What has happened? Part 2

Dan Wardell hosts Cameron McCoy in the IPTV Kids Clubhouse during Festival 2012.

Apparently, I left out a few things from the month of March in my last post.

There was the rushing of the bishop, the conversation with a son-of-a-bishop and the texts with the bishop’s assistant. We also drove past the site of the last Bishop’s in the QC where the legendary voice of Ed Lewis asked, “How do you say goodbye to chocolate pie?” on the last day of restaurant in Duck Creek Mall. Ed was interviewing customers on that last day at the place with the great dessert. And table lamps.

I love lamp.

Seriously, I liked the movie “Anchorman”, but what will they do in “Anchorman 2″ to make it funny? Murph and Andy on KXNO/WHO-HD are correct, how many comedy sequels are funny? How many of them turn into the Baby Ruth in the pool?

I did work the month of March at IPTV. That month is kind of a big deal for us. It is Festival. I don’t have direct responsibilities those days, but Market To Market keeps churning out the hits like oil, gas, commodities … squirrel!

The POET ethanol facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

This story was last week’s adventure from my boss, John Nichols.

Fellow producer Dave Miller and I took a road trip to Emmetsburg for a groundbreaking of a new ethanol facility in northwest Iowa. It was weird to see no snow that far north in mid-March.

I took Murder’s Row to Waverly for a meeting. Thanks to Jesse Gavin for the name.

We saw a touching tribute about former Wartburg All-American wrestler Aaron Wernimont as done by a Wartburg TV student.

I discovered Gotye. You can see him on Saturday Night Live later this month.

And this old commercial from Ameritrade.

I found that one night while on the treadmill. I’ve been reviewing all my VHS tapes to pare down the stacks of stuff I have everywhere.

That sounds like something I should have done in the month of March while being snowed in my house.

Day 1 at the Iowa State Fair 2010

Jacobson Building Dedication.

My first day of the 2010 Iowa State Fair is complete.

I didn’t melt, even if it was 149 degrees in the shade. It was 238 degrees in the Ag Building.

I didn’t pass out, but I did have fun at the fair, which is a requirement.

Many thanks to John Torpy for the lovely pictures for Iowa Public Television. He’s the one in yellow risking his life in front of a team of black horses.

John and I hit the opening of the new Jacobson Exhibition Center, the 4-H building and the butter cow. You can expect all of those features in this year’s Iowa Public Television’s Iowa State Fair Coverage. The nightly IPTV fair shows begin Monday at 9p.

We hope you like our Blue Ribbon Coverage.

I’ll be back out to the fair on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Will you be there any of those days?

Tuesday I’ll be covering the wood chopping event at Pioneer Hall on the grounds’ east side. That is an afternoon event.

Levi will make his ISF debut on Wednesday as we take the stroller through the grounds with Noah, Amy and myself.

Then Thursday, I’ll be at the Bill Riley stage for the pie eating contest.

Maybe I’ll see you at the fair. Regardless, enjoy a true Iowa treasure.

Butter Cow 2010 Iowa State Fair

One of the great parts of my job at Iowa Public Television is I get paid to go to the Iowa State Fair.

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone here, but I’d probably go for free if I had to.

This year, I’ve got a few fair stories to work up for our IPTV Fair 2010 Coverage.

I’ve met the Goodman family near Rose Hill and gotten a tour of the Jacobson Exhibition Center this summer ahead of the Fair. Then during the fair, I’ll be giving you a snapshot of what happens in the 4-H building, the pie eating contest and the wood chopping event.

The traditional view of the Butter Cow.

But nothing compares to the Butter Cow.
This year, I get my turn doing the annual piece on the butter bow.

I’m trying something a bit different with the feature and giving you a look at the cow in transition, or in progress and not just the final day before the fair opens.

I’ve tried to get into the Ag building a couple of times this summer. The first time, I was inside before anything was happening. The second time was when Sarah Pratt got started on the 2010 Iowa State Fair Butter Cow.

Steve Carns gets a close up of Sarah Pratt beginning work on the Butter Cow. For the record, the sculpture is not solid butter. The backside is not created, just wood and wire mesh.

Steve Carns and I visited her on the second day of on-site work the last week of July. You may have seen the pictures recently of the creation, here’s the whole post.

Speaking of pictures, be sure to get your picture with the butter cow and send it to us here at IPTV. We want to see your pictures of you enjoying the fair. Double points if you get a picture with a IPTV crew person.

