032225_DIS_A01

! FREE WEEKLY ENTERT!IN,ENT GUIDE FR0, I0W! INF0R,!TI0N ,EDI! GR0UP
Beer School is in session at Nautical Bar and Grill — s
e e
p a g
e 5
Top
5F THE
DISCOVER! MAGAZINE
,!R2H 22, 2025
It’s definitely a good time. There is a lot of crowd participation...It’s just a nice
event for people to get out and have a Sunday Fun Day in the offseason.
MATT BICHEL
School is in
Session
Art Center showcases work from local
students — SEE PAGE 4
The
Feeling
of spring
Dickinson County Nature Center hosts Family Nature Night
on March 28 — SEE PAGE 6
Your source for weekend fun in N’West Iowa
FunAtBoji.com

MARCH 22, 2025 | DISCOVER!
2 |
Contents
!N THE ,!VER4
4
Pieces:
Art Center showcases
work from local students.
Whenever our kitchen
manager Trevor makes his
barria, everyone loves it,
so I feel that’ll be a good
showcase for that, they’ll
play off each other nicely
and should be fantastic.
5
Taste:
6
Nature:
MATT BICHEL
Beer School is in session at
Nautical Bar and Grill.
Nature Center hosts
Family Nature Night on March 28.
6
Side Trip:
!pen water.
While spotting the first robin may be
a more traditional sign of spring, in our
family it’s the words “open water” that cause a
ripple of excitement.
Better still when we
learn the Rotary Club
car has fallen through
the ice in Smiths Bay.
And last week we
heard both of those
comments. Now, my
husband wants to call
the marina and schedule
a date to pick up
our boat. With a winter
weather advisory in the
forecast for the next 24
hours, I think he might
be a bit premature. I
MYRNA
WAGNER
appreciate his enthusiasm, but a boat ride
bundled in a parka just isn’t my idea of how to
start the season.
A family friend moved to Charleston, SC,
near the end of summer last year, and she has
thoroughly enjoyed the longer boating season
there – although there was that January snowstorm
that blanketed South Carolina white
while here in Iowa we saw nothing but drab.
Yesterday as I pulled the dead spruce tips
from the pot by our front door, I thought I might
be imagining the tiniest hints of green from
the chives in my herb garden. I checked again
today and verified – the green is not my imagination.
Whether your spring excitement stems from
a robin, the green shoot of an herb, a stunning
sunset in the western sky, or open water on the
Iowa Great Lakes, there’s one thing we can all
agree is necessary to usher in spring: A cleansing
rain that washes away winter’s grime.
My hope is the Winter Weather Advisory is
just a bit off, and rather than snow we get rain.
Wouldn’t you agree?
5
The Dickinson County All School Show is on display at the PLAC in Okoboji.
7
Screen:
New releases for the big
screen and good new rentals.
DISCOVER! is your guide to all the special events and activities in the greater
northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, southeast South Dakota and northeast
Nebraska areas. It is distributed free throughout these areas.
Copyright 2025. Nothing may be reprinted, photocopied or in any way
reproduced without the permission of the publisher.
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1-800-247-0186
e-mail: discover@iowainformation.com
funatboji.com

