Written by Wicker Van Orsdel
December is just plain painful to be outdoors, but don’t just seal yourself up in front of the fire or in North Face Thinsulate. Break out the sparkly party duds and get out and CELEBRATE IOWA! That’s exactly what a lively crowd did earlier this month for the second annual Celebrate Iowa Gala at the State Historical Building. Gov.Terry Branstad and first lady Chris Branstad once again hosted the event, which benefited the Iowa Department of Iowa Cultural Affairs, directed by the lovely Mary Cownie. She said the event helped to reintroduce and revitalize the State Historical Museum (one of the great assets and treasures of Iowa) and to raise money for new exhibits and educational programs.
The night’s program was emceed by the uniquely talented and funny Steve Berry. He knows how to bring the house down with the roll of an eye. The evening also featured cocktails that were popular 100 years ago (apparently alcohol never goes out of style) and local delicious food and beverage stations. Everywhere you turned, there was music and entertainment by the likes of the Turner Center Jazz Orchestra, Flying Pig Fiddle and Banjo, Ballet Des Moines and The Pork Tornadoes. Wow! What a lineup!
Kudos to Mary Cownie for her creativity and organizational prowess and for getting the young and beautiful people to show up. It was one of my top picks for festive fun this season: great crowd, great food and great music. Great job Mary! Now that’s someone who’s firing on all spark plugs. Let’s do it again next year!
Check out the photo link to see tons-of-fun event photos:
http://mzwick.smugmug.com/Events/Celebrate-Iowa/i-PZjzCZj
