Off Hours, your free weekly newsletter from the Des Moines Register, showcases all things fun you can do in central Iowa. Recently, we’ve written about new workouts to try, adopting a pet, new holiday traditions in Des Moines, where to eat in the Quad Cities, which bourbons to drink, where Clown from Slipknot dines in Des Moines, former Datebook Diner Wini Moranville’s new book, pets, and more.
‘Barbie’
Wednesday night: Head to the Varsity Cinema, 1207 25th St., Des Moines, for an accessible showing of “Barbie,” the 2023 blockbuster starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. The 7 p.m. show includes audio description and captions in partnership with IRIS, the free radio reading service that reads print information aloud to more than 11,000 print-disabled listeners throughout Iowa. Tickets are $5 and available online at varsitydesmoines.com.
Aaron Watson
Thursday night: See country singer Aaron Watson out of West Texas as he makes a stop at Wooly’s, 504 E. Locust St., Des Moines, for an 8 p.m. show. The independent musician charted with songs such as “Outta Style” and “Run Wild Horses.” Tickets for the all-ages show go for $29.50.
Judy Carmichael
Friday night: Judy Carmichael, a Grammy-nominated pianist and vocalist, is considered one of the world’s leading interpreters of stride and swing piano. Count Basie nicknamed her “Stride,” a nod to her ability to play this technically and physically demanding jazz piano style. She performs at the Temple Theater, 1011 Locust St., Des Moines, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $20.
‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’
Friday night: Middle school can be rough, and all that Greg wants is to be popular. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” brings author Jeff Kinney’s character to the stage in this musical version of the book. Find out if Greg chooses popularity over his one true friend. The show at the Des Moines Community Playhouse, 831 42nd St., Des Moines, takes the stage at 7 p.m., with shows on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.. Tickets start at $20 at dmplayhouse.com.
‘Shucked’
Friday night: Head to the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines, for a night of corn-fed, corn-bred fun in musical form. “Shucked,” the Tony Award-winning musical, takes the stage with a show set in fictional Corn Cob County, where the corn is dying and the residents must work together to save it. Maizy leaves town to come up with a plan to save the corn when she meets a con man pretending to be a podiatrist, who concocts a plan to swindle the farmers. Tickets are $40 and up for the 7:30 p.m. show that continues Saturday at the same time, as well as Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Ella Langley
Friday night: Country music singer Ella Langley brings her “Still Hungover” tour to the Val Air Ballroom, 301 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines. She grew her following with songs such as “If You Have To,” “Damn You” and “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” and co-wrote Elle King’s 2022 single “Out Yonder” in addition to four more tracks on “Come Get Your Wife.” She takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Note: Tom Archer’s Poor Man’s Country Club, the supper club under the Val Air, also opens that night.
‘Ripcord’
Friday night: See this performance of “Ripcord,” the story of two women sharing a room Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, when cranky Abby wants to get rid of her new roommate, Marilyn, who is chipper. The women play a game of one-upmanship that ends up revealing their inner personalities that they would rather remain hidden. See it at 7:30 p.m. at the Tallgrass Theater, 2019 Grand Ave., Suite 100, West Des Moines. Tickets are $33 at tallgrasstheatre.org. Also Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Feb. 16.
Iowa State Fair Flea Market
Saturday morning: Make it a day of shopping at the monthly Iowa State Fair Flea Market when it returns to the 4-H Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines. This free-to-enter market features antiques, collectibles, home décor, jewelry, purses, bags and more. Stop by from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
World Hijab Day
Saturday morning: Celebrate World Hijab Day at the West Des Moines Public Library, 4000 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check out this free event to visit several booths for information, play games, and even try on a hijab.
Local Author Fair
Saturday afternoon: Five authors are coming to Beaverdale Books for its Local Author Fair from 1 to 3 p.m. at Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave., Des Moines. New and local authors at the event include Lauren Joiner, Tiffany Killoren, Robbie Orr, Lacy Rose, and Angela Youngers. Joiner’s books include limericks for children in “Silly Animal Tales” and “Silly Animal Tales 2,” with new characters to show that anyone can improve with practice as long as they don’t give up. “Uncharted Therapy,” by Killoren, is “full of stories that have come in all shapes and sizes over the years. She shapes her own fictional worlds, creating characters with beautiful flaws that she wishes she could sit down and get to know over a latte,” Beaverdale Books co-owner Jan Kaiser said. “Crashing Into America: A Radical Passage from India,” by Orr, draws from his own story, following Jamie, the son of Scottish and American missionaries in newly independent India, as he struggles to find his purpose. Rose’s “Unholy Soul,” is the first book in the Saints Purgatory MC series from an author who loves to write gritty Motorcycle Club romances. “Another Dance,” by Youngers, follows Annie Obless a year after the loss of her husband and explores the struggles with grief while raising her two young children. Head over to Beaverdale Books on Monday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to meet Des Moines-based author Basi Affia as he introduces his newest graphic novel, “Aaru En Duat,” an Afro Futuristic Space odyssey with a warrior princess from Earth and her AI counterpart, who want to lead humanities settlement efforts on the planet Panthera, inhabited by a feline species known as the K’nyau.
NOLA Jazz Band: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues
Saturday night: The NOLA Jazz Band makes a stop at Noce, 1326 Walnut St., Des Moines, to bring the sounds of this five-generation, eight-member ensemble led by clarinetist Jeff Kane. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show start at $25.
‘A Night at the Circus: Fatal Fairy Tales’
Saturday night: Fairytales take a thrillingly sinister turn during “A Night at the Circus: Fatal Fairy Tale,” a retelling of fairytales featuring aerials and circus stunts, all set on a stage that blends reality and fantasy veiled with moody lighting and exotic music. The show at the Stoner Theater inside the Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines, takes place at 7:30 p.m. with tickets starting at $32.50 for those ages 18 and older. Bewitching and provocative attire recommended.
21st Annual Groundhog Day Grand Opening Party
Sunday morning: High Life Lounge, 200 S.W. Second St., Des Moines, holds its 21st Groundhog Day party at 8 a.m. Polk County Paula gets the party started at 7:55 a.m. with her annual prediction about how many more weeks of winter Iowa will have to endure. Customers receive free drafts of Miller High Life until the keg runs out. The morning includes a special menu with breakfast favorites, limited-edition shirts and koozies for purchase, prizes and giveaways, and more.
Botanical Blues
Sunday afternoon: Spend the afternoon at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines, for Botanical Blues, a weekly event now in its 19th year, that brings in local acts to the balmy gardens. The event at 1 and 3 p.m. brings Chuggaluggers, a four-piece American blues rock band from Des Moines.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
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