And speaking of pictures, like the talking ones, the Butter Cow is headed to the big screen in a new movie called “Butter” starring Jennifer Garner among other big names. Thanks to KCCI’s Eric Hanson for the story.

Behind the wire mesh of the Butter Cow.

Work on the butter cow starts before the first glob of butter is applied to the wire mesh frame. There’s planning and design of the frame, the actual picking of the cow and additional creation and scouting of cows to find the perfect one. This year’s choice, a jersey.

The frame that Pratt is using is the same one used for years, but this is the first time she’s modified the mesh dramatically since taking over from legendary Iowan Norma “Duffy” Lyon. This year, Pratt wants to make the cow look a little lower and not in the “show” position of years past and more of a cow in a pasture pose.

Pratt is originally from Toledo, Iowa, but now lives in West Des Moines. She grew up knowing the Lyon family and 20 years ago, she got her first assistant experience with Duffy Lyon. Pratt first was assigned to melt the frozen butter. The second year she was allowed to rinse out the butter buckets and was then trained a bit more each year on the sculpting side of the cow.

Bucket of Butter. Sweet corn sold separately.

By the way, that’s a bucket of butter right there.

Over a 15-year period, her experiences intensified to finishing the butter creation by polishing the sculpture.

Pratt officially became the Fair’s 4th Butter Cow Lady in 2006. The 2011 Iowa State Fair will be the 100th anniversary of the first butter cow at the Iowa State Fair. There’s not been 100 butter cows, as the sculpting took a hiatus during a few years of World War II. Pratt is already thinking about what to create for next year’s event, by the way.

Sarah likes the first few days of the building process because it is a chance to start in the quiet of the Ag building and see how the exhibits start to appear and the building comes to life before the fair, then the actual fair.

During that time, Pratt will apply 600 pounds of butter out of buckets and onto the wire mesh. She has to keep the room cold, 42 degrees is ideal. If any warmer, the butter will start to pull away, almost melt, off the mesh. The most trouble spots is underneath the cow. Last year, Pratt had a little repair job to do. She said one year during Duffy’s years, repairs had to be made in the middle of the fair.

Here’s a few fun facts about the butter cow we learned last week:

• The butter will be recycled from year to year.
• The average length of butter is good for 10 years.
• Each year the butter is stored in cold storage. Any mold spots will be picked out and replaced.
• If you took a knife to the cow for your bread, you’d have 19,200 slices of toast.
• Pratt uses low-moisture, Iowa produced butter.
• Betty White was considered for a sculpture after several requests were made.
• Sarah hurt her hand the first day of sculpting, but the cold butter has made it feel better.

Thanks to all of you asked questions last week for me to ask Sarah via Twitter and Facebook. That was pretty cool of all of you.

Sophia Ahmad dared me to eat the butter. No dice. I did touch it though.

Connie Jones wanted to know “if they recycle the butter into next year’s sculpture?” That is true. This year, the average age of the butter is 6 years.

Michael Graham wanted to know: “Salted or unsalted butter?” Salted, Michael.

Alan Campbell had a revealing statement: “I know it’s a “duh” moment…but never realized that thing was on a wood/wire frame. Interesting how they get it to “stick.” The butter really just goes on in layers and sticks a little at a time, with the wire mesh being the biggest help.

This question from Shannon Miller made Sarah Pratt laugh, but it wasn’t the first time she’d been asked, “Does she EVEN like butter…I wouldn’t after all that. “
Shannon, Sarah said she does like butter. She prefers it over margarine.

Kel Anne Davis had her questions answered early. Thanks for “How does one train to sculpt butter? Do you have to be in a refrigerator as you work?”

Susan Thomsen how long is the butter good for sculpting with? can you recycle it for other cows?

This year’s second sculpture will feature Dr. Seuss and some creations from his books.

Again, if you go see the butter cow, get your picture in front of the cow and post it on the IPTV Facebook page or send it to our Twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/IowaPublicTV

You can see this story soon.

IPTV’s Fair coverage will air August 16-21 at 9:00 p.m. and repeat nightly at 10:30 p.m. On August 22 each of the six programs will air preceding the State Fair Talent Search at 8:00 p.m.

Dan Wardell is everywhere

Dan Wardell and his beach balls.

He’ll soon be all across the state, but for now, he’s all over the media.

I’ve known Mr. Dan Wardell for a long time and now he’s a co-worker as well. Dan Wardell and I also went to Wartburg College together. There, my full-disclosure is done.

He’s about to hit the road on his Reading Road Trip. he’s also got a great site at IPTV called the Dantastic Blog. He’ll be bringing out the beach balls to a library near you.

