Community Tailgate will be held at the Hausbarn Heritage Park on August 3rd

Manning, IA – Locals are invited to the Evolution of the Heartland Community Tailgate from 5:30-9pm at the Manning Hausbarn Heritage Park on August 3rd, 2023. The tailgate will feature live music, a meal, Iowa Vendor Showcase, and a mini farm show.

Lieutenant Governor, Adam Gregg, will kick off the Community Tailgate, speaking about how, together, we can “Grow in Rural Iowa”. Attendees will get a taste of rural Iowa with a supper including prime rib, brat bites, pork loin, a charcuterie display, and locally made desserts. Attendance is free, but the meal is $15/person and tickets can be purchased at the door. Food will be provided by Two Palms Catering (Audubon), Deb’s Corner Café (Manning), Darrell’s Place (Hamlin), The Bakery on Broadway (Audubon), Sporrer’s Sweet Corn (Templeton), Sporrer’s Melons (Manning), and Iowa Yak Ranch (Exira).

The Evolution of the Heartland Community Tailgate will also include an Iowa Vendor Showcase featuring goods and produce from local retailers and an outdoor “mini farm show” with local agricultural businesses. Retail vendors will include Feminine, Journey Trail Mix, Rusted Relics, Elizabeth Brittain Designs, Home Tree Leather, Tropical Sno, 2 Sisters Garden Art, The Crap Shack, Silver Valley Craft Corner, and 712 Boutique. Agricultural businesses like Manning Rent-all, Puck Enterprises, Iowa Yak Ranch, and others will be set up for a mini farm show. Attendees can also enjoy live music by 2 ½ Guitars on the courtyard while browsing handmade items and other Iowa-based products.

This year’s Evolution of the Heartland event is made possible by the following sponsors, Travel Iowa, Iowa Food & Family Project, Audubon County Farm Bureau, Manning Hausbarn Heritage Park, Emerge Marketing Solutions, Iowa Corn 4th District, Iowa Pork Producers Association, City of Manning, Audubon County Economic Development, and Farm Credit Services of America, and many more.

Evolution of the Heartland is seeking retail and agricultural vendors for the Iowa Vendor Showcase. For more information, please complete the online forms or contact event coordinator, Annie Greve, at info@evolutionoftheheartland.com. Follow along with event updates on Facebook and Instagram @evolutionoftheheartland to learn more.

Locals Invited to Agritourism Event on August 3, 2023

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.