On Tuesday, August 10th, 2010, the joint chamber luncheon will have a special guest, as J. Barry Griswell shares about the work and impact of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines including the Community Foundation’s recent social capital and civility initiatives.

Be sure to put it on your calendar and make your RSVP early as we expect a large group for this powerful presentation.

Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Time: 11:30a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: The Renaissance Hotel Savery Ballroom, Des Moines, IA

Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members.

Click to email your RSVP

The Chamber has reconfigured their LinkedIn Group and invites you to join! Create connections that count with members and find new friends and business contacts.

Check out the video from LinkedIn to learn more about the Groups upgrade.

FREE lunch will be served Downtown on Friday, July 9th, from 11am-1pm in the scenic Western Gateway Park. This year’s LITE Listener Lunch for the Community will mix crispy fried chicken with the amazing art of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

LITE 104.1’s Lite Listener Lunch, presented by Nate Sammler State Farm, will take place at the southeast corner of the park (About 13th and Locust). Listeners will be able to enjoy a free picnic lunch from Dahl’s – Golden Plump fried chicken, Dahl’s famous potato salad, homemade cookies, AE lemonade, and bananas.

Midwestern Remedy, a blue-collar roots rock band will provide the soundtrack to the afternoon and the crowd will have a chance at great prizes from host Lite 104.1!

The event runs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., for quick, easy access to the lunch downtown workers are encouraged to take the free D-Line Shuttle. For more event information visit Lite1041.com.

LITE 104.1 is a member of Des Moines Radio Group, consisting of four FM and two AM stations in Des Moines: 93.3, KIOA; STAR 102.5, KSTZ; LAZER 103.3, KAZR; LITE 104.1, KLTI; PRAISE

Downtown Des Moines is open for the events that are scheduled for this weekend. Several events are planned, including the Gold Wing Road Riders Association Annual Convention, the Yankee Doodle Pops Concert and the 80-35 Music Festival. These activities in addition to the Farmers’ Market shoppers and Iowa Cubs Baseball fans will all enjoy the vibrant ambiance of downtown Des Moines.

Although the city is facing significant increasing levels of water on parts of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, city officials do not anticipate the levees to be topped nor street and bridges in the immediate downtown area to be closed. However, some of the planned events have caused street closures in the downtown area.

Several precautionary measures have been taken to maintain safety along the riverbanks where water levels continue to rise and move at a high speed. The public is advised to keep a safe distance from the riverbanks and honor all signage, barricades, fencing and closures in effect.

“We have several great events planned for downtown this weekend but at the same time we want people to be alert, exercise caution and keep a safe distance from the river banks,” said Des Moines City Manager Richard Clark. “As the river rises, the threat of levee failure increases in parts of the city, particularly the Birdland area and the city is preparing to implement emergency evacuations if it becomes necessary. “We hope evacuations will not be needed, but the city is prepared in the event it occurs,” Clark added.

The city offers the following precautionary guidelines for the public:

• Avoid standing or walking by the river’s edge.
• Be prepared and stay alert to your surroundings should an unforeseen event occur.
• Do not come to an area to just look at the river. There will likely be some type of activity going on around the river and there is no need for undue risk.
• Avoid traveling through already flooded areas or areas in question. Downtown events will increase traffic and any unnecessary traffic will only make it worse.
• Plan your travel routes ahead of time. Due to street closures, which have the possibility of changing each day, other routes may become more congested.