How he picked all those libraries was an ordeal. The back story is here. Here is a map of all the locations Dan is visiting this summer. Just click on a big green pin to see the details of the visit. If you’ve never experienced a visit with Dan before, do it. He’s high energy, good creativity and a good message. Last year he talked about how squids will grow in your mouth if you watch too much television. That one still works on Noah. We have him open up his mouth after watching TV.

Noah plays his kazoo that Dan gave him.

Hopefully the beach balls will be a quieter prize for the kids this summer. If you go to a Reading Roadtrip stop this year, you’ll get to take home a beach ball. Last year it was a kazoo. Noah’s kazoo broke after a good amount of use. I had a friend tell me his kids’ kazoo’s disappeared after a few hours of use.

But he’s also getting some attention in other ways.

One would be a blog post from Brianne Sanchez of Des Moines’ Juice. That is a publication of the Des Moines Register. The story she’s working on is about Father’s Day and will be featuring Dan as one of the dads in her story.

Dan’s wife Melissa, also a Wartburg grad, was featured Wednesday in the Des Moines Register. Her article was about teaching sign language for younger children. She’s working on teaching hearing children how to use sign language.

So get ready for the Reading Road Trip, coming your way soon.

And who could forget Levi’s TV debut during the Kids Clubhouse during Festival 2010. Levi’s spot was here.

Noah got to be in this spot.

President Obama to Ottumwa

President Barack Obama is coming back to Iowa on Tuesday. He’ll be coming to Ft. Madison, Mt. Pleasant and Ottumwa. Iowa Public Television will be there at two of those stops. The first stop in Ft. Madison will be documented by Chris Gourley.

Our larger crew will be in Ottumwa to cover the town hall meeting. That will air on our IPTV World or .3 channel as it happens Tuesday afternoon. That will be around 4p. Then we’ll replay the President’s remarks at 8p follow that up with a discussion in our studio.

You will be able to view the President’s Speech and Town Hall in Iowa by going to our Iowa Public Television website of http://www.iptv.org

Here’s the official release from the IPTV press shop.

Iowa Public Television Coverage of
President Obama’s Town-Hall Meeting in Ottumwa

Presidential Town-Hall Covered Live on IPTV WORLD at 4 p.m.
Rebroadcast with a Follow-Up Program on IPTV at 8 p.m.

(Johnston, Iowa)  – Iowa Public Television will provide live coverage of President Obama’s town-hall meeting at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa on Tuesday, April 27 at 4 p.m.

The town-hall meeting will be broadcast live on IPTV WORLD (.3 or Mediacom channel 119), at approximately 4 p.m. The meeting will be rebroadcast on Iowa Public Television (.1) that evening at 8, followed by a special edition of The Iowa Journal to discuss the issues raised during the Ottumwa event. In the studio to discuss how the president’s visit and proposals may play out in rural Iowa are two guests: Iowa State University Staff Research Economist David Swenson, and Bill Brown, chairman of the board of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

Calling his trip to the Midwest the “White House to Main Street Tour,” President Obama will make three stops in Iowa, culminating with a town-hall meeting where he is expected to focus on the rural economy.  The speech will be followed by questions from the audience.

For inquiries about the broadcast, or for information about the availability of this coverage online, contact Jennifer Konfrst at 515-242-3146.

The President is planning to spend the night in Des Moines before flying to Missouri for another economic event. WHO-TV reporter Dave Price says the President will be at a reception at Baby Boomer’s for staffer David Axelrod. Here’s Dave’s post.

The last time President Obama was in Iowa, he was talking healthcare while in Iowa City. IPTV also carried that event. You can watch the speech and the Iowa Journal discussion that followed here.

IPTV This Weekend April 24, 2010

A candidate for Governor, Farm bill priorities, and piano performers are the highlights the next few days on Iowa Public Television.

Also, if you’re looking for the Iowa Journal videos from our Food, Inc. discussion, you can click here.

Here’s the official release:

Tonight at 6:30 The Iowa Journal looks at unique and innovative ways Iowans are trying to work, live, and play in ways that are more environmentally friendly.

At 7:30 tonight, watch Iowa Press as the statehouse reporters interview Bob Vander Plaats (R-Sioux City), a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor.

Then tonight at 8, Market to Market reports on how strong export numbers are supporting a rally in grain and oilseed markets; Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack outlines his priorities for the next Farm Bill; and an outspoken author squares off with a Missouri farmer on the merits of production agriculture.

