Iowa

Reliving History at Living History Farms

Lucy Williams

 Living History Farms Whether or not you’re a history buff, at some point you’ve probably wondered what it would have been like if you had been born in another time period. But we’re here to tell you that that doesn’t have to be just a daydream. Recreating historical lifestyles is exactly what Living History Farms, an outdoor museum in Iowa, is doing. With live people and lots of land, they’re completely redefining the phrase “history repeats itself.”

Living History Farms’ own history started back in 1970. The 500-acre interactive museum is located in Urbandale, Iowa. Since it’s founding, it has worked to educate, entertain, and connect people of all ages to Midwestern rural life experiences. Using both staff members and volunteers, different time periods are recreated to demonstrate a variety of lived lifestyles from the year 1700 to present day. Within this huge outdoor museum, visitors can view an Ioway Indian Farm from 1700, an 1850 Pioneer Farm, a 1900 Horse-powered farm and a small rural town dated 1875.

“VolunteerLocal has been such a gift.”

In the year 2016, we know how important agriculture is. These recreations of the past are a powerful wayLiving History Farms to enrich public understanding and to engage conversation about the significance of past and present issues in agricultural and rural life. The Living History Farms offer a safe (and not to mention gorgeous) place for individuals, families, and groups from all over the world to view change through time.

For Jan Milroy, Manager of Volunteer Services at Living History Farms, there are a lot of favorite times to enjoy. “I love our historic special events, such as suffrage debates taken from real historical documents between two women. Or our recreation of an 1850 pioneer wedding, including a dance and a special cake! Halloween nights are also a special opportunity for families to trick-or-treat safely, and allows them to view our museum and enjoy our uniqueness.”

“I strongly recommend this to others. I’ll never go back to my old system.”

Living History FarmsBefore switching to VolunteerLocal, Living History Farms was using somewhat prehistoric methods for scheduling volunteers. “I was spending hours upon hours emailing or calling potential volunteers. Often we’d go back and forth and they might end up not getting the slot they wanted,” says Milroy. “Having VolunteerLocal allows potential volunteers to decide on their own, whenever they want and how they would like to participate.”

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to make a change and view changes in time. Sign up now to help with Halloween night!

Photos courtesy of Living History Farms

Read More

3 Iowa Music Festivals You Don’t Want to Miss

kaylee@volunteerlocal.com

This summer, don’t fly over the Midwest – party right on through it. Here are three rockin’ music festivals in Iowa that you definitely don’t want to miss.

Low on cash? Lucky for you, they’re all offering free admission for volunteers. So round up your posse, pair up those party pants with your giving galoshes (sorry, we had to) and head out for some happy volunteering!

While you’re perusing, be sure to check out VolunteerLocal’s Music Festival Spotify playlist, showcasing our favorite songs from this year’s headliners of all three major Iowa music festivals!

80/35 Music Festival

Sign up to volunteer!

8035mf

July 10th – 11th, 2015

For many in Iowa’s capital city of Des Moines, the 80/35 Music Festival is a summertime staple. Aptly named for it’s unique (and rather convenient) location along the intersection of Interstates 80 and 35, this festival has earned a stellar reputation for luring high-profile headliners into the heartland. Included in 80/35’s roster of past performers are The Flaming Lips, Bright Eyes, the Wu-Tang Clan and the Avett Brothers.

2015 Headliners: Weezer, WILCO, St. Lucia and Talib Kweli

 

Hinterland Music Festival

Sign up to volunteer!

HinterlandLogo

July 31st – August 2nd, 2015

If you’ve ever lived in, or visited Iowa in the wintertime – you’ll probably get the joke. Playfully dubbed Hinterland, Iowa’s newest festival is out to prove that this Midwestern state is anything but an unchartered, vast and wintery terrian. Set against the backdrop of Iowa’s gorgeous Water Works Park, Hinterland seeks to integrate elements of art, sculpture, craft vendors and cycling into a traditional music festival format.

2015 Headliners: Old Crow Medicine Show, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

 

Gentlemen of the Road 

Volunteer Opportunities: Coming Soon!

badge-waverly-300x225

June 19th – 20th, 2015

This one may sound like a fancy affair, but trust us: no dress pants allowed. Waverly, Iowa was announced as the second stopover city on the GOTR nationwide tour earlier this year, and attendance is expected to triple the population of Waverly for two whole days. No joke. Want to get in on this action? Sign-up for our Happy Volunteering newsletter and we’ll make sure you’re one of the first to know when volunteer opportunities go live.

Headliners: My Morning Jacket, Mumford & Sons, The Flaming Lips, Dawes

 

 

Read More

Hy-Vee Road Races

kaylee@volunteerlocal.com
Photo cred: Des Moines Register

The second annual Hy-Vee Road Races at the Drake Relays combines three major distance competitions, a 5K race, a 10K race and a Half Marathon – all in one day.

On Sunday, April 27th, Hy-Vee Road Race runners will storm the streets of downtown Des Moines (earning this event it’s namesake). Runners will start and finish their respective courses at the Drake Stadium, home of the Drake Relays. The Hy-Vee Road Races Half Marathon boasts the largest prize-purse in the world, $80,000, with a total prize-purse of $120,000 for all three races combined.

