dsmWeekly - October 8, 2025

By Jane Burns
Staff writer and copy editor

Next week is a busy one for Nick Offerman. The TV star has a book coming out Oct. 14, the same day he’ll be in Des Moines for an event at Franklin Event Center hosted by Beaverdale Books. The next day, a crossword puzzle he co-authored is set to appear in the New York Times.

And through all of that runs an Iowa thread most people probably haven’t got a clue about.

Offerman, best known for his role as grumpy, mustachioed Ron Swanson in “Parks and Recreation,” created the puzzle with New York Times digital puzzle editor Christina Iverson, who lives in Ames.

“It was really fun,” Iverson said. Offerman “was really enthusiastic about every step of it. He was really involved and wanted to learn how it works.”

Iverson plans to attend the Oct. 14 book event, too. She said the puzzle she and Offerman constructed has a woodworking theme, just like his book: “Little Woodchucks: Offerman Woodshop’s Guide to Fools and Tomfoolery.”

They worked on the puzzle for several months and finished it in August. “Normally with a puzzle, once we accept it, it probably won’t be published for about six months to a year,” she said. “We kind of hurried it a bit because he wanted it to come out around the time of his book release.”

Iverson took a unique route to become a puzzle editor. She had never even solved a crossword puzzle before, much less created or edited one, until becoming a stay-at-home mom in 2018. She and her husband, Joey, started solving puzzles together because, unlike movies, they could easily pause them when the baby needed attention.

She quickly became obsessed, then tried constructing her own puzzles. She submitted her first puzzle to the Times in November 2018, connected with a mentor in early 2019 and got her first puzzle accepted by the Times in May 2019. When others weren’t, she sent them to the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times or Universal syndicate. “Some people focus so much on the New York Times, and if a puzzle gets rejected, they just throw it out,” she said.

Her persistence paid off. The Los Angeles Times asked her to become assistant to the puzzle editor in early 2022, and that summer, the New York Times invited her to fill in for an editor on paternity leave. “I felt it would be sort of stupid not to take it,” she said.

Three years later, she’s a full-time member of the New York Times puzzle staff. Her primary job is to edit The Crossword, the Times' main puzzle, but she also sometimes works on The Mini (a smaller crossword) and Strands (a word-search game). Iverson usually reviews 200 to 300 submissions for the main crossword every week, tweaking clues to fit Times style and refining the puzzle themes, which help submissions rise to the top of the stack.

“The hardest thing to do is to come up with a theme that is original,” she said. “It’s hard to find an idea that really makes your puzzle jump out.”

She said Offerman’s theme was pretty easy to fine-tune, especially since he is an experienced carpenter and owns a woodshop in Los Angeles.

Iverson is also working with documentarian Ken Burns on a puzzle that will coincide with the Nov. 16 premiere of his PBS series, “The American Revolution.”

Making puzzles at all, much less with celebrities, goes far beyond what Iverson imagined as a stay-at-home mom with a new baby and a new obsession.

As she put it, “It’s my dream job that I didn’t know existed.”

Nick Offerman’s visit to Franklin Event Center starts at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14 and is hosted by Beaverdale Books. Tickets range from $40 to $55 and come with one pre-signed book.

At Olson-Larsen Galleries see, from left: "MA" by Ingrid Lilligren, "Aunt Maric" by Luca Cruzat and "Ravenna" by Barbara Fedeler. (Photos: Olson-Larsen Galleries)

BEST BET

An art-filled night in Valley Junction

Experience an evening of art, culture and community at Valley Junction’s biannual Gallery Night from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Up and down Fifth Street in West Des Moines, shops and galleries will stay open late to showcase new work by local, national and even international artists in many different mediums and styles.

This free event has become one of Valley Junction’s most enduring traditions, drawing regulars and curious newcomers alike. If you go, make sure to stop by Olson-Larsen Galleries, which is hosting a reception for its new show, "The Female Gaze," featuring mixed-media paintings, collages, sculptural vessels and more by seven women artists from across the Midwest. It runs through Nov. 29.

The Week Ahead

Spirits in the Gardens, Friday-Sunday evenings, Reiman Gardens in Ames. Perfect for family fun or a spooky date night, tour the gardens in your best costume and enjoy a path lit by more than 1,000 jack-o-lanterns.

Iowa Fall Home Expo, Friday-Sunday, Iowa State Fairgrounds. Looking to refresh your space? Explore ideas, gather pro tips and check out handy products that could spruce up your home.

