THE STAY SAFE PLEDGE

The renaissance and evolution of Greater Des Moines was built on collaboration and kindness. That same spirit is needed to protect our people, our visitors, and our businesses as we move forward. It is a shared responsibility to keep others safe while supporting the businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities.  

Communicate that shared commitment with the Stay Safe Pledge. For businesses, it is a pledge to show compliance with public health recommendations to keep customers safe. For customers and guests, it is a pledge to be a responsible and compassionate patron.

TAKE THE PLEDGE TODAY

The pledge is a clear way to provide customer confidence and a daily reminder of all the steps we need to take to keep each other safe. Below are some of the ways you can take the pledge:

• Display – Print off the Stay Safe Pledge flyer and post it on the door of your business or throughout the shared spaces of your facility.  

• Download – Promote on your social media channels and/or website with images and social verbiage.  

• Promote – Get the word out through social media and e-communications using the hashtags #StaySafePledge and #DSMlocal. Encourage your favorite businesses, restaurants, and retailers in Greater Des Moines to take the pledge.  

STAY SAFE PLEDGE TOOLKIT: 

Download Printable Flyer: Click Here Download Badge/Logo: Click Here Download Twitter Image: Click Here Download Facebook Image: Click Here Download Instagram Image: Click Here Download LinkedIn Image: Click Here Social Media Copy:  The renaissance and evolution of Greater Des Moines was built on collaboration and kindness. That same spirit is needed to protect our people, our visitors, and our businesses as we move forward. It is a shared responsibility to keep others safe while supporting the businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities. Join us in our pledge – a commitment to take all the necessary precautions to keep each other healthy and our businesses strong. Take the pledge at catchdesmoines.com/staysafepledge. #StaySafePledge #DSMlocal 

Let's Catch Up: September

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Derecho cleanup. Ten days after the derecho marauded through Des Moines on Aug. 10, leveling trees and power lines, the city began the cleanup. Public Works crews have hauled 9,261 loads to the MWA Compost Center at 1601 Harriett Street. In a few days, a bad-boy Vermeer tree shredder, manufactured in Pella, will arrive to reduce the piles. More details about curb pickups.

How to View New Police Policies. The City Council is deep into discussing how to reform police policies and procedures. You can now view half of the reformed DMPD General Orders on the Des Moines City website. Here’s a quick link. The remaining 15 DMPD chapters are still under review. The Council will take up chapters involving the use of force and body cameras at our Nov. 17 work session.

Almost Famous Opens in East Village. Almost Famous, a Cedar Rapids family-owned shop specializing in popcorn and ice cream, opened in late July on East Locust Street. Top personal favorites, Wisconsin White Cheddar popcorn and Zanzibar Chocolate ice cream, demolish all willpower. Please restrain me from entering if you notice me in the vicinity—of which I have been often.

Ride On! Des Moines Parks & Recreation has opened a new multi-use hiking and biking trail that connects Southeast First Street, near Mullet’s, to Easter Lake—about a 4½-mile pedal. “The trail is lovely, and I imagine it is going to be the prettiest trail in Central Iowa when the autumn leaves give it plenty of color,” writes Maryann Mori, noting the deep woods and terrain. Look for a trail dedication in the spring.

With this trail’s completion, there’s just a 3-mile gap between Des Moines and Carlisle. At its Sept. 14 meeting, the City Council approved a $400,000 grant application to help fund the anticipated $2.8 million cost of the final link, including a tunnel beneath Highway 65. Carlisle and the Warren County Conservation Board are co-applicants. 

Free Meals Program Wraps Up. In the past three months, the City of Des Moines distributed more than 10,000 meals through $350,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. A dozen or more sites were regular sites. Central Iowa Shelters and Services partnered with the City of Des Moines to organize the program.

Rental/mortgage Assistance Continues. Polk County and the City of Des Moines continue through the fall to avoid stave off evictions. Des Moines has $684,970 COVID-19 funds to distribute through HOME Inc. Polk County distributed about $500,000 in COVID-19 funds. City-directed funds alone should assist about 750 households, according to Community Development Director Chris Johansen.  One of the funds, managed by HOME Inc, receives about 150 calls a week, double the normal intake. Polk County Housing Trust Fund has helped residents at the courthouse before they have their actual eviction hearings to pay rent arrears and prevent eviction as well. 

