May 30th is finally upon us this weekend. Over the course of the last three blogs, I have introduced you to three different events taking place on May 30th that I would have loved to attend, but for my daughter’s day-long dance recital. I would have started in the afternoon at Brewfest, then headed over to Clive/West Des Moines to split my time between the US Air Guitar Des Moines Qualifier and Tapas and Tunes for JDRF. Of course my perfect May 30th starts with Dam to Dam and the dance recital doesn’t change that.
In addition to all this Des Moines area entertainment, my Facebook newsfeed continues to suggest even more May 30th fun. While I will miss these too, I hope they are successful enough to return next year and that I am lucky enough that they pick a different weekend…this dance recital is the same weekend EVERY year.
I started seeing references to LAUNCH several months ago. LAUNCH is a new event being held at Water Works Park in an attempt to allow visitors to learn more about the park and the recreational opportunities available there. During the event, which runs from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, a new public art installation will be introduced. The event will also offer food and beverage vendors (including my favorite Iowa Craft Beer Tent), music, entertainment and groups that attendees can join to participate in a variety of park activities. Ultimate Frisbee, bird-watching tours, walking tours, paddling, yoga and much more will be available throughout the entirety of the event. This is definitely a family-friendly event that celebrates summer in Iowa and all the fun our parks have to offer. I hope to be able to be there next year!
I also have been following the food truck discussions that have been going around Des Moines this past year and I am pleased that food trucks will be a part of Des Moines’ future. In celebration of this victory, the Iowa Beverage Food Truck Showdown is being held on May 30th at the Des Moines Social Club from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. At least 10 local food trucks will be gathering in the parking lot, allowing visitors to taste their food truck-creations alongside special beer pairings from Iowa Beverage Systems. Attendees will get five free samples using a punch card available at check-in. Get there early, however, as the free samples are only available until 6:30. Live music will round out the experience. Attendees get to vote to see who is crowned the 2015 Iowa Beverage Food Truck Throw Down Champion. I work from my home in far west Clive. I am guessing I will not get much Food Truck activity out here any time soon. I would have loved this opportunity to hit them all at once and enjoy some lovely beverages at the same time. Oh well….
I thought this is where this blog would end. There simply can’t be any more top-tier events scheduled for May 30th, right? And then Facebook introduced me to the 10th Annual Crawl for a Cure, a bar crawl starting at High Life Lounge/El Bait Shop at noon and crawling to surrounding bars including Hessen Haus, Royal Mile and Shorty’s. A $30/person price tag gets each participant a free draw at each bar as well access to drink specials and a tax donation receipt! Proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
I also need to call out that May 30th is the birthday of one of my co-workers. He has been following this blog series and keeps asking when I am going to include his festivities in a blog. So here goes: Happy Birthday Mark! I am sure you don’t want anyone actually tagging along on your celebration, but plans include dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and a trip to Verizon to get a new phone.
So that is probably not it, but I am stopping there. On Saturday, May 30th I will be starting my day at Saylorville Lake and finishing it in Johnston at my second dance recital of the day. I will be spending the day with my husband and all three of my daughters, so it will be a fabulous day. Around us the entire city will be buzzing with activity…money will be raised for a variety of causes, beer will be poured from kegs, bottles and cans, phantom guitars will be played to energetic crowds, and real guitars will entertain even more people. Des Moines is definitely not boring. But on May 30th, Des Moines is so much more than that…it is ALIVE! I am so proud to call this city my home for this very reason. Better to complain that there is simply too much to do on one day in Des Moines rather than complain that there is nothing to do. Now if I could just get everyone who plans all these great activities together in a room to start picking some new weekends.
