Vote for your favorite 2012 Iowa Travel Guide cover candidate!

Iowa is the starting point for presidential candidates who are already busy at work vying for votes at the fast-approaching Iowa Caucuses.

But before that, Iowans (and people from around the world!), can cast their vote in an equally important race.

Beginning today Facebook users can vote for the cover of the 2012 Iowa Travel Guide! By simply “liking” Travel Iowa on Facebook, people will see three Iowa Travel Guide cover choices. One cover showcases canoeing on the Cedar River in Linn County. Another spotlights the High Trestle Trail Bridge near Madrid. A third option features Arnolds Park Amusement Park in Okoboji, the Orange City Tulip Festival, Lost Island Adventure Park in Waterloo, a Mississippi River sunrise, the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, WhiteWater at Riverfront Park in Charles City and the Iowa Speedway in Newton.

This summer, the Iowa Tourism Office asked for suggestions via Facebook of destinations to feature on the cover of the travel guide. The response was tremendous, so we took the idea one step further and decided to give the public a chance to actually choose their favorite cover design.

Voting concludes at midnight on October 18. The winning design will be announced the next day during the Iowa Tourism Conference. (Register to attend!) Facebook fans can vote as often as they’d like and can pre-order the 2012 guide for delivery in January. It is available free of charge.

The four-color, 184-page guide is Iowa’s comprehensive trip-planning publication, with listings from more than 700 attractions, 750 hotels, 220 bed and breakfasts and 350 campgrounds. The Iowa Tourism Office will print 150,000 travel guides in 2012. To date in 2011, more than 11,000 people have viewed the travel guide online.

Shawna Lode, Iowa Tourism Office

AGCO at the National Farm Toy Museum

The National Farm Toy Museum’s newest display, AGCO: The Evolution of A Company, highlights the historical brands of the AGCO Company from early machines of the past to today’s latest and greatest – all in detailed miniature.

One feature of the display not to be missed is the Allis-Chalmers All-Crop Combine Factory diorama. Handcrafted by Ev and Myra Weber in fascinating detail, this diorama depicts the creation of the popular AC All-Crop Harvester. Taking over an estimated 4,000 hours to create, this diorama preserves the rich history of what is now AGCO.

Among the many colorful brands included in the display are, Allis-Chalmers, Cockshutt, Oliver, Minneapolis-Moline, White, Challenger, Massey Ferguson, and of course AGCO. Also on display, a full scale Allis-Chalmers “G,” company timeline, and a multitude of fascinating agricultural collectibles on display.

The National Farm Toy Museum is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Amanda Schwartz, National Farm Toy Museum

Play ball!

Truth be told, I'm not a huge baseball fan. I don't mark opening day on my calendar. I don't get caught up in the standings. But every once in a while, I do like to visit a ballpark and take in a game. On a recent family getaway to Burlington, I was able to do just that.

The main focus of our trip to Burlington was Fun City and its waterpark, go karts, arcade and bowling alley (but that's another post!). However, just about a block away from the Fun CIty complex is Community Field, home to the Burlington Bees, a Class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.


We timed our trip so we could take in a Sunday afternoon game. Admission is very affordable (the most expensive seats were $8) and parking was free. We opted for general admission seats ($6 for adults; $4 for children) because the ticket seller suggested those would be the shadiest. It happened to be kids' day, so our kids both got in free. Bonus!

The kids enjoyed bouncing around in the inflatable jump house prior to the game. (I enjoyed that it was free. And that they were burning off energy before sitting for the game.) Concessions were reasonably priced. We had two malt cups and two ice cream treats for about $12.

The majority of the stadium is general admission so we had no trouble finding seats. The weather was nearly perfect, hot, but not real humid. The bleachers were largely shaded, and when a breeze kicked through...divine.

As with most minor league ballparks, there were promotions held throughout the game. At one point the announcer encouraged kids to head to one particular section at the end of an innning. The kids were treated to a cool down courtesy of a water hose. My kids came back drenched, but thrilled.

We rooted hard for the home team, but they lost to the Clinton Lumberkings. (Hey, at least an Iowa team won!) After the game, kids were allowed to run the bases and get autographs from a few players.

Have you been to a minor league baseball game in Iowa? Let me know in the comments.

Jessica O'Riley, Iowa Tourism Office