If there is one thing to be said for Midwest living, it’s that we produce some of the best farmer’s markets. Luckily enough, that season is back among us.

Rolling into it’s 2nd week of the season starting tomorrow, May 11th, is the start of the season for the downtown farmer’s market. Considered one of the largest markets in Iowa with nearly 200 vendors from 47 Iowa Counties, you can find Iowa raised pork, beef, poultry, lamb eggs, fish, as well as baked goods, cheese, preserves, and flowers. But the market isn’t just about what you can buy there. It’s about going for the experience. Absorbing all the sights, and more importantly, the smells you can only get from fresh food. Or you can walk around and simply get inspiration for dinner.

The Des Moines Downtown markets runs Saturday mornings from 7am – noon, downtown in the Court Avenue district. Visit the Des Moines Farmer’s Market website for more information.

If Saturdays don’t work for you, then maybe Thursdays over in Valley Junction might. Open 4pm-8pm on Thursdays, the Valley Junction Farmer’s Market isn’t quite as large as the downtown one.  But with over 100 vendors featuring fresh produce, baked goods, plants and flowers, arts and crafts and prepared foods it’s not small either.

And by no means are those the only two farmer’s markets in Des Moines.  A lot of the surrounding suburbs host their own farmer’s markets as well.  Just one more great thing about living in Iowa!

Olympic medalists, professional athletes, and some of the fastest people on the planet descend on Des Moines for the yearly ever-popular Drake Relays. The relays have been a part of Des Moines for over 100 years and it rightfully takes center stage in our community every Spring. Bringing thousands of visitors into our town.

One of the the events unique to the relays isn’t so much the event itself as it is the location.  It’s not every day you see high jumpers hurtling past you on the 2nd story of the mall.  That’s right.  Tonight, April 25th, at 6:15 at the Jordan Creek Mall you can catch some world class athletes competing in the 4th Annual Pole Vault in the Mall.  Among the headliners for the event are Jenny Suhr, the #1 rated women’s pole vaulter not to mention #2, #3, #4, and #5.  The same is true for the men’s side with Jeremy Scott at #1, and #2, #3,#4, and #5.

For more information on the specific event details and all things about the relays,  you can check out the Drake Relays homepage to find more information.

If you haven’t made it out downtown to check out the sculpture park then your missing out.  I was recently reminded of this picturesque field of greenery the other day when I drove by it at night.  Even though I’d been there numerous times during the day, it’s something completely different at night.  The lights lighting up the over-sized sculptures really helps illuminate how amazing they are and lends a surrealistic tone to them.  More information about the Pappajohn Sculpture Park can be found at the Des Moines Art Center, which is the organization that acts as curator for the park.