Custom Apparel and
Gifts for Everyone!
T-shirts, Hoodies, Crewnecks,
Kid’s clothing, Drinkware, Lotions,
Soaps and so much more!
DISCOVER! | MARCH 22, 2025 | 3
Join us!
OPEN TUESDAY-SATURDAY • 10AM-4PM
KENUE COFFEE HOUR
April 3rd
Paddlefish in West Okoboji
10:30 -11:30 am
NATURE TOTS
April 9th
Groundhog and Hedgehog
10:30 - 11:30 am
& 1:30 - 2:30 pm
INSECTIGATIONS
April 26th
Maser Monarch Lodge
10:00 am - Noon
Custom Embroidery
Services!
Now offering custom fundraising
opportunities! Contact us for more info!
Visit us at www.bojiware.com
Winter Hours: Tuesday-Friday Noon-5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
913 Okoboji Ave., Milford, IA
HOMESCHOOL ED-VENTURES
April 14th
Day Camp-Cycles of Life
9:00 am - 3 pm
NO SCHOOL DAY CAMP
April 18th
4th-8th Grade: Meet the Feet
9:00 am - 3pm
FAMILY NATURE NIGHT
April 25th
Night at the Nature Center
5:00 - 6:00 pm
22785 Nature Center Rd
Okoboji, IA
712-336-6352
Open Tueday - Saturday,
10 AM - 4 PM
Closed holidays
naturecenter@dickinsoncountyiowa.gov
www.dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com
Spring Hunting is HERE!
GEAR UP & SAVE TODAY!
TURKEY
Shot Guns
TRAP SHOOTING
GUNS & AMMO
Bow Fishing Sets &
Accessories
ON SALE:
SHOTGUNS
CITORI, A5 & MAXUS 2
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new to the store:
30% OFF
SAFES
ONLY A FEW LEFT!
30% OFF
ALL 10 PT.
CROSSBOWS
shotguns
1/2 PRICE
TABLE!
Tons of Holsters & other
great items!
We take Firearms in for
trade on Bows & X-Bows.
FIREARMS • BOWS & CROSSBOWS
BROWNING SAFES • AMMO & ARCHERY SUPPLIES
712-262-7213 • 325 11th St. SW • Spencer
Monday-Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 9 AM-5:30 PM
Thursday 9 AM-7PM • Sunday Closed

MARCH 22, 2025 | DISCOVER!
4 |
Pieces
Art Center showcases work from local students
Going on Now!
DON’T
MI!!
OUT!
At a Glance:
WHAT: Dickinson County All
School Show
WHERE: Pearson Lakes Art Center,
2201 Highway 71, Okoboji, IA
WHEN: Now through April 12
CO!T: Free
CONTACT: 712-332-7013
ONLINE: www.lakesart.org
RYLAN HOWE | STAFF WRITER
!CHOOL
The
I! IN !E!!ION
!pring is in the air and the vibrant
color of student artwork is on the
walls of the Pearson Lakes Art
Center.
It’s time for the Dickinson County All
School Show and that means nearly 300
works of art from K-12 students taking
over the Monte Pearson Gallery, Weaver
Lobby Gallery and McIlrath Landing
Gallery at the art center in Okoboji.
The show will be on display through
April 12 offering a great opportunity for
family members, friends and visitors to
see what the art departments in local
Dickinson County All School Show is currently on display at the Pearson
Lakes Art Center in Okoboji through April 12. PHOTO! BY RYLAN HOWE
schools – Graettinger-Terril, Harris-
Lake Park, Okoboji and Spirit Lake – are
creating in their classrooms.
“What you’re seeing when you walk
in the building is everything from
kindergarten all the way through 12th
grade and using a lot of different media,
too. It’s exciting to see what’s happening
in our schools,” said Danielle
Clouse Gast, visual arts director at the
art center. “It’s a celebration of what is
happening creatively in the classrooms
and the outstanding art educators we
have in our buildings.”
She also enjoys seeing fresh takes
on familiar projects as well as familiar
names pop up as students progress
through the grade levels.
“It always feels fresh,” Clouse Gast
said. “So as an artist or creative person,
if you walk through this show it often
invigorates you to make something.
There’s really no fear with art making
at these ages and when you get into
the older age groups they’re exploring
other materials and pushing ideas a
little bit further, too. It’s exciting to see
that progression.”
With so much work from so many
artists on display, it makes sense that
the All School Show is typically the art
center’s most well attended show each
year.
“It’s usually record attendance and
the attendance throughout the duration
of the exhibit is something we’re
always excited about because we have
families coming in to see the show
and often it’s an introduction to the art
center for a lot of families in the area,”
Clouse Gast said.
And after months of winter, it’s
always fun to see the art center full of
vibrant art as everyone eagerly awaits
the same burst of color outside in the
Iowa Great Lakes. F
Okoboji | Iowa

