ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

No matter how you slice it, we appreciate you! Photo: Les Dames d'Escoffier

A note of gratitude

Today we want to take a moment to thank you for reading our newsletter and magazine, which serve up Iowa’s rich potluck of art, culture, events and culinary delights. Your enthusiasm, recommendations and feedback fuel our commitment to capturing and celebrating the unique character and diverse opportunities that make Iowa such a great place to call home. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share these stories — your stories — and for the thousands of you who read our newsletter every other week, soaking up the very best of Iowa like mashed potatoes soak up gravy. Happy Thanksgiving!

It doesn't get more Iowan than a local rock band. So see The Punching Pandas perform live at the Celebrate Iowa Gala. Photo: The Punching Pandas

Celebrate all things Iowa at the State Historical Building

The annual Celebrate Iowa Gala returns Dec. 8 to the State Historical Building of Iowa for the first time since 2018, now that crews have completed a five-year renovation project that included a new roof, window walls and other improvements to protect and preserve the state’s historical collections. Now in its 12th year, the gala showcases art, history, food and entertainment from across the state.

This year’s party in Des Moines includes music from Stutterin’ Jimmy and the Goosebumps, The Punching Pandas and Emma Butterworth; an art installation by Cynthia O’Hern; live drawings by the Portrait Studio; and a smorgasbord from Iowa’s finest farms, dairies, restaurants, breweries and distilleries.

Tickets are $125-$250, with discounted $100 for young professionals, and proceeds support the historical society’s work to preserve artifacts, create exhibits and develop educational programs across the state.

"The Nutcracker" takes the stage Dec. 9-10 at the Adler Theatre in Davenport. Photo: Ballet Quad Cities

Rodents infest the state (in 'The Nutcracker')

Nothing says “Christmas” quite like a Tchaikovsky score and some dancing mice. Watch the Mouse King duke it out with Nutcracker Prince in any of the season’s “Nutcracker” productions, coming direct from a Victorian kid’s dreams to an Iowa stage near you.

Dec. 7-10: Ballet Des Moines presents the classic fairy tale with a few modern updates, including twirling betta fish and prancing deer, all in the gilded splendor of Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines.

Dec. 8-9: Iowa Dance Theatre performs enchanted waltzes on the Des Moines Civic Center stage, choreographed and directed by a team of dance professionals from around Central Iowa.

Dec. 8-9: Siouxland Civic Dance Association's production features a local cast of more than 100 area actors and dancers at the jewel-box Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City.

Dec. 9-10: Stephens Auditorium stages its 42nd annual “Nutcracker” in Ames with artistic direction by Iowa Youth Ballet’s Robert Thomas and choreography by Robert and the late Miyoko Thomas.

Dec. 9-10: Ballet Quad Cities returns to the Adler Theatre in Davenport, featuring live music from Orchestra Iowa.

A hunka Hawkeye burnin' love premieres Dec. 13 in a film called "Elvis Isn't Dead." Photo: Skyler Knutzen

Elvis lives on in Iowa City

Hawkeye football fans have probably heard of Greg Suckow, even if they didn’t know it. He’s better known as “Hawkeye Elvis," the guy who dresses up for every home game, complete with a sky-high pompadour wig and black-and-gold custom jumpsuits.

It was Suckow’s mom, Margaret, who came up with the idea, and she’s been making every one of his costumes for years. Unfortunately, her current struggles with dementia are taking a toll and changing the family dynamic.

That’s the subject of a new documentary, “Elvis Isn’t Dead,” which chronicles the mother and son’s shared fascination with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll even as Margaret’s health continues to decline. The film was produced by Hawkeye alumnus Skyler Knutzen and premieres Dec. 13 online at Nowness.

Revelers encircle a tree during Juletrefest in Decorah. Photo: Vesterheim

Better watch out: Julenisse is coming to town

Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American museum in Decorah, hosts its annual Norwegian Christmas Celebration on Dec. 2. Although some of the festivities are nearly universal — hot cocoa, cookies and s’mores — others stick more closely to Norwegian traditions. The mythical Julenisse will lead carolers in a Juletrefest, a tradition that involves singing and skipping in circles around a Christmas tree. You can also try your hand at a few traditional crafts, enjoy live music, and watch the Nordic Dancers and costumed Julebekker as they roam the museum to clear out any evil spirits.

Holiday shoppers visit the Winterset Livery. Photo: Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Winterset welcomes the winter solstice

It's quite a hike to Santa’s workshop, so feel free to shop closer to home Dec. 8 and 9 at the Winterset Winter Solstice Market. The curated indoor market gathers 25 Iowa makers and shop owners in the historic Winterset Livery, where you’ll find vendors selling sweet treats, ceramics, candles, jewelry and other handmade items to stuff stockings. Be sure to see the booth from Rusty Stars Alpacas, where you can buy cozy hats, scarves and socks and meet the very animals that supplied all that fuzzy fiber.

Just outside the market, explore Winterset’s historic courthouse square, with plenty of shops, restaurants and the beautifully restored Iowa Theater.

Donna Reed's hometown pays homage to her most popular movie. Photo: Snyder & Associates

Sure 'It's a Wonderful Life,' but it's complicated, too

A couple of years ago, when Iowa celebrated both the 100th anniversary of Donna Reed’s birthday (1921) and the 75th anniversary of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), the State Historical Society of Iowa and Produce Iowa, the state film office, teamed up to commemorate the story and its Iowan star, who grew up in Denison.

Along with museum exhibits and special screenings in her hometown and Des Moines, the historical society’s “Iowa History 101” series invited State Curator Leo Landis and Christopher Wilson from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to explain why the movie has become a holiday tradition and a feel-good Hollywood tale of redemption. They also took a look at the historical context in which the movie was produced, with insights about the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic, the Great Depression, race relations and competing ideas about capitalism and socialism.

So before you re-watch the movie this season, why not learn a bit of its back story? You can watch a recording of the 60-minute history lesson online.