By Steve Dinnen The annual fees for credit cards can range from easy, as in zero, to unreasonable, as in $500 or sometimes even more. When they get into the upper range, Kurt Adams of Going With Points, an online site that looks at travel incentives and credit card rewards, said he looks at the overall value the card provides and whether it’s worth keeping. If Adams is on the fence about the card, he says, he’ll ask the card issuer for a retention offer — in other words, an incentive the company promises if you stick with them for another year. It could come to you in several ways. The issuer ..read more

Political expert Dave Price, center, recently moderated a discussion about investments with Gilbert & Cook senior investment strategist Kate Gudgel and financial adviser Todd Henningsen. (Photo: Gilbert & Cook) By Steve Dinnen It’s the middle of 2024: time again to check on your investment portfolio and what lies ahead. At this politically fraught moment, the upcoming presidential election seems to be giving some guidance, however muddled it may be. You’ve likely done well the past few years and so far in 2024. If your portfolio followed the S&P 500 Index, it would have risen 18.4 ..read more

Actors Brittny Rebhuhn, left, and Ethan Seiser were part of last year’s production of “Twelfth Night” at the Salisbury House and Gardens. (Photo: Dan Welk, Click! Photography) What better way to spend a midsummer night than enjoying Shakespeare’s play about, well, a midsummer night? You can join the Iowa Stage Theatre Co.’s whimsical production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” tonight through Sunday on the lawn at the historic Salisbury House and Gardens. They’ll provide lawn chairs, but feel free to bring your own, with blankets and picnic baskets to enjoy the outdoors. You can also buy beer, w ..read more

For 15 years as the Des Moines Register’s “Datebook Diner,” Wini Moranville’s byline ran next to a headshot of a smiley-face paper plate to protect her anonymity. With her new memoir, she’s ready to dish. Photo: Duane Tinkey Nobody knows more about local restaurants than Wini Moranville. After decades of reviewing them for dsm, as the Des Moines Register’s “Datebook Diner,” and currently for her own Substack column, “Wini’s Food Stories,” she’s written a new memoir called “Love is My Favorite Flavor: A Midwestern Dining Critic Tells All,” published by the University of Iowa Press. She offered ..read more

Former Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson of Sweden made a pit stop in the Hy-Vee One Step 250 at the Iowa Speedway in 2023. (Photo: Chris Owens) Writer: Oliva Hicks Thirty-one cars flew around the tight streets of downtown Des Moines. It was a scorching day in July, when the pavement of Iowa’s capital city melted rubber. Camaros, Mustangs and Firebirds rounded the corner, turning south onto Fifth Avenue beneath banners advertising the 1989 Iowa State Fair. Locals either held both hands against their ears or sought respite from the screeching engines in Scruffy’s Deli. The city’s vision of using ..read more

Rock on: This year’s 80/35 music festival will have more stages, camp sites, vendors and other surprises at its new location. (Photo: Alyssa Leicht) The city’s free music festival makes its debut at Water Works Park with a lineup of indie artists and a few bigger names like OK GO and Killer Mike. See free performances across three stages or purchase tickets for access to the Hy-Vee Main Stage. New this year are camping options for music lovers who just don’t want to (OK) go home. If you can’t make it this weekend, check out some other sounds of the summer ..read more

The burrito at Tacos Degollado packs a punch with beef, veggies, cheese and hot sauce. (Photo: Seeta Lee) Writer: Seeta Lee As a kid, I was warned to stay away from taco trucks and I heeded those warnings. But looking back, I’m not sure if those warnings were borne out of bad personal experiences, unproductive prejudices or unfounded rumors. Des Moines has never been especially friendly to food trucks, and that compounded my fears. I’m ashamed to admit I never visited a taco truck until August of 2021. That truck was Tacos Degollado. I’d long resolved that once I was brave enough to try a taco ..read more

Artist Ashley Guzman painted a portrait of her parents chatting after a long day of work at their family restaurant. See this painting and others Friday at Mainframe Studios. (Photo: Ashley Guzman) It’s the first Friday of a new month so Mainframe Studios is opening its doors to the public again, this time for a celebration of Latino art and culture hosted by local artists Seso Marentes and Siriaco “Siricasso” Garcia. Marentes, who was featured in dsm’s 2023 Inclusion issue, plans to make this month’s event more immersive, starting with eight souped-up lowrider cars to welcome visitors outside ..read more

Whippoorwill Creek Farm co-owner John Hogeland, center, coaches Mark Weyer of Johnston and Aaron Boyd of West Des Moines on the finer points of stuffing sausage during a class in June. (Photo: Michael Morain) By Michael Morain Now that Joey Chestnut has been barred from Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, let us now turn our attention to more local sausage news. At Whippoorwill Creek Farm in Lovilia, south of Knoxville, you can defy that old warning about watching sausage being made and actually do it yourself. For a mere $65, you can take a (very) hands-on wo ..read more

Art takes to the streets this weekend at the Des Moines Arts Festival. (Photo: John Ryan) The Des Moines Arts Festival is back and better than ever. Nearly 200 exhibiting artists, food and drink vendors, musicians, and others offering fun activities for the whole family will surround the Pappajohn Sculpture Park this weekend for the award-winning event. You can catch all the action from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Check the festival’s website for the full list of artists or, better yet, experience it in person. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of wha ..read more