MARK YOUR
CALENDARS!
DISCOVER! | MARCH 22, 2025
Taste | 5
Beer School is
in session at
Nautical Bar
and Grill
!he path to master’s degrees in
craft beer appreciation and tasting
menu preparation start this
weekend at Nautical Bar and Grill in
Arnolds Park.
That’s because Beer School is back
in session with the restaurant hosting
Wise I Brewing Company and developing
dishes to perfectly pair with several
brews.
Class is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sunday, March 23, and spots will cost
$60 per person or $100 for a pair.
This is the fifth iteration of Beer
School and head chef Matt Bichel is
looking forward to welcoming everyone
another fun event.
“It’s definitely a good time,” Bichel
Top
OF !HE CLASS
RYLAN HOWE | STAFF WRITER
said. “There is a lot of crowd participation.
We have a quiz and door prizes and From there on,
said.
it’s a great chance for everybody to get it will be taster
to know the beer from Wise I and get to glasses, w ith
know our staff here at Nautical. It’s just a the Caribbean
nice event for people to get out and have Queen up first.
a Sunday Fun Day in the offseason.” “That’s their New England IPA and
The two businesses collaborate on it has a lot of notes of pineapple and
Nautical’s house beer, “Relatively Nauti,” coconut and so I’ve actually learned to
and Beer School attendees will get a make a piña colada out of it,” Bichel said.
chance to a wide selection of Wise I’s “Then we’ll move into the food portion of
other offerings.
the menu.”
In fact, a pint of “Relatively Nauti” will A light summer salad with blueberries,
be the first course on the menu.
candied pecans, mixed greens and goat
“It’s kind of a bonus really right of the cheese will be served alongside “The
gate. I’m not pairing anything with that Laborer,” a Vienne-style lager.
one – it’s just to get everyone a beer in Then it’s time for the appetizer – an
hand while we get things started,” Bichel inspired take on the Portside Planks to
go with “Young Goodman Brown,” Wise
I’s brown ale.
“It’s nice and malty and goes will with
the notes in the pizza crust at Portside,”
Bichel said. “So I’m going to incorporate
that into the dough and make an elevated
version of the planks, something
a little more complex that will complement
the flavor of the brown ale really
well.”
A pair of entrées come next with the
Finn McCool, an Irish Red Ale, playing
along with a classic fish and chips dish.
The second entry will feature birria
tacos paired with “Vinyl Smoke Waves,”
a Schwarzbier with subtle smoked malts
that will pair perfectly smoky beef of the
birria.
“Whenever our kitchen manager
Trevor makes his birria, everyone loves
it, so I feel that’ll be a good showcase
for that, they’ll play off each other nicely
and should be fantastic,” Bichel said.
And finally it will be time for dessert.
The final course will include the “Wise
Olde Candy Shoppe: Peanut Cluster” a
pastry stout alongside soft and chewy
caramels with peanut clusters.
Between and during courses Bichel
will talk about his thought process
behind each dish and how it paired
with each beer, while Wise I brewers
will discuss what goes into the process
of each beer and some history behind
each style.
And since this is Beer School after all,
At a Glance:
WHA!: Beer School with Wise I
Brewing Company
WHERE: Nautical Bar and Grill, 95
W. Broadway St., Arnolds Park, IA
WHEN: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday,
March 23
COS!: $60 per person (or $100
for two)
CON!AC!: 712-332-7879
ONLINE: www.facebook.com/
Nauticalboji
there will be a quiz at end, as well as
door prizes and fun taster glasses for
everyone to take home.
Bichel plans to send Beer School
students home happy, full and having
learned a thing or two along the way. F
Arnolds Park | Iowa

