May through October - original market began in the early 1970s Each Thursday evening, from May through September, the Historic Valley Junction Farmers Market is THE PLACE TO BE on Thursday evenings. Historic 5th Street is lined with produce, baked goods, crafts and prepared food from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m.

Named 2009 Horse Show of the Year by the Arabian Horse Times, the Iowa Gold Star Futurity & Fall Classic is a premier horse show featuring high quality breeding & performance Arabians & Half-Arabians. The best in the country! Held over Labor Day weekend, each day begins with a free breakfast as well as Halter & Performance classes for the Arabian & Half-Arabian breed. Look for a full range of Western, Country, English, Hunter & Walk-Trot classes, as well as Native costume & driving. There are classes for the novice, amateur & youth riders too. The aim of this event is to highlight the many uses of the breed, bring families together & introduce the community to the allure of the Arabian breed. There is no charge for spectators & everyone is welcome! Days/Times: Sept. 2: 8am - 9pm Sept. 3: 8am - 5pm Sept. 4: 9am - 9 pm Sept. 5: 9am - 9pm Sept. 6: 8am - 5pm Contact Info: Jill Rittmer at 319-395-7749 or visit the website at: www.goldstarfuturity.com or www.iowaarabianhorseassociation.com.

Janet Tingwald of The School of Life presents: Navigating Change: Thriving in Turbulent Times Many of us would like to “brave the rapids,” but hesitate to make changes in our lives because it doesn’t feel “safe.”  Or have been thrown into the rapids of change and can't get out.  In this presentation you will learn what keeps us from moving forward and learn to navigate smoothly through the many challenges that come with making changes in our lives and businesses.

No Partner Required and no experience necessary for the beginner class. Come on in and find out why so many people enjoy learning to dance. Register now online: www.desmoinesballroom.com/registration.html

"High Times" band of the year, Kottonmouth Kings, perform in Des Moines on September 2.

Please join us at Jasper Winery on Thursday nights this summer for our Summer Concert Series. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for outside seating. Play lawn games including Bags and Bocce Ball. Burgers and Brats will be available from the grill ($5). All shows outside, weather permitting, otherwise inside the Event Room. Dates: Every Thursday through September 2 Time: 6-9 p.m. Location: Jasper Winery, 2400 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines, IA (just west of Gray's Lake) For more info, call 515.282.9463 or email us at info@jasperwinery.com.

Farmer's Market in Perry is held every Thursday from June 10 - September 30, from 4-6pm.  Come out & see what's new!

Join us for our signature event in Historic Valley Junction - our weekly Farmers Market & Music in the Junction concert series. Free parking & free shuttle service are available 4-9 p.m. during all scheduled Thursday night events at Hillside Elementary School, 713 8th Street. The first 200 vehicles each night will receive a $5 voucher to be used during the event at street vendors & participating district merchants. A monthly drawing will be held for a merchant donated prize & a season-ending $500 Valley Junction gift certificate. Music in the Junction is held from 6:00 - 8:30 pm & this week's band is The Retro Rockets. Both events are free to attend, with food and beverage available throughout the district.

No Partner Required and but must know some basic moves for the advanced class. Come on in and find out why so many people enjoy learning to dance. Register now online: www.desmoinesballroom.com/registration.html

Learn to dance the Foxtrot and the Swing in one simple class. Beginner classes run from 7:30-8:30 and the Intermediate classes run from 6:30-7:30pm. No Partner Required and no experience necessary for the beginner class. Come on in and find out why so many people enjoy learning to dance. Register now online: www.desmoinesballroom.com/registration.html

See website for a complete list of events, exhibits, etc.

Reservations Required $25.00 per person Payment required at time of reservation (non-refundable) Fee includes:Breakfast, Lunch, Commemorative T-shirt , Wine AND a Wild Grape stomping Experience! ¨ 7:30 Arrive at the winery for breakfast and brief tutorial on grape picking ¨ After breakfast head into the vineyard and begin picking an acre of selected grapes ¨ Mid-morning enjoy a break of sampling a selection of last year’s vintages. Return to the vineyard to complete your grape picking. ¨ The party begins! Climb into the barrel and stomp grapes, purchase a bottle of wine for some afternoon libations, place your footprint on the back of your commemorative t-shirt. ¨ Chow time! You’ll be hungry after a long morning of grape picking and cavorting in the vineyard. We should be done with the festivities around 1:00 – 2:00 PM Harvesters should: ¨ Wear old clothes (grapes may stain) ¨ Dress in layers (it may be chilly in the morning and warm up in the afternoon) ¨ Bring pruning shears ¨ Bring bug spray ¨ Bring sun screen ¨ Bring gardening gloves ¨ Remember, the grapes need to be picked rain or shine! CALL THE WINERY AT 515-961-3545 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

Join us in the NE parking lot every Monday from 4-7PM through October 25. At the Southridge Mall Farmers Market you will find fresh-from-the-garden vegetables, fruit and herbs from local farmers, jams, fresh peanut butter, kettle korn, honey, Iowa raised chickens, breads, fresh cut flowers, home backed cookies and a wide assortment of other homemade or homegrown items from our 50-plus vendors. See the Southridge Mall Featured Store of the Week's tent to pick up great coupons for stores inside the mall and to talk with local store owners. If you have questions or would like to be a part of our market, call 515-287-3881,

featuring... homemade, homegrown,hand-crafted products & in-season produce. Market will be closed on July 10.