On Sunday at 9:30 p.m., tune in for Studio III Presents: The Two Davids. This program features David Liljedahl and David T. Piersel on the piano.

2010 Terrace Hill Piano Competition will air on Monday at 8 p.m. This performance features the three finalists in the annual high school music competition.

On Monday at 9 p.m., My Lai: American Experience examines one of the darkest chapters of the Vietnam War—the 1968 My Lai massacre, its cover-up and the soldiers who broke rank to halt the atrocities.

In the aftermath of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, NOVA presents Mind Over Money—an entertaining and penetrating exploration of why mainstream economists failed to predict the crash of 2008 and why we so often make irrational financial decisions. It airs Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Parents and activists are using social media to take on public health scientists’ view of vaccines. Learn more Tuesday at 9 p.m. during Frontline: The Vaccine War.

IPTV Program Highlights April 2-7, 2010

The Iowa Public Television Press Release shop is cranking out the upcoming hits coming to IPTV.
Here’s a look at some of those highlights between now and Wednesday.

Tonight at 6:30 The Iowa Journal explores some innovative ways Iowa schools are helping children learn, including the use of virtual reality technology. Here’s my post on the program.

At 7:30 tonight, Iowa Press brings in Mayor Ron Corbett (R-Cedar Rapids) and Mayor Frank Cownie (D-Des Moines) will discuss the current urban budget crunch and the management of Iowa’s two largest municipalities.

Tonight at 8 on Market to Market, the Agriculture Department predicts some big numbers in its prospective plantings report, President Obama announces policy changes that could clear the way for oil drilling off US coasts, and a 4-H program helps shutterbugs develop photography skills by focusing on rural America.

Eyes on the Prize: American Experience returns on Sunday at 1 p.m. This week’s episode looks at how individual acts of courage inspired black Southerners to fight for their rights.

Frontline: From Jesus to Christ presents the epic story of the rise of Christianity. The series transports viewers back two thousand years to the time and place where Jesus of Nazareth once lived. This two-part program airs at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday.

On Sunday at 8 p.m., during Masterpiece Classic: Sharpe’s Peril, British soldier-hero Sharpe stumbles across an opium trafficking ring.

On Tuesday at 7 p.m., NOVA: Hunting the Edge of Space (1 of 2) examines how a simple instrument, the telescope, has fundamentally changed our understanding of our place in the universe.

Two and a half millennia ago, a new religion was born in northern India, generated from the ideas of a single man, the Buddha, a mysterious Indian sage who famously gained enlightenment while he sat under a large, shapely fig tree. Learn more Wednesday at 7 p.m. during The Buddha.

TV Iowans Grew Up On

TV Iowans Grew Up - Image from IPTV.org

It didn’t matter where you grew up, you remember the TV you watched as a kid.

It was a chance to see cartoons, animals and some silliness. If you were lucky, you got it all in 30 minutes. You’d rush off the bus and turn on the tube and see Floppy or Betty Lou or the Canyon Kid.

Coming up on Sunday, you can experience more of the “TV Iowans Grew Up On” as part of Iowa Public Television’s Festival.

The series is one you may have seen before, but there are some new twists and additions to the program.

During the week I’ve posted a few YouTube videos from the IPTV channel.

Good stuff to see here if you grew up in the Quad Cities and remember Captain Ernie. I came to KWQC-TV long after Ernie Mims was off the air, but people still talked about him as if it were yesterday that they got to come aboard the steam engine and see Captain Ernie. This clip features Ernie and Ivan Owens. If you didn’t work at TV6, you probably didn’t know Ivan. But if you watched TV6, you knew Ivan Owens and his handiwork. Ivan built set after set for the old WOC-TV, now KWQC-TV. Ivan retired after 50 years of working Brady Street hill.

In this piece, you’ll see an interview with now Des Moines Register reporter Clark Kauffman and also with Quad City Times columnist Bill Wundrum. Billy can give great context to any event involving the QC.

Also featured is the Canyon Kid of KCAU-TV in Sioux City. Canyon talks about how he got his name. Jim Henry was the Canyon Kid and in the clip, he talks about the buttons on his vest and how he continued to receive those pins his whole career. Here’s a clip from the Canyon Kid.

Then we go back to eastern Iowa. WMT-TV, now called KGAN-TV had a long running children’s program as well. Dr. Max and Mombo came into our homes for decades. This was the TV market I grew up in, so I have memories of the show. So did many of you who saw the post earlier in the week.

