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Calendar of Events
Restore-O-Rama
September 16-18
The Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance announces the 2005 Restore-O-Rama in collaboration
with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Des Moines Historic Preservation
Commission and the State Historical Society of Iowa. Topics include historic preservation
tax credits, hands-on restoration techniques, window rehabilitation, historic
building codes and more. The Restore-O-Rama keynote event, Passionate Politics:
Keeping the Spark Alive in Preservation Policy and Advocacy, will feature Heather
MacIntosh, president of Preservation Action, a grassroots nonprofit lobbying organization
dedicated to advocacy for strong federal preservation policies and funding. This
year’s event will also include a behind-the-scenes look at the Salisbury
House restoration, a walking tour of the Forestdale neighborhood and the unveiling
of a Drake Neighborhood metal-sided house.
Download flyer or for more information, visit www.iowapreservation.org, e-mail info@iowapreservation.org or call (319) 863-7141.
Pottawattamie County Historical Society Fall Lecture Series
The Pottawattamie County Historical Society fall lecture series will be held in
the theater of the Western Historic Trails Center, 3434 Richard Downing Ave.,
Council Bluffs. Admission is free. All lectures begin at 2 p.m. The schedule is
as follows:
• Sunday, September 18 — Christine Gerber, Nonpareil Publishing Project Director, presents Uncovering the Memories: The Making of a Historic Book.
• Sunday, October 16 — Barbara Lounsberry, University of Northern Iowa professor of English presents Nancy Drew: Iowa's Heroine to the World. Celebrate Nancy Drew's 75th birthday! Nancy Drew is the most popular female detective in fiction. Nancy Drew author Mildred Augustine was 25 when she wrote the first Nancy Drew novel and kept her identity secret for more than 50 years. Learn about Nancy's Iowa roots and why she has become a heroine and universal role model.
• Sunday, November 20 — William Kratville, Railroads of Omaha and Council Bluffs. Kratville is a well known author and recognized history expert. He will talk of his railroad career that began in Council Bluffs in 1946 and the railroad advances he has been part of for the last 50 years.
School Days at Western Historic Trails Center
September 19-23
School Days is a week-long program open to students in grades 3-6 in western Iowa
and eastern Nebraska. Each day’s programming represents a different topic
including Lewis & Clark, nature, Native American culture and Overland Trails.
Pre-registration is required. Call 712-366-4900 for information.
Far as the Eye Can See
September 26-30
State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
This one-woman, multimedia show will take you on a journey to the prairie and
its people: the early pioneers who crossed it, the later pioneers who settled
it, the brave people of the Dust Bowl and the Native American people who struggled
to keep the prairie that once belonged only to them. Performed by Pippa White,
a Nebraska artist specializing in monologues, dialect, oral interpretation and
theater in history. An evening show will be held Sept. 27 at 6 p.m., doors open
at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Call (515) 281-4132 for information.
Iowa Archaeological Society Board Meeting
October 1, Western Historic Trails Center
As part of its board meeting and in conjunction with Iowa Archaeology Month, the
Iowa Archaeological Society will have a special presentation by Hester Davis,
State Archaeologist for Arkansas. She is writing a biography of Mildred Mott Wedel,
an Iowa girl and pioneering archaeologist. Mildred tied Oneota sites to Chiwere
speakers, particularly the Ioway and Oto, in Iowa via archaeology and ethnohistory.
The theme for IAM 2005 is Founding Figures in Iowa Archaeology. The presentation
is free and open to the public. Please call Lynn Alex at 319-384-0561 for more
information.
World Food Prize Harvest Festival
October 15
State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines
Celebrate the World Food Prize at the State Historical Building with special programming
including a Ukrainian musical quartet, Ukrainian children’s art, harvest
season storytelling and nursery rhymes, crafts and more! The World Food Prize
is the foremost international award recognizing the achievements of individuals
who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability
of food in the world. Event held in conjunction with the World Food Festival Oct.
13-15 in Des Moines’ East Village.
Pottawattamie County Historical Society Special Program
October 16, 2 p.m., Western Historic Trails Center
Free and open to the public. Call (712) 366-4900 for more information.
Country School Preservation Conference
September 30-Oct. 1
The 6th Annual Country School Preservation Conference, sponsored by the Iowa Historic
Preservation Alliance, will be held at the Hotel Pattee in Perry Sept. 30-Oct.1.
For conference schedule and registration information, contact Bill Sherman at
(800) 434-2039 or by e-mail at wlsherman@mchsi.com.
A Novel Evening with Charles Dickens and Jane Smiley
November 5, 5-7 p.m.
Spend some time with Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former Iowan
as she tells the rags-to-riches life story of the man who wrote A Christmas
Carol, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver
Twist, David Copperfield and more. Sponsored by the Terrace Hill
Foundation. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased through www.iowatix.com
or by calling (515) 277-3727.
Holidays on the Trail
December 3-4, Western Historic Trails Center
Join the staff of Western Historic Trails Center each day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for
a weekend of fun, shopping, history, sleigh rides and refreshments. The Trails
West Gift Shop will be open for holiday shopping. There will be presentations
about historic holiday customs, children can make crafts and everyone can listen
to music and take free sleigh rides. (712) 366-4900 or kc.hummel@iowa.gov.
