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.
Please follow our blog to learn more about our organization.
The building was constructed in an exposition-style and even after its renovation in 1995, the Ag Building continues to portray the same style. The 1995 restoration involved a new roof, updating all the building’s windows and doors, and brick and mortar work.
For years, the Ag Building has housed the many horticultural and floricultural displays of the Iowa State Fair. It also welcomes visitors of the Butter Cow and each year’s butter sculpture.
What’s your favorite thing to see in the Ag Building?
Add a comment here or on Facebook by 10:00 a.m. June 9 to enter to win a brick at the Ag Building.
At this year’s Corndog Kickoff , we’ll be “Building a Blue Ribbon Tradition,” celebrating all of the renovations that have been done around the Iowa State Fairgrounds. In honor of this, over the next few weeks, we will be posting blogs about the history of several buildings on the Fairgrounds. Each week, you will have the opportunity to win a brick to be placed at the building highlighted that week. Watch for more information in the days to come! We hope you learn a bit more about the history of the Iowa State Fairgrounds and why it’s so important that we preserve these historic buildings!
Hey Fair-lovers! My name is Billy Boyle, and I’m one of the three interns working for the Blue Ribbon Foundation this summer. In the fall I’ll be attending Central College as a senior with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Business Management. I’m really excited to be working here this summer, because I love going to the Fair and now I’ll be here all eleven days!
I started last week, but I’ve already learned a lot, especially about the history of the Fairgrounds. For example, did you know that the Iowa State Fair once had a baby elephant? Her name was Baby Mine, and she first came to the Fair in 1929 where she lived inside the barn at Grandfather’s Farm. Or did you know that there used to be airplane shows in front of the Grandstand? Those stopped around mid-century after such wild shenanigans as when F.F. “Bowser” Frakes, a race-car driver posing as a pilot, crashed his WWI Jenny biplane into a house that had been constructed in front of the Grandstand just to be destroyed. Or how about that some houses in Des Moines contain lumber from the old wooden roller coaster that used to span the grass parking lot between University Ave and the Grandstand?
All in all, my first week has been great. I can’t wait for all the chaos of Fairtime to get here–the long days, the people, the shows and attractions. Slowly but surely, I’m learning the inside outs of putting together various events to raise money for the treasure that is the Iowa State Fair. Only 78 days and counting until the first day, when I can gorge on all that wonderful food! It will be a nice change from the leftovers I usually bring for lunch at the office.
Billy Boyle
First and foremost, let me introduce myself. I am Samantha Liametz, or Sam, one of the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s three interns for this summer. If you have been reading the blogs you already know, I attend Iowa State University majoring in journalism, business management and communication studies. “Why three majors?” many ask. My reasoning is because I figure you can never have enough background.
I have been with the Foundation since the beginning of March only working part-time during the school year. This week, I gratefully welcomed our two other interns, Stefany and Billy, to the Foundation as I finished putting together my final media kits for every newspaper, radio station and television station in the state of Iowa.
“What is so pressing that everyone in the state needs to know about it?” you ask.
I’m glad you asked! Every year, the Blue Ribbon Foundation and Cookies Food Products look for 10 outstanding Iowan volunteers to recognize during the Iowa State Fair. These people are the shining stars of your lives. They personify the greatness of Iowa with a strong work ethic, loyalty to helping others, and an outstanding sense of Iowa pride. Anyone come to mind?
We need your help finding the shining stars of Iowa. By logging on to the Iowan of the Day page, you can find more information about the program including a sample winning nomination packet and a printable nomination form (or click Iowan of the Day – Nomination Form right here to print one!). Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions or would like me to send you a nomination packet at 515-262-3111 ext. 678 or samantha@blueribbonfoundation.org.
I look forward to seeing some amazing Iowans in the upcoming weeks! Until then, have a great weekend, hopefully the weather will be as nice as they predict!
Sam
If you’ve been following our blog since we first started it in January, you’ve probably caught mention of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center in at least a few different posts. We are extremely excited to be opening this state-of-the-art facility for this year’s Fair!
Yesterday KCCI came to the grounds to report progress made on the building. The news crew and Dick Jacobson, the exhibition center’s largest donor, toured the facility to see the stage of construction just 3 months prior to completion. To watch the video coverage, click here.
Also, check out some recent photos of the construction…this facility is going to be phenomenal!
Construction crew member installing the skylight.
View of the building taken from the northwest corner.
The main entrance of the exhibition center located on the west end.
If you’d like to help with the funding of the Jacobson Center, please take a look at our giving program, Block by Block and get your name on the donor wall for this year’s Fair!
Often, we measure our lives in terms of milestones. First day of school. College graduation. First job. The list goes on and on. Tonight, is a personal milestone: my husband is graduating from Iowa State with a Masters in Engineering. After nearly four years of juggling classes, thesis writing as well as a full-time job, it will be completed and we’ll have the diploma in hand! In fairness, I had very little to do with the process itself save for providing moral support, listening to theories about things I don’t understand, and brewing endless pots of coffee. The journey to this large milestone was marked by many, many small ones, all leading up to the final accomplishment.
We’ve reached many milestones at the Fair as well, restoring the Varied Industries Building and the Agriculture Building, reaching a record setting attendance of 1.1 million people, building the Animal Learning Center and opening the Jacobson Exhibition Center. Each year marks a new goal met. Throughout the year, we meet our own smaller milestones too. From record numbers of auction packages at last year’s Corndog Kickoff to a successful Fair to the best Fairgrounds 5K we’ve had, we look forward to each small accomplishment.
