May 26, 2023, Manning, IA – The Manning and Audubon communities would like to welcome locals to attend a unique agritourism event called ‘Evolution of the Heartland,’ on August 3rd and 4th, 2023.
Although invitations are focused primarily on bringing people from urban communities, all are welcome to attend and gain a better understanding of the unique opportunities we have here.
Tour options for day one will feature: Main Street Entrepreneurs, Innovation & Technology, Niche Farming, Wine in the Heartland, Templeton Distillery, Beef Immersion, Swine Immersion, Shouse Tour, Historical Church Architectural Tour, Manning Hausbarn Heritage Park tour, and an Audubon Historical Tour. Participants have the option to stay overnight and attend a second day of immersive tours. Day two will be a Homegrown tour, focused on micro farming and is only available to the first 50 registrants.
Participants will get a taste of rural Iowa at the Farm-to-Table lunch. This will be a family-style meal accompanied by conversations with local agricultural ambassadors and area 4-H and FFA students. The Community Tailgate supper will feature food stations with pork, beef, a charcuterie display, desserts, and more. Food will be provided by Two Palms Catering (Audubon), Deb’s Corner Café (Manning), Darrell’s Place (Hamlin), and The Bakery on Broadway (Audubon).
Everyone is welcome to attend the Community Tailgate on August 3rd from 6-9pm, enjoy live music from Scott Kirkhart until 10pm, browse local goods at the Iowa Vendor Showcase, and join in the meal for $15/plate. The Iowa Vendor Showcase will also include an outdoor “mini farm show” featuring local agricultural businesses.
The cost to attend the event is $175. Early bird registration is going on now and features a $25 discount per person available until June 15th. Registration will close July 15th or until all spots have been reserved. Participants can register and learn more about the event by visiting www.evolutionoftheheartland.com.
Evolution of the Heartland is currently seeking local vendors for the Iowa Vendor Showcase, local and statewide sponsorships, as well as local volunteers for the event. For more information, please complete the online forms or contact event coordinator, Shelly Greving, at info@evolutionoftheheartland.com. Follow along with event updates on Facebook and Instagram @evolutionoftheheartland to learn more.
This year’s event is made possible by the following sponsors, Travel Iowa, Iowa Food & Family Project, Audubon County Farm Bureau, Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa, Manning Hausbarn Heritage Park, Emerge Marketing Solutions, Iowa Corn 4th District, City of Manning, Audubon County Economic Development, and Farm Credit Services of America and many more. 