Our Events: Upcoming Events and Programs
See listings for events at:
The State Historical Building in Des Moines
Montauk Historic Site in Clermont
Western Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs
What's Happening at the State Historical Building in Des Moines
All events take place at the State Historical Building and are free unless otherwise noted.
State Historical Building
600 East Locust, Des Moines, IA 50319
The museum and historical library are handicap accessible.
Free parking is available in a parking ramp located in front of the building
on Grand Avenue.
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, Noon-4:30
p.m.
ONGOING
Toddler Tuesday
Every Tuesday, 10:30 to 10:50 am, Atrium
You're invited! Free stories and hands-on activities for ages 3-5 years old.
Call 515-242-5193 for information or to make reservations for groups of ten or more.
Blues Before Sunset 2008
Fridays, 5:30- 7:30, June 6 - August 1 (no event July 4)
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
A host of new faces (see individual listings below) will make their way to the 2008 Blues Before Sunset stage this summer, as the popular summer music series returns to the State Historical Building June 6. The event will be held Friday nights from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on East Locust Street in front of the State Historical Building at 600 E. Locust in the heart of Des Moines’ East Village. The event is free and family-friendly with beer, wine and an assortment of beverages available for sale. Food vendors will be available on site. Guests are asked to bring their own seating. “This year we’re focusing on exposing the audience to new talent, so a lot of the names they see might not be familiar to them” said Sarah Oltrogge, event coordinator. “Regardless, every band on the roster is top notch local talent. Then we’ll end the season on a high note when we welcome Bo Ramsey whose distinctive guitar playing and talent are well known across the U.S.”
15th Iowa Infantry Civil War Encampment
Every 3rd Saturday of the month, 12:00- 4:00, Atrium
Every 3rd Saturday of the month, The State of Iowa Historical Building atrium virtually becomes an encampment right out of the Civil War. History comes alive as one walks in the front doors and is met by a Union soldier carrying all his accouterments including his musket. The 15th Iowa Infantry, a group of well established re-enactors, have been coming to SHSI on the 3rd Saturday of each month to educate the public about the life of a soldier during the Civil War. The 15th is put through marching drills and commands by their Captain, Wes Keeler. The public is encouraged to interact with the group and ask questions. Visitors are allowed to rummage through the soldier’s haversack to inspect their personal belongings and rations for the day. The 15th Iowa re-enactors are able to provide the public with a great deal of insight into the history of the Civil War and encourage visitors to drill along side of them or just take a better look at the weapons they carried. Come see what a Union soldier looked like and watch how they march and drill.
The Iowa Crinoid
Temporary display, Mezzanine Level
Like a garden of wilted flowers these delicate fossil animals, called crinoids, lay across the remains of an ancient Iowa sea. Once hidden in Iowa’s Paleozoic rocks, they give evidence of the great inland seas and the animals that flourished in the geologic past. Their beauty and diversity have attracted many to come and study the fossils of Iowa. We don’t know why these animals died. Did the water temperature rise? Were they suffocated by water that was too muddy? Come to your own conclusion by visiting this display on the Mezzanine Level of the museum.
Caucus Iowa
Opened October 5
Every four years, Iowa voters shape the race for the White House. One-on-one contact with candidates is our hallmark. Experience the power of “retail politics.” Learn how the caucuses work. Feel the impact worldwide media have on our unique, first-in-the-nation status. Cast your own vote on today’s issues as you go, and discover how you can participate in every step of the process. The exhibit will include interactive polling kiosks, documentaries on all aspects of the caucuses, issues forum space, voter registration opportunities and up-to-date campaign information. Watch for the production “Caucus! The Musical” coming this winter. This exhibit is supported by The Des Moines Register and WHO-TV.
Colorful Insights: The Doerr Wallpaper Collection
Opened October 22
Opens in Resource Center with a display of early wallpaper from Iowa farmhouses.
See more than 37 examples of wallpapers retrieved from abandoned farm houses in Iowa and southern Minnesota saved by Channon Doerr, a filmmaker from St. Paul. In the mid-1990s, Doerr was searching for abandoned farm houses as sets for scenes in a movie he was making when he came across original Victorian designs, probably applied when the houses were built. In 1880, the popularity of wallpaper was sweeping across the United States as the preferred decoration over painted walls, as evidenced by a 1902 Sears and Roebuck catalog in the exhibit that illustrates some of the popular floral and scroll patterns available through mail order.
Captive Nature:
The Wildlife Dioramas of Joseph Steppan
Opened November 19
The Historical Society’s wildlife dioramas remain a beloved memory of countless school field trips to the “Old Historical Building.” They were, for many students, the first glimpse of native wildlife in a time when nature seemed to be vanishing. Although wildlife now flourishes in Iowa, these dioramas are still valued tools by which teachers, parents and grandparents may discuss the history, diversity and conservation of Iowa’s wildlife. The dioramas are being dusted off and brought up from storage to be put back on display in the 2nd Floor Gallery in November. Now cleaned and safe to view, they will be on display through 2008, after which they will return to secure storage and be available for future interpretive needs.
