Things to do near me this weekend include draft baseball, snakes

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 4 minutes read

If you want to stay up to date on all the fun things to do in Des Moines, sign up for Off Hours, your free weekly newsletter from the Des Moines Register that highlights all the fun things to do in central Iowa. Recently, we’ve written about karaoke bars, where to go thrift shopping, where to buy crafts, vegan restaurants, gluten-free options, Amana Colonies and where to buy plants. If you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll get a full list of fun places to go, things to do, what to eat and more delivered to your inbox early Thursday morning.

More: Fireworks near Des Moines: Here's a list of where you can get your red, white and blue

Des Moines Challenge

Friday morning: Come see the world's No. 1 disc golfer, Gannon Buhr, 19, of Urbandale, compete in the Des Moines Challenge at Pickard Park, 2205 E. Second Ave. in Indianola, Friday through Sunday. Tickets start at $10.

Goodguys 33rd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals

Friday morning: See thousands of hot rods at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, located at 3000 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines, when the Goodguys 33rd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals take over. The three-day event features 5,000 hot rods, trucks, customs, muscle cars and Midwestern classics built before 1999. The event includes a Performance Products AutoCross classic race series, a swap meet, Cars 4 Sale Corral and vendor booth, live music and prizes for the weekend’s top awards. Stop by Saturday night for the fireworks, and on Sunday, all years of American show cars or motorized can join in the Meguiar’s All-American Sunday celebration. The event runs Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

First Friday

Friday night: If you didn’t get enough art in your system after the Des Moines Arts Festival last weekend, head to Mainframe Studios, 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines, for First Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The event celebrates Latino art and culture with food trucks, piñatas, lowriders and art activities, all designed and curated by artists Seso Marentes and Siricasso. Explore five floors of open artist studios and see works by Miriam Alarcon Avila, Anthony Arroyo, Ashley Guzman, Linda Eclat, and an exhibit titled “smile now, cry later” by Siricasso. The event is free.

More: Join our walking tour of 12 Des Moines murals (and browse our gallery of many more)

Max Wellman's Big Band

Friday night: Enjoy a little nostalgia when the Max Wellman Big Band plays beloved songs by Frank Sinatra and more during “Fly Me to the Moon” from 7 to 9 p.m. at Noce, 1326 Walnut St., Des Moines. The show includes songs by Harry Connick Jr., Michael Bublé, Dean Martin and more, as well as newly commissioned arrangements from some of today’s top big band arrangers. Tickets start at $25.

More: Escape rooms and axe throwing: Date ideas for couples in Des Moines beyond restaurants and drinks

Pig Tornadoes

Friday night: Catch a free show when the Pork Tornadoes play Rendezvous at Riverview at 710 Corning Ave. in Des Moines. The cover band features Mason Greve, one of the top 100 finalists on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2014, and gets the crowd singing along to songs by Justin Timberlake, One Direction, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. The event at Riverview Park runs from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. with a fireworks display at the end.

More: Where to Shop, Eat, and Drink Coffee in Des Moines' Highland Park Neighborhood

Blank Park Zoological Park

Saturday morning: Stop by the Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center at Blank Park Zoo, 7401 SW Ninth St., Des Moines, to see a new exhibit featuring reptiles, amphibians and insects. New animals include a Jamaican boa, an axolotl, an arboreal alligator lizard, green mantillas, Golfodulcea poison dart frogs, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and an emperor scorpion. The zoo also added a Fiji banded iguana and a prehensile-tailed skink, while a pigeon pheasant chick hatched in the Discovery Center. Visit the animals daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., including the Independence Day holiday. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children.

More: Rock climbing, boat racing, wildlife and more kid-friendly summer adventures in Des Moines

Beaverdale Books Anniversary

Saturday morning: Beaverdale Books is turning 18 and celebrating its 10th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with temporary tattoos of the bookstore’s mascot, Beaverdale Rex, drawings for gift certificates to Beaverdale restaurants, voting for favorite bestsellers and more. “The Thunderbolt Kid” by Bill Bryson was the bookstore’s bestseller the year it opened. So far in 2024, “Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines: A History” by Mary Christopher and Mike Rowley is the bookstore’s bestseller. Stop by the store at 2629 Beaver Ave., Suite A, Des Moines.

More: How to Spend a Perfect Day in Beaverdale with Restaurants, Bars and Shopping

“Pelleas and Mélisande”

Saturday night: Iowa baritone John Moore makes his debut as Pelléas in the Des Moines Metro Opera's production of “Pelleas et Mélisande.” Claude Debussy's only completed opera tells the story of two brothers who love the same woman. No one wins. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show at Blank Performing Arts Center, 513 N. D St., Indianola, start at $25.

Decades Festival

Saturday night: Adventureland celebrates its 50th anniversary with the all-new Festival of Decades, featuring giveaways, concerts, light shows and more. Saturday's show features Direct from Sweden, performing the music of Abba. Purchase single-day tickets to Adventureland for $39.99 to see the show.

Music under the stars

Sunday night: End the weekend with Music Under the Stars at the Lauridsen Amphitheatre at Des Moines Water Works Park, 2251 George Flagg Pkwy., Des Moines, when the Des Moines Metro Concert Band & Big Band, Andy Classen on trumpet and vocalist Napoleon Douglas perform excerpts from “Mama Mia.” The free outdoor concert begins at 7 p.m.

The Baseball Project

Sunday night: Join former REM members Peter Buck and Mike Mills, along with Scott McCaughey of Minus 5 and Young Fresh Fellows, Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate, Linda Pitmon of Filthy Friends and Alejandro Escovedo of The Baseball Project when the band plays Wooly's, 504 E. Locust St., in Des Moines. The band is embarking on a tour in support of last year's album “Grand Salami Time.” Tickets for the 7 p.m. show start at $25.

More: Spend a perfect day in Des Moines' East Village with its restaurants, bars and shops

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and food writer for the Des Moines Register. You can contact her on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram, or message him at [email protected].

Des Moines Challenge

Goodguys 33rd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals

First Friday

Max Wellman's Big Band

Pig Tornadoes

Blank Park Zoological Park

Beaverdale Books Anniversary

“Pelleas and Mélisande”

Decades Festival

Music under the stars

The Baseball Project

Lina Portman

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