ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

Save time and effort this Thanksgiving and leave the cooking to the pros. Outsource a few side dishes or the whole feast.

Thanksgiving meals for all kinds of eaters

We get it: Cooking is hard. Throwing together an entire feast to feed a family, large or small, is a daunting task at any time of year. Fortunately, restaurants, chefs and bakers around Iowa have begun pitching in to save the day with take-and-bake options or full-dinner service during Thanksgiving. Check out the local dining scene in your area and you may be surprised to find one or two offering to help make all or part of this year's meal. Here are a few we found:

Panka Peruvian Restaurant in Des Moines is hosting a celebratory lunch from 11 a.m. to noon on Thanksgiving Day. Make a reservation for your family and let your kitchen sit this one out.

The Hotel Millwright in Amana is offering take-and-bake meal options that will serve up to 12. The hotel's culinary staff measures and prepares everything you need ahead of time, and each meal bundle comes with reheating instructions. Add an optional pie to take care of dessert, too. Place your orders by Nov. 17.

Chrome Horse Saloon in Cedar Rapids will put the “give” in Thanksgiving with a buffet-style feast including turkey, ham, sliced beef, party potatoes and plenty more. Proceeds from the meal will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of the Corridor.

No peeking: Santa's presents may be stuck under wraps until Dec. 25, but visitors can window shop until then. Photo: Danish Windmill

'Jule'-tide celebrations in Danish villages

Experience the warmth and joy of Danish hospitality in the Danish villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton during Julefest, Nov. 24-25. Julefest is a traditional celebration that welcomes the arrival of the Christmas season.

Throughout the western Iowa towns, find Danish holiday treats and browse local shops for crafts, jewelry and antiques. Cultural landmarks and museums such as the Danish Windmill, Museum of Danish America and Bedstemor’s Hus will also all be decorated for the holidays and open for tours. Plus, there’s a 5K run and a Christmas concert.

No need for candles or air fresheners: The BaconTown event in Ottumwa has its own signature scent.

Celebrate and savor the bacon flavor

Ottumwa produces more bacon than any other town in the country and is ready to share its bacon joy with the world. The annual BaconTown fest returns 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the Bridge View Center. Mondeau Dukes, a guitar and bass combo, will take the stage with high-energy tunes, and kids games and carnival rides will help you burn off those extra calories. Admission is free, but most of the bacon snacks start at $1 a piece. Veterans will be honored with a free package of bacon to take home.

Beatles tribute band the Fab Four will perform the entire "Rubber Soul" album at Stephens Auditorium.

The beat goes on in Ames

While the Beatles were still riding high from the North American tour in 1965, they returned to London and composed most of the songs that landed on their album “Rubber Soul,” which won over fans and critics alike. Its title riffed on the phrase “plastic soul” and was the band’s way of acknowledging its lack of authenticity compared to many of the Motown artists it admired. In 2012, the album ranked fifth on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Fast-forward: The Beatles tribute band known as the Fab Four returns to Stephens Auditorium in Ames to perform the album in its entirety, along with some of the band’s other hits. The concert starts at
7:30 p.m. Nov. 19.

Chad Elliott of Jefferson painted a scene in the cellar of La Poste during last year's festival. Photo: Art on the Prairie

Art takes root in wide-open Perry

The 13th annual Art on the Prairie festival bursts forth this weekend in downtown Perry. Aim for the historic Hotel Pattee and wander out from there 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday to find art exhibitions, live music, poetry readings and more than a few opportunities for holiday shopping. This year’s lineup includes 56 visual artists, 32 musicians and 23 poets (and probably 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping . . .)

Of course, even if you can’t go this weekend, Perry has plenty to offer year-round. New public artworks grace the historic downtown, and the beautifully restored former post office is now La Poste, which regularly hosts concerts. In 2019, Perry was one of just three Midwestern towns chosen to participate in “We the Many,” a project that used music and storytelling to promote creativity, empathy and optimism and expand ideas about what it means to be a Midwesterner.

Find unique gifts and original artwork at Waterloo's annual Holiday Arts Fesitval. Photo: Waterloo Center for the Arts

Shop for local and regional art in Waterloo

The Waterloo Center for the Arts is gearing up for the festive season with its annual Holiday Arts Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday. The event promises a diverse showcase of original artwork and handmade gifts crafted by talented Midwest artists spanning various mediums. Shop mixed media artwork, photography, paintings, woodwork, glass, jewelry and ceramics pieces.

With more than 40 regional artists participating, you should have no trouble finding gifts for even the pickiest on your list. Admission is free, and each purchase offers an entry into a drawing for prizes, including $1,000 in gift certificates from Roth Jewelers and other local businesses.

With steampunk style and electric violins, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra mixes classics and modern rock. Photo: TSO

Fa-la-la-lasers in Council Bluffs

Symphonic metal-rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra is touring once again, bringing hard-rockin’ Christmas tunes to Council Bluffs at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Mic-America Center. “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: The Best of TSO and More” tour returns with electric renditions of holiday and classical music, performed by head-banging musicians and glass-breaking vocalists. The show brings the old Christmas traditions we know and love into the 21st century with flames, fireworks and a few lasers, too.