Celebrate Iowa During Fall Festival 2023

Take a moment now and see all that we have to offer you during your Thanksgiving weekend and beyond. You have the opportunity to celebrate Iowa legends, travel to England with Christmas with Mary Berry and pick up financial planning advice from experts - be sure to tune in!

Iowa PBS kicks off the holiday weekend with a broadcast of Kinnick: The Documentary on Thanksgiving evening at 8:30 p.m., which follows the annual broadcast of All-State Music Festival at 7 p.m.  Kinnick tells the story of Iowa legend Nile Kinnick and his time growing up in Adel, football stardom at the University of Iowa and his service and ultimate sacrifice during WW2. During breaks in the program, you'll have the opportunity to pick up tickets to tour Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.  Last year, these tickets sold out in hours so don't delay if you'd like the tour tickets.  

What better way to relax this weekend than reliving some great music from your era? On Saturday, November 25, you can enjoy the following concerts:  Steve and Eydie (wow, remember them?) at 5 p.m., The Highwaymen at 7 p.m., The English Beat at 8:30 p.m., followed by Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia - Live in Concert at 10:30 p.m. On Sunday you have the opportunity to watch Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn at 1 p.m. and How Great Thou Art, A Sacred Celebration at 3 p.m.  Finally, on December 1 at 8:30 p.m., Iowa PBS will broadcast Les Miserables: The Staged Concert at 8:30 p.m. And, as a special treat, you'll have the opportunity to see Les Miserables live at the Des Moines Civic Center when you pledge for tickets. 

Mary Berry, famed host of The Great British Baking Show, takes you to England to celebrate Christmas together in Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas, Sunday, November 26 at 5 p.m.  Be sure to stay tuned in that day and celebrate Christmas with our friends in Yorkshire, when Iowa PBS broadcasts All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales at 8 p.m. 

Lastly, it's not all frivolity on Iowa PBS during Fall Festival - you can tune in to hear expert financial advice on Finance for the People with Paca de Leon on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. 

Take a peak at all of our wonderful thank-you gifts. 

Programming Highlights

Music

• Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn, Sunday, November 26 at 1 p.m. — Barbra Streisand’s 2012 Back to Brooklyn tour highlighted an emotional return to performing in her home borough for the first time since she was in grade school.
• British Beat (My Music), Saturday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. — Rare archival performance films are mixed with new live performances of 1960s British Invasion hits.
• The Highwaymen Live at Nassau Coliseum, Saturday, November 25 at 7 p.m. — Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson shine in this 1990 performance.
• How Great Thou Art, A Sacred Celebration, Sunday, November 26 at 3 p.m. — Filmed at National United Methodist in Washington, D.C., this concert special features performances across classical, pop, Motown and country genres.
• Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia — Live in Concert, Saturday, November 25 at 10:30 p.m. — People Get Ready … for a very special music celebration featuring timeless hits, and soul and R&B superstars.
• Steve & Eydie: Memories of My Mom and Dad, Saturday, November 25 at 5 p.m. — For over six decades, the musical duo of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme has inspired nostalgic memories from the early days of ’50s rock ’n’ roll, ’60s pop, Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and the American Songbook.

Drama

• All Creatures Great and Small: Christmas in the Dales, Sunday, November 26 at 8 p.m. — There’s something magical about the village of Darrowby and the stunning Yorkshire Dales, and this magic is most evident in the holiday finales from the series’ first three seasons.

General

• America’s Home Cooking: Easy Recipes for Thrifty Cooking, Saturday, November 25 at 9:30 a.m. — Chris Fennimore welcomes guest cooks who present recipes that are easy on the cook and the pocketbook.
• England Made With Love, Saturday, November 25 at 3:30 p.m. — Meet the skilled watchmakers, weavers, bookbinders and roof thatchers who teach hands-on skills to the next generation of apprentices.
• Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas, Saturday, November 25 at 11:30 a.m. — Learn how to prepare the perfect three-course Christmas dinner in this merry special filled to the brim with recipes.
• Nature: Woodpeckers: The Hole Story, Wednesday, November 29 at 7 p.m. — Get an intimate look at what makes woodpeckers so special. With over 240 species of woodpeckers identified, explore their unique evolutionary journey and the powerful role they play in every ecosystem except Antarctica and Australia.

History

• Ken Burns: The National Parks, Sunday, November 26 at 11 a.m. — Filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan reveal fascinating behind-the-scenes stories about the making of their film series The National Parks.
• Kinnick: The Documentary, Thursday, November 23 at 8:30 p.m. — The story of Nile Kinnick — child of the Depression, winner of the Heisman Trophy and pilot in World War II — unfolds in cinematic detail in this feature documentary.

Travel

• Hotel Portofino: Touring Portofino, Sunday, November 26 at 6:30 p.m. — Take an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the charming seaside village setting for the Hotel Portofino series.
• Rick Steves’ European Christmas, Saturday, November 25 at 7:30 a.m. — Rick Steves celebrates Christmas in England, France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Lifestyle

• 5 Minute Yoga Fix With Peggy Cappy, Saturday, November 25 at 6:30 a.m. — Learn how to combat the effects of aging in just five minutes a day with stretching, breathwork and strength building to maintain the four pillars that support the structure of our bodies: strength, flexibility, balance and mobility.
• The Brain Gut Connection With Dr. Emeran Mayer, Sunday, November 26 at 6 a.m. — Dr. Emeran Mayer reveals strategies for mental and physical well-being.
• Finance for the People With Paco de Leon, Sunday, November 26 at 9:30 a.m. — Paco de Leon empowers viewers by delivering pragmatic money advice in a straightforward way, accompanied by practical tools so they can begin taking immediate action.

In addition to its statewide broadcast, Iowa PBS .1 is available to livestream on iowapbs.org/watch, pbs.org/livestream, the PBS App, Local Now, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. Iowa PBS programs, behind-the-scenes extras and more can be enjoyed on iowapbs.org, Facebook and YouTube. Viewers can also stream their favorite shows on demand using the PBS App, available on iOS, Android and many streaming devices.