DMU has offered free physicals to local kids for years and years. This year we partnered with local cardiology groups, a dental group and others to form Des Moines University TOPS (team of physicians for students) and offer really in-depth sports physicals. The first TOPS physical fair was Saturday and in six hours, nearly 400 kids got physicals!

Huge pat on the back to our community partners & all the DMU students, staff, faculty & clinicians for all their work organizing and staffing the event. 

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This weekend there are some really interesting things, as usual, going on in Des Moines. The National Balloon Classic will begin in Indianola today and run through Aug. 2. I saw some balloons lazily floating above Des Moines, one morning this week on my way to work and got excited for the festival.

At $3 per person or $10 per carload, this is a fun and decently cheap event. It’s so much fun to watch the balloons take off and glide through the air. You can also take balloon rides, listen to live music and grab some grub from outdoor vendors. Last year, if I remember correctly, they also had kiddy games and rides for families. If you’re interested in photography, shooting photos of these balloons is a blast because they’re so colorful. At night they glow. Check it out!

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In May my little sister traveled through Italy. A waiter at a café asked where she was from and when she responded with “Iowa,” he got very excited and, with accent, proclaimed “AHH, Slipknot!” And while Slipknot is definitely a famous Iowa band, it and its brother band, Stone Sour, are not the only groups we have here!!

One Iowa band, The Josh Davis Band, will play an August 6, 6 p.m. free show at DMU – part of orientation festivities for new students and their families!

Other great local bands include the following:

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How can you even try to resist saying that over & over again?  It’s such a fun name and I’m sure it’ll be a fun event!

This is the first-EVER race for DMU. It’ll start and end in front of the Academic Center, 3440 Grand Ave. The Aug. 9 race begins at 6:30 a.m. (yeah, who know there was an a.m. version of 6:30 on Saturday?!) to beat the heat.

The race will tour through the scenic neighborhood surrounding DMU. Registration of $15 includes a cute t-shirt (see photo!).

Posted in Des Moines Events, DMU Alumni, DMU Events, DMU News, Life in Des Moines, Osteopathic Medicine | Leave a Comment

It’s official, this year’s state fair butter statue has been announced!! In addition to this year’s butter cow at the fair, there will be a butter Shawn Johnson! Details here!

I should back up a moment for those of you new to Iowa… We LOVE our state fair in Iowa. It’s the best state fair around, if ya ask me. And one of the traditions is a cow sculpted out of butter. The why is simply unimportant. Just enjoy the fact that hundreds of pounds of butter are sculpted into an amazing replica of a cow. It’s awe-inspiring! (see below)

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Happy birthday America! Hope today finds every one of you celebrating the freedom and privileges we have in the U.S. and enjoying time with family and friends!

photo by mc_lemore

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