Big as a Barn News: September 2023

Meet our new Chef/Food Director

Ryan Kearney is WCI's new Chef/Director of Food Programming. He'll oversee the food programming at both the Wallace Farm and the Wallace House.

Chef Ryan is immediately stepping into duties at the Wallace Farm: finishing the Pizza on the Prairie season and supervising preserved food production.

Over the next several weeks, he'll add Farm to Table Thursdays, cooking classes and other events at the Wallace House.

Chef Ryan brings a wide range of food service experience including executive chef at 3 restaurants in Omaha, retail chef at Hy-Vee, and Greek house chefs campus manager at Iowa State.

Last chance for Picnic Theater tix

Sunday, Sept. 10 is your last chance to purchase performance + meal tickets for Picnic Theater at the Wallace Farm. Actress Pippa White will perform the one-act play "As Far As the Eye Can See" on Sunday, Sept. 17. With the 9-acre prairie in the background, the play's focus on "the prairie and its people" is even more meaningful. Performance-only tickets are available through Saturday, Sept. 16.

The show begins at 5 pm (doors open at 4:30 pm). Drinks will be available for anyone to purchase. Bring your own lawn chair as seating is limited.

Volunteer for walking tour

The Sherman Hill Tour of Historic Homes is back for 2023! This year's tour is Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17, 10 am to 4 pm each day.

Volunteers are need to greet visitors, provide basic information about the house, and keep an eye on furnishings & displays. Shifts are 10 am - 1 pm and 1 pm - 4 pm. Volunteers receive a free tour ticket. Contact Colette to sign up or ask for more details.

The Wallace House has been a part of the Sherman Hill tour for nearly all of its 45 years. It's the primary fundraiser for the Sherman Hill Neighborhood Association, which supports efforts to preserve and enhance the historic neighborhood.

Pizza ends Sept. 29!

Don't be discouraged! Although online reservations for WCI's Pizza on the Prairie are full right now, cancellations occur nearly every week. Let Lisa know the date that you can fill in and the number of people in your party. If a spot opens, we'll give you as much notice as we possibly can.

Pizza on the Prairie, with pizza, sides, desserts & signature drinks, live music, yard games, & prairie art, is made possible with support from MidAmerican Energy, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Frederick Real Estate Services & FNB.

Prairie Art Exhibit closing soon!

The 2023 Prairie Art exhibit is still open for viewing! Take a look at what has left "Prairie Footprints" over the years at the Wallace Farm--everything from giant sloths to tiny snails and humans, too.

This exhibit of 80 paintings is on display along the 1-mile grassy path in the 9-acre prairie thru Oct. 1. The grounds are open dawn to dusk (buildings open M-F, 9-4). Free admission.

Thanks to the Knock Family Charitable Fund for support and to all our community artists for sharing their creativity. Don't miss it!

Abundance at Farmers Market

WCI is taking the goodness of the farm to the people! For the second year, WCI will have a booth at the Downtown Farmers Market in Des Moines. This year's Saturday dates are October 14 and October 28. The market runs 8 am to noon in the Court Avenue district. You can find WCI on the north side of Court Avenue, between First and Second streets.

Staff are busy producing nearly a dozen different varieties of Abundance preserved food products ahead of market days. Customer favorites include Whiskey Apple Butter, Tomato Compote, Smoked Garlic Salt and Lavender Sugar. Most products come in jars, but some of the salts are available in bulk bags for refilling. Stop by to say hi!

Save the date: Corn Dinner

Put Sunday, November 5 on your calendar for WCI's Corn Dinner at the Wallace Farm! We'll celebrate the harvest together with every course in this meal featuring a dish made with the corn grown in our Henry A. Wallace Historic Corn Plot.

Chef Ryan will release the full menu soon. Tickets are $65/person and will be available online. Watch your email for more details and a link to tickets.

Make it monthly

A monthly gift is a great way to show your support for WCI. It breaks down your gift into more budget-friendly chunks and eliminates writing a check. Once your monthly gift is set up, you don't have to do anything else until you want to make changes. Monthly gifts provide WCI with a consistent revenue stream so we can better manage our budget. Visit our Support page and choose "Monthly".

Legacy giving

Do you want to ensure that the Wallace Centers of Iowa continues connecting people to food and the land for a long time to come? Consider a gift to one of WCI's two endowment funds. A distribution is issued each year from these funds for operational support and maintenance needs at our two historic sites. Gifts of any amount are welcome, and one of the funds allows for Endow Iowa tax credits. Contact Ann via email or at 515.243.7063 with your confidential questions and without any obligation.

Connect with us!

Visit us online at wallace.org

The Wallace Centers of Iowa

Wallace House: 756 16th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50314

Wallace Farm: 2773 290th Street, Orient, Iowa 50858