The organizers of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival are setting out this weekend to conquer the St. Croix River in Wisconsin. When Brooks Reynolds (aka The Face of Bacon) was asked “why would you do such a thing?”, his response was, “Because it is there.”
The organizers are hoping to become one with nature in order to find the creative spark to help build next year’s Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival into a roaring extravaganza for over 1,200 baconophiles. “The people have spoken and we must deliver”, stated Seth Hall, Chairman of Bacon. “We need to dig deep and discover what the theme for the 2011 Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival will be. 2010 was a bacon odyssey. It’s exciting to think what the future holds for bacon.”
The birthplace of the 2011 Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival - what will the theme be in 2011?
The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival booth at Winefest Des Moines
The nation’s premiere bacon festival, The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, has expanded its palates at Winefest Des Moines this summer. As an in-kind sponsor of one of Des Moines’ most celebrated annual outdoor events, the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival was able to share strips of Eden Farms bacon and caramel and bacon flavored cupcakes from Carefree Patisserie. “Our patrons enjoyed your wares and could smell you all throughout the festival,” stated Winefest’s key coordinator, Kit Curran.
Many patrons lined up to enjoy the savory mixture of Eden Farms Certified Berkshire Pork and the full bodied flavor of the wines available for tasting. “I can’t wait to go to the 2011 Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival next February,” exclaimed an overjoyed Winefest attendee.
In this short video, ESPN’s Jay Crawford and Julie Foudy speak about the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival on First Take. Please be forewarned, after watching this video you’ll be tempted to eat a bacon and butter-filled pancake burrito drenched in maple syrup!
The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival is an event put together by bacon lovers for bacon lovers and supported by bacon lovers. This concept is well represented in a kind email we recently received from Wade Brower and Joe Shields of IP Pathways. So, we thought we would share it with our fellow bacon enthusiasts.
Dear Iowa Bacon Board,
Thanks so much for allowing IP Pathways to be involved in the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, 2010: A Bacon Odyssey – One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Bacon. Our employees, customers and friends all had a wonderful time at the event and can’t wait for next year! IP Pathways looks forward to supporting and attending the 4th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in 2011. Why, some may ask, would an IT consulting organization sponsor a bacon festival? The answer is simple, we love to have a great time and like to be surrounded by fun people! We also love bacon and are looking for ways to incorporate bacon consumption into our 2010 employee health initiatives!
Thanks again for all the hard work that went into this event and once again you knocked it out of the park!!!!
Wade Brower and Joe Shields, IP Pathways -The REAL Virtualization and Storage ExpertsSM
To learn more about IP Pathways, visit us on the web at www.ippathways.com
On behalf of the Iowa Bacon Board, thank you Wade and Joe for your support and wonderful remarks. We can’t wait until next year!
On behalf of the Iowa Bacon Board, we would like to thank Rick Ludwig for his memorable performance of the National Anthem during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.
On behalf of the Iowa Bacon Board, we’d like to thank the over 750 bacon enthusiasts who chose to join us at the Third Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, 2010: A Bacon Odyssey – One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Bacon. Also, a big thank you goes out to our sponsors, volunteers and bacon purveyors for making this year’s festival absolutely glorious!
Please continue checking this blog over the week for links to news coverage, photos and videos of the event.
Bacon Eve is a day dedicated to preparation and rest for the bacon enthusiast. Listed below you’ll find some helpful hints to ensure you have the best possible bacon experience at this year’s festival:
HOW TO PREPARE?
Drink plenty of water tonight to avoid the swelling factor. When you arrive tomorrow morning please leave all tight fitting jewelry at home, bring your favorite bacon haiku to share with your friends, put on a bacony t-shirt and get excited that you’re in Iowa during the culmination of Bacon Week!
WHERE?
We’ve moved! This year’s Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival will be held at the Scottish Rite Consistory located at 519 Park Street, Des Moines. Street parking will be limited due to the National Pheasant Fest at Wells Fargo Arena. We recommend you park in the ramp located on the corner of 7th and Center streets.
WHEN?