MARCH 22, 2025 | DISCOVER!
6 |
Nature
MARK YOUR
CALEN2ARS!
Getting there:
!HAT: Family Nature Night – Signs of Spring
!HERE: Dickinson County Nature Center, 22785 Nature
Center Road, Okoboji, IA
!HEN: 5 p.m. Friday, March 28
COST: Free
CONTACT: 712-336-6352
ONLINE: www.dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com
Dickinson County
Nature Center hosts
Family Nature Night
on March 28
The feeling of
SPRING
KATE HARLOW
STAFF WRITER
Spring is right around the corner.
The temperature is one indication
and the employees at the Dickinson
County Nature Center have lots more
evidence that spring is coming.
For their next offering of their monthly
Family Nature Night programming, the
Dickinson County Nature Center will
show families the Signs of Spring. The
next edition of Family Nature Night is set
to take place at 5 p.m. Friday, March 28.
The free program is geared toward
families of all ages, and they are asked
to register for the event prior to 5 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26. Register online at
www.dickinsoncountynaturecenter.com.
The event will last for one hour and
families will get to try out different activities
and get time to have fun together.
This is one of the staff’s favorite seasons.
“Spring is a favorite time of year in the
conservation field as nature starts to wake
up,” said Amy Heibult, the community
relations coordinator with the Dickinson
County Conservation Board.
Attendees will get to learn about the
signs of spring both indoors and hopefully
in the great outdoors as well.
“Head outside for a guided hike with
Naturalist Britney to observe the signs
of spring, such as migratory birds, looking
for plants waking up, and listening to
other wildlife sounds. Children will also
create their own butterfly feeders to attract
butterflies right to their own back yard,”
according to the new release.
You will be tasked to use your senses.
“See what sights, sounds, and smells
you can sense while on the guided nature
hike,” Heibult said.
Families will also get to explore the life
cycles of some amphibian friends – frogs
and toads. They will also get to learn more
about what frogs and toads sound like so
that they can identify them by their croaks.
Heibult says there also “will be a creative
station where participants can make
wildflowers and gardens using provided
materials.”
Share the joy of spring in nature at the
Dickinson County Nature Center. F
Okoboji | Iowa

new at the
box office
Limited release movies are not included in “What’s New.” Only films that receive an average “C” or better rating by
movie critics on both coasts and the Midwest are included in “Good Stuff.”
Snow White
PG | 117 min. | ★★★★★
A live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937
film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the
timeless story with beloved characters.
Opus
R | 103 min. | ★★★★★
A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a
legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared thirty
years ago.
good stuff still playing
Novocaine R
110 min.
When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate
Black Bag
Den of Thieves 2:
Pantera
★★★★★
R
Black
★★★★★
R
120 min.
★★★★★
(Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight
to get her back.
Bag is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George
Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the
nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.
Mickey 17
R
137 min.
A disposable employee is sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world
★★★★★
Niflheim. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his
memories intact.
what you can rent or stream
Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie, who is embroiled
in the treacherous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as
they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.
Gladiator 2 R
148 min.
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his
★★★★★
uncle, Lucius, is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the
tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist.
Nosferatu
R
132 min.
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young
★★★★★
woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its
wake.
The Order R
114 min.
In 1983, a series of increasingly violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations,
★★★★★
and armored car heists frightens communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. A
Azrael
R
85 min.
In a world in which no one speaks, a community hunts down a young woman who
★★★★★
DISCOVER! | MARCH 22, 2025
Screen | 7
has escaped their imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, she is to be
sacrificed to pacify an evil which resides deep within the surrounding wilderness.

8 | MARCH 22, 2025 | DISCOVER!
March 20th - April 20th
$5 off
Day Passes
$10 off
Memberships
Spring Special!
DISCOUNT CODE:
SPRING25
Stop into the Gift shop and spin the wheel | purchase tickets Online AT ARNOLDSPARK.COM