Steak Fry Fun is Off Stage in Iowa

It's all about signs. Or maybe it's noise. In any case, the staff and volunteers for the presidential candidates made sure that all 12,000 attendees at the 2007 Harkin Steak Fry knew their candidate had fans. The fun started as attendees approached the entrance to the large field that is the site of the annual food fest and speeches. In essence, they ran a gauntlet of signs and sounds as groups of enthusiasts cheered for their candidates.

Once inside, there were booths for the six candidates who spoke and for Dennis Kucinich, who was not invited because he is not staffing a campaign in Iowa. In addition, there were booths for issues near and dear to Democrats' hearts, especially health care.

Most campaigns had only the traditional stickers, buttons, and leaflets. The John Edwards booth offered face painting for children and Joe Biden's staff were perhaps the most creative with a large display that compared his 'ears' of experience to that of Senators Clinton, Edwards, and Obama. In Iowa, corn is king.

The booths are busy places throughout the speeches, as not everyone wants to sit still for nearly three hours. The audience seated on the hill that rises from the stage is intent on listening. Some listen to all speeches, while others -- replete with buttons and carrying their candidates' signs -- are present to listen only to 'their' candidate. Though they wave signs and applaud often, there ws more decorum here than before the talks began.

Meanwhile, the true fun for many is to collect stickers from all the candidates. Children were the most obvious collectors, dashing from table to table. A close observer would see adults slipping stickers and buttons (unworn) into pockets or bags. These would join collections from past campaigns.

There were varying levels of traffic at the booths. It seemed that the Obama booth drew the most visitors, with Edwards' display a close second. That booth asked visitors to fill out a small card to say what change they most wanted a President Edwards to effect. However, the popularity of this activity may well have been because suggestions were placed in a raffle box. The prize? Lunch with Elizabeth Edwards. Drawing to be held later, apparently.

In 2008 the annual Harkin Steak Fry will be back to its version of normal. There will not be six presidential candidates, though it's possible the Democrat party's presidential or vice-presidential nominee will make an appearance. The food will still be good, and Tom and Ruth Harkin will be the same gracious hosts they always are. With the lack of competition among staff of presidential contenders it may be as crowded, but it will be definitely quieter.