Mon - April 18, 2005

Home at Last



Photo of 27th Street taken this morning while observing alternate-side parking rules

NEW YORK, NY - My latest journey brought me back to where this all started more than three months ago: home. When I drove up to the front of our apartment building, Katie and Simon were standing outside to welcome me. After driving 800 miles from Evanston in just over 12 hours, I couldn't have been happier to see them.

Posted at 10:16 AM     Read More  

Sat - April 16, 2005

Last Show



Mural section at the Downtown School in Des Moines, IA

EVANSTON, IL - Yesterday was the last day of the tour. Our final stop on what amounted to a greater-than 7,000-mile journey was the Downtown School in Des Moines. It was a good place for us to have our last hurrah.

Posted at 11:55 AM     Read More  

Fri - April 15, 2005

Parting Gift



Our set in the sanctuary of Wesley Methodist Church in Muscatine, IA

CORALVILLE, IA - Our final performance of Così was Thursday night at the Wesley Methodist Church in Muscatine. Having a humongous cross dangling above the set of our sexual farce added a new dimension to our humble production.

Posted at 01:11 AM     Read More  

Thu - April 14, 2005

Big Night



The Great River Bridge joining Burlington, IA to Illinois

W. BURLINGTON, IA - Our penultimate night on tour was one to remember. It began with a great meal at a restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River, and ended with three games of bowling in which all participants played well.

Posted at 08:52 AM     Read More  

Wed - April 13, 2005

Double-Barrel Lunch



Butter Burger Cheese Value Basket from Culver's

BURLINGTON, IA - The gluttony continues. Less than 48 hours after my Maid-Rite experience, I finally made a trip to Culver's to try their vaunted Butter Burger. I'm making good on my vow to try all the local things I can before leaving Iowa at the end of the week. I wouldn't be so disgusted/impressed with myself had I not already partaken of a delicious lunch spread at the school beforehand.

Posted at 01:22 PM     Read More  

Kids Say...



The future of Burlington, IA is bright

BURLINGTON, IA - We've been in residence at Corse Elementary School in Burlington yesterday and today. It's a quaint community on the Mississippi River, featuring streets lined with nice homes and magnificent trees. The schedule we've had here has been kind. We have done two workshops in the mornings, with just one performance of Pigs in the afternoon.

Posted at 12:55 PM     Read More  

Tue - April 12, 2005

Too Good to Be a Patty



The Maid-Rite at the Westland Mall in West Burlington, IA

W. BURLINGTON, IA - With time running out on this tour, I'm determined to get through as many local delicacies as I can find. The original Maid-Rite sandwich, an Iowa tradition with a 78-year heritage, had eluded me until last night.

Posted at 11:21 AM     Read More  

dPR Through April 11



Pork at the Hy-Vee meat counter in Indianola

W. BURLINGTON, IA - The final de la Fuente Power Rankings are in. With no movement in the top 5 of any of the categories, it's time to dish out some special recognition to a restaurant that hasn't been justly acknowledged in this space.

Posted at 09:38 AM     Read More  

Mon - April 11, 2005

Enlightenment Amidst the Corn



A plea for peace at the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, IA

W. BURLINGTON, IA - The Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield is unlike any school we've seen on this tour. A Pre-K-through-12 school based on the philosophy of "Consciousness-Based" education, its students are all practitioners of Transcendental Meditation, or "TM," as they refer to it.

Posted at 11:59 PM     Read More  

Iowa's Grocer



Hy-Vee in Indianola

WEST BURLINGTON, IA - When a person gets ready to leave a place, he begins to take note of the things he'll miss after he is gone. Hy-Vee, the Iowa-based supermarket chain, definitely falls into that category for me. It may look just like the big chain grocery store where you live - Jewel, Stop & Shop, Food Emporium, or Roche Bros., to name a few - but I have come to believe that Hy-Vee is somehow different.

Posted at 08:33 PM     Read More  

Good Night, Indianola



Cup-A Joe, my primary access point to the internet in Indianola

INDIANOLA, IA - I write this on the eve of our final week of the tour. Because we'll be in hotels all week, tonight will be my final night spent in my apartment on South J Street in Indianola. It has become difficult to tell if this week snuck up on us or if it's been late to arrive. We're all pretty tired, but the excitement of finishing the tour should give us a nice energy boost to get through these final shows.

Posted at 12:49 AM     Read More  

Fri - April 8, 2005

Another Sign of Spring



The author rounding third base at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA, on March 2

INDIANOLA, IA - Even if the grass is green, the sun is out, and the flowers are beginning to bloom, there's really only one true sign of spring's arrival: a 9th-inning collapse by the Chicago Cubs. Today I had the unfortunate chance to catch the end of the Cubs' home opener on television at a local Indianola watering hole.

Posted at 07:17 PM     Read More  

Thu - April 7, 2005

70 and Sunny



The music room at Western Hills Elementary School in West Des Moines

INDIANOLA, IA - Thanks to our schedule, we're back in Indianola for the last couple days of this week, working in schools in Des Moines through tomorrow. Upon our return home on Wednesday afternoon, we were greeted by torrential rain. Today, however, was a different story. By afternoon, the early morning clouds gave way to a glorious 70-degree spring day.

Posted at 09:42 PM     Read More  

Wed - April 6, 2005

Keokuk



Our names in lights at the stately Grand Theater in Keokuk, IA

KEOKUK, IA - The town of Keokuk sits at the southeastern tip of the state, separated from Illinois and Missouri by the Mississippi River. We performed Pigs for a large group of schoolchildren on Tuesday morning, then had a performance of Così in the evening. In between, I had a rare opportunity to see the area through the eyes of locals.

Posted at 02:06 AM     Read More  

Tue - April 5, 2005

dPR Through April 5



Lunch at the Family Table Restaurant in Pocahontas, IA

KEOKUK, IA - The end of Lent brought with it the return of french fries and potato chips to my diet. I haven't gone nuts with potato chips yet - I find that I probably prefer Chex Mix to potato chips by now - but I haven't lost my taste for good french fries. Pictured above is my first post-Lent helping of french fries, which was at the Family Table Restaurant (6.86 dPR) in Pocahontas. There will be a special prize for anybody who can correctly identify what's on the plate in the upper left-hand corner of the picture.

Posted at 11:52 PM     Read More  
The ARC
Spring Awakening
Young Sage
Local Flavor
Musical Missionaries
Hoarse Play
dPR Through March 27
Musical Musical Chairs
God's Country
Hunting for Pig Tales
Welcome to Dane Country
Back to Work
Iowa Machine Shed
Fish on Friday
Happy St. Patrick's Day (Almost)

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