The Downtown Business Association had no idea that the seed of a small shindig would bloom into a bustling celebration.

Beginning around 1987, before the conception of the Chamber of Commerce, area businesses lined up yard sale tables around the Waukee Triangle, calling the event the Waukee Fall Festival. Their goal was to illustrate the alliance of local business.

The Waukee Chamber of Commerce swept through the festival plans in 2000 in order to grow the annual event. Several years later, the City of Waukee took the reins.

This year, the Waukee Leadership Academy reinvented the event as its class project, changing the name to “Celebrate Waukee” and scheduling it for June 5-6.

Kathryn Sandie, event co-chair and a member of the Waukee Leadership Institute’s 2014-2015 class, said the idea to transform the festival into a signature city event originated from a proposal by Mayor William Peard.

“The class unanimously decided to make this our class project,” said Sandie. “We wanted to kick off summer and give folks the opportunity to see what Waukee is all about. This event will feature our Historic Downtown Triangle and our beautiful Centennial Park.”

Part of the reason for shifting the event to the spring was to give families an opportunity to attend before schedules fill up with summer youth sports and vacations.

The family factor was essential in development of the Celebrate Waukee agenda. “In the planning of Celebrate Waukee, activities were planned with all ages in mind,” said Sandie. “We want everyone to celebrate the history and growth of Waukee.”

Terry Snyder, a 2012 graduate of the Waukee Leadership Academy, currently serves as the president of the Waukee Area Historical Society. She got involved with the planning of Celebrate Waukee through the “Amazing Race,” which will take participants on a history-focused journey of the area.

Snyder recalls, “The Lions Club always had the tent between the hardware store and the bank for dinners and entertainment during the day, followed by a dance at night, and then the band was moved to the street.”

“The Jaycees always had the beer garden until they disbanded,” said Snyder. “I’m not sure when the city took the festival over from the Chamber, but I believe it was around 2005 or 2006. So this will be the fourth group to take on the festival.”

The event will begin at dusk on Friday, June 5, with a movie in the Historic Downtown Triangle, hosted by the Waukee Parks and Recreation Department. Vote for your film of choice May 4-8 at Waukee.org.

On Saturday, June 6, also at the Downtown Triangle, the Waukee Rotary Club will hold a pancake breakfast followed by a 6k (about 3.75 miles) fun run.

Kids and business will parade down the street from Vince Meyer Learning Center toward Centennial Park beginning at 11 a.m., and Waukee businesses will be present in the Downtown Triangle as a nod to the event’s early years.

Free transportation will be available between the Triangle and Centennial Park.

There will be a mixed bag of activities in Centennial Park from noon until 10:30 p.m., including arts activities supported by the Waukee Area Arts Council, inflatable bounce houses, local vendors, and a Waukee-centric Kids Challenge.

Emergency vehicles from the fire department, police department, and Public Works Department will have equipment at the ready for kids to experience.

After the kids have had some fun, adults may head to the beer garden to compete in a bags tournament from 2-4 p.m.

The American Legion will serve up a sizzling steak dinner from 5-7 p.m. while The Herd performs from 4-6 p.m. Flipside, a self-described “ultimate variety band,” will wrap up the night with hot tunes 7-10:30 p.m.

Put on your party pants and get ready for some fun! Follow the latest event news on Twitter at @CelebrateWaukee or on Facebook.

Main Details

When: June 5-6, 2015 beginning the evening of June 5

Where: Centennial Park and Triangle

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Which event combines Iowa’s three greatest loves: bicycles, bacon, and frosty beverages? The second annual BACooN Ride!

This year, The BACooN Ride will take place on June 20, with a kick-off party the evening prior. Riders will bike along the Raccoon River Trail and experience the hospitality of featured towns along the way. The 72-mile ride was initiated by Brooks Reynolds, the same guy who brought the Iowa Bacon Festival to life. Reynolds came up with the idea for the ride with the input of Mark Wyatt, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and TJ Juskiewicz, Director of RAGBRAI. The result is a collaborative event put on by RAGBRAI, The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, and The Iowa Bicycle Coalition. It’s not just about bikes and bacon, however. It’s about bringing people to the Raccoon River Valley and benefitting the community at the same time. “It’s a perfect place to have a fun ride, and we’re about having fun and raising a little money while we do it,” said Reynolds.

