Join us for pizza and a discussion of Knifepoint by Alex Van Tol. Copies of the book are available at the Information Desk.

The Drake University Choir will perform a pre-tour concert at 4:30 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. It will be followed by an ice cream social sponsored by President David Maxwell & is free/open to the public. This performance will precede the choir's international tour to Ireland and Wales. 

Since 1992, the Drake Choir has been touring internationally every four years. The students have performed in major venues in Italy, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic in previous tours. 

This year, the Drake Choir and Chamber Choir will be singing eight formal performances, including two in Wales and six in Ireland. They will perform at some of Ireland's most famous places.

With Reptar.

Nicotero got his start in Pittsburgh doing stand up at the ripe age of 19, and he continues to play sold out shows nationwide. Many people know Frank from his five-year stint as the host of the wildly popular syndicated comedy game show, Street Smarts.Frank also writes an hilarious Blog about the primetime shows. The show is drawing over 3.5 million views per day on TV.Yahoo.com. In addition to standup and hosting Frank has written and produced shows for MTV, Fox Family and Disney as well as many others. Frank has been a catalyst in helping Endemol Television develop shows both stateside and worldwide. In early 2007 he was flown to Cannes, France to host the international presentation of Set For Life, which debuted on ABC in early of 2008 with host Jimmy Kimmel. Frank's performance helped sell the show in 14 new countries. Frank has three movies scheduled for release. Act Your Age. The Gingerdead Man 2 and Cameron Romero's, The Screening.

Decrepit Birth, Aborted, Rings of Saturn, Battlecross, Dark Mirror, Agrinex

The Drake Choir and Chamber Choir will give a free concert on May 16 at 4:30 p.m. in Old Main's Sheslow Auditorium, just a day before departing for their 2012 European tour. The concert is free and open to the public. Drake President David Maxwell will host an ice cream social following the performance.

Meet at the Central Library to practice playing bridge on Wednesday evenings in the Cafe Gallery. Preregister online or call Laura for more details at 515-283-4957.

Wander out to the Arboretum every 3rd Wednesday of the month to explore the natural world. Each month we will investigate & enjoy our connection with nature in a different location in the Arboretum. This adult & family group will meet & discuss topics ranging from tree diversity & plant botany to the natural colors, shapes & textures that inspire us. New Wanderers are always welcome to join the group.

Immortalize your favorite art in tiny plastic with this ultra-fun craft.

We will discuss The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas. Copies may be picked up at the library. Treats provided.

DIRECT FROM BROADWAY! RAIN RETURNS! RAIN, the internationally-acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand! RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex & hallenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song & gesture of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance that's as infectious as it is transporting. 

From the early hits to later classics (I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hard Day's Night, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Let It Be, Come Together, Hey Jude & more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends! 

Please note: only children age 5 and over with tickets will be allowed into the theater for this production.

Henry Moore (British 1898 - 1986) is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century and from the late 1940s has been recognized as the most celebrated artist of his time. This exhibition of lithographs, etchings and mixed media works explores Moore's graphic work relating to his iconic Mother and Child and Reclining Figures series and is the first exhibition of its kind in the United States.

The Academy for Lifelong Learning, presented by Edgewater, A WesleyLife Community, will focus on social ministry and social justice during the spring 2012 session. The series will be held at Edgewater in the Wellness Classroom on Thursdays from 1:00-2:30pm over the course of eight weeks (May 10 - June 28). The program is free and open to the public. Registration for the series is recommended by calling the Edgewater Concierge at 515-978-2983. Participants will learn what social ills plague our communities and how different non-profits are responding to specific needs with their services. This interactive session will feature a presentation by each organization with time allotted for questions, comments and conversation. Social ministry (also called compassion or mercy ministry) involves responding to people's immediate needs such as distributing food and clothing, providing homeless shelters, helping people suffering from loss and those going through personal crises. Social Justice seeks to address the systemic causes of the problems in our communities in order to affect change. Some of the local needs and services that will be discussed include homelessness, refugees, persons with disabilities, world hunger, emergency shelters, crisis intervention, counseling and support for victims of crimes, advocacy and services for older adults, emergency shelter and services for youth, services for families in crisis and more. Local nonprofit organizations that are participating in the series include Link Associates, Aging Resources of Central Iowa, Hope Ministries, Iowa International Center, Polk County Crisis and Advocacy, Meals from the Heartland, Youth Emergency Services and Shelter, and Catholic Charities. For more information about Edgewater, please visit www.edgewaterseniorliving.org.

All throughout the summer families can enjoy added education, activities and themed events at Blank Park Zoo. Adventure Days is a series of 9 exciting explorations to spark a child's imagination and creativity through both everyday experiences and special events. Themes range from gardening and conservation and healthy living day to Safari Splash and Zoolympics for a fun day with the entire family! For more information contact events@blankparkzoo.org.

