Welcome to the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation’s blog!
We are a non-profit organization with a mission to raise funds for the renovation and preservation of the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds. Since our inception in 1993, the Foundation has raised more than $200 million through individual contributions, state appropriations, in-kind services, and corporate, federal and state grants.
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What are you doing on July 12? If you don’t have plans, you do now! Saturday, July 12 will be the 18th Annual Corndog Kickoff and Fair Food Grazing Party at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. It’s the perfect way to gear up for this year’s Fair! Enjoy a night of Fair food, auction packages, Sky Glider rides, and fireworks. To order tickets, fill out an order form online, or call the Blue Ribbon Foundation at 515-262-3111 ext. 671. It will be a night to remember, so be sure to order your tickets soon.
As someone who has never been to the Corndog Kickoff before, to say I am excited is a huge understatement. I am elated, ecstatic, joyous, anxious, a little nervous, and so many other emotions! Everyone at the Blue Ribbon Foundation is in full preparation mode for the Corndog Kickoff. Donations keep rolling in and everyone is busy putting together packages and materials for the Kickoff. I personally am working on making bid sheets and description sheets for all of the packages, as well as making sure we have all of the forms and donations for the packages. It has been quite a bit of work, but I can’t wait to see the final product. We will all be Rock’ n Round the Grounds at the 2014 Corndog Kickoff and we can’t wait to see you there.
-Emily
Can you believe it? One month until the Corndog Kickoff! In my mind, that means thirty days until I can stuff my face with my Fair food favorites—hot beef sundaes, funnel cakes, and chocolate chip cookies. I’m hungry just thinking about it! Food isn’t the only thing to look forward to next month at the big event. You can check out the entertainment, fireworks, and even catch a ride on the Sky Glider throughout the evening.
If you are anything like me, I’ll jump at any chance to get a small taste of the Iowa State Fair. So don’t forget—buy your tickets now!
When you do come to the Corndog Kickoff (which I know you will), feel free to browse our awesome auction line-up. You can find highlighted packages under the auction tab on the Blue Ribbon Foundation website. Here are just a couple packages to look for when you arrive!
“RIDE ON”
A day of exciting thrills awaits you the Iowa State Fair with this package filled with tickets to your favorite rides. It includes:
• Two Belle City Midway mega passes as well as two rides each on the Sky Coaster, Sling Shot, Rock Wall and Euro Bungee.
• Four passes each for Ye Old Mill, the SkyGlider, Zipline and the Big Slide.
• Gate admission for two and a parking pass.
Donated by Belle City Amusements, Amusement Management, Inc., SkyFair, the Big Slide and the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation
“ THE DUKE”
Spend an afternoon in Winterset, Iowa and peak into the life of John Wayne! In addition to your visit, your package includes four John Wayne DVDs, two bottles of Covered Bridge win, a John Wayne t-shirt and coffee mug.
Donated by John Wayne Birthplace
Be sure to check back on our Corndog Kickoff auction page as well as our Facebook page where I will be highlighting more of our great packages available for you to purchase on Saturday, July 12. There is something for just about everyone, so be sure you don't miss out!
Happy Monday! Here’s to the start of a brand new week. I know Mondays tend to be the dreaded day of the week; but not for me, and not this week. I had a really great weekend and was ready to come back to work. It will be another busy week, but I am ready to take it on! This weekend I went to an I-Cubs game with my family. It was a perfect summer night, complete with a ballpark hotdog and some good ol’ all-American baseball.
Baseball happens to not only be one of my favorite summer hobbies, but also the theme for our Iowan of the Day program this year. Being at the game, in the baseball atmosphere, I found myself thinking about some of the All-Star nominations I have been reading. These nominees have racked up countless hours of volunteering, numerous service awards, and an infinite amount of dedication to bettering their communities. There have been so many amazing nominations; it makes me extremely proud to say I live in the state of Iowa. It will be tough for our committee to pick just 10 winners because everyone’s nominations have been so great. If you haven’t sent in a nomination yet for the All-Star in your community, you still have three weeks to do so. You can find examples of supplemental materials online. These can include photos of your nominee, newspaper articles, awards, etc., anything to showcase the greatness of your All-Star. All nominations must be received by July, 1. With only three weeks to go, I am eager to continue receiving nominations. Though more nominations make it harder for the committee to pick just 10, it makes me fill with more and more pride. Thank you to everyone for all of your hard work and selflessness. It is people like you that make Iowa such a wonderful place to live.