Christine Darby Weydert remembers the time she got to met Mombo at a diner in Jesup. One of Dan Scharnhorst’s earliest memories involve getting a “shout out” from Dr. Max while Dan sick with the chickenpox as a 3-year-old.

Or if you lived in split TV markets where you got twice the choices. Like Mr. Joel Poppen, he grew up in Charles City. He could enjoy Dr. Max and also Bart’s Clubhouse on KIMT-TV. Derek M also remembers visiting family in Cedar Rapids and watching Mombo after seeing Floppy or Betty Lou while growing up in Des Moines.

At each station I’ve worked at, I’ve had to quickly learn about the past when talking to viewers. When I was working the assignment desk at WHO-TV, it was not uncommon to get requests weekly for the November 12th, 1982 Floppy show. Or the April 3rd, 1976 version when the caller got a chance to be in studio and maybe even kiss Floppy.

TV was different then. The programs were local. Bart’s Clubhouse was cheap TV to produce. Syndicated programming was not the norm like it is today. Now we see Oprah instead of Betty Lou. In that sense, kids don’t have it better today than we did back then. TV was innocent and educational and there was a chance YOU were could be in-studio and get the chance to be on TV and tell your friends you got your picture with Floppy.

You can relive those memories Sunday night at 7p on IPTV. I’ll be on-air pledging the event with Jeff Stein of Wartburg College. Stein authored a book “Making Waves: The People and Places of Iowa Broadcasting. We’ll have a very special pledge gift that has only limited availability.

Here’s the official show page for Sunday night. Tune in to see Floppy or Betty Lou or even Romper Room on the air again. And as always, operators are standing by. We’d love to hear from you. You can give your support now by going to this site.

Will our children say they remember when they stopped by the IPTV Kid’s Clubhouse to see Dan Wardell? Let’s hope so. Right now, he is Noah’s childhood TV show memory.

Festival 2010 on IPTV

Festival is here on IPTV

The time you either really love, or really hate is here on Iowa Public Television. It is Festival time. This is our one big fundraising event of the year. We do a December pledge event, but this is it for us. IPTV has one of the lowest rate of pledge events in the country.

Read the descriptions below, something for everyone. Even Urbandale gets a shout out with Straight No Chaser.

Here’s a look at some of the fun stuff we’ll be bringing you.
Iowa’s Radio Homemakers: Up A Country Lane
http://www.iptv.org/iowastories/detail.cfm/iowas-radio-homemakers-up-a-country-lane Producer Deb Herbold is bringing you this story.

Iowa’s Simple Pleasures Producer Anrdea Coyle oversaw this project. I also got to do a couple of features for this show including trips to the Cedar Rapids Kernels game and Fireside Winery in Marengo. We also feature the Shanti in Gunder and the Gundgerburger.

TV Iowans Grew Up On
I’ll be pledging the show with Jeff Stein of Wartburg College. We’ll be talking about Dr. Max, Bart’s Clubhouse, Captain Ernie and Floppy. I’ll be writing more on this one soon.

Here’s a rundown of more items:
Monday, March 8, 2010 - 6:30 PM on IPTV

IPTV studio converted to studio for Blenko glass studio. Special patrons of IPTV got to see the glass creations up close and personal before Monday's pledge event.

Blenko: The Spirit of American Stained Glass

8:30 PM on IPTV
Antiques Roadshow
Pledge for tickets & events around Antiques Roadshow filming in Des Moines this August.

10:00 PM on IPTV
Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert
The Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert is a gala featuring the best and brightest stars from the Rounder roster. Film and television star Minnie Driver hosts this spectacular star-studded variety concert with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Steve Martin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Madeleine Peyroux, “Soul Queen of New Orleans” Irma Thomas, Bela Fleck, and Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas
Preview: http://www.iptv.org/video/detail.cfm/6897/roun_20100225_preview

Other programs of note during Festival 2010

Wednesday, March 10 @ 6:30PM
The Moody Blues at the Royal Albert Hall

Wednesday, March 10 @ 10:00PM
Get Down Tonight: The Disco Explosion
My Music brings back the disco years with live performances from the legends of the lighted dance floor. Hosted by KC and The Sunshine Band, Karen Lynn-Gorney (Saturday Night Fever co-star) and Dance Fever’s Denny Terrio – - this program includes the hit-makers featured on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever: KC & The Sunshine Band (That’s The Way I Like It, Get Down Tonight), The Trammps (Disco Inferno), Yvonne Elliman (If I Can’t Have You), Tavares (More Than A Woman) and more bring back the days of polyester suits, big hair, mirror balls and 8-track tapes.

