Sophia, Jess and the Best Events: Sept. 22-28

Iiiiiiitttttt'sss back! Oktoberfest is back where it belongs: in the Court District on Fourth Street. Sophia and I are so excited, we had to start the party a few days early, and headed over to Hessen Haus for brews, polka and a little accordion playing. Of course, if you want to see real polka dancing and hear great live music, you should check out the event this Friday and Saturday for yourself. Duck out of work a little early for the Tapping of the Golden Keg and the group toast. Here are the details, plus what else we're excited about this weekend, like the Des Moines Symphony (which Sophia and I will be attending) and ARTstop.

Friday and Saturday: Oktoberfest. After a two-year stint at Principal Park, Oktoberfest is returning to the Court Avenue District, and this year it’s “More German Zan Ever.” A portion of Fourth Street (south of Court Avenue, in front of Hessen Haus) will be closed off for two days of everything Deutsch. The Golden Keg will be tapped at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by live music and polka lessons from 4-6 p.m. Eat German food, fill your mugs in tented beer gardens, and compete in the Bier Maiden contest on Friday night and the Wet Bier Gut contest Saturday night. Dress in traditional German attire to win prizes. The event goes from 4 p.m.-1 a.m. both days. Admission is $10, which includes entry for both days, a commemorative mug and one drink ticket (bring your mug back Saturday and get in free). If you can’t wait until Friday, check out the lunchtime pre-party Thursday at Nollen Plaza, where Iowa Polka Hall of Fame members will give polka demonstrations, and you can eat brats from Hessen Haus and drink root beer from Court Avenue Brewing Company.  

Friday and Saturday: ARTstop. This annual event is a great and easy way to expereince art in the metro - just hop on a shuttle and stop at area galleries, studios and more. At each stop, they'll be a presentation, entertainment or an interactive project. Hear live folk music at Ritual Cafe, bring a t-shirt for Frank Hanson to paint at Moberg Gallery, enjoy wine and cheese at Studio 3, and more. Go to artstopinfo.com for a complete schedule.

Saturday: Des Moines Symphony's Bus to Beethoven and Emperor Concerto opening night. Sophia and I will be tour guides on one of the buses for the Bus to Beethoven event before the symphony season opener. The second annual event is a mystery tour around Des Moines to four new hidden gems and landmarks, with food, wine and entertainment along the way. After the tour, the bus drops us off at the Civic Center for Emperor Concerto, the Des Moines Symphony's season opener. We're pretty pumped about the whole evening - cross your fingers you get our bus! The tour is from 5-7 p.m. The symphony begins at 7:30 p.m., or you can see it early at 2:30 p.m.

Other fun events this week:

Friday: UnWINEd at Grays Lake

Saturday: Art Center's Gala Party

Sunday: East Village Sunday Bazaar