SUBMIT PHOTOS | SUBMIT AN EVENT | SIGN UP FOR dsmWeekly | SUBSCRIBE TO dsm | dsmMAGAZINE.COM

December 30, 2014

How will you celebrate the new year?

Four Places to Ring in the New Year

Are you still trying to figure out how you'll usher in 2015? Here are four fun ideas:

The new improv comedy club, The Last Laugh Comedy Theater (1701 25th St., West Des Moines), will have two shows on Dec. 31. The first is from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The second begins at 10 p.m. and ends at midnight, followed by a dance party. Both shows include games like those seen on "Whose Line Is It Anyway;" a buffet dinner; and a champagne toast. Advance tickets for the Last Laugh Theater's New Year's Eve Comedy Spectacular cost $25 for the early show and $40 for the late show; get them through lastlaughdsm.com. At door, tickets will be $35 for the early show and $50 for the late show. For more information, email info@lastlaughdm.com or call 943-9343.
GuideOne Insurance and the Downtown Community Alliance will host a New Year's Eve party for kids for the 15th year. GuideOne ImaginEve! will be from 4 to 8 p.m. at Hy-Vee Hall (730 Third St.) and will feature a confetti-drop countdown, a fireworks show and a long list of free activities for the family, such as laser tag and a rock-climbing wall. For more information, click here.
Ring in the New Year with flair with the Des Moines Symphony's New Year's Eve Pops concert with Cirque de la Symphonie at the Des Moines Civic Center. The world-renowned soaring aerialists and strongmen will perform breathtaking feats as the symphony's musicians play classical music, including the "William Tell Overture" and "Sabre Dance." The show begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are expected to sell out. A limited number of tickets start at $25 and can be purchased here or at the Civic Center box office (221 Walnut St.).
The Des Moines Social Club's "Bash to the Future" will begin at 8 p.m. at the Firehouse (900 Mulberry St.). The evening's lineup will feature the band "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah" as well as other live music, plus interactive art installations, aerial performances and photo booths. Guests can expect a cash bar, and food will be available for purchase. Malo will also be open. The theme of the evening is Des Moines in the past 50 years, in the present and 50 years into the future; retro 1965 or futuristic attire is encouraged. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door; VIP tickets cost $100 each. Purchase tickets here.

Three Remodeling Trends for 2015

Each remodeling project is unique in approach, scope, existing conditions, and underlying goals. As we look at our past year in the aggregate...

Read More ť

Come to our unveiling party to see the next cover of dsm!

Unveiling Party

Right about the time you've recovered from your New Year's Eve celebration, it'll be time for another party that we promise will be just as merry (if not more so!). Please join us as we unveil the January/February issue of dsm magazine Jan. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. (comments and unveiling at 6 p.m.). Skin Iowa is hosting the event at the Des Moines Community Playhouse (831 42nd St.), and we've no doubt the party (and the issue!) will help make your winter brighter--and much more fun.

fyi: Good to Know

Get a jump on your new year's resolution to get fit by checking out the eagerly anticipated Wellmark YMCA, which opens Jan. 1 downtown in the former Polk County convention complex (501 Grand Ave.). The facility will include a gym, indoor track, racquetball and squash courts, a wellness center and more. The completion of the Olympic-size pool is delayed because of a funding shortfall but is expected to open later in the year.

The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines has just completed its most recent Leadership Grant process to benefit local nonprofits. The recipients of $275,000 in grant awards are Primary Health Care to help address homelessness, $150,000; DesMoinesArts, Inc. to fund the acquisition and renovation of the former CenturyLink building (900 Keosauqua Way) into permanent affordable studio space for local artists, $100,000; and Orchard Place, $25,000.

Culinary Fight Night stops in Des Moines Jan. 11 at Des Moines Marriott Downtown (700 Grand Ave.). The event benefits Central Iowa Shelter and Services. Dominic Iannarelli, executive chef at Splash Seafood Bar & Grill, and Mike Holman, executive chef for Dos Rios, Big City Burgers & Greens and Catering DSM, will compete. Guests will feast on a six-course dinner that will include shrimp and scallops for appetizers; filet and duck for the main dishes; and bananas and ice cream and tiramisu for the desserts. Judges include Mayor Frank Cownie and Miss Iowa 2014, Aly Olson, among others. Cost is $125 per person, For more details and to buy tickets, click here.

P.S.: The Countdown to 2015 is On!

As 2014 comes to an end and we anticipate the start of 2015, all of us at dsm want to thank our readers, advertisers and contributors for supporting dsm magazine.

We send you our warmest wishes for a happy and prosperous new year, and we look forward to remaining your source for coverage of the dining, style, arts, philanthropic and social scenes in Greater Des Moines.

Belle Du Chene is senior editor of dsm magazine.

Wini Moranville, author of "The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid Food That French Women Cook Every Day," is a food, wine and travel writer. Her coverage of the food and dining scene for dsmWeekly will return next week. Follow her at All Things Food DSM - Wini Moranville and catch her food segment on Fridays at 6:40 a.m. on KCWI-23's "Great Day" morning show.