ia: The best of Iowa arts and culture

Chevy Chase will visit Ottumwa for a screening of "Christmas Vacation." (Photo: Warner Brothers)

Ottumwa welcomes the Griswolds for Christmas

Gather with kith and kin this Sunday at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa for a special screening of National Lampoon’s "Christmas Vacation" to celebrate its 35th anniversary. A Q&A session will follow with the film’s star, Chevy Chase, and his wife, Jayni.

Chase will share a few behind-the-scenes secrets from the Christmas comedy plus other antics from his long comedy career, which includes "Caddyshack" and the inaugural season of "Saturday Night Live."

The event begins at 5 p.m. Buy tickets online.

Newspaper columnists Erma Bombeck, left, and Evelyn Birkby built parallel careers in media. (Photos: The American Writers Museum and University of Iowa Library)

Erma and Evelyn: Two famous, friendly pioneers

A terrific one-woman play about the beloved newspaper columnist Erma Bombeck opened last week and continues through Dec. 21 at the Temple Theater in downtown Des Moines. “Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End,” by a pair of former reporters for the Des Moines Register and Tribune, weaves together some of Bombeck’s best lines from her 30-plus years of syndicated housekeeping columns.

When we reviewed the show for dsm magazine, it reminded us of the late Evelyn Birkby, who wrote a housekeeping column of her own for more than twice as long — 70 years — for the Shenandoah Evening Sentinel (now the Southwest Iowa Herald). She was also a friendly, familiar voice on KMA Radio, where her folksy “Kitchen-Klatter” was the longest-running homemaking program in radio history. She represented Iowa at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival during Iowa’s sesquicentennial in 1996, was named an Iowa Master Farm Homemaker in 1998 and was featured in an Iowa PBS documentary in 2009.

She died in 2021 at the age of 101, but her legacy lives on through, among other things, her 10 books. If you’re looking for a good read about life in Iowa, or maybe a holiday gift, pick up her “Neighboring on the Air” (1998) or “Always Put in a Recipe and Other Tips for Living from Iowa’s Best-Known Homemaker” (2012).

The jig is up: A Des Moines-based gaming company has announced plans to expand to eastern Iowa.

Rook Room takes Puzzlepalooza to Coralville

Good news, jigsaw puzzlers: The Rook Room is taking its popular Puzzlepalooza competition statewide. The Des Moines-based gaming company is teaming up with Diversions, a pop-up operation in Iowa City, to offer Puzzlepalooza events in eastern Iowa, starting with one on Dec. 17 at Backpocket Brewing in Coralville. Plans are in the works for more events in the Cedar Valley and Quad Cities.

Since its launch in 2020, Puzzlepalooza has drawn thousands of participants on hundreds of teams to more than 50 events in Central Iowa. During the events, teams race to complete their puzzles first while organizers try to sabotage their efforts with various surprises. (Hey, no fair hiding the corner pieces!)

Beyond Puzzlepalooza, the Rook Room entertains crowds with board games, role-playing games and other activities. For all the details, visit therookroom.com.

Dana James stands in front of the Love sculpture in the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)

Meet Dana James, founder of Black Iowa News

Dana James was born and raised in Des Moines, and she’s made it her mission to tell stories that center Black Iowans’ lived experiences and amplify their voices. She founded Black Iowa News in 2020 and the Black Iowa Newspaper in 2023.

She writes the column New Black Iowa on Substack as a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative and is a member of the national Black News Link.

James earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Grand View University. She serves as secretary of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists.

“I started Black Iowa News during the pandemic, really as a reaction to it. I felt like I could do a good job at getting information out to people that was credible and I could help them stay safe. It was like, ‘I’m going to start this, and I’m going to try to help save people.’”

Read the full story in her own words in this profile for Fearless, an initiative from the Business Record.

The Shop Iowa online marketplace delivers Iowa products from and to every corner of the state. (Photo: Shop Iowa)

For holiday gifts, head online to Shop Iowa

Discover one-of-a-kind and handmade items from small businesses all over Iowa using the handy online marketplace Shop Iowa. The site was developed by the Iowa Economic Development Authority with the support of the Iowa Small Business Development Center.

Browse gifts by categories such as art, apparel, books, garden supplies and jewelry. Shoppers can also browse by city to see exactly where their items are coming from. The site is free to use and doesn’t take commission from sellers, so purchases made through the platform go directly to the small business.

Cheers! You can party like Jay Gatsby at a New Year's Eve soiree in Cedar Rapids.

Ring in the 2025 in West Egg (aka Cedar Rapids)

For a night, party like it’s the Roaring '20s at the Great Gatsby New Year's Eve Ball. At 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, take a horse-drawn carriage to the Ideal Theater & Bar in Cedar Rapids for one of the swankiest New Year’s celebrations in Iowa.

Wear your vintage furs, take red-carpet photos and enjoy music from BYOBrass, a versatile Iowa band that plays house music, indie rock, hip-hop and jazz. (Some members bounce between roles, including the manager, who plays tuba and guitar.)

When the ball drops, sip some Champagne, while organizers drop 1,000 balloons from the ceiling and fire six cannons of confetti. If you’re staying nearby overnight, a car can shuttle you to your hotel.

The exterior of DMACC's Newton campus. (Photo: DMACC)

DMACC receives donation for Newton plaza

The Iowa Sculpture Festival recently donated $50,000 to the Des Moines Area Community College Foundation to support the Legacy Plaza Greenspace project at the DMACC Newton Campus.

The donation boosts DMACC’s $4 million fundraising goal for the new community space that will feature a walking path, artwork, a pavilion and more. The gift from the Iowa Sculpture Festival will be used for a featured sculpture.

"The Greenspace will serve as a vibrant gathering place, fostering creativity and connection for generations to come,” Tara Connolly, executive director of the DMACC Foundation, said in a prepared statement. “This partnership with the Iowa Sculpture Festival reflects the spirit of Newton’s artistic heritage and reinforces our commitment to enriching the lives of DMACC students and the wider community."