Learning from the Past

Traditionally, spring cleaning happens after the winter months. At the Blue Ribbon Foundation, spring will be the start to my busy season so I decided to clean my office closet this week. I started by reorganizing previous Corndog Kickoff binders. Sitting on the closet shelf were 17 years worth of notes, contracts, ideas, marketing materials, floor plans, sign-up sheets, etc. The shelf was overdue for a cleaning.

The very first Corndog Kickoff was held in Pioneer Hall in 1997. The 460 attendees bid on 20 live and 43 silent auction packages, and raised more than $67,000 for the Iowa State Fair. Every year the number of guests, supporters, auction packages, and overall excitement for the event increases!

Last year the Corndog Kickoff raised a record high of $416,000 for the renovation and preservation of the Iowa State Fairgrounds. More than 1,600 Iowa State Fair fans attended the 17th annual event. The Blue Ribbon Foundation auctioned off 31 live and 191 silent auction packages for totals of $140,450 and $46,045, respectively. Patron contributions also set a new record of $187,250. The remaining funds consisted of ticket and merchandise sales.

Unique to the Foundation’s fundraising event is that a new theme is created for each year. Previous staff members have gone above and beyond with their creativity.  Themes have consisted of camping, the Butter Cow, building renovations, food, and practically anything Fair related.

I attended my first Corndog Kickoff as an intern in 2011 and helped with the auction. The last two years I sold bandanas as part of the “Rags for Riches 50/50 raffle game”. When I took the job with the Foundation, I was confident in my ability to manage the Foundation’s communication efforts and the various giving programs. Event planning was new to me, but the Fairgrounds 5K was a nice small event to get me started. When it comes to the Corndog Kickoff, I get an entirely new kind of nervous. I am thankful for the experienced staff, supportive volunteers, and my predecessor’s excellent notes. So far, I have picked a theme for this year’s event and I have started brainstorming ideas. The event is still 164 days away, but I have invitations, tickets, volunteers, decorations, food, and centerpieces on my mind.

The 2014 Corndog Kickoff will be Saturday, July 12. If you are a regular attendee, I hope to see you again. If you are thinking about attending for the first time, I promise you won’t be disappointed! As I finish up organizing the previous year’s information, I will continue to learn about the past events to make this year’s Corndog Kickoff the best one yet.  

Below are a few pictures I found while cleaning today. 

John Putney, BRF Executive Director, promoting the very first Corndog Kickoff on the golf course during the Foundation’s 1997 golf outing.

Emily and John Putney at the 1999 Corndog Kickoff.

Volunteers, Margo and Chris Fox, standing by the spin wheel at the 2002 Corndog Kickoff.