🌟 Good morning, Des Moines!
Your weekly nudge to get out, feel connected, and love where you live.
In this week’s AroundDSM:
🌯 The Farmers Market breakfast burrito I’ve been tracking down for years finally has a new home.
🏰 One of Winterset’s most iconic landmarks is turning 100 — and getting a full weekend celebration.
🌽 A parade, live music, 100+ vendors, and all the free sweet corn you can eat. Adel knows how to throw a party.
🍽️ Restaurant Spotlight
Bernardo’s | 214 4th Street, Des Moines |
Photo: Bernardo’s breakfast burrito | Emily Johnson
Photo: Bernardo’s signage | Emily Johnson
🌯 The burrito I look for every Farmers Market season – I’ve been going to the Downtown Farmers’ Market for decades, and every time, I seek out this breakfast burrito. Their location has moved around over the years, which occasionally makes me worry they’re gone-gone, but I’m happy to report I found them last weekend set up right in front of their new digs on 4th Street.
🍳 A solid burrito before you add a single thing – The base is everything you want in a breakfast burrito: hearty, flavorful, and filling without becoming a total mess halfway through. Yes, there are other breakfast tacos and burritos at the market, but in my opinion, they don’t come close to this one.
🌿 The salsa bar seals the deal – Bernardo’s lets you finish your burrito exactly how you like it with salsa, sour cream, cilantro, and other additions. As someone who believes there is almost no such thing as too much cilantro, I appreciate this deeply. The burrito is $10, worth every penny, and absolutely worth seeking out while they settle into their new space 👉 Keep tabs on this new restaurant here.
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🎉 Top 5 Things to Do
Photo: Hoyt Sherman Place | Travel Iowa
The best bets handpicked for your week:
🏛️ History Happy Hour | Hoyt Sherman Place
See one of Des Moines’ most treasured landmarks from a different perspective during this special evening with the Des Moines Historical Society. Registration includes a guided tour of Hoyt Sherman’s historic home, theater, and art gallery, followed by a casual happy hour with fellow local-history fans and a cash bar.
You definitely don’t need to be a history expert to enjoy this one. Just bring your curiosity and an appreciation for beautiful old buildings.
| Thursday, Aug. 6th | 4:30–7 pm | Registration Required | Get Tickets |
🏰 Clark Tower 100th Anniversary | Winterset City Park
Clark Tower is turning 100, and Winterset is celebrating with a full weekend of hometown fun. The lineup includes live music, history walks, a family fun walk and run, a trail race, food, drinks, a silent auction, a paint-and-sip event, and plenty of reasons to explore the park.
Whether Clark Tower is tied to a childhood memory, a favorite hiking trail, or a family photo tucked away somewhere, this feels like a sweet way to celebrate a landmark that generations of Iowans have loved.
| Friday, Aug. 7th–Saturday, Aug. 8th | 4 pm Friday–3 pm Saturday | Winterset City Park |
🎶 Fridays at the Farm | Middlebrook Farm, Cumming
Bring a lawn chair or blanket and settle in for an easy summer evening at Middlebrook. Velvet Trio will play from the Farmhouse porch while local vendors, food trucks, the Wine Wagen, and the beer tent keep everyone well-fed and refreshed.
Kids can burn off some energy with soccer and gaga ball while the grown-ups enjoy the music and open sky. This week’s food trucks include The Hot Peppers Mexican Grill, Veggie Thumper, and Pie Mates — a pretty strong Friday-night dinner plan.
| Friday, Aug. 7th | 4:30–7:30 pm | Free | middlebrookfarm.com |
🌽 47th Annual Adel Sweet Corn Festival | Downtown Adel
The Adel Sweet Corn Festival is back with Dallas County’s longest parade, more than 100 vendors, a kids zone, live entertainment, and most importantly free sweet corn. It’s a classic Iowa summer festival with plenty happening from morning until well after sunset.
Dirty Champagne performs from 4–7 pm, followed by headliner Cover That from 8–11 pm, featuring Adel’s own Jeff Abbas on keys. Come for the corn, stay for the music, and accept that butter will probably end up somewhere on your shirt.
| Saturday, Aug. 8th | 9 am–11 pm | Free Admission | adelsweetcornfest.org |
🚲 Pedal the Prairie | Prairie City’s Entryway Park
Start near the buffalo at Prairie City’s Entryway Park and choose your own casual cycling adventure. Riders can follow the Prairie Parkway Trail toward Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, connect with the Red Rock Prairie Trail, or continue to Monroe before heading back at their own pace.
The timing is especially good because Monroe’s Old Settlers celebration is happening the same day and registration includes a meal ticket. A bike ride with lunch waiting at the other end is my kind of motivation.
| Saturday, Aug. 8th | 9:30 am | Registration Required | Register Here |
🐾 Pet Pick-Me-Up
Now get out there, Des Moines!
With local love,
Emily
AroundDSM
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