A-List for 3/23/12
Greetings Central Iowa Americans! (and non-Americans, we don’t judge)
It’s nice to have some sunshine back after damp cool week reminiscent of Orlando in January. This Des Monies place ain’t Disney World, but that doesn’t mean we don’t bring in some pretty sweet attractions.
It’s hard to write a post this week without a heavy emphasis on what’s happening up at Wells Fargo Arena with the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Some of the best athletes in the country will be competing in the women’s Sweet 16. So that’s how we’ll start off this week’s A-List:
1. NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MIDWEST REGIONAL FINALS, Mar 24, 11:00 AM and Mar 26, 6:00 PM, Wells Fargo Arena. Last night we were pleased to host a few coaches from the Georgia Tech basketball team at Americana, so we had a nice preview up close…
Make no mistake. These women are great athletes. Just check out Brittney Griner of Baylor who will be playing tomorrow in Des Moines, dunking in a game on Tuesday:
Here’s the info from the Iowa Events Center website… ”Baylor, the tournaments overall No. 1 seed, advanced to Des Moines with a 76-57 win against Florida. 6-foot-8 center Brittany Griner became the second woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament with a roaring dunk in the second half of the game. Last year, the Lady Bears lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament…. The Tennessee Lady Volunteers, advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating DePaul 63-48 in Chicago. The team is looking to advance to its first Final Four since 2008, when they won the NCAA Championship. It might be the last game for Coach Pat Summitt, who announced she had early onset dementia…. Freshman Sydney Wallace lead Georgia Tech to the Des Moines Regional by scoring 23 points and carrying her team past Georgetown 76-64 Tuesday night. The Yellow Jackets have made it through to the second weekend in their previous 7 NCAA tournament appearances. … Kansas advanced over 70-64 victory over No. 3 Delaware and the nation’s leading scorer Elena Delle Donne, the nation’s leading scorer. This is the first time since 1998 the Jayhawks have advanced to the Sweet 16…. If the tops seeds of each game advance, Baylor and Tennessee, two of the most exciting teams in college basketball, would meet in the Regional Final on March 26.” Buy tickets at the Iowa Events Center website.
2. HUE by Art Noir at the Des Moines Art Center. Tonight, Friday, March 23, 7:30-10:30pm. Is it any secret that we love the Art Center? It’s a gem! If we 
could write about how great our city’s art center is, we would. Even if you can’t make it to these events that we post, remember that admission to the art center to see some of the greatest works of art around is 100% FREE… Here’s a bit more info from the HUE event’s Facebook page…. ”It’s back! As chosen by Art Noir Facebook, Twitter, and E-NEWS followers, the second installment of HUE will be themed on the color aquamarine. See the lobby transformed by light and color and view inspired choices from the permanent art collections projected on a larger-than-life scale…. Relax to the sounds of DJ Touchnice, enjoy light bites by Luna Bistro + Catering and a special HUE cocktail, and take a short tour of the exhibition Walkabout: Miguel Angel Rios. Colorful attire encouraged!… $15 admission at door ($10 members). Admission includes appetizers and one complimentary cocktail; cash bar available.
3. Gungor at Hoyt Sherman Place, 7pm Friday, March 23. “For their third major release, Gungor has composed a concept album that celebrates the beauty of life even in the midst of darkness and pain. Starting with a startling musical imagining of the creation of the universe and traversing subjects like the “fall of man” and the imperfection of our religious systems, this album leads the listener through a roller coaster of emotion that eventually leads us back to wonder and thankfulness to this beautiful gift of life.” Buy Tickets at http://hoytsherman.org/
Tony Bohnenkamp
4. Tony Bohnenkamp CD Release Party, Saturday, March 24, 8pm, People’s on Court. 14 years in the making, Tony has finally finished his debut cd entitled “side 2.” and he wants you to come party with he and his friends… Bohnenkamp drops his solo album called “Side 2″ this weekend. A quote from Tony: “Songwriting is the most excruciatingly awful and most incredibly rewarding experience I’ve ever had the chance to feel.” Tickets at Tikly.
If there’s anything you think we should add on these lists, let us know. We’re looking for “OMG HOW COULD YOU NOT INCLUDE MY EVENT” events. We’d love to add your event up here if you think it warrants some attention. Just comment under the post for this on our Facebook page, or write it on our Facebook Wall.
Peas.
