Off Hours: Celebrate 150 editions of Off Hours with a look back

Welcome to Off Hours, your free weekly newsletter from the Des Moines Register that showcases all the fun things you can do in central Iowa. If you sign up for our newsletter , you get to see this early Thursday morning in your inbox .

Hey, Des Moines. Happy birthday, America! Celebrate with a parade, a community celebration, fireworks, a cookout with friends and family, or even by sleeping in and reading a good book.

I'm Susan Stapleton, your entertainment editor at the Des Moines Register who also happens to cover the dining scene. We recently ran our list of 27 essential restaurants in the metro, and I'd love to hear about your favorites. What did we miss? Which restaurant shouldn't be on the list? What new restaurants have you been loving? Me? You know I love Oak Park , but Prime & Providence , Table 128 , Guesthouse Tavern & Oyster , Hugo's Wood-Fired Kitchen , and Ciderhouse at Wilson's Orchard have all been very good and very fun additions to the Des Moines dining scene. We've been super lucky to get so many great new restaurants.

Feel free to drop me a line at sstapleton@gannett.com to tell me about your dining experiences in the Des Moines area — the good, the bad and the ugly. I would also love to hear about your favorite cocktail lounges, dive bars and watering holes.

The Deal

Here's the deal: Last week, we celebrated our 150th Off Hours newsletter, where we’ve asked reporters at the Des Moines Register as well as members of the community to tell us about their favorite things to do in Des Moines when they’re not working. Thank you for being a reader and making this newsletter such a success.

Here's a look at the very first Off Hours we published in October 2021. Our former dining reporter Elle Wignall wrote about butcher shops in the metro.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Off Hours — what you've loved, hated, or want to read. Is there someone in the community that you think we should ask to write an Off Hours?

Do you want more things to do with kids? Outdoor activities? Religious events? Food truck tips? Golf options? Disc golf ideas? Places to go running, biking or ax throwing? Maybe where to play pickleball? Do you want to write an Off Hours? Or work with me to write one? Happy to chat.

I know, I know, I'm dropping my email in here again for you to reach out — sstapleton@gannett.com . But I mean it!

Top 5 Recent Off Hours We’ve Enjoyed

To celebrate 150 editions of Off Hours, I took a look back through some of our recent issues to find some favorites.

1. Content creator Kaleb Wyse shared his tips on gardening. He told us what to plant in our first garden, how to add curb appeal to the front of our houses, and who to ask about gardening tips. Check out his issue here .

2. Des Moines Parents queen and author Erin Huiatt wrote about things to do with the kids this summer. She suggested regional parks, libraries, and movies under the stars. Read about her suggestions here .

3. Des Moines Register chief political reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel told us about things to do in Valley Junction. She lives nearby and loves to explore the area, taking in brunches, the new bookstore and the farmers market on Thursdays. Read about her settling in to the historic neighborhood here .

4. Jessica O’Riley from the Iowa Tourism Office shared her top places to go with mom on a road trip in Iowa, and my mom wanted to go on every one of the trips. Alpacas, LeClaire, a gorgeous flower farm and Clarinda's Craft Carnival all made her list. Read her picks here .

5. Iowa Lovers' Tatiana Peña talked about some of her favorite places across the state. Her Instagram account is fun to follow. She offered her tips on where to go across Iowa for the perfect backdrop for any photo. Check it out here .

What do you like to do in your time away from work? You can tell us all about your favorite things to do by emailing me at sstapleton@gannett.com . I’d love to work with you on sharing your favorite places to shop, water color artists you should know, local authors you love to read, your favorite bike trails, or where to find the best breaded pork tenderloins in the metro.

Eat This

Loaded fries, $15: I met two friends for an early start to the weekend (and a story) with happy hour filled with $5 bubbly and $5 bites. We ordered these decadent fries that start with hand-cut potatoes on the bottom and then summit with rich cheese sauce, bacon, a swizzle of herbed cream fraiche, and pickles, just enough to cut through the rich cheese. The three of us could not finish them.

Get it: I feel for the businesses on Ingersoll Avenue with construction taking out the street in front. So head to The Cheese Bar and order all the cheese and $5 prosecco for happy hour from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Find it at 2925 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines, or give the restaurant at call at 515-277-7828 or visit online at cheesebardsm.com .

You can find more great things to eat in the Des Moines metro here .

48 Hours Off

We’re taking this week off to celebrate the Fourth of July, but here’s a look at what some of the things to do over this long holiday weekend.

Friday morning: Ogle thousands of hot rods at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines, when the Goodguys 33rd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals takes over. The three-day event spans 5,000 of the Midwest’s hot rods, trucks, customs, muscle cars and classics built before 1999. The event includes classic Performance Products AutoCross racing series, a swap meet, Cars 4 Sale Corral and vendor midway, live music and prizes for top awards of the weekend. Stop by on Saturday night for fireworks, and on Sunday, all years of American-made or powered show cars can join the Meguiar’s All-American Sunday celebration. The event takes place Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

Friday evening: If you didn’t get enough art in your system after the Des Moines Arts Festival last weekend, head to Mainframe Studios , 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines, for First Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The event celebrates Latino art and culture with food trucks, piñatas, lowriders and art activities — all designed and organized by artists Seso Marentes and Siricasso. Explore five floors of open artist studios and view works on exhibit by Miriam Alarcon Avila, Anthony Arroyo, Ashley Guzman, Linda Eclat, and an exhibition, “smile now, cry later,” by Siricasso. The event is free.

Saturday night: Iowa baritone John Moore debuts as Pelléas in the Des Moines Metro Opera ’s production of “Pelleas & Melisande.” Claude Debussy’s only completed opera tells the tale of two brothers who love the same woman. No one wins. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show at the Blank Performing Arts Center, 513 N. D St., Indianola, start at $25.

Sunday night: See former R.E.M. members Peter Buck and Mike Mills, along with Scott McCaughey of Minus 5 and Young Fresh Fellows, Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate, and Linda Pitmon of Filthy Friends and Alejandro Escovedo of The Baseball Project when the band plays Wooly’s, 504 E. Locust St., Des Moines. The band embarks on a tour in support of last year’s album “Grand Salami Time.” Tickets for the 7 p.m. show start at $25.

My Day Job

Thanks for reading! By day, I'm the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. We'll be back next week with a new edition of Off Hours. Happy Fourth of July!

Did someone forward you this? Subscribe to have the Off Hours newsletter delivered to your inbox each Thursday morning for free. Recently, we've written about pizza farms , karaoke bars , where to go thrifting , where to buy crafts , vegan restaurants , gluten-free options , the Amana Colonies and where to buy plants .

Interested in writing an Off Hours about the things you love to do during your time off? Drop us a line at sstapleton@gannett.com .

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Off Hours: Celebrate 150 editions of Off Hours with a look back