Have you seen the “I’m Invested” yard signs popping up around Des Moines?

These signs—now in about 200 yards—are the first evidence of Invest DSM, a nonprofit venture of Polk County and the City of Des Moines, created late last year to improve four targeted neighborhoods. 

Earlier this year, Invest DSM awarded its first Block Challenge Grants to residents in all four neighborhoods: Oak Park/Highland Park, Drake, Franklin and Columbus Park. Among the first to sign up were homeowners on a four-block section along 44th Street, from University Avenue to College Avenue. 

Teva Dawson, a member of the Invest DSM stakeholder committee for the Franklin neighborhood, told her friend Missy Keenan, a 44th Street resident, about the challenge. Missy knew what a good program looked like without much of a sell:

• Invest DSM reimburses 50% of the cost of exterior homeowner improvements (think curb appeal) when neighbors gather five or more households. If neighbors gather more than 10 households, Invest DSM awards a greater amount.

• Easy-peasy process: Get one contractor proposal or gather a list of project items.

• Submit a “before” photo.

• Finish the project, and Invest DSM returns a match of up to $2,500 to the investing homeowners.

Through the 2020 Block Challenge programs, 219 homeowners and Invest DSM have put more than $885,000 into single-family homes. The Invest DSM share tallies about $361,000. I stopped by three 44th Street homes to learn impressions of the Block Challenge. 

A Co-Captain Steps Up

Anna and Adam Mason

Anna and Adam Mason have lived along 44th Street for a decade. With Invest DSM’s support, the couple replaced crumbling front steps, created raised beds around their front porch, and freshened up their landscaping. Total cost: $7,425.34 Invest DSM grant: $2,500.

Early on, Missy recruited Anna to serve as co-captain for the 44th Street effort. After creating a one-page program explanation, the neighbors dropped leaflets at each front door, and hosted a Zoom call to handle questions. Intending to get 10 households signed up for the Block Challenge, Missy and Anna submitted proposals for—wait for it—28 residents on 44th Street. Wowzers! Off and running.

“When I heard it was so easy to join,” Anna said, “of course we said ‘Yes!’ We needed to replace the steps since we moved in, so this was an easy decision.

“Missy recruited me to help out, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know our neighbors. I now know the names of 10 additional neighbors to call by name … not just by their dogs’ names!

Missy Keenan

Anna also has joined the Waveland Park Neighborhood Association and begun participating in meetings. “It’s a good feeling to be part of a neighborhood,” she says. “Our entire street looks so cheerful.”

Recent Residents’ DIY

Joe and Melinda Doerhoff are relatively new to the 44th Street neighborhood—just a tick over two years—and were eager to make changes to their home. They didn’t need a calculator to figure out the advantages of completing several to-do tasks. Their summer projects included replacing front windows, repairing the front porch, and installing a new garage door and new garage entry door. Total cost: $5,678. Invest DSM grant: $2,500.

Melinda and Joe Doerhoff

Aside from the difficulty finding a reputable company to repair their home’s stucco (the Des Moines area has few such contractors), Joe and Melinda couldn’t have been more pleased with Invest DSM’s application process, speedy approval, and quick reimbursement.

To stretch their grant dollars, the Doerhoffs completed most of the upgrades themselves. “We had a lot of neighbors stop by and talk to us,” Joe recalls. “When I started tearing out the old porch stairs, they were amazed we were doing the work ourselves.”

Joe built new porch steps and replaced the porch deck with maintenance-free composite flooring. With the stucco repaired, Joe painted the entire exterior a fresh green. “The original blue had to go,” Melinda says. “Some of the neighbors had fun guessing what shade of green we would pick.” A former owner walked through their house and filled in details about what it looked like 30 years ago.

Pollinating Friendship

Melanie and Brian Johnson

Up the street from the Doerhoffs, Melanie and Brian Johnson built new patios by their front door, and where a dying ash tree shaded most of the front yard, added raised beds loaded with native plants. “I already had designed the new plant beds, Melanie says, “so working up a materials list, plant list, and budget was easy.” Total cost: $2,000. Invest DSM grant: $1,000.

