dsmWeekly: April 30, 2019

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR NEW LGBTQ AWARDS

Over the years, Iowa’s LGBTQ community has had a strong and welcome influence on our state. Representing a wide range of vocations and avocations, these Iowans have led with creativity, vigor and compassion, solving problems and helping build a state that we all can be proud to call home.

In tribute to such inspiring contributions, dsm magazine is partnering with the advocacy group One Iowa to launch our LGBTQ Legacy Leader Awards. We also will recognize an ally of the LGBTQ community, someone whose contributions to equality and justice have helped ensure that gender and sexual orientation will not be stigmatized or marginalized in the culture of Iowa.

Six honorees will be recognized at a special event in October. Event details will be announced this summer.

We’d like your help in choosing those to be honored. Nominees for five LGBTQ Legacy Leader Awards should meet several criteria:

• Demonstrate leadership in their communities.
• Serve as role models and mentors to others.
• Contribute to the appreciation and recognition of cultural diversity in Iowa.

Additionally, one nominee from outside the LGBTQ community will be honored with an Ally Award, for unwavering commitment to civil rights and equality for all, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

For instructions on how to nominate an individual, click here. Nominations are due May 24.

Fresh finds at La Tienda Mexicana, clockwise from the beer: guacamole, fresh tortillas, Mexican rice, salsa chica, birria de res, Goya brand hot taquera salsa.

A CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION ... IN MINUTES

By Wini Moranville

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican military’s victory over the French army in 1862; the David vs. Goliath battle remains a meaningful date for those of Mexican heritage and a way for the rest of us to honor Mexican history and culture. While you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo at scads of restaurants in town, if you swing by La Tienda Mexicana, you can bring it all home, without even cooking.

This Mexican grocery store carries plenty of Mexican produce and staples, but for me, the real fun begins with their prepared foods. Grab a stack of freshly made warm tortillas ($1 for about a dozen), and head to the deli counter for something to fill them with. My choices here include the moist, tender, roasted and pulled pork or the birria de res – beef stewed in seasonings anchored by the dried, deep-red guajillo chile. If you go the latter route, refrigerate the meat a while to make it easy to skim off the fat (the fat gives the meat richness during cooking, but makes it a bit oily – for my tastes, anyway – at the table). Then, simply reheat and serve.

Once you’ve selected the prepared meat, turn around and check out the case of fresh house-made condiments. Favorites here include the buttery and unmistakably lime-sparked guacamole and a fruity green salsa.

In fact, I’ve been so stuck on those last two condiments that I never ventured to try others – until recently, when I went to La Tienda with a pal who goes there about twice a week. He introduced me to the salsa chica – a bravely hot, subtly smoky, bright red salsa. It’s based not on tomatoes, but rather on fresh roasted peppers, both sweet and hot. I’ve never had anything quite like it. Another new-to-me find was the Mexican rice, with its moist, stand-apart grains and little bits of veggies scattered throughout.

An aisle or two over, you’ll find Goya Hot Salsa, a deep and spicy condiment made with chipotle peppers. It’s possibly my favorite of the bottled salsas available around here, and it’s always in my fridge.

La Tienda Mexicana is at 1524 E. Grand Ave.; 515-264-8614.

International multimedia artist Yorame Mevorach, who works under the single moniker Oyoram, dazzled and delighted a riverside audience last fall with a work he called "Mental Banquet," projected on the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. Photo: Ben Easter Photography for the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation.

ARTIST TO OPEN SHERMAN HILL STUDIO WITH VIDEO

Internationally recognized artist Oyoram, profiled in this story in the current issue of dsm magazine, will present "RING," an immersive video installation celebrating the opening of his new Sherman Hill studio at 1605 Woodland Ave. Visitors can savor the video experience between 5:30 and 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 2; to help plan for attendance, guests are asked to confirm their intention with an email to liz@adelmandeangroup.com.

Benefactor Suzie Glazer Burt and women's basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk share a private moment during a ceremony to accept and acknowledge Glazer Burt's gift to the women's basketball program at Drake. At left is university President Marty Martin.

GIFT TO DRAKE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SETS MARK

By Jane Burns

The Drake University women’s basketball team might be considered a mid-major power, but the Bulldogs got a major investment in their program on Monday.