This year, The BACooN Ride will take place on June 20, with a kick-off party the evening prior. Riders will bike along the Raccoon River Trail and experience the hospitality of featured towns along the way. The 72-mile ride was initiated by Brooks Reynolds, the same guy who brought the Iowa Bacon Festival to life. Reynolds came up with the idea for the ride with the input of Mark Wyatt, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and TJ Juskiewicz, Director of RAGBRAI. The result is a collaborative event put on by RAGBRAI, The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, and The Iowa Bicycle Coalition. It’s not just about bikes and bacon, however. It’s about bringing people to the Raccoon River Valley and benefitting the community at the same time. “It’s a perfect place to have a fun ride, and we’re about having fun and raising a little money while we do it,” said Reynolds.

Last year, the event raised over $50,000, which was donated to local non-profits. “We also had an economic impact of over half a million dollars on the towns and communities we visited,” he said. “It’s a great way to showcase this loop of a trail. It’s almost like doing RAGBRAI in a day.” When the idea was in its infancy, Mayor Bill Peard heard a rough outline of the plan and knew it was something to run with. He met with the people involved in the BACooN ride and wanted to make it a celebration of the trailhead—the city of Waukee. “I thought, ‘It can’t just be a bike ride. We need to make it more of a community celebration and festival,’” said Peard. With the help of several committee members appointed by Peard, including council members Shelly Hughes and Rick Peterson, the event began to take shape.

They were very pleased with the turnout last year. “It was kind of like a mini-RAGBRAI, and it was so successful that it actually won an award,” he said. The event won the “Outstanding New Event” award from the Iowa Tourism Office.

The ride kicks off on Saturday, June 20 and takes riders on a tour of towns along the trail. “Each town creates their own celebration along the ride, so we basically bring the riders, and the towns can showcase themselves however they’d like,” explained Reynolds. Each stop will feature bacon snacks, drink specials, and in some places, entertainment. Registered riders can sample treats like bacon cinnamon rolls, bacon bloody marys, and bacon ice cream sandwiches while listening to live music. Stops along the way include Adel, Redfield, Linden, Panora, Yale, Herndon, Jamaica, Dawson, Perry, Minburn, and Dallas Center, and the ride wraps up in Waukee. According to Hughes, this year’s event will be even bigger and better than last year’s. “We’re on track to double participation this year,” she said. There are also some differences in the event itself.

“We’ve completely ramped up our entertainment, we’re better prepared logistically, we know what to expect, and we know what participants want.” A major difference this year is the addition of an opening party during the packet pick-up in Centennial Park on Friday, June 19. The 80’s tribute band Members Only will headline, while cover band The New Mexicos will open. Hughes stressed that the event is not just for riders—it’s for the entire community. “The city of Waukee is lucky to have this event, and it’s going to be incredibly fun,” she said. Registration is already open, and riders who want to participate must register online as there is no on-site registration available. Packets can be picked up during BACooN Sizzles on Friday evening, or at the beginning of the ride on Saturday morning.

Registration includes a commemorative PassPork—the punch card for bacon treats at each stop.

Riders will be able to take advantage of drink specials, and will receive a custom BACooN Ride steel pint and commemorative t-shirt.

Camping will be available in Centennial Park.

BACooN Sizzles: Friday, June 19, at Centennial Park, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

BACooN Ride: Saturday, June 20, beginning at 6 a.m.

For more information, go to bacoonride.com.

On the edge of Waukee—past the strip malls, high school, and fancy fitness center—there is an Eden of organic produce farmed in the rich Iowa soil. Marked with a simple sign, Clarion Sage is run by two nature-nurturing souls that have planted their stakes in the rewarding and challenging field of agriculture.