The plants brought welcomed pollinators. “This summer, we counted six different varieties of bees in the yard,” Melanie recalls. “It’s been a lot of fun for the kids, too! And we discovered that across the street, our neighbor Mike Buckley has beehive boxes in his backyard. Mike is so pleased to see more pollinators in the neighborhood.” As a result of the horticulture, Melanie has become a go-to neighborhood resource for outdoor plants.

Melanie also started a 44th Street Facebook group and organized the street’s first All Yards Art Show, which drew 10 participants—and plenty of smiles. 

Businesses benefited along the way, owing to the 44th Street neighbors compiling a list of reliable landscapers. Schultes Horticulture and Landscaping, based a few blocks away, picked up seven customers on 44th Street and his own 42nd Street Block Challenge. So did the Benjamin Moore experts at the Woodsmith Store, which impressed several neighbors. There’s also now a short list of reliable contractors and concrete crews.

A Homeowner Renovation Program is planned for 2021. Learn more about Invest DSM here. COMMUNITY GARDEN OPENS IN CHEATOM PARK

September 15 was a big day for Eagle Scout candidate Nick Watson. Nick, 17, and Troop 50 scouts were on hand with Cheatom Park neighbors, representatives of the Des Moines homeless-support group Joppa, and other partners to cut the ribbon on Shared Roots, a community garden occupying a formerly vacant lot at 1010 13th Street. (St. Paul AME Church is across the street.)

Nick Watson

Volunteers donating more than 1,000 hours created 75 raised garden beds and added more than 100 cubic feet of topsoil and compost. Nick’s plan included carved-out space for two 300-gallon water tanks. A new chain-link fence now rings the gardens. Several neighbors are now harvesting fruits from their efforts. 

The garden’s southern edge borders the western path of Day Street before the construction of I-235 shredded the Cheatom Park neighborhood in the late 1950s and 60s.

In the coming days, Des Moines Parks & Recreation staff will remove scrub trees between the gardens and I-235, opening a new vista to downtown Des Moines. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCHDOG UNCOVERS NEW SCAM

Stefanie Running takes seriously moderating the Gray’s Lake Neighborhood Association’s private Facebook page. Before adding a new member, Stefanie asks for a street address, just to make sure the requestor is legit. 

When one provided address didn’t check out, she searched court records, which revealed the suspected address belonged to an individual with a lengthy rap sheet for burglary and other charges. Not good a good fit for the Gray’s Lake Neighborhood. Or any neighborhood!

“I’m not sure everyone else screens people before letting them in their groups,” Stefanie notes, “but I wanted to let you know this guy is bad news and maybe joining groups just to see neighborhood chitchat and crime videos so he knows who has cameras. Boot this t*** out of your groups!”

Lt. Larry Davey, who heads the Neighborhood Based Service Delivery unit, has asked neighborhood police officers to spread the word about carefully monitoring new Facebook group members. 

ASSAULT WITH A GREEN LASER

Des Moines police have made their first arrest on a protester for pointing a green laser into an officer’s eyes. Morgan Vanderhart, a Pleasant Hill resident who has appeared at local protests wearing Antifa-related insignia, was charged with assault with intent to inflict injury, a class D felony. A subsequent search warrant of Vanderhart’s van led to the recovery of an AR-15 rifle and a handgun. 

Earlier this month, Matthew Bruce, a Des Moines resident and Black Liberation Movement organizer, was photographed using a green laser. Iowa City Police have charged him with nine counts of assaulting an officer with intent to inflict injury.

Green lasers, which are 10 to 20 times more powerful than the laser pointers used by presenters, can cause permanent eye damage. According to The New York Times, green lasers put out 50 milliwatts of power, 10 times the FDA limit. And they’re cheap: You can find 100-milliwatt pointers online for less than $30. 

Learn more about this insidious weapon here. LAURIDSEN SKATEPARK: ‘THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS”

Concrete edges are coped with 2-inch round pipe

Jamie Anderson, Wallingford, IA, left, & Rob Dennewitz, Chillicothe, OH, check the level of a grind rail before welding.

California Skateparks employees work on forms in a park section.

Bill Minadeo has spent more than 40 nights in Des Moines since March, checking on the Lauridsen Skatepark, under construction along the Des Moines River. Bill, vice president of Global Business Development for California Skateparks, oozes enthusiasm about our park, northeast of Wells Fargo Arena near 2nd Avenue, which is scheduled to welcome its first skateboarders by early November. Expect a formal dedication of the park, part of Polk County Conservation Board system, in the spring.