Philanthropist Suzie Glazer Burt made a $5 million gift to the Drake women’s basketball program, the largest such gift in NCAA women’s basketball history. The gift will go to boosting coach Jennie Baranczyk’s salary and improving travel arrangements and student-athlete support services.

Under Baranczyk, Drake has won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships and has earned three NCAA tournament bids. Baranczyk’s name is often bandied about when jobs open at larger universities.
Glazer Burt said the gift has a simple goal: to help the women’s program continue its success on and off the court, and to help lift it to even greater heights.

"I highly respect Jennie Baranczyk and the Drake women’s basketball program, and I believe that when women empower women, there is no limit to the impact we can make in the lives of these incredible student-athletes," Glazer Burt said.

It’s not Glazer Burt’s first investment in Drake. A 2016 gift from her and her husband, Gregory, who died last year, helped establish the Suzie Glazer Burt and Gregory Burt Boys & Girls Club. It is set to open on the Drake campus in August.

Tribute performances will highlight an event honoring Rosemary Parson (left) and Renee Hardman, departing Pyramid board members. Photo: Jami Milne.

PYRAMID HOSTS EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT

Pyramid Theatre Company will host a night of music and dancing May 31 at Noce to honor Renee Hardman and Rosemary Parson, who are departing from the company’s board.

"Renee and Rosemary are two stalwarts in our community, and I’m not sure that everyone knows that without them, Pyramid wouldn’t exist," says Ken-Matt Martin, a founder and the former executive director of the company who is now producing director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival in New York.

The fundraising event will feature performances by award-winning Broadway actor and singer Chester Gregory and fast-rising theater star Antonio Woodard. The Los Angeles-based Gregory has starred in such hits as "Hairspray," "Fences" and "Dreamgirls" and is currently transitioning from stage work to television and film. Woodard, originally from Oakland, California, also has performed in a range of shows, including Pyramid’s production of "The Amen Corner."

Tickets are $75 and go on sale tomorrow, May 1. Get them through Noce’s website.

A week after the event, on June 7, Pyramid’s 2019 season opens with "Too Heavy for Your Pocket" by Jireh Breon Holder, a national playwright who was Pyramid’s founding artistic director. The show follows the journey of four Freedom Riders into the Deep South in 1961. Pyramid also will present August Wilson’s "How I Learned What I Learned," a one-man autobiographical show that chronicles Wilson’s life. Tiffany Johnson, Pyramid’s producing executive director, will direct both shows. Find more information and get tickets ($43 for the season) here.

Such a fine way to start the weekend: Wander, greet, buy, repeat. And do it any Saturday morning through October.

DOWNTOWN MARKET RETURNS SATURDAY

It's big, it's bold, and it's BACK! With nearly 300 vendors from 50 Iowa counties, the Downtown Farmers’ Market opens Saturday, May 4, with all the fun of a fair and all the fresh flavors of spring. From 7 a.m. to noon, vendors sell such diverse products as Iowa-raised meat, fresh produce, seasonal flowers, farm-fresh eggs and cheese, locally produced wine, and fresh baked goods. Click here for details, including lists of vendors, music and programs, a map, parking tips, and other helpful stuff. It all began in 1976 with just 15 vendors and a couple hundred shoppers. It just goes to show we Iowans really do know how to grow things.

The Des Moines Social Club's courtyard becomes a music venue and picnic ground for the annual Food Truck Throw Down.

FOOD TRUCK EVENT RETURNS TO SOCIAL CLUB

Save your appetite for Saturday, May 4, when the Des Moines Social Club hosts its fifth annual Food Truck Throw Down. "We’re so excited for everyone to come eat their hearts out and take all the Instagrams," says the club's announcement of the event, "the ultimate foodie event that can't be missed."

In addition to 13 food trucks, expect live music all day, and art activities for the entire family. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., a time span that covers two meals. The event will fill Cherry Street between Eighth and 10th streets as well as the Social Club's courtyard.

Admission is $5 at the entrance (free for ages 10 and under). Purchase complete meals or try $2 samples at each truck. And if you're 21 or older, beer and wine will be available for purchase, as will other beverages for all ages. For more information, click here.