dsmWeekly: June 11, 2019

Seven community leaders and role models from across the state have been selected to receive dsm magazine's first awards recognizing the important contributions of LGBTQ Iowans. We are pleased to work with the advocacy group One Iowa to create this awards program. Recipients of the Legacy Leader Awards are:

George Belitsos of Ames, founder of the youth services organization YSS.
Karen Mackey, a Sioux City attorney and champion of the rights of Native Americans.
Sharon K. Malheiro, a Des Moines attorney and prominent civil rights advocate.
Sonia Reyes-Syder a crusader for the rights of Latinos with the Iowa Office of Latino Affairs in Des Moines.
Jeorgia Robison, a Marion attorney and pioneer in Iowans' understanding of transgender persons.
Jonathan C. Wilson, a Des Moines attorney and former school board member.

A separate honor, the LGBTQ Ally Award, goes to someone who is not LGBTQ but who has a record of defending the rights and dignity of all persons. That honoree is Terri Hale, who retired from a career at Principal in Des Moines, where she was a tireless advocate for LGBTQ citizens and others.

You'll learn more about the awards and the recipients in the September issue of dsm magazine and at an awards event Oct. 24 at the Temple for Performing Arts.

So recently we longed for summer and patio dining; now we're looking for shade. Find comfort and new menu items at Teddy Maroons.

NEWS OF NOTE ON THE DINING SCENE

By Wini Moranville

Is there a better month to be in Des Moines than June? I think not. I hope these tidbits help you savor this bright and easy month even more.

• Summer Solstice Party with Chef Tag Grandgeorge
“I always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it,” laments Daisy Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby." One way to make sure you don’t miss the longest day of the year is to sign up for the Summer Solstice Party featuring four courses from former Le Jardin chef-owner Tag Grandgeorge. Weather permitting, the dinner will be served in the Plant Life Designs Events Garden in Van Meter. Served with wine pairings, the menu showcases garden-fresh touches, from radishes and summer’s first green beans to pea tendrils. The price is $69 per person; find full menu and reservation details at plantlifedesigns.com.

• Ninth Annual Summer Concert Series at Camp Dodge
Held on select Thursdays at the Camp Dodge Pool Complex in Johnston, this free annual summer music event is in full swing. June’s remaining shows include Red Dirt Renegade (June 20) and Sidewinders (June 27). Music start at 7 p.m.; you can pack a picnic, or leave the cooking to Trostel’s Greenbriar, whose staff will be serving burgers, brats, hot dogs, Graziano sausage grinders, popcorn and homemade potato chips. More info and a schedule of July shows are available at ioweanationalguard.com.

• New Menu Items and Shaded Patio Alert at Teddy Maroon's
What do you seek when it comes to patio dining? As for me, shade is a top consideration. The patio at Teddy Maroon's is on the east side of the building, which means, according to owner Chris Diebel, “it’s totally shaded by 1 p.m.” (They also have umbrellas for the lunch hour, he adds.) The patio might offer a good nudge to check out a few items that the kitchen recently introduced for summer. These include ahi tuna poke salad; shrimp and shishito pepper skewers; a seafood roll with lobster, monkfish and shrimp, plus a grilled chili-mango ahi tuna. Find a full menu at TeddyMaroons.com.

Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.

"All the world's a stage" — including the terraces at Salisbury House and Gardens, where "MacBeth" will be performed this week.

DESTINY AND CONSCIENCE CLASH ON THE LAWN

Madness! Murder! Mayhem! What better way to enjoy a pleasant summer evening? At least when it comes to Iowa Stage Theatre’s production of “MacBeth,” which the company will present June 12-16 for this year’s installment of Shakespeare on the Lawn at Salisbury House and Gardens. Lest we forget the dangers of power for power’s sake, we have “MacBeth” to remind us: Driven by ambition and spurred on by his ruthless wife, the warrior MacBeth murders the king of Scotland and grabs the throne. Paranoia, tyranny, brutality and chaos follow. Then there are those strangely mesmerizing witches, who get some of the play’s best lines (“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!”).

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on the lawn; chairs will be provided, or bring your own chairs or a blanket. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students, available at salisburyhouse.org.

Get in the swing of Thursdays at the Botanical Garden, the summer concert series now starting its third year.

SUMMER CONCERTS RETURN TO BOTANICAL GARDEN

Music and merriment will echo through the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Thursday evenings this summer with the return of Social Irrigation, its weekly summer concert series. The 15-week event features a wide variety of genres from artists across the region.

Each Thursday, beginning this week on June 13, the Botanical Garden will remain open until 9:30 p.m. with music from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Trellis Cafe will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. with entrees, small plates, craft beers and signature cocktails. Attendees can explore the garden, play lawn games, participate in kids’ activities, see gardening demonstrations and talk with gardening experts during various weeks throughout the series.

This week, catch Tony Valdez and the Rockets. On June 20, Diplomats of Solid Sound will perform. The full summer schedule, tickets and other details are available here. Social Irrigation is included with the regular cost of admission (members free; adults $10; seniors and military $9; students 4-17 $7; children 3 and under free).

Local band Tom Buckmiller and the Tone Tailors will be the final act to perform Sunday at the Iowa Blues Challenge.

BANDS BATTLE IN 'IOWA BLUES CHALLENGE' SUNDAY

Iowa musicians and fans of the blues will converge on the Des Moines Social Club Sunday afternoon, June 16, for the 26th annual Iowa Blues Challenge. Eight acts are scheduled to perform between 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. They will compete for prizes including cash, recording time, paid performance opportunities, and entry into the International Blues Challenge, to be held on historic Beale Street in Memphis in January 2020.

Advance tickets are $15. Admission at the door will be $20. For tickets, information on the bands and the event, click here.