APRIL
National History Day in Iowa Jr. & Sr. State Competition
April 28 & May 5
National History Day is an exciting academic-enrichment program that helps students learn about historical issues, ideas, people and events. Working individually or collaboratively, students compete in a variety of categories including papers, individual exhibits, group exhibits, individual documentaries, group documentaries, individual performances, group performances and Web sites.The year-long academic adventure fosters students’ enthusiasm for learning and encourages them to use primary, secondary, community and statewide resources on a subject of their choice related this year’s theme, “Conflict and Compromise in History.” Students in grades 6-8 will compete Monday, April 28; students in grades 9-12 will compete Monday, May 5. The winners will move on to the national competition in Washington, D. C. in June.
Toddler Tuesday
April 29, 10:30 a.m., FREE
MAY
Movies at the Museum: “In the Mirror of Maya Deren” (104 minutes)
May 1 at 7 p.m., $5 on Iowatix.com/at the door - 6:30 p.m. "Hollywood in the Heartland"
May 3 at 2 p.m., $5 on Iowatix.com/at the door - 1:30 p.m. "Hollywood in the Heartland"
Deemed “Fellini and Bergman wrapped in one gloriously possessed body,” Maya Deren is arguably the most important and innovative avant-garde documentary filmmaker in the history of American cinema. Using locations from the Hollywood Hills to Haiti in the 1940s and 1950s, Deren made such mesmerizing documentaries as At Land, Ritual in Transfigured Time, and her masterpiece, Meshes of the Afternoon, which won a prestigious international experimental filmmaking prize at the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. Starting with excerpts from these documentaries, In the Mirror seamlessly and effectively interweaves archival footage and observances from acolytes and contemporaries such as Stan Brakhage and Jonas Mekas with an original score by experimental jazz legend John Zorn. Documentarian Martina Kudlacek has fashioned not only a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking and influential artist, but a pitch-perfect introduction to her strikingly beautiful and poetic body of work.
Bring a non- perishable food item for the Food Bank of Iowa and receive $1 off the ticket price. Bring a non- perishable food item for the Food Bank of Iowa and receive $1 off the ticket price.
One half hour prior to the film, Paula Mohr and Ralph Christian of the State Historic Preservation Office, will give a brief presentation on "Hollywood in the Heartland," a statewide project that seeks to gather information about Iowa movie houses and connections to Hollywood.
JUNE
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - Hot Tamale & The Red Hots
June 6, Friday, 5:30- 7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - The Andy Schneider One-Man Blues Band
June 13, Friday, 5:30- 7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - Blues Bureau
June 20, Friday, 5:30- 7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - Jonny and the Rectifiers
June 27, Friday, 5:30- 7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
JULY
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - Lady Blue
July 11, Friday, 5:30- 7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - The Bob Pace Band w/Steve George
July 18, Friday, 5:30-7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - Erick Hovey Band
July 25, Friday, 5:30-7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
AUGUST
Blues Before Sunset 2008 - Bo Ramsey
August 1, Friday, 5:30-7:30
In front of State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust
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What's Happening at the Abbie Gardner Cabin
Call (712) 332-7248 for information.
What's Happening at the Montauk Historical Site
All events listed below take place at Montauk and are free unless otherwise noted.
Montauk is the home of Iowa's 12th governor, William Larrabee.
It is located one mile northeast of Clermont on U.S. Highway 18. For more
information, visit www.iowahistory.org/sites/montauk/montauk.html
Contact:
Montauk, P.O. Box 372, Clermont, IA., 52141
Ph: 563.423.7173
Montauk@acegroup.cc
What's Happening at Plum Grove
TBA
What's Happening at the Western Historic Trails Center
All events listed below take place at the Western Historic Trails Center and are free unless otherwise noted.
Western Historic Trails Center
3434 Richard Downing Avenue, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501
Located in Council Bluffs on 24th Street south of I-80 (exit 1B) across from Bluffs
Run Track & Casino.
712.366.4900
Winter Hours: Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Summer Hours: Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
www.iowahistory.org/sites/western_trails/western_trails.html
Ongoing exhibits and videos interpret four western expansion trails: Lewis & Clark, Mormon Pioneer, California and Oregon.
The Trails West Gift Shop at Western Historic Trails Center is the Headquarters for Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Education! Contact Mary Lu Larson at 712.366-5077.
Jam and Bread
Thursdays every month, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Local musicians gather at trails center to play old time country, bluegrass, blues, etc. Open to anyone who plays, sings or just wants to listen. Free homemade bread!
MAY
Youth activity Day: Nature Hike
May 10
2:00 pm-3:00 pm, Age: 8 and up
May Day History
May 11
2:00 pm-3:00 pm, Age: 10 and up
JUNE
African American History in Baseball
June 22
2:00 pm-3:00 pm, Age: 10 and up
JULY
Old Fashioned Independence Day Celebration
July 3
6:30pm-?, $5.00 per-bought tickets per-car, $10.00 Day of event
White Catfish Encampment Weekend
July 26 & 27
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Relive the Lewis and Clark Adventure at the Western Historic Trail Center
(Call for more information)
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