As Allyson mentioned previously, we’re down to double digits until the Fair, yikes! That’s a milestone in and of itself! We’ll be working hard to make sure that this year’s Corndog Kickoff and Iowa State Fair are the best yet. Tonight, though, I’m going to be enjoying this personal milestone and looking forward to the future!
After today, it’s only 99 days until the Iowa State Fair! Spring always tends to get me a little anxious about the upcoming Fair, but now that we’re down to double digits, the pressure really sets in!
But, before the Fair, we have the Corndog Kickoff. Countdown: 67 days. For me, the Kickoff might be even a little bit crazier than the Fair. Our duties with the water and merchandise stands during the Fair become a routine operation by the third day or so, but with the Kickoff, you only get one night to make sure everything runs smoothly.
In preparation for the upcoming event I’ve been busy working with our different committees to create photo backdrops, centerpieces, decorate the entrances and the stage. I also coordinate the patron program, communications, set-up, sound, and concessionaires for the event. Emily works with the publicity committee to get the word out and Robin coordinates the live and silent auction. If you’d like to help out by donating to the auction or becoming a Corndog Kickoff Patron, click here!
Tickets for this annual fundraiser, complete with exciting auction packages, fair food sampling, SkyGlider rides and fireworks, will be available online starting May 17th. All proceeds will benefit the renovation and preservation of the Iowa State Fairgrounds!
So, if you can’t wait 99 days to get that deep-fat-fried corn dog, come to the Kickoff on July 10th and get a taste of our pre-Fair party!
My job is so rewarding. I think that’s why I love it so much. So many things I’ve encountered lately have really made me stand back and look at what we do here at the Foundation and how far we’ve come in just a short amount of time.
The other day when I was talking to Emily, she pulled out an old VHS tape and asked me if I had ever seen it before. It was a video made in 1993 by the Foundation titled “Treasure Our Fair,” which was our first major capital campaign for the Foundation. I watched the 8-minute video in awe, seeing all of the history of the Fair unfold and the importance of the creation of the Foundation. In short, due to harsh Iowa weather over the years, the buildings on the Fairgrounds were crumbling slowly. Countless improvements needed to be made to keep our Fair not just up and running, but the best State Fair in the nation.
In addition to the video reminder of our mission, this year’s Corndog Kickoff features the same principle. Our theme “Building a Blue Ribbon Tradition” will highlight the old and the new and the progression we’ve made over the years to make the Iowa State Fair what it is today. I’ve been digging up a few “before and after” photos that I’ll use at the Kickoff:
Ye Old Mill before renovations. Ye Old Mill was renovated in 1996.
Livestock Pavilion before renovations. The Livestock Pavilion was renovated in 2003.
This Sunday, I have the honor fo speaking for a group in Nevada about the Iowa State Fair. As I was pondering what all my 30 minute presentation should cover (because as many of you know, there is a lot to say about the Fair!), I came to the conclusion to talk about what I know best and tell people the blue ribbon story. So many people know the Fair as livestock and corn dogs and it’s so much more than that. It’s family, tradition, competition and celebrating Iowa’s agricultural roots. All which continues to take place because of the improvements to the Fairgrounds that have been made possible by our loyal supporters. Thank you all for your love of the Iowa State Fair and for making my job so meaningful and fun!
There were times this winter when I wondered if we would ever see sunshine again! Take a quick drive around the Fairgrounds, though, and it doesn’t take long to see that with the warm weather we’ve been having, spring does in fact seem to be here, finally! Take a look at the spring scenes around the grounds:
Next time you’re on the Fairgrounds, take a minute to enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of spring! The Fairgrounds are sure to change as the Fair draws closer! Enjoy the beautiful weather today!
Patrons at the 2009 Kickoff had 43 live and over 100 silent auction packages to bid on. From backstage concert passes to a private patio party or sculpting the tail of the butter cow, there's something for everyone!
Planning is well underway for the 14th annual Corndog Kickoff Benefit Auction and Fair Food Grazing Party, slated for Saturday, July 10. Though it might seem we start working on the Kickoff in February, I actually don’t think there is a time during the year when we don’t give the event some thought. For me, I am always looking for ideas for the auction – in newspapers, magazines, festivals, art shows, etc. – if something catches my eye I always try and get a card or contact information.
This is my eleventh year of working on the auction and boy has it grown. My first Kickoff was in 2000, the last year the event was held in Pioneer Hall, with an attendance around 600. From there we moved to the Agriculture Building and then to the VI Building and now we take up almost 3/4 of it! Last year’s attendance was right at 1500! Just like the Fair, we try to keep some of the traditional aspects yet always provide something new. And, I have to admit that trying to come up with new auction package ideas is sometimes a struggle, especially as we seem to keep raising the bar. Thankfully we have a group of great volunteers who help provide a spark and come up with some excellent packages through their hard work and contacts.
In coming up with auction ideas, the sky is the limit. We throw out ideas like tickets to the Kentucky Derby, vacation homes in Arizona, free airfare anywhere in the US, suites at professional sporting events….whatever we can dream up. And then the challenge is to see who’s network might be able to come up with something plus a bit of chutzpah to see who might try the cold call approach. Our version of the “7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game only it’s “7 Degrees of Connection to the Fair.” This year my goal is to crack the cruise industry and it’s proving to be a tough nut. (And I have to be honest, I’ve been trying for the Kentucky Derby tickets now for three years and have struck out.)
So, if you have any ideas, we would love to hear them. Or, even better, if you would like to donate something to the auction, feel free to contact me! I’ve always said, you don’t have be on the auction committee to help with the auction.