“This is as good as it gets,” Bill, who has supervised the building of skateparks across the globe, notes while enjoying craft beers at the Iowa Taproom, his Des Moines go-to evening destination. “You have a shining star here.” 

Skatepark architect Zach Wormhoudt believes the park soars because of the downtown site. “The same skate terrain located on the outskirts of town, in an empty field behind the corporate yard, would not be the same caliber park,” he says. “Fortunately, the people funding the project shared the belief in the project’s potential.”

Here are a few of Bill’s reasons this new downtown attraction is so inviting:

• Its location: The park is situated with pedestrian access and near an activated downtown, with hotels, restaurants, and shopping. “Families will love this,” Bill predicts. “Look for an uptick in tourism.” 

• Its many attractions: 88,000 square feet; a beginner’s bowl; pro-competition street and park courses; and a snake run. Lots of stairs and ledges to grind on, and a micro-mini ramp. “I love the backyard bowl,” Bill says. “It’s an authentic re-creation of a swimming pool where California skateboarders learned to skate.”

• Its length: At 900-plus feet (about 2.5 city blocks), from Bobber Park at the west end of the Iowa Women Achievement Bridge to the north end near I-235, “There’s nothing like this anywhere,” Bill asserts.

• Its sheer makeup: 3,500 cubic yards of concrete (most skateparks have 400 to 500 cubic yards). “To put this into perspective, Bill says, “there’s enough concrete to pave about 10 residential streets.”

• Skatable public art: “WOW” is 88 feet long, 12 feet high, and 4 feet wide. “It’ll be a huge attraction.”

• It’s well-lighted, by Musco Sports Lighting of Oskaloosa: “I bet in half the parks, lights never get added,” Bill says. “You not only have terrific lighting design, but the installed lights have already been a huge help for our crews. In this summer’s heat, our guys started work at 4 a.m.—in the cool of the day—under the lights.”

• Its vast viewing area: “I can’t think of another park that has a viewing area from above the park that is this large,” Bill says. “Families will love this to watch kids perform. Most parks are flat—no one can see into the bowls except the skateboarders. This is impressive.”

Bill speculates that Des Moines will have the largest park in the USA for several years to come. “For another community to raise $6.3 million [in donations and grants] for a park this size, I don’t see that happening soon,” he says.

A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS) first presented the idea for a Des Moines skatepark in 2004. Kevin Jones (Subset Skateshop owner) plus three original AMOS members—Jan Hill, Jann Freed, and a recently elected city council member—have served on the committee since Day One. VOTE, DANG IT!

You are voting in this year’s general election, right?

As a reminder, you have three options this year:

Absentee ballot. By now, you no doubt should have received one or more Absentee Ballot Request (ABR). Don’t forget to complete—just one!—and sign the ABR; should be postmarked by Oct. 28. The Polk County Auditor’s Office will begin sending out ballots on Monday, Oct. 5.

Ballot will be accepted if postmarked no later than November 2 or hand-delivered on Election Day until 9 p.m.

To date, approximately 47% of registered Democrats and 26% of registered Republicans have requested an ABR.

Early vote. Also on Oct. 5, you can begin voting in person at the Polk County Auditor’s Office at 120 Second Avenue (just south of Court Avenue). Office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. At this time, there are no remote locations planned in Polk County.

Election Day. Tuesday, Nov. 3 is this year’s Election Day. Depending on the number of poll workers and other factors, some polling locations may be condensed. You can find this year’s polling location at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

Questions? https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/county-auditor/election/

Or call the Election Office at 515-286-3247.

How can I sign up to volunteer at a polling site? Contact steve.mauro@polkcountyiowa.gov. This is a paid position. Workers will be required to wear masks.

Let's Catch Up: August

BACK TO SCHOOL: DIFFERENT THIS YEAR

I haven’t heard a peep about back-to-school sales this year. But what does dominate conversations is: What the heck will this year’s school year look like for our kids?

Susan and I will have three grandkids attending Des Moines public schools, plus a niece teaching at the Walnut Street School. You bet that we’re keenly interested.

When it comes to Iowa school districts, one size does not fit all. I’m confident we can agree that there’s a vast difference between the needs of the Diagonal School District (127 students total) and the Des Moines district (which serves 32,000-plus students).

