Whether one head-banged with Rob Zombie and Black Sabbath in the 1990s, enjoyed dinner and a Broadway musical downtown in the 2000s, or busted a gut at a John Crist tour stop in 2024, the experience inside the Adler Theatre on show night always begins on a positive and classy note thanks to the heretofore unheralded volunteer usher corps.

2024 was a tumultuous year for the country (myself included), and it’s a gift to be able to look back at arts and culture highlights I was able to witness, while looking forward to some 2025 events that are sure to be on my calendar.

Just nine years after earning her second Master of Fine Arts degree, writer and University of Iowa instructor Rachel Yoder sold her first novel, and then the film rights, a year before it was even published.

Wednesday, December 4 will be a big day for Dr. Kit Evans-Ford and the many people served by her life-changing nonprofit organizations.