Owners Jenn Miller and Cody Kilgore explain that there are historical roots behind the farm’s curious name. Miller’s grandfather was raised on a family farm in Clarion, and returned there after serving in the Navy during WWII.

They combined that nod to family history with the herb sage, which was one of the first seedlings planted on the farm. The homonym of the word “sage” also represents the wisdom of the farm’s growing methods.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

A Windy City native, Miller became a food blogger and columnist while working on gardens and community supported agriculture (CSA) around the world, in places like California, Costa Rica, and Iceland.

Originally from Missouri, Kilgore worked for 20 years in agriculture before moving to Iowa.

The two met while trying to create a thriving urban garden to provide veggies in the inner city of Des Moines. Both are vegetarians, and Miller eats a gluten-free diet. They both love the empowerment that comes from growing their own food.

The pair has operated Clarion Sage since August 2012, when Miller was presented the opportunity to rent the land from a colleague through the Iowa Food Cooperative. She wanted to lease the land to young farmers who would use it sustainably. After extensive planning and plotting, Kilgore said that 2014 was a year of establishing Clarion Sage as a viable business in Waukee.

Growing Methods

The couple uses innovative techniques to produce a rich mix of veggies, fruits, and herbs. While they rent six acres, they currently grow on one half-acre.

Instead of rows and rows, as one would see on a typical farm, this farm has beds and beds (84 to be exact) of 25-ft by 5-ft gardens. This is a bio-intensive method for growing and assists in soil preservation.
They have learned that certain plants, planted together, increase the growing performance of the plants.

“The soil we are growing in has been untouched for a couple of decades,” said Kilgore. “We pay a lot of attention to the soil and soil structure—to the microorganisms and eco-diversity of the soil.”

The farming team hand-digs the beds to an extreme depth to promote deep root systems of 18-24 inches and to maintain looseness to the soil. The deeper the roots, the healthier the plant.

Seeds start in the germination room, which allows the farm to expand its season to 25 weeks. Rich varieties of produce, like onions, tomatoes, celery, Brussels sprouts, and red cabbage will sprout to seedlings before being transferred to the high tunnel greenhouse—also known as the “hoop house,” due to its main frame.

A microclimate forms within the high tunnel, meaning plants like tomatoes can grow earlier in the spring and later into the fall. While not heated, the area within the high tunnel is, on average, 30 degrees above the outside temperature. Kilgore said they have had spinach and kale grow year-round.

Miller said they save many of the seeds from the grown plants.

“We grow and then collect seeds for replanting, because those seeds have been conditioned for growing in the environment,” she said.

CSA Sensation

Planted with intent and cared for by the attentive eyes of Kilgore and Miller, the juicy, crunchy, healthy goods are parceled into packages for families who have signed up to receive the weekly packages. By definition, CSA is community-supported agriculture. Clarion Sage works this definition both ways. The farm supports the community’s health and pocketbooks through exceptional, flavor-bursting agriculture; the community in turn supports the continued production of good food through the cost of participating in the program.

Beginning in May, participants can have a cooler stocked full of fresh goodness starting at $25 per week. Members can choose the spring, summer, fall or complete season pricing, opting for seasonal goods like micro greens in the spring, watermelon in the summer, or sweet potatoes in the fall.

Clarion Sage offers delivery, but invites participants to visit the farm, just a few miles south of Waukee, for the weekly pick-up.

Benefits of the program also include a weekly newsletter featuring recipes, produce information, and storage tips.

“We want our members and families to be intricately linked,” Miller said. “We want to see them as much as possible; it’s a chance for them to see the produce and a chance for us to share our passion.”

Miller said one of the main goals for Clarion Sage in 2014 was to distinguish the CSA program as unique.

“We wanted to bring real food to typical families. A lot of CSAs are geared towards foodies, which is great, but we wanted to bring something to the meat-and-potatoes kind of families,” Miller said of the wide variety of staple favorites they include in their program.

Families were certainly interested in consuming real, wonderful food from their community. Clarion Sage fed 30 families—around 100 individuals—throughout the summer from less than an acre.

