Silver lining
On Sept. 11 — exactly 25 years after the other, tragic Sept. 11 — the Des Moines Playhouse opens “Come From Away,” the surprisingly uplifting musical that emerged from that heartbreaking day in 2001. When U.S. airspace closed, about 7,000 passengers on 38 international flights were diverted to the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, where locals turned schools into shelters, collected food and blankets, helped strangers contact loved ones and cared for animals from the planes’ cargo holds. The show’s husband-and-wife creators, David Hein and Irene Sankoff, spent a month in Gander interviewing residents and gathering stories of radical hospitality and shared humanity. Their work took off on Broadway in 2017, touched down at the Des Moines Civic Center in early 2020 and 2022 and is now making its way to community theaters across North America to mark the anniversary. dmplayhouse.com
Full circle
The White Eagle Multicultural Powwow returns Sept. 11-13 to Jester Park, where drumming, dancing, storytelling and other traditions unfold over three days in a celebration that welcomes everyone, whether they’re new to Iowa or their roots run deep. Founded by Ralph and Carol Moisa in memory of their son, Ralph Moisa III, the gathering takes its name from the symbolic one he received from a Meskwaki elder after his death in 1995, when he was electrocuted while trying to free a hawk tangled in a power line. Since then, the annual event has grown into a living tribute to his compassion and a broader mission “to mend the sacred hoop of life by bringing the community together and celebrating our differences.”
Along with performances, food and educational demonstrations, the powwow invites visitors to reflect on values that transcend cultures — respect for one another, care for the natural world and hope for a future that honors the past. whiteeaglepowwow.com
Photo: Jacob Kuperman
Photo: Courtesy Group Creatives
Clean laundry
At first glance, an oversized quilt floats on a pond at Wilson’s Orchard & Farm in Cumming. Look closer, though, and you’ll discover it’s actually a functional sculpture — part science, part art — that helps keep the pond clean. Created by Drake University professors Emily Newman and Edward Kelley, “It’s in the Water” is made from recycled plastic materials, sensors and buoys filled with spirulina algae that quietly pull nitrates from the water and carbon from the air. It’s part of a series of Central Iowa art installations that mark America’s 250th anniversary, but it also addresses a contemporary concern here in farm country, where nutrient runoff clouds rivers and lakes.
This particular wash cycle lasts through September, when its creators will haul it out and measure the results. declarations.art
Photo: Jakub Dziubak
Neat trick
The Des Moines Whiskey Festival returns Oct. 1-3 to celebrate the pleasures of a considered pour, from smoky Scotch and peppery rye to small-batch Iowa bourbon. The festivities begin with a Women & Whiskey Dinner downtown at the River Center before moving out west to the new Meridian Event Center and clubby Atlas Room, a speakeasy-style lounge, in West Des Moines. Distilleries from Iowa and beyond will offer samples, including limited releases and hard-to-find bottles that rarely appear in Iowa liquor stores, giving even seasoned enthusiasts a chance to discover something new. Live music, food vendors and masterclasses round out the weekend, but the real attraction is the conversations that begin over a glass and linger long after it’s empty. dsmwhiskeyfest.com
Renderings: RDG Planning & Design
This old modern house
Shortly after local engineer Earl Butler built a gleaming white mansion in 1937 on Fleur Drive, perched above what is now Gray’s Lake, American Magazine called it “the world’s most modern house.” It had air conditioning, a garage-door opener, a dishwasher and even an ice-cube freezer that could hold more than 600 cubes — luxuries that seemed almost futuristic during the Great Depression. Soon, the Art Deco landmark will once again be the talk of the town when it reopens as the new home of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa at the end of October. During the public open house set for Oct. 25, visitors will get their first look at the $20 million renovation led by RDG Planning & Design, whose team has created space for a museum, banquet hall, teaching kitchen, coffee shop, market, bocce pavilion and a handful of guest rooms. Signor Butler would be proud. iaccofia.org
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