CIBS NEWS :: May 2026

MAY 2026

Sunday, May 24 2026 – 2PM @ The Cellar Winery

FREE! Family Friendly! FUN! Come celebrate great music in a perfect setting at the Cellar Winery, Memorial Day Weekend. Admission is FREE! All ages are welcome. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged. Food trucks will be on-site but you’re welcome to bring your own picnic! *NO OUTSIDE ALCOHOL ALLOWED.

LIVE MUSIC featuring
Matthew Curry • Womanish Girl • The Other Brothers

FREE!!!

Sunday, June 21 2026 @ xBK LIVE!

DOORS @5PM/ SHOW @ 6PM – For nearly 40 years together, Blues Hall Of Famers Lil’ Ed Williams and The Blues Imperials—bassist (and Ed’s half brother) James “Pookie” Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton—have been delivering gloriously riotous, intensely emotional, wickedly playful Chicago blues to audiences around the world.

His celebratory slide work, deep blues string bending, fervent vocals and riveting original songs, all powered by The Blues Imperials’ rock-solid, road-tested, telepathic musicianship, are as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets. According to Guitar World, “The band is a snarling boogie-blues machine.” – www.liledblues.com

GET TIX!

CIBS Membership Meetings

7PM on Second Mondays @ Confluence Brewing
1285 Thomas Beck Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315

CIBS members that attend the membership meeting are eligible to win door prizes at the end of the meeting… prizes such as tickets to a blues show, CDs, DVDs, Books, etc. Enjoy some live music after the meeting!

MORE UPCOMING SHOWS

Bryan Farland keeps us all in the live music loop with his
“The List – Live Music in DSM Area”
weekly posts and emails. Thank you Bryan!

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

OPERATIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED IN
PART BY BRAVO GREATER DES MOINES

CORPORATE MEMBERS

CIBS Crew

PRESIDENT
Scott Allen

ADMINISTRATOR
Suzanne Cantrell

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE
& MERCHANDISE
Scott Kirstein

MEMBERSHIP & TALENT
Philip Snyder

EDUCATION
Steve Vasquez

DIRECTOR
Scott Benton

DIRECTOR
Marcus Kirtstein

PRODUCTION
Diane Hoffman

MEDIA
Jen Taylor

IOWA BLUES CHALLENGE
Julie Spong

IOWA BLUES
HALL OF FAME
Terry Cole / Bryan Church

BLUES ANGELS

Beth Bloom
Kim Mason
Roger Morrison
Randi Rae Schulz
Kathy VanderEcken
Jeff “Doc” Wagner

Special Thanks

xBk LIVE!
for renewing as
Corporate Members

Jonann Molloy-Earp
Dewey & Suzanne Cantrell
for renewing as
Contributing Friends

Denise & Dennis Bickford
for joining as
Contributing Friends

Welcome New Members

Jo Pietig

Newelle Nielsen

Hilary Brown & Arthur Orduna

Member Renewals

Kyle Helm

Vicky & Scott Staley

About CIBS

Keeping the Blues Alive through Celebration, Preservation & Education!

The Central Iowa Blues Society was incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 1992 by 200 blues lovers. Our mission is to keep the blues alive through celebration, preservation, and education. We endeavor to increase awareness of and appreciation for blues music by providing a network of association for blues enthusiasts. We recognize and honor our Iowa blues heritage through the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame program. We celebrate blues performance by promoting numerous concerts throughout the year including the Winter Blues Fest and the Iowa Blues Challenge. We strive to educate and ensure the future of the blues through Blues in the Schools.

Central Iowa Blues Society received The Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Award in 2016. Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Blues around the world.

CIBS Address

Central Iowa Blues Society
900 Keosauqua Way, #440
Des Moines, IA 50309