dsmWeekly: August 9, 2023

Reed's Ice Cream shop on Forest Avenue was the place to see and be seen Saturday nights in the 1930s.
Photo: Des Moines Heritage Trust

FOOD AND DINING

Scoop! Social to reminisce about Reed’s Ice Cream

Writer: Michael Morain

Remember the Nutty Fudge Sauce from Reed’s Ice Cream?

If you grew up in Des Moines back in the day, you probably do. Reed’s had dozens of shops across the city, where you could order a loose-meat Reedburger and a scoop or two of old-fashioned ice cream like butter brickle, tutti frutti or a red velvet concoction called Devil Roll.

That famous sauce, drizzled over fresh vanilla ice cream from Pints by Beth, is one of two good reasons to go to an ice cream social 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Des Moines Heritage Center at the old depot in the East Village. The second reason is an illustrated history lesson about Reed’s and other local ice cream companies, which will play on a PowerPoint loop throughout the event.

Organizer Pat Meiners with the Des Moines Heritage Trust remembers biking with her siblings to the main Reed’s location at 2016 Forest Ave., just east of Drake University. After the Heritage Trust posted a Facebook note about Reed’s that prompted a lovefest on social media, the group decided to host an actual social.

Jay Reed started the family business in 1910 in Sigourney, Iowa, before branching out to Iowa Falls and Webster City. He moved to Des Moines in 1922 and set up shop at 19th and Clark streets before moving in 1936 to the bigger building on Forest Avenue, which could produce 500 gallons of ice cream every hour. The facility expanded in 1945 to churn out enough ice cream for three dozen Reed’s bungalows and, later, 14 larger Reed’s Super Shops. In its heyday, the frozen empire had outposts across Iowa and Omaha.

The last local shop, in Beaverdale, marked its 60th anniversary in 1997 before new owners turned it into the B&B Cafe. It reopened for a few years as a restaurant called Reed’s Hollow, which closed in 2019.

While Meiners researched the company’s history, she also tracked down the Nutty Fudge Sauce recipe. One clue came from a Reed family member, who mentioned online that the pecans should be roasted.

Meiners passed the long-lost recipe to Beth Mensing of Pints by Beth, who is whipping up a batch for Aug. 27 in the run-up to her brick-and-mortar opening later this year in Highland Park. When dsm caught a whiff of the story and emailed her for the ingredients, her reply was swift: “Haha!! I’ll tell you after the event.”

Get a bird's-eye view from the sky glider. Photo: Travel Iowa

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND
Fired up for the fair: See what's on the schedule

You know the drill: The Iowa State Fair Parade starts at 6:15 tonight near the Capitol. The main event at the fairgrounds starts bright and early Thursday with an 8:15 a.m. historical walking tour organized by the State Historical of Iowa and the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative. This year’s tour includes stories about botanist George Washington Carver, 4-H founder Jessie Field Shambaugh and — you can’t make this up — an entrepreneur named Keith Elwick, whose inventions for manure spreaders eventually earned him a meeting in 1963 with Queen Elizabeth.

This year’s Grandstand lineup includes Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, New Kids on the Block, The Black Keys, Maren Morris and more.

And, of course, don’t forget about the food. So much food. Grab a bucket of Barksdale's State Fair cookies and take your pick of treats on a stick. If you’re looking for a bit of a thrill (maybe not right after you eat), check out the fair’s rides and attractions for all ages. Here’s the full glorious schedule.

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND

Charcuterie 101 (5:30-7 tonight): Learn about the art of charcuterie with Boards by Heidi at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Register online for $80, then let your creativity flow as you arrange colorful fruits, cheeses and meats that will look (almost) too beautiful to eat. All the ingredients and materials will be provided, along with samples of wine and admission to Music in the Garden afterward.

Architecture on the Move (5:30 p.m. Friday): Whether it’s your first downtown walking tour or you’re returning to explore a different route, you’re sure to learn a thing or two from an expert architect. Sign-in starts at 5 p.m. in the atrium at Capital Square. Tickets are $20.

"I Know What You Did This Summer" (7 p.m. Friday): Des Moines Sketch Pad, an SNL-style comedy team, will present a sketch comedy show at Teehee's Comedy Club Friday night. Tickets start at $10.

“Squaring the Circle” (7 p.m. Monday): Visit the Varsity Cinema to see a documentary about a pair of art students who made a trippy photo collage in 1968 that featured some of their musician friends and evolved into an iconic album cover that helped launch the careers of Pink Floyd and Hipgnosis. Before the show, Rogue Planet Music will set up a pop-up record shop in the lobby. Afterward, local artists Jay Vigon and Margo Nahas will share a few stories from their own careers designing albums for the likes of Prince, Van Halen and Fleetwood Mac.

Ankeny Community Theatre performed a number from "The Pajama Game" at the Cloris Awards Ceremony in 2019, the last time it took place at Hoyt Sherman Place. Photo: Eric Salmon

ARTS AND CULTURE
And the Cloris Award nominees are . . .

Nominees were announced today for the 2023 Cloris Awards for local theater. This year’s ceremony at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at Hoyt Sherman Place will celebrate 39 productions from nine Central Iowa companies: Ankeny Community Theatre, Carousel Theatre of Indianola, Class Act Productions, the Des Moines Playhouse, Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre, Iowa Stage Theatre Company, Pyramid Theatre Company, Tallgrass Theatre Company and Urbandale Community Theatre.

The awards were founded in 2015 and named for the late Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman, who grew up in Des Moines and made her stage debut at the Playhouse. (The awards are sponsored by Leachman Lumber.) This year’s slate of nominees in 18 categories honors talent both on stage and behind the scenes, along with special recognitions for pianist Francine Griffith, “Kinky Boots” drag consultant Nicholas Amundson, Ankeny Community Theatre’s collaboration with playwright Tommy Lee Johnston, Pyramid Theatre Company’s work with playwright Beaufield Berry, the Des Moines Playhouse’s Penguin Project, and Tallgrass Theater Company’s Sarah Frank and Jack Balcombe Dream Project.

See the full list of nominees online.