Thursday, March 11 @ 8:00PM
Iowa’s Radio Homemakers: Up A Country Lane
In the 1950s, domesticity dominated the lives of most rural Iowa women. Somewhat isolated on the farm, many turned on the radio to hear a friendly voice – someone to share their sometimes-lonely lives. Radio homemakers were a popular radio program choice. They served as “neighbors on the air” and helped women with everything from menu planning to child rearing. In this heartwarming documentary, Evelyn Birkby, famed KMA radio homemaker, shares her knowledge about Shenandoah, Iowa’s radio homemakers and offers personal and engaging stories about rural life in the 1950s. “The Iowa Boy” Chuck Offenburger along with Iowa historian Tom Morain also give perspective on a simpler time when the American family ideal was foremost on Iowans’ minds.
Website:
Preview:
Longer segment: http://www.iptv.org/video/detail.cfm/6604/irh_20100202_sneak_peek

Sunday, March 14 @ 7:00PM
TV Iowans Grew Up On
Starting in the 1950s and continuing well into the 1990s, young Iowans faithfully tuned in to watch children’s television programs like Dr. Max and Mombo, Betty Lou and her Magic Window, The Floppy Show and many more. These locally-produced broadcasts taught important educational concepts, entertained and enthralled our children. Iowa Public Television is proud to present this encore presentation of engaging content we produced in the 90s. Tune in and relive your own personal memories of TV Iowans Grew Up On.
Video clips: http://www.iptv.org/video/browse.cfm/program/20874/tv_iowans_grew_up

Monday, March 15 @ 8:00PM
Iowa’s Simple Pleasures
Dan Kaercher, founding editor-in-chief of Midwest Living magazine, and host of several Iowa Public Television series like Best of the Midwest, Taste of the Midwest, Parklands of the Midwest, and Best of Iowa, returns to IPTV in search of fun things for Iowans to do, see, and taste, right here at home in a brand new special, Iowa’s Simple Pleasures. Kaercher and the series producers poured over the State’ s abundant options of “things to do” and they discovered Iowa treasures that aren’t necessarily well-known outside their own local areas. Activities like tubing down a winding river, bike riding on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail, and so much more! And then of course there was a lot of EATING! From international fare at Café Dodici in downtown Washington, to the 20-ounce Gunderburger at The Irish Shanti in Gunder, there’s no doubt there is plenty here in Iowa to tempt your taste buds! And if your appetite is for fun, we’ ll also visit some of Iowa’s newer destinations like King’s Pointe in Storm Lake, along with some old favorites, like the Blank Park Zoo.

Monday, March 15 @ 9:00PM
Peter, Paul and Mary: Carry It On: A Musical Legacy
Features rare performances of songs that energized the spirit of the nation’s cultural renaissance.
Video from the program: http://www.iptv.org/video/browse.cfm/program/20774/iowas_simple_pleasures

Thursday, March 18 @ 9:00PM
Straight No Chaser – Live In New York: Holiday Edition
The a cappella phenomenon perform of classics from the 1950′s and 1960′ and contemporary pop hits.
Group member Tyler Trepp live in-studio

IPTV Staffer Gets “Busted” Over Bacon

Health studies be damned, bacon is a hit.

The third annual BaconFest wrapped up this weekend in Des Moines. This event keeps outgrowing the host venue and this year the tickets were gone in 25 minutes. So, success again with bacon.

You hear people talk about how they love bacon on everything. 2009′s biggest food hit at the Iowa State Fair wasn’t even on the grounds. Chocolate covered bacon on a stick was sold outside the grounds and had lines every time you went by their tent.

Joe Bustad at the 2010 Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest (Credit: Joe Bustad Facebook page)

One of the great people at Iowa Public Television here that makes magic is our graphic design department. Joe Bustad is one of those geniuses. When he’s not hanging out with dirtbag friends, selling his soul for velveeta cheese or rifling through a Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift store, he’s designing our on-camera graphics or print materials that you see.

Joe also likes to eat as he’s known in many restaurants around town. He’s doing his best to hit them all, or at least all of them in the Des Moines Register’s Top 100 restaurants of central Iowa.

One of his food loves is bacon. So, I should not have been surprised to see him on WHO-TV Saturday night at the Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest.
You can see him here.

Joe gets "Busted" on TV. (WHO-TV Des Moines)

Great story. But read the name closely on Joe’s chyron key. Joe got “Busted” at the event.

I guess that’s what happens when you eat too much bacon.