A unilateral decree for all 365-plus Iowa school districts is unacceptable and ill-timed. Science and facts should dominate the decisions. Front and center should be the health and safety of our kids, teachers, and the school support staff.

I support Des Moines Public Schools administration and the school board to make wise decisions on how to best map out the upcoming school year.

MASK UP FOR THE LONG HAUL

COVID-19 has its grip on our entire society—without any signs of letting up. Just this week, City Manager Scott Sanders delayed the reopening of city buildings at least until October 1.

Some business, like LaMie in the Roosevelt Shopping Center, have a strict mask guideline, as the photo to the right suggests.

I believe mandating masks is the correct public choice to help bring this pandemic under control. But given the current posture from our State Capitol and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, a city mask mandate doesn’t appear to be on the horizon. For now.

On July 31, Mayor Cownie amended his emergency proclamation regarding outdoor gatherings. Mayor Cownie “strongly and urgently encouraged all persons in the City of Des Moines to wear a face covering such as a cloth mask, surgical mask, plastic shield or similar covering that covers their nose and mouth when in a public place.”

The entire proclamation: https://cms2.revize.com/revize/desmoines/document_center/City%20Clerk/Proclamations/2020/07-31-20%20Mayors%20Emergency%20Covid%20Declaration%20Amendment_v3.pdf?pdf=to%20amend%20his%20emergency%20proclamation&t=1596310130726&pdf=to%20amend%20his%20emergency%20proclamation&t=1596310130726

In 2001, Lorinda Peters and I served together on the Capital Striders board of directors and created Tour de Lights, the walk, run, and bike evening through the Jolly Holiday Lights at Water Works Park. Lorinda, who now lives in Texas, posted some danged good reasons to wear a mask. I’ve tweaked her Facebook posting, which provides sound reasons why I also choose to wear a mask in public:

• I have read enough to know that I could be asymptomatic and still pass the virus on to you.

• I don’t live in fear of the virus; I just want to be part of the solution, not the problem.

• I don’t feel that the government is controlling me; I feel that I’m an adult contributing to society, and I want to help others the same.

• The world doesn’t revolve around me. It’s not all about me and my comfort.

• If we all could live with other people’s considerations in mind, this whole world would be a much better place.

• Wearing a mask doesn’t make me weak, scared, stupid, or even controlled. It makes me considerate.

• Are you worried about how you look, how uncomfortable your mask is, or what others think of you? If so, imagine your child, your father, your mother, or a grandparent, aunt, or uncle choking on a respirator, alone without you or any family member allowed at the bedside.

• Ask yourself if you could have sucked it up a little for a while.

TIME TO PRESS FOR HOME RULE?

My friend Ira Lacher draws an excellent line between the popularity of the Broadway production of Hamilton (now on Disney Plus) to another topic that squirts out in conversation, emails, and social media. Aren’t we Iowans fuming about the same issue—home rule—that drove a wedge between Great Britain and the 13 colonies?

Iowa communities seemingly can’t make a single move without state approval. Besides masks and back-to-school mandates, the legislature recently hobbled Des Moines’ efforts to regulate short-term commercial rentals (popularity known as Airbnbs).

Apparently, the mantra from Republicans in the State House is: “We’re all for local control…except when we’re not.”

The Iowa constitution doesn’t prevent municipalities and counties from instituting their own rules. The only restriction is that the rules can’t involve imposing a tax. “The home rule amendments of the Iowa Constitution give cities and counties authority to determine their own local affairs and government in a manner which is not inconsistent with state statute, except that home rule power and authority does not extend to the authority to levy a tax without the express authorization of the General Assembly.” (11Iowa Const. Art. III, §§ 38A, 39A.) Here’s a link.

PROTESTS AND DES MOINES POLICE: WHAT’S NEXT

Calls for an investigation into Des Moines protests and demonstrations continue to dominate local conversations.

According to Des Moines Police Department policy and procedures, they always investigate each incident of use of police force. (In 2019, 425 use of force investigations/202,000 calls for service; 0.2 percent resulting in use of force). The Iowa Code provides guidelines of how investigations could proceed between employers (in our case, City of Des Moines) and peace officers (Des Moines Police Department officers). Of particular interest: investigations that include discipline, demotion, or suspension.

