Featuring Appearances by
Cat Rocketship
Cat Rocketship is an artist and teacher in Des Moines. She draws portraits, is illustrating a tarot deck, organizes the indie craft show Market Day and is a K-12 substitute teacher. Every day, she practices doing handstands and her five-year dream is to throw a mummers parade.
Roger Dahl
Roger Dahl is a semi-retired nonprofit professional, having served for 35 years with American Red Cross and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Dahl’s only prior performance experience came through his church’s musicals back in his home state of Minnesota. Dahl and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 35 years and have two grown daughters, Katherine and Kolleen.
Shylah Statler
Shylah Statler is a big fan of emojis. She is one sixth of the Des Moines Girl Gang leadership team. Statler works to facilitate events and inspire the community through her involvement in projects like Art Terrarium, Skywalk Popup, ZineFest and Market Day.
Tully Jackson
Tully Jackson is a mom and wife, residing in West Des Moines. She is PTO president for Hillside Elementary where her two boys attend school. Jackson works as a training manager at Wells Fargo and enjoys reading, writing, spending time with family, friends and binge-watching shows on Netflix.
Sonya Heitshusen
Sonya Heitshusen is the chief investigative reporter and 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. anchor at WHO-TV. An Eastern Iowa native, Heitshusen has won nine regional Emmy Awards, three regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and has been recognized by the Iowa Broadcast News Association. She has completed two Ironman races and six marathons.
Agenda
February 21, 2017
Besties: Cat Rocketship - 'Skulls, spirits and what you find on a walk'
Cat Rocketship has a weird collection of friends — both living and not so living. Here’s the story of the one that got away.
February 21, 2017
Besties: Roger Dahl - 'The friends who bore you'
Roger Dahl has many friends, but it took him almost a lifetime to realize his very best friends have been alongside him from the moment he drew first breath.
February 21, 2017
Besties: Shylah Statler - 'The love we gain along the way'
Shylah Statler loved her friend’s family, how welcoming and encouraging they were. But she wasn’t prepared for what came next.
February 21, 2017
Besties: Tully Jackson - 'The notorious gang of five'
There’s not much to do in her small town, so Tully Jackson and her childhood friends made their own, starting with a pair of shoes.
February 21, 2017
Besties: Sonya Heitshusen - 'Your next best friend is around the corner'
The loss of her sister was a hole that couldn’t be filled, until Sonya Heitshusen met a plucky, and sometimes annoying, young reporter.