“We do kind of let our members pick veggies and make requests, and we work with other local farms to supply our members with what they want,” Miller said. Members may request items such as eggs that they source from other Central Iowa sustainable providers.

Clarion Sage also occasionally hosts fun farm events, including bonfires and “pick-your-own days.”

“We feel like we’ve walked into heaven with this land—it’s all rolling hills and wildlife,” Kilgore said.

The beginning of a new year is a hopeful time, filled with parties and cheer. It’s a great time to end bad habits and set new goals. While there are many goals to choose from, two tend to be very popular year after year: improving diet and exercise regimens.

Once the holidays are over, it’s a good idea to look at how you’d like to shape up in the new year. The wellness specialists at Hy-Vee and the Waukee YMCA have teamed up to provide guidance for creating New Year’s goals. Read on for tips on setting and reaching achievable resolutions for 2015.

Hy-Vee dietitians Lori Graff and Erin Good say the key to creating sustainable goals is simplicity. “Keep it positive and keep it simple,” says Graff. She and Good work with customers to help them understand their options when it comes to healthy meal planning. They also encourage addition instead of subtraction. “With New Year’s resolutions, people tend to focus on restriction.

They try to cut out cookies and cakes completely,” says Good. That’s understandable, as everyone tends to feel the weight of those extra cookies and cakes after the holiday season. But that’s no fun – instead, she says you’re more likely to enjoy focusing on adding healthier options to your daily choices.

Add a fruit or vegetable to each meal. As you prepare your meal, add one more vegetable to your soup, chili or breakfast omelet. You can also add one piece of fruit as your grab-and-go snack, eat it as a dessert, or incorporate it into your meal with a favorite protein like fish or deli meat.

Add water. Proper water intake is an important part of a healthy diet, but it’s a challenge to build the practice of drinking the right amount of water every day. Start by adding one glass to your daily intake. Every week, increase your intake by one glass until you reach a goal of drinking about eight glasses of water each day.

Add one new recipe each week. It’s easy to fall into a food rut, which makes meal preparation a drag. New foods and new recipes create excitement. Plus, there’s the added bonus of adding a variety of nutrients to your diet. You might also find yourself expanding your culinary skills.

Add time in your day for each meal. Skipping a meal can seem like a good idea when you’re pressed for time, but you’ll find yourself drained of energy in short order. Even worse, skipping a meal can lead to overeating at your next meal. Make it a goal to space meals and snacks by three to five hours. Avoid grazing on snacks; when we mindlessly eat, we consume more calories than we think.

Add “no” to your vocabulary. When you say “yes” to changing your diet, that doesn’t mean you have to say “no” to food. But it can mean saying “no” to other unhealthy habits, like exercising in exchange for spending hours in front of the TV. Most importantly, say “no” to taking on too many commitments so that you can focus on your needs, health and happiness.

Preparation is key. Preparing meals goes a long way towards achieving diet goals. For example, how often have we been stuck with poor choices after failing to plan ahead and bring our lunch to work? The simple act of packing leftovers and taking them to work can save you from having to choose unhealthy options.

Add support when you need it. If you’re not sure where to start, ask for help. If your motivation or inspiration starts to lag, ask for help. There is no one-size-fits-all diet that works for everyone; what and how you eat is highly personalized. It makes sense to take the time to tailor your diet to your specific needs.

Graff and Good offer both free and paid services, including one-on-one nutrition counseling, cholesterol and glucose screenings, corporate and community wellness programs and grocery store tours to help customers find good dietary options (which can be especially helpful for those with dietary restrictions).

For those looking for some extra help with their dietary goals, the Begin Program offers ten weeks of structured guidance. It includes biometric screening, a meeting with a dietitian once per week, and helpful nutritional tutorials.

Ask about the group discount! A group is two or more people – perfect for a couple or for families who want to work together to improve their nutrition.

Read on for winter physical fitness!