The doors open at 10am and the event goes until 4pm. Your tickets will be waiting for you at will call. The after party celebration will be at the High Life and El Bait Shop. Complimentary transportation back and forth between the Scottish Rite and El Bait Shop will be provided throughout the day by Voss Distributing.
Also, there will be limited usage of credit cards for beverage tickets and merchandise.
The excitement is hard to contain. 150 lbs of Vande Rose Farms Artisan Dry Cured Bacon arrived today. If you’re interested in what makes this bacon so special, here are the details: Many have asked us what the term Artisan means. The definition of artisan: Handcrafted; somebody who is a skilled craftsman, and that is exactly how our Applewood Smoked Artisan Dry Cured Bacon is made. Each Duroc pork belly is individually hand rubbed, by our skilled artisans, with our specially formulated dry cure rub, ensuring that each slice of bacon produced has even seasoning for maximum flavor.
Our special process and flavor has captured the attention of chefs and consumers across the U.S.
• Featured as “Highly Recommended” and given the title of “Best breakfast bacon” in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine.
• Presented on the Today Show and The Bob & Tom Show.
• Food & Wine Magazine Blogs about Vande Rose Farms bacon as, “One of the best bacons ever”, giving it “3 oinks.”
Savor each bite of our thick, meaty textured Artisan Dry Cured Bacon at the Bacon Festival and enjoy a tale of Beauty and the Bacon Grease. Never heard of it? Come check it out.
We will also have other bacon goodie give-a-ways that you won’t want to miss!
150 lbs of Niman Ranch Bacon arrived today for Saturday’s festival. Ohhhh, BACON!
For all of you bacon lovers out there, here’s Niman Ranch’s story in the words of their local distributor, Cleverly Farms…
Over the past 10 years Niman Ranch Pork Company has grown from a network of less than 30 farmers to more than 600 farmers. Niman Ranch pork can be purchased locally at Gateway Market and in eastern Iowa at the New Pioneer Co-ops in Iowa City and Coralville.
Nationally, groceries from Whole Foods to Byerly-Lunds to Target to Safeway proudly carry Niman Ranch pork, both fresh and cured. Many local Des Moines restaurants feature Niman Ranch pork on their menus.
Their pigs are raised on small family farms with time-tested animal husbandry. No antibiotics, all vegetarian feeds, outside in pastures or in the winter months in hoophouses or old-fashioned barns. Always with access to fresh air and sunlight. Our farmers are held to the highest standards in the pork industry and work with Dr. Temple Grandin to ensure the pigs are treated humanely throughout their lives.
Our bacon is applewood smoked over real wood at Mary Ann’s Specialty Foods in Webster City. Niman Ranch bacon has won a number of taste contests across the country, including The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Cook’s Illustrated. In fact, Cooking Light just named Niman Ranch the “Best Breakfast Bacon” in a blind taste test of over 20 bacons.
One slice of this bacon will remind you of what bacon used to taste like before the industrialized food system took the flavor out of pork and the artisanal craftsmanship out of the curing process.
For those of you without a ticket to this year’s festival, don’t give up. There is still time! 8 tickets are up for grabs through the following contests.
One package of Artisan Bacon, containing a voucher for two tickets, will be on a Dahl’s Foods shelf in Greater Des Moines, while another package will be on a Hy-Vee shelf in Greater Des Moines.
The prize-filled packages will be available on the shelves for purchase starting Monday, February 22nd to kick off “Bacon Week” of the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. Employees of either chain are not eligible to claim the tickets. Vouchers will need to be claimed by 5:00pm on Friday, February 26th. More details will be present on the vouchers.
Win two (2) tickets to the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival on Saturday, February 27th at the Scottish Rite Consistory. Post a picture of you and a bottle of Pearl Vodka on Facebook and tag it with “Pearl Vodka-Iowa”. Winner will be announced Friday the 26th.
1 Bacon Popper Pizza = Chance to Win 2 Tickets – Fong’s Pizza
During this week if you purchase a Bacon Popper you’ll receive a raffle ticket to win a set of free tickets to Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival 2010—A Bacon Odyssey. OOOHHHHHH BACON!!!