Experience the heart-pounding thrills of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing every April through October. Whether you're an experienced handicapper or a first-time bettor, we're the place to be to witness all the pageantry of "The Sport of Kings." There will be other special races so watch website for dates/times.

If you'd like a chance to see 27 sculptures made from more than 400,000 Lego bricks, come check out the new display at Reiman Gardens. New York sculptor, Sean Kenney & a team of studio assistants built the "Nature Connects" collection - a 7-foot rose, a bumblebee the size of a St. Bernard - in his Manhattan studio over the course of the last six months. 

Their collective 5,000 work hours would have stretched into 2 ½ years if the artist had assembled the pieces by himself. Kenney does this kind of thing full-time. But this was a big project, even for him. The artist sits down with a big pile of the plastic bricks & starts building. He doesn't design with a computer & doesn't use any special pieces you couldn't find at the store. It's just the basic plastic bits, reinforced with hidden steel rods & a bucket of glue. Each sculpture was packed into a custom-built crate & loaded into a semi truck for the trip to Ames. The sculptures were placed throughout the 14-acre site on the Iowa State University campus. A Lego gardener tends a bed of vegetables. A Lego goldfish jumps in the pond, near a Lego frog & a Lego water lily. A Lego bison grazes in the prairie. They look pixelated up close, like images from a 1980s video game that landed in the real world. From a distance, their surfaces seem surprisingly smooth. 

The artist has always loved the tiny plastic bricks, which were developed in Denmark in the 1940s. He played with them as a kid & later when he grew up, he tinkered almost every night, often while still wearing his suit. Once, he built a model of himself, sitting listlessly in his cubicle & titled it "Success." Soon enough, that dream caught the attention of the Lego bigwigs in Denmark, who in 2005 named him the company's first certified artist. (There are now 13 worldwide). He still works independently & buys his own supplies, but the arrangement, he said, "makes it a little easier for me to buy 20,000 yellow pieces all at the same time." His clients include biggies like Google & Mazda, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, on Good Morning America & in a full-length documentary. 

Director Teresa McLaughlin expects the sculptures to draw big crowds, bigger even than the ones that doubled attendance three years ago for a display of dinosaur sculptures.

Discover the stories of Iowa and those who served during America's bloodiest conflict when Iowa and the Civil War: Nothing But Victory opens..With more than 300 authentic artifacts and documents, this 10,000 square-foot exhibition recounts the first-hand experiences of Iowans at war and the communities that supported them. See the historic battle flags Iowa troops carried into battle and the actual weaponry - cannons, guns and swords - they used while fighting in some of the most important events and turning points of the Civil War. Opening day program information follows: Civil War re-enactors from the Sons of Confederate Veterans will interact with guests and visitors. State Senator Dennis Black will be available to sign copies of his book, Profiles of Valor: Iowa's Medal of Honor Recipients of the Civil War.  The Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, is given for distinguished gallantry during hostile action and is presented by the President of the United States in the name of Congress. Dr. Tom Morain and Dr. William Juhnke of Graceland University will kick off the “Iowa and the Civil Warâ€� speaker series at 2:30 p.m. with “Point/Counterpoint: Was the Civil War Necessary? o During the presentation, Morain and Juhnke take opposing positions to explore several of the contentious issues leading up to the first shots of the Civil War fired on Fort Sumter in 1861. As the United States commemorates the 150th anniversary of the conflict that tore the nation apart, they ask hard questions: Was it really an irrepressible conflict or could bolder political proposals have averted the bloodshed that cost 600,000 Americans their lives? What options did Lincoln have as President-elect when South Carolina voted to secede from the Union? Why did each side underestimate their opponents determination to fight? Why didn't the North let the South go its way and avoid the incredible bloodshed? Morain and Juhnke invite the public into the debate as they explore the tense political climate of 1860-61 and demonstrate how historians can disagree without being disagreeable.

This new & free event is for bikers of all levels! We will leave every Thursday evening from the store front entrance for a 20-25 mile ride followed by social/educational fun! 

Every Thursday @ 5:30pm, April - September (weather permitting).

This new & free event is for runners of all levels! We will leave every Tuesday evening from the store front entrance for a 3 & 5 mile run followed by social/educational fun if anyone wants to stay! 

Every Tuesday @ 5:30pm, April - September (weather permitting).

The Jurassic Period has ended at Blank Park Zoo because the Ice Age has hit! Beginning March 16 mammals from the Ice Age will be at the Zoo for kids and adults to see and learn about (animatronics of course!) during this geographically active time in history. Can't imagine how big BIG is when talking about a Wooly Mammoth? See for yourself at Blank Park Zoo. Everything from a Doedicurus to a Saber-tooth Cat will be making their return regardless of those unknown spring weather conditions! Our indoor exhibit will be up only for a few months so visit soon to step into a different age.

Bingo every Sunday, doors open 12:30 Game starts 2pm. Must be 18 years of age or older. 

Food is available. For additonal information, please call 515-979-6357.