Thursdays from May 20 thru October 14!

Living History Farms/Urbandale Farmers' Market will be held on the front grounds of the Farms every Wednesday from 4 - 7 p.m. beginning May 12 through Oct. 6. The farmers market at Living History Farms provides space to local farmers & crafts people to sell their products. Attendees also are given demonstrations about local food and craftsmanship. Live music is also a part of the event. For more information: livinghistoryfarms.org/farmersmarket.

On Friday, July 23, Olson-Larsen Galleries will open a new exhibition of mixed media works by Yuko Ishii, sculpture by Mary Merkel-Hess & photographs by Ken Smith. The gallery will host an opening reception in cooperation with 2AU on July 23, from 5 - 7 p.m. 2AU is located at 200 Fifth Street, across from Olson-Larsen Galleries. Yuko Ishii’s home in the foothills of Washington’s North Cascade Mountains provides her with inspiration for her artwork. Yuko creates mixed media work that is a combination of photography, painting, collage & calligraphy. Mary’s inspiration comes from the Midwestern landscape & “its changing color, its subtlety & intensity…” Her pieces appear in permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Art & Design in New York, the American Craft Museum & the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photographer Ken Smith creates a strong sense of tranquility & focuses on the beauty of nature in his compositions. He chooses these subjects because, for him, they have a recurring theme of permanence & change. Ken is originally from Des Moines & now lives in Riverside, Washington. 

See website for further details.

Iowa Artists 2010 features the work of 15 artists, selected from a large & richly talented pool of entries. Working in various methods & media, they represent painting, ceramics, fiber arts, sculpture, photography, video & performance. As well as professional artists, many are teachers or students, demonstrating not only the quality of work being made by individuals in Iowa, but the strong resources and vibrant possibilities that make up our state's art scene. Artists include: Josh Black, Iowa City - sculpture Micah Bloom, Iowa City - painting Richard Colburn, photography - Cedar Falls Megan Dirks, Iowa City - painting Laurel Farrin, Iowa City - painting Benjamin Gardner, Des Moines - installation Leslie Hall, Ames - multimedia & performance Larassa Kabel, Des Moines - drawing & painting Ingrid Lilligren, Ames - ceramics Nathan Morton, Des Moines - video & installation Teresa Paschke, Ames - painting & fiber arts Kristin Quinn, Davenport - painting Rodolfo Salgado, Jr., Iowa City - sculpture Jim Shrosbree, Fairfield - sculpture Daniel Weiss, Des Moines - sculpture & installation

FREE ADMISSION - Every SATURDAY! A certified instructor will lead the class, appropriate for all skill levels. Wear comfortable clothing, and bring your own mat if possible. Held outdoors on the peninsula, these classes offer a unique atmosphere to relax and invigorate at the same time. In addition, participants can enjoy the stunning view. All participants will have to sign a waiver and any under 18 will need to have it signed by a legal guardian.  Go to www.dmgov.org for a list of instructors.

Three sprint cars from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville & several racing-related artifacts from the museums’ collections are on display through September in honor of the Knoxville National Sprint Car Championships, held each August since 1961. Auto racing has become the most popular spectator sport in the country & people can see these cars/artifacts up close this summer at the museum. A description of the sprint cars on display: A winged sprint car built in 2010 by Barry Jackson of JEI Chassis & owned by Lonny Parsons. The 1000-pound, 900-horsepower machine features an engine built by Paul Kistler & it competes full-time on the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series nationally. The car is sponsored by Casey’s General Stores, which has been a proud supporter of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Danny Lasoski, Lonnie Parsons & the entire Casey’s General Stores team will compete in the 50th annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway, Aug. 11-14, with an identically-prepared car. A “big car” built in 1932 by Gene Dodd of Rockford, Illinois. Dodd was a stone mason by trade, but he learned casting & machining from his father & was able to manufacture his own parts. This car raced with the Mississippi Valley Auto Racing Association (MVARA) on many dirt tracks. The car was driven by many drivers, including Darvin “Shorty” Burkholder, Danny Kladis, Ray Duckworth, Quent Cowles & Allen “Dutch” Morehouse, who tragically lost his life in the car in 1953 at the Henry County Fairgrounds dirt track in Mount Pleasant. The car was donated to the museum by Robert & Dr. Barbara Woodward of Dubuque. A super-modified car built in 1959 by National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Earl Wagner & powered by Harold “Slim” Gutknecht-prepared 364 & 401-cubic-inch engines. The car, which features a home-made intake manifold, was driven by Earl Wagner of Pleasantville and raced at numerous tracks in Iowa, including Knoxville, Des Moines (Iowa State Fairgrounds) & Oskaloosa. The Earl Wagner/“Slim” Gutknecht combo finished the Knoxville Raceway season points as champion in 1959 & runner-up in 1960 with “The Pink Lady.” In addition, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum & the State Historical Museum have several racing-related artifacts on display, including posters & promotional materials from the movie “Fever Heat,” which was filmed in Iowa in 1968.

Race: Are We So Different? explores race in the United States from three unique perspectives to provide a highly personal exhibit experience. Learn the history of race, the role of science plays in that history and the everyday experience of race.



Visit sciowa.org/race for the full calendar of special events, cultural celebrations, diversity discussions and Café Scientifique forums. Save with SCI’s Cultural Combo ticket and travel to exotic Arabia and uncover mysteries in ancient Greece through the immersive IMAX experience.