Some residents have emailed me, demanding that the Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Commission investigate the Des Moines Police Department. The emails don’t explicitly reference discipline, but the assumption is an easy leap.

Chapters 80F and 400 of the Iowa Code create a comprehensive process and govern the relations between employers and peace officers.

In 2007, the Iowa Legislature created mandatory process requirements in Section 80F in conjunction with Chapter 400 for all peace officer investigations leading to discipline, demotion, or suspension. State statute and case law limit Iowa city councils regarding police investigation and discipline. The state legislature would have to authorize designating a different citizen review board with a disciplinary authority other than the Civil Service Commission, with a different process. Council creation of a different board for discipline would be counter to that state law and most likely unenforceable.

COVID-19 ANTIDOTE: COMEDY

Need something to laugh about? (Who doesn’t!) Here are 20 movies, recent and vintage, guaranteed to fill your living room with laughter, courtesy of Kevin Kretschmer, a librarian at the Franklin Avenue Library and a contributor to the Des Moines Film Society’s website. His pursuits include writing the blog Media Musings: Mad About Movies, Music, and More for the Des Moines Public Library.

Kevin’s two caveats: no director or star/team listed more than once.

Airplane! — Laugh-a minute farce of 80s disaster flicks that started Leslie Nielsen’s rebirth in comedy. Featuring Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Voted No. 10 best movie on American Film Institute’s “100 Years...100 Laughs” list of top comedy films.

American Graffiti — Cruising/rock ’n’ roll film that was George Lucas’ directorial debut. Starring Richard Dreyfus, Harrison Ford and Ron Howard. Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy, 1973. No. 43 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy — Will Ferrell stars in Judd Apatow’s takeoff on Seventies “Action News.”

Dumb and Dumber —Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels set out on a zany cross-country trip to return a briefcase full of money to its owner.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin — Colleagues help electronic goods store clerk Steve Carell break his maiden. American Film Institute Movie of the Year, 2005.

Groundhog Day — Cynical TV weatherman Bill Murray is trapped in a time loop forcing him to endlessly repeat February 2, 1993, while dealing with an increasing ardor for his producer (Andie McDowell). No. 34 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

The Hangover — Three friends lose a fourth on a bachelor party trip to Las Vegas. With Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Jeffrey Tambor. Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy, 2009.

Holiday — 1938 film about a man risen from humble beginnings (Cary Grant), torn between his free-thinking lifestyle and the family tradition of his wealthy fiancée (Katharine Hepburn).

It Happened One Night — Frank Capra’s five-Oscar classic starring Claudette Colbert as a pampered socialite trying to get out from under her father's thumb, who falls in love with roguish reporter Clark Gable. Academy Awards for Best Picture, as well as Colbert, Gable, Capra, and screenwriter Robert Riskin. No. 8 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

The Lady Eve — Mismatched couple Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda meet on board an ocean liner. No. 55 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Monkey Business — The third Marx Brothers movie, in which they stow away on an ocean liner bound for America. No. 73 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

National Lampoon’s Animal House — John Belushi and his misfit Delta fraternity members challenge the authority of the dean of Faber College. Toga! No. 36 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Ninotchka — Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas have a satirical, light romance in Josef Stalin’s Soviet Union. Four Oscar nominations. No. 52 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Our Hospitality — 1923 silent where director and star Buster Keaton is caught in the middle of the infamous "Canfield–McKay" feud, an obvious satire of the real-life Hatfield–McCoy kerfuffle.

Sleeper —  Health food store owner Woody Allen is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200 years later in an ineptly led police state. No. 80 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Some Like It Hot —Jazz-era Chicago musicians Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon witness a Mob hit in Prohibition-era Chicago and dress in drag to escape the gangsters on their tail. Also starring Marilyn Monroe. 1960 Golden Globes for Best Picture and Monroe. No. 80 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Sons of the Desert — Lodge brothers Laurel and Hardy scheme to make their wives let them attend a convention in Chicago. No. 96 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

This Is Spinal Tap — Rob Reiner’s mockumentary about the rock industry, starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. No. 29 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Wedding Crashers — Divorce mediators Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn crash weddings in an attempt to meet and seduce bridesmaids. MTV Award for Best Movie, 2005.

