “I started at Iowa State when I was 18,” Huston said. “When I was 21 I went to DMACC for one year, then I cross-enrolled at Drake my second year for both semesters in Drake choir.” Choir at Drake was just one of the many reasons Huston felt more at home at Drake – and why he chose this university to continue his education. “It was in the area and I didn’t want to have to move, so naturally I looked at it first,” Huston said. “Within a month of being cross-enrolled, I had more friends here than I had at DMACC through just the choir. I really liked DMACC because it was small, all my teachers knew my name and Drake is the same. The professors still know my name but I have a lot more opportunity.” Huston is currently studying to be a high
school vocal teacher and he anticipates that in three years or so to be already teaching students. “I plan on eventually going to grad school,” Huston said, “But I have a wife and child and my wife is pregnant with our second child, so that might take a bit longer. But here at Drake, I do everything because I can. The opportunities are great.” Drake students know the benefits of attending the university, but the transition period itself can be a little jarring for firstyears coming from high school and even more so for transfer students. “I was a little nervous at first,” Huston said. “Like I wondered, How am I going to do at this school, will I fit in? But it’s easy to fit in, I guess.” The opportunities Drake offers transfer students are a huge draw, and Huston endorses all of them with fervor. “I loved DMACC but there’s just a lot more I can do here,” he said. “ Drake has what I need, like the music school is a real music school, and a good one. The job placement is also incredible.” Whether you started at Drake as a freshman or you transfer here from another school, Drake can become a home to anyone depending on what you’re looking for. “I wasn’t going to stop after DMACC,” Huston said. “I knew I was going somewhere.”