Photos by Laura Wills

The director of Waukee High School’s A Cappella choir, Amy Voorhees-Hall, has an oversized poster in her office that says “Dream the impossible, Seek the unknown, Achieve greatness.” It seems she has done all three, considering that her choir will be performing at the 2015 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). It’s no small feat; out of 300 total submissions, only 25 choirs are selected. Out of 80 high school choir submissions, A Cappella is one of only three high school choirs selected to perform.

A singer herself, Hall went to Simpson College for a degree in vocal performance. Destiny led her on a path into education. After earning her degree, she wasn’t ready for graduate school. “I enjoyed my student teaching experiences, so I thought I could do that for a while until I was ready,” she explains.  Though she has since gone on to earn a master’s degree in administration, it’s teaching music that truly inspires her. “Fulfillment comes from not just doing it myself, but from sharing everything I know so that someone else can do it well.”

The thought of taking her choir to an ACDA conference had always appealed to Hall, but she never thought she would audition until a few of her mentors encouraged it. “When you have an ensemble that sings at that level, they should have the opportunity to share at that level,” she said.

In April of this year, Hall submitted three years’ worth of recordings of A Cappella performances. “They want to see consistency. They want to see that you didn’t have an awesome choir for just one year.” She waited on pins and needles until June, when she happened to check her junk email folder and realized the choir had been accepted. She laughs about that moment now. “The email said, ‘ACDA Congratulations.’ And then I think I just about passed out.”

Photos courtesy of Laura Wills Photography

For many, tailgate season is about the food;
for some, the friendship. 

Ryan Glenn, AJ Allen Ryan Fogt, and Trevor Volk once battled it out together under the lights of Waukee High School’s home field, and they’re moving on to play at the college level.

Read on to find out what these four Warriors are up to now, and for tips to spice up your tailgating when you cheer on your teams this fall.

Ryan Glenn knew at a young age that he wanted to play football for Iowa State University. His dad took him to his first game when he was a boy. They sat on the hillside at Jack Trice Stadium and watched the players battle it out underneath the bright lights. After that game, Glenn decided he was going to be a football player, and has worked toward that goal ever since.

This fall, Glenn will be starting his sophomore year of school; he’s decided to major in construction engineering with an emphasis in mechanical engineering. As a kid, Glenn grew up taking things apart and putting them back together again. That makes his choice in studies a natural one. “I always liked figuring out the way things work. Engineering gives you the chance to find that answer. You get to see the end result and watch things take form.”

When asked about whether he’s excited to go back to football camp, he just smiles and says, “It’s football from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep.” As a redshirt last year, he practiced along with the team but didn’t play. He’s looking forward to using his time at camp to prove he’s ready to play offensive lineman on the field he idolized as a kid. “You go out there and work your butt off every day, and do everything in your power, and hopefully coach recognizes it.”

AJ Allen is heading to the University of Northern Iowa. He’s getting an opportunity that few ever see: a chance to follow in his dad’s footprints. His father, Andre Allen, played for UNI and eventually went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. Like his father, AJ is an outside linebacker. He’s hoping the start of his college football career will be the next step in toward his ultimate dream of playing professional football.

Sports have always been “his thing.” As a versatile athlete all his life, Allen played basketball, baseball, and ran track. He got his start on the football field at a young age. He remembers playing football in the fourth grade, and at the time he was good enough to play with kids one year older.

His time on the Waukee High School Football team prepared him well, and this fall he’ll be entering UNI as a freshman. “When the offers started coming in, UNI just felt right.” Allen is looking forward to doing what he loves on the field and getting an education. He’s anticipating being a redshirt for the first year, since he believes his coach likes to reserve freshman so they’ll have time to grow and mature as players.

Allen jokes that he’s been told not to bother bringing a TV or any game systems. “I guess we won’t have time,” he says. “It’ll be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m looking forward to becoming stronger and more mentally tough.” He’s looking forward to the challenge of school, as well, but hasn’t quite made up his mind about what he wants to do. “One day, I’ll want to be physical therapist. The next day it’s graphic design. Or maybe I’ll get into coaching!” He’s come a long way, and his excitement is palpable. “It’s a mixture of feelings, nervous, excited, anxious,” he says.