Young Frankenstein — Mel Brooks’ masterpiece starring Gene Wilder as the descendant of the mad scientist who tries to carry on his ancestor’s work. With Teri Garr, Des Moines’ Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman. Oscars for sound and adapted screenplay, Golden Globes for Leachman and Kahn. No. 13 on “100 Years...100 Laughs” list.

Kevin Kretschmer is a librarian at the Franklin Avenue Library. He has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Iowa, an M.A. in Film Studies, also from the University of Iowa, and an M.L.I.S. in Library and Information Studies from Dominican University. A former journalist, his more recent writing pursuits include writing the Media Musings: Mad About Movies, Music, and More blog for the Des Moines Public Library and as a contributor to the Des Moines Film Society’s website (desmoinesfilm.org).

DINE OUT DSM CLICKS FOR SEVERAL RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Since early June, the city manager’s office, legal department, and community development have worked with the newly created Dine Out Des Moines program, allowing restaurants and bars to offer outdoor dining service while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines. Here are some notable successes:

• In the East Village, HOQ applied for the new program one day and had its patio on East Fifth Street operating the following day.

• The Library, a cozy neighborhood restaurant at 35th and University in the Drake Neighborhood, is complying with COVID-19 guidelines to make three of its seven booths available. Adding four outdoor picnic tables in the adjoining parking lot made a world of difference for the servers and Full Court Press owners.

• Django in Western Gateway Park set up tables in an adjoining parking lot that had been used only by office employees in daytime hours.

Business owners were quick to get the city what was needed to authorize relaxed guidelines, Neighborhood Inspection Administrator SuAnn Donovan reported. “I was happy with the roll-out of the program,” she said.

“We definitely have some success stories, in part because of the speed SuAnn responded to requests,” Deputy City Attorney Matt Anderson added.

Shon Bruellman, Big Red Truck, one of the meal vendors.

FREE MEAL SITES

Distribution of free meals continues next week at 10 Des Moines sites. The Emergency Food Distribution program, funded through a $350,000 COVID-19 federal program, has provided about 100 meals per site since its June roll-out—roughly 15,000 meals. So far, more than a dozen Des Moines-based restaurants, food trucks, and caterers have participated.

Meal distributions—a mix of hot and cold food—are planned through August. View details about upcoming sites.

Central Iowa Shelters and Services partnered with the City of Des Moines to organize the program.

HOW TO SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON EMPLOYEES

The next time you visit Confluence Brewing, across from Gray’s Lake Park, be sure to check out the two walls near the restrooms that promote each of the 39 employees—from head brewer John Martin to the newest taproom part-time server. Each employee has a photograph and some fun facts (sales manager Eric Selander can’t live without cheese) in an 8x10 frame. Gotta love the way the Confluence team works.

GET YOUR IN-SEASON GARDEN-FRESH TOMATOES AND SWEET CORN

Is there a better August dinner than grilled sweet corn and a BLT sandwich with heirloom tomatoes and flavorful local lettuce? Doubt it!

With the Downtown Farmers’ Market in COVID hiatus, there’s a huge void to fill for produce. But don’t despair! The Beaverdale Farmers’ Market, held this year at Franklin Junior High School (4801 Franklin Avenue in Des Moines), fills some of the voids for fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruit. Stop by—don’t forget your mask!—4 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through September 4.

In response to COVID-19, the Downtown Farmer’s Market has created its Drive-Through Bite-size Market. Details: https://www.dsmpartnership.com/desmoinesfarmersmarket/saturday-market#drivethrough

TAKE ME DOWN—BALLAD OF STARS AND BARS

Favorite folk duo Moors & McCumber have performed three house concerts at our East Village loft. Love these guys! One of their 2016 recordings—Take Me Down—is getting a lot of attention now. It’s about retiring the Confederate flag.

Until this year, Kort McCumber, who plays about a dozen string instruments, was clueless about NASCAR racing. Today, Bubba Wallace is Kort’s all-time favorite driver. Learn why.

COMING SOON: SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN DMPD SECOND CHANCE PROGRAM

I wish I could tell you more, but I’m pledged to keep this (mostly) on the down-low. Except to say: Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert and Deb VanVelten, the Des Moines Police Department youth services coordinator, will soon announce significant changes and a six-figure investment in the department’s Second Chance program, impacting first-time youth offenders. A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy (AMOS) and its Restorative Justice program are among supporters of the Second Chance program. Details to come.