Photo cred: Hy-Vee Road Races

What makes this event truly special, however, is the impact it has on the Greater Des Moines community. “The Hy-Vee Road Races puts Des Moines on the map,” says Michael Zimmerman, a Hy-Vee Road Races Organizer. “We are fortunate to have a company like Hy-Vee that’s willing to offer a huge prize purse, and willing to work with Drake to bring in this great talent to Des Moines.”

The Hy-Vee Road Races brings together athletes of all types. “There isn’t a separate race for the pros,” says Zimmerman. “Everyone stands at the start-line together, and everybody crosses the same finish line.” In addition to the notoriously large prize-purse for the top finishers of each race, this event offers a lot of good prizes for mini-categories, which Zimmerman believes helps to invigorate the local running community. “Des Moines is really a health-centric community,” he says. “And not just in the way that encourages everybody to healthy, but to make the city itself this mecca of fitness.”

The Hy-Vee Road Races is powered by a rock solid volunteer force. “That’s another great thing about putting on events in Des Moines,” Zimmerman adds. “You get so many people who might not be able to participate in the event – but still look to get involved through volunteering.” Whether it’s distributing medals at the finish line, holding it down as a course marshal or working the gear bag station – volunteers make it all happen for the Hy-Vee Road Races.

There are plenty of volunteer spots available – sign up today and get involved in this spring’s biggest, boldest celebration of athleticism!

Read More

Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival

kaylee@volunteerlocal.com

What kind of event sells 12,000 tickets in 42 minutes, with ticket-holders in 41 states and countries as far away as Brazil, China, Denmark and Puerto Rico? Nope, not Justin Bieber. Not even Beyonce. It’s the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, and it happens right here in Des Moines, Iowa.

Photo cred: www.kcci.com

Now in it’s seventh year, ‘BaconFest’ (as it is affectionately coined) has become as much a staple holiday as it is a food group to many of its most devoted fans. This year’s BaconFest staff expect around 13,000 bacon enthusiasts in attendance – and when we say bacon enthusiasts, we mean it.

Each year, BaconFest is produced by the fabulous team at In Any Event, a full-service event planning company in Des Moines. “In Any Event started about ten years ago,” says Mindy Toyne, Owner of In Any Event and Event Director for the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. “Our first event was Des Moines’ Oktoberfest. Since then, large scale public events have become our company’s core focus.”

Photo cred: Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival was born when the original founders (now dubbed the ‘Bacon Board’) sat down with Toyne over a happy afternoon of drinks and brainstorming to hammer out the concept: a festival to celebrate Iowa beer, Iowa bacon and general buffoonery. “It was pretty popular that first year,” says Toyne, “and the next year it doubled in size.”

The Bacon Board continued organizing the event on their own until it became so large that In Any Event needed to jump back in, this time with VolunteerLocal in their toolbox. “We’re able to partner with VolunteerLocal to fill crucial jobs and shifts during our major events,” Toyne explains. “A lot of times our needs from a staffing standpoint can’t be provided through an internal structure, which is what makes volunteers so important to us.”

For Toyne and the entire Bacon Board, however, it’s about more than just the bacon. It’s about improving the quality of life for Central Iowans, supporting local farmers and building that sense of camaraderie in the Midwest. “Many of these events have charity components to them as well,” adds Toyne. “BaconFest is one that gives a considerable amount of money to a handful of charities every year.”

For more festival or ticket sales information go to www.blueribbonbaconfestival.com, “like” Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival on Facebook, or follow @BRBaconfest on Twitter.

OHHHHHH BACON!

Read More

A Call to Service

kaylee@volunteerlocal.com

An innovative approach to encourage volunteerism in the state of Iowa, the “Volunteer Iowa: A Call to Service” campaign seeks to help Iowans understand the individual, as well as the community benefits of philanthropy.

Volunteer Iowa

Gov. Terry Branstad is wearing his game face for this year’s push to increase volunteerism in the state of Iowa. The Volunteer Iowa: A Call to Service program was designed to encourage Iowans to volunteer at least 50 hours each year. That’s a little over 15 hours more than the state average from last year (34.2)– an increase that would bump Iowa from the second highest to the number one state volunteering rate in the country. Iowans are already rising to the challenge. Using the hashtag #WhatsYour50, thousands of tweets have gone viral from the midwest nest, including  those from participants in programs like Reach out to Dropouts and Americorps.

“When Iowans are presented a need and asked to help, Iowans step forward,” says Adam Lounsbury, the Exective Director of the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service. “Through the ‘What’s Your 50?’ Call to Service campaign, we hope Iowans will increase their service activities to 50 hours per year–not just because we want Iowa to be # 1 in volunteering, but because we know that service is the secret ingredient to meeting all of Iowa’s goals for education, job creation, and health.”

By partnering with the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service, the Governor’s office hopes to encourage active volunteerism among Iowa citizens while enabling local charitable, nonprofit, and government organizations to utilize those volunteers more effectively. And hey–we dig that.

But why 50 hours?

Research has proven that 50 hours is the minimum amount of service someone must donate in one year before those handy physical and emotional health benefits start to kick in. Things like a lower risk of mortality, better retention rates for volunteer organizations and an increase in academic achievement among Iowa youth. This Call to Service will not only provide an additional $1 billion worth of services to Iowa, it has the added benefit of making Iowans healthier, happier and smarter. We dig that, too.

In short, Iowa is pretty cool. And next time you think we’re are all like this, remember that we’re pretty good at this, we’re not so bad at that, we’re home to the #1 richest metro area in the nation (and one of the happiest) and frankly, we’re nice.

 

Read More