September 2011 - Iowa Pork Producers Association

2011 Iowa State Fair Summary
Pork Tent enjoys steady state fair business
You could say that business at the Iowa Pork Tent during
the 2011 Iowa State Fair was comparable to what U.S.
domestic demand has been over the years: steady.
The weather was pleasantly cooler during the fair and
people started lining up just before 10 a.m. each day to
feed their pork appetites and it was pretty much a steady
stream of customers each day. Business was brisk from
the first day to the last night.
“The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for this
year’s Fair. The beautiful temperatures brought people
to the tent to enjoy some of Iowa’s best pork products,”
said Alison Swanson, Iowa Pork Producers Association
marketing and program director and Pork Tent manager.
“The Pork Chops on a StickTM were another fair
favorite.”
members and all of the county volunteers, allied
organizations and IPPA staff for contributing to this
year’s success.”
With 2012 being a presidential election year, there was
no shortage of political candidates stopping by the Pork
Tent to help out on the grills for photo opportunities.
The Pork Tent also had its usual share of celebrity chefs
and volunteers.
A crew from cable television’s Travel Channel stopped
by the Pork Tent to get footage for a state fair special to
be aired later this year.
The Pork Tent menu included Iowa Chops, loin
sandwiches, BBQ sandwiches, pork burgers and pork
sliders that could be purchased individually or as a
dinner.
Led by the ever popular Iowa Chop and the Chop on a
Stick, preliminary figures indicate total meat servings
over the eleven-day fair were 87,527. That compares
favorably with the 87,819 total servings in 2010.
The Pork Tent sold 12,560 Iowa Chops this year and
54,639 Chops on a Stick were sold. The most popular
sandwiches appeared to be the BBQ pulled pork with
more than 7,800 sold and the grilled loin sandwich with
6,749 served. Dinners were another favorite of fairgoers
with 22,640 sold.
“It was a successful fair and we’re pleased with the
results,” said IPPA Pork Tent Committee Chairman
LeRoy Raabe of Hartley. “I want to thank the committee
The Pork Tent has been an institution at the Iowa State
Fair for the past 31 years and Swanson attributes its
success to a group of individuals that works throughout
the year to promote the pork industry.
“The Pork Tent Committee really needs to be
commended for the hard it puts into making the state
fair a success every year,” she said.
24 SEPTEMBER 2011