Hy-Vee sponsors one of the biggest triathlons in the country – right here in Des Moines. According the the race officials, 20-30,o00 people are expected to pass through the East Village this Sunday. Wow ! We went down to the East Village last year during the Triathlon – it was humming with activity. There were a lot of vendors with energy drinks and athletic products they were promoting. This year, there will be a jumbo-tron screen in the East Village to watch the swimming that will take place at Grays’ Lake. Course maps and complete info is available here. The Triathlon kick-off begins with a free concert at City Hall, Friday Aut 31st with an opening act at 7:00 pm and the band Soul Asylum at 8:15. If that’s not enough to draw you to the East Village this weekend, Sunday Bazaar season starts Sept 2. This week only, it begins at 10:00 AM. The usual time will be Sunday afternoons from noon-4:00, through October on East 5th St. It’s a great event to enjoy free music and peruse the artisitic wares of local vendors
Having lived on the east side of Des Moines for the past 30+ years, I’ve come to realize there are 2 types of people. State Fair goers and everybody else. There are just a certain per-cent of the population that attend the fair – at least once- if not more times every year. Only a cataclysmic event would keep them from attending. And this is not just “east-siders”, its across the state. There are sub-cultures at the fair. The carnies – the traveling guys who put up those rides and hawk their wares and try the darndest to get you to part with your money. Successful Email Marketing Boot Camp Then there is another level of people trying to take your money – the guys doing cooking demos, the Vita-Mixer guy, the salsa maker guy, the massage chair, the freezie maker – etc. There are the 4-H kids in the barns that wash and dry the animals, put fans on them, spray their hooves – treat them royally. These kids love to play tricks on the “city-slickers”, catch them off-guard by dropping a rubber spider from the rafters and watch our reaction! The campers – a city onto itself. Wow – have you driven through there? Or take the big John Deere wagon up for a look-see. People pass their camping sites down through generations, a 10 yr. waiting list! They decorate, construct decks, the appear to defy gravity stuck on the side of the hill and still level. Outside there are the car-parking-hawkers. They wave canes, wave flags, wear costumes, lure you in with the promise of a shuttle to and from, sell refreshments, offer to tatoo you and your kids for a nominal fee. Front and back yards are plotted out with precision to get the most revenue from the window of time available. My family are fair-goers. You either love it or you don’t. Comment about your favorite sub-culture.
Just like the Carly Simon song – Anticipation… Keeping Me Waiting… These are the Good Ole Days! The Iowa State Fair starts Thur. I cut through the fairgrounds all the time, avoiding traffic, driving through my own oasis of fond memories on my way home to Pleasant Hill. This time of year, it’s fun to watch the activity increase, the familiar stands appear, people already enjoying corndogs, the campers arrive – it all leads to the anticipation of the once a year event.
What’s your favoriate activity? Food? Free entertainment? Vendor demonstration? My favorite food is the cappacola sandwich at Crescenti’s. You must try it, it’s the best! Free entertainment – The wandering One Man Band – amazing exhibition of coordination, if not musical ability! Vendor demonstration – two are our faves. Outside the Varied Industries – the Salsa Maker man. Inside the Agriculture building, upper level – the Vita Mixer. We loved the demo so much, we bought one. And yes, after 6 years, we still use it!
Would love to know your favorite sights, smells, sounds –
Have you looked up instructions for DIY projects on the internet? Someone recently told me about a great way to cook Iowa corn on the cob in the microwave before husking. She said it cooks beautifully, and the husks and silk wipe clean eliminating the unpopular step of husking. “Just look on You-Tube. There’s a tutorial with an old man who walks you through the process.” I found a great recipe for meat-stuffed jalapenos, wrapped in bacon and glazed with honey and Bar-b-que. When someone asked me for the recipe – I went to the website, printed the recipe and passed it to her. I volunteer sorting books at the Hope Ministries Bargain Center. We can’t give a set of encyclopedias away – they go into the re-cycle bin. Who needs a set of books when you can “google” the topic and have the info in nano-seconds. Home-made bombs in mailboxes – now that’s the ugly information available on You Tube. Infomation on how to hack accounts, how to steal, how to trick Grandma into sending a check to help her favorite grandchild (or so she thinks…) in a precarious predicament. That is the dark side to the infomation highway. The ability to send X-Rated emails to your lover from the work computer and receiving the instant gratification of the illlicit response. Character counts. And what we do when we think no one is looking reveals our true character.
Hy-Vee sponsors one of the biggest triathlons in the country – right here in Des Moines. According the the race officials, 20-30,o00 people are expected to pass through the East Village this Sunday. Wow ! We went down to the East Village last year during the Triathlon – it was humming with activity. There were a lot of vendors with energy drinks and athletic products they were promoting. This year, there will be a jumbo-tron screen in the East Village to watch the swimming that will take place at Grays’ Lake. Course maps and complete info is available here. The Triathlon kick-off begins with a free concert at City Hall, Friday Aut 31st with an opening act at 7:00 pm and the band Soul Asylum at 8:15. If that’s not enough to draw you to the East Village this weekend, Sunday Bazaar season starts Sept 2. This week only, it begins at 10:00 AM. The usual time will be Sunday afternoons from noon-4:00, through October on East 5th St. It’s a great event to enjoy free music and peruse the artisitic wares of local vendors
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