A Busy Week in Downtown Des Moines!
Posted: Thursday, September 29, 2011
Only one opportunity left to enjoy the Wednesday Market in Downtown Des Moines’ Western Gateway. The Wednesday Market is on 13th Street between Locust Street and Grand Avenue from 11 a.m. – 2p.m. It features 30 vendors offering a mix of seasonal vegetables, specialty and artisan food, local art and entertainment, with a focus on prepared food perfect for lunch.
Don’t miss out on the last Wednesday Market on Oct. 5 when Meredith will open its renowned Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden. The Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden serves as a display garden; a testing ground for plants and garden designs; a meeting place and lunch spot for employees; and a photography studio for Meredith magazines, books and web sites. Shop the Market on 13th Street, stroll through the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park and arrive at the Better Homes and Gardens Test Gardens on 15th Street. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Wednesday Market and don’t forget, the Saturday Market continues in the Historic Court District, 7 a.m. – Noon, through Oct. 29. For more information visit www.desmoinesfarmersmarket.com.
On Thursday, Oct. 6 experience a young southern rock and blues group out of Dallas, Texas; Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights. Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights are the headliner for the second concert in the traffic jam series. Traffic jam is a series of concerts, held on the Grand Terrace the State Historical Building, designed to help you avoid the rush of leaving Downtown Des Moines at 5 p.m. Instead, enjoy live music outdoors with friends and co-workers.
Cafe Baratta's will be serving fried ravioli, Italian grinders, pizza by the slice, potato chips, bottled water, soda, beer, wine and mixed drinks. Tickets are $9 in advance and $15 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m. and show will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m., ending at 7 p.m. After the show, dozens of dining options are right outside in the Historic East Village so venture in for appetizers, dinner or dessert before heading home without the traffic jam. Buy your tickets today at www.downtowndesmoines.com/trafficjam.
Celebrate Iowa’s unique and diverse culinary traditions at the seventh-annual U.S. Cellular® World Food Festival on Oct. 7-9, 2011, in downtown Des Moines’ Historic East Village.
Hours are:
Friday, Oct. 7 - 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, 8 - 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 9 - 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Guests are invited to taste samples for $1 at every Cultural Café vendor, or go for the full-plate options for $5 or less. The Cultural Café includes 31 vendors showcasing food from over 20 different countries. Alongside the food, the Festival will be featuring international and craft beers as well as wines from Italy and Chile.
For the first time, the Festival will be bringing the Buy Fresh, Buy Local Cooking Challenge. Starting at 10 a.m. at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers’ Market, guests can watch four teams of four shop through the Market to gather their ingredients. The teams will then race over to the U.S. Cellular® World Food Festival to whip up some delicious fresh dishes for judges to enjoy. The cooking portion of the challenge will take place in front of the Corona Stage starting at 11 a.m. Each team will have one hour to complete their meal and the winner will be announced from the stage at 12:45 p.m.
Make sure to check out www.WorldFoodFestival.org for detailed schedules of the live cooking demonstrations, entertainment, beer tasting, marketplace, children’s’ activities and more.