-Emily
Oink! Oink! There is much excitement going on this week at the Iowa State Fairgrounds as the National Pork Producers Council is hosting the 26th Annual World Pork Expo, which has brought producers from all corners of the world and industry experts to share ideas, exhibit new technologies, and celebrate one of my favorite foods—the “other white meat.” Growing up on a hog farm, I felt a little closer to my home while driving to work this morning. In the midst of living in Des Moines metro area, it was certainly a nice change of pace to see a few pairs of boots, smell the wood shavings at the hog show, and, of course, eat a good ‘ole pulled pork sandwich today at lunch.
If you need to know anything about me, everyone in my family could tell you that I absolutely love food—especially when it entails something sweet. At the Fair a few years ago, I was one of the first people in line at the infamous “Fried Butter” stand. Today was no different, and I made the hike down the Grand Concourse to try out the “Bacon Wonderbar” with my fellow interns Emily and Stephanie. Lucky for me, my older sister, Sterling, is an exhibitor with her company at the Expo this year and was willing to sample the delicacy with us, a chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar with bacon bits to top it off! I have to admit, it was not too shabby. After all, everything is better with bacon, right?
If you can’t make it to the World Expo this week, there is another chance for you to check out the Fairgrounds, maybe sample some food oddities, at the 18th Annual Corndog Kickoff on July 12. I can’t guarantee there will be any Maple Bacon ice cream, but I am certain there will be some of your other Fair food favorites for you to “pig out” on! Be sure to get your tickets soon at the Blue Ribbon Foundation website or by giving us a call at 1-800-450-3732.
When someone mentions the Iowa State Fairgrounds, what do you think of? Food on a stick? The Giant Yellow Slide? The Butter Cow? Well, what about pork. The Iowa State Fairgrounds is the home of the amazing Iowa State Fair, but it is also home to many other events as well. And one of them is literally days away! The World Pork Expo has arrived, and starting on Wednesday, people from all over will drive through the gates of the Fair to enjoy it. I was doing a little light reading on the Pork Expo, and people come from literally all over the world for this event. There was an FAQ about it and one of the questions was, “what paperwork do I need to get into the US?” As someone who is from the Des Moines area, but never been to the Pork Expo, I was blown away by this question. I guess I have been really missing out all my life. Well, not this year! I am eager to see what all of the buzz is about, and not to mention eat some really great food.
While we’re on the subject of buzz, have you heard the buzz about the Iowan of the Day program? It’s the Blue Ribbon Foundation and Cookies Food Products’ way of honoring Iowans who are the best of the best. They have a strong work ethic and sense of Iowa Pride, are heavily involved in their community, and have many personal achievements, among other things. If this sounds like someone you know, then be sure to nominate them! The 10 winners will receive $200 cash, an introduction on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage, four Grandstand concert tickets for their award day, use of the Iowan of the Day golf cart, VIP parking, accommodations at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott hotel, and a one-year subscription to The Iowan and Iowa Gardening magazine. Don’t let those deserving of this award go another day unnoticed; nominate your all-star for this year’s Iowan of the Day!
-Emily
John Putney and 2013 Iowan of the Day winner Keith Sash on the Iowan of the Day golf cart
I can’t believe it’s the end of May, and I have been here three weeks!!! Time is flying by. They sure know how to keep us busy here, which helps the “time flying by” thing too. Volunteer forms have been coming in like crazy. Spots have been filling up, and almost all the 9am – 1pm shifts have been filled! This is wonderful news, but I do hope some other volunteers are really looking forward to the 1pm – 5pm or 5pm – 9pm shifts. Today is also a big day as the 2014 Corndog Kickoff volunteer letters are to be mailed out. I have received numerous emails and phone calls about volunteering at this event, so hopefully these letters reassure everyone that they have not been forgotten and they haven’t missed anything yet. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend, and don’t forget to send in those volunteer forms!!
-Stephanie
I hope everyone enjoyed their long Memorial Day weekend!
The weather may be a little cloudy outside, but that hasn’t put a damper on the mood of the Foundation staff. Everyone is busy working in anticipation of the upcoming Corndog Kickoff. July, 12 may seem like it’s far away, but there is a lot of work to be done to pull off this huge event. From making phone calls to possible donors, to updating donation forms in a database, to actually picking up and organizing auction packages, everyone has something to do. I’ve had the privilege of seeing some of the auction packages as they have come into the office, and let me tell you, they are pretty cool! If you are interested in being part of the 18th annual Corndog Kickoff you still have plenty of time to buy tickets. Tickets are $75 prior to June, 30 and $100 after that; they can be ordered online. Not only does this event include a live and silent auction, it also includes a variety of Fair foods. What better way to get excited for the 2014 Iowa State Fair than by eating a bunch of your favorite Fair foods. I know all this Corndog Kickoff talk is certainly getting me excited for all that is to come. I cannot wait for both the Corndog Kickoff and the Iowa State Fair. Seeing all of our hard work pay off will be truly amazing!
-Emily
Some of last year's Corndog Kickoff Auction Packages