Indigenous Iowans Day, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Saturday, Living History Farms. Learn about Iowa’s Indigenous cultures on a trip to the 1700 Ioway village, where guides lead presentations, demos and hands-on activities.

Jordan House Heritage Jubilee, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jordan House. The West Des Moines Historical Society hosts a reception to mark the 175th anniversary of the historic home that housed one of the city’s founding families and later served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. While enjoying live music from the Weary Ramblers, visitors can practice building a log cabin, pressing flowers and even doing laundry the old-fashioned way.

“The Goonies” in Concert, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Des Moines Civic Center. The Des Moines Symphony accompanies a screening of the classic adventure movie 40 years after its debut.

"Disenchanted!", 7 p.m. Tuesday, Temple Theater. Snow White and a gang of disenchanted princesses have their say in the national tour of this funny fairy-tale mashup musical. It runs through Oct. 19 in the Temple Comedy Series.

Show biscuits: Comedian Fortune Feimster (pictured) returns to Des Moines on Jan. 31 for another round of laughs at Hoyt Sherman Place. Tickets for her latest tour “Takin’ Care of Biscuits” go on sale this Friday.

Spooky run: Capital Striders, a long-time Des Moines running club, host its annual “To Grandmother’s House We Go” trail race through Brown’s Woods in West Des Moines on Oct. 25. Costumes are encouraged. Pretending you’re being chased through the woods by a hungry wolf is your prerogative.

By Libby Nichols

The Nail Culture & Co. studio in Clive is redefining nail care with a technique rooted in European standards. Loocated inside Culture Collective, Luxury Salon Suites, this boutique studio specializes in Russian manicures, focusing exclusively on natural nails.

The Russian manicure, also called a European manicure, caught on through TikTok and Instagram in early 2023 but was hard to come by in Des Moines.

“When I moved here, I couldn’t find a place that offered Russian manicures with the level of hygiene I was comfortable with, so I created my own,” said Tanya Yevych, who owns The Nail Culture.

Yevych (pictured) left Ukraine in 2022 when war reached her home of Kyiv, and she resettled in Des Moines to be near family already living here. With her longstanding interest in nail care, she enrolled in a training program in Chicago, earned her technician’s license, and began working in salons across Des Moines. Over time, she realized she was ready to build something of her own. “If it weren’t for my family here, I wouldn’t have had the courage to open my studio," she said. "I’m forever grateful for them.”

What makes the Russian manicure different is the absence of water or acetone used in the service. Technicians use an electric file with diamond bits to exfoliate the nail plate and remove excess skin around the cuticle. They also avoid the use of harsh clippers or extensions. Every step is designed to protect the nail bed, reduce trauma and support long-term nail strength.

The process involves carefully cleaning and removing the cuticle to create a seamless polish across the nail bed. After prep, a structured gel overlay is applied for durability and shine. The Nail Culture uses Ukrainian brands like GAMA, DARK and Luna, all with formulations known for their purity and performance. The results often last three to four weeks, far longer than traditional polish.

Hygiene is especially critical with this technique due to the use of high-speed tools and their proximity to living skin beneath the cuticle. The Nail Culture follows strict sanitation protocols and tool sterilization to reduce the risk of infection and to support nail health. Clients consistently praise the studio’s immaculate environment and careful attention to detail, saying it’s the first place they’ve found that combines aesthetic precision with true professionalism.

“This is the only way we do manicures in Ukraine,” Yevych said.

Appointments can be booked online and range from $75 to $85, with optional add-ons.

Libby Nichols is the creator and founder of Meet DSM, an Instagram account and brand dedicated to showcasing Des Moines. She also writes about local businesses and events for dsm magazine.

We’ve got a busy few weeks coming up, and you’re invited:

5-7 p.m. Thursday: ia unveiling. Get the first look at our annual statewide magazine at Bank Iowa in West Des Moines.
Nov. 5: dsm unveiling. Celebrate our final print issue of the year with snacks, drinks and live entertainment at Wesley on Grand.
Nov. 11: Sages Over 70. We’ll honor Greg Edwards, Christine Hensley, Terry Rich, Bob Stewart, Rick Tollakson, and Marcia Wanamaker at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.
Nov. 18: Lifting the Veil virtual panel. The next installment of our ongoing series about mental health explores challenges at every stage of life, with special guests to discuss new motherhood, sensory spaces, coping with anxiety and more.