Editing the drafts of this magazine is usually a quiet activity. But I actually sputtered a few words aloud when I first saw the photo of the skydiver on page 41. (Take a peek. I’ll give you a sec.) The way it’s cropped, with a pair of legs dangling where they usually don’t, makes it easy to imagine the exhilarating plunge, the dizzy descent all the way down and down and down to the green ground below.
But fear not: Most of the other people in this issue are on the way up.
Some are taking sudden, obvious or even literal jumps, like the team that built the new mountain bike park on the east side, or the new vendors who are coming to this season’s farmers market. In our annual Inclusion section, which associate editor Hailey Evans oversaw for the first time, you’ll meet all-abilities athletes playing adaptive sports and drag kings who found the courage to step out onstage.
Others climb more slowly and steadily. Consider Ted Velman, who was born in Greece and opened a Des Moines hot dog shop with his brother in the 1950s and then Ted’s Coney Island on Ingersoll Avenue. He turned 90 last month and still pops in from time to time to chat with his grandkids while they slice pickles. His son Johnny opened a second location in Urbandale, where other immigrant restaurateurs are taking leaps of their own. In our Dish section, you’ll find newer Urbandale restaurants that serve specialties from Burma, Turkey, Mexico and Peru.
Others in this issue are stepping up in different ways. Cece Mitchell, the daughter of a Vietnamese refugee, is finding her voice on Iowa Public Radio. Yoko Tanaka and the Japan America Society of Iowa are building ties with our sister state. Olivia Marti and thousands of other World Food Prize youth alumni are working toward a future without hunger.
Before I sign off, let me recommend the story by Des Moines Playhouse costume designer Angela Lampe, who keeps raising the bar even after decades on the job. Several years ago, she told me about her annual shopping trips to the L.A. Fashion District to find bargain fabrics and supplies. Ever since, I’ve wanted to publish that story and get it “on the record,” as they say, so I was delighted when she agreed to write it up for this issue. It’s a rare glimpse behind the behind-the-scenes.
The Playhouse finished an expansion a few months ago that allowed Angie to move her costume shop from the middle of the basement to a new space with windows. Now, for the first time, she can finally see the sky. Things are looking up.
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