Wanted: Gamers

Hi Everyone!

So I've done A LOT of talking about the Iowa Falls Show so far...it's my new show and we have tons of changes that I think will be awesome, but I need to make sure the info gets out there. One major change form last year is that we have 1 full day of showing devoted to games. Usually our shows have 6-8 game classes at the end but I'm throwing in an ENTIRE DAY of games this year. In this one day we will be offering SIX JACKPOTS!!!! I am working to get some sponsors to make this show even more fun yet. But here's where I'm at with games. I have no gamer connections. None. Does anybody know of any groups of gamers? I have classes split out for young riders, experienced riders, and obviously - the serious, JACKPOT riders. If you have any ideas of individuals or groups that might be interested, please let me know!!!! Email me their contact info or have them contact me at sean.thurm@yahoo.com. I really want them there, and if they are on the fence about it, I want to know how to get them there. That goes for everyone else too by the way! Well, have a great day everyone!

Sponsorships

Hi Everyone!

Something we're adding to our shows this year is sponsorships. Do you have a horse for sale? Do you give riding lessons? Do you put on other horse shows you want to promote? Do you own a business you want to promote to this group? Our sponsorship opportunities are very inexpensive and hit a large group of people.

Class Sponsorship: $20

For a class of your choosing, we will read a tid-bit about your business (that you will provide) at the beginning and end of the class. We will also post a link to your website (if you have one) or any other contact information on the blog; this will remain posted through the end of the year. In addition to the contact info being posted, we will devote an entire post to your business to thank you sponsoring our shows!

Show Sponsorship: $50

For a show sponsorship, you can choose up to 4 classes to sponsor. This is definitely a better buy! We will read a tid-bit about your business (the you will provide) and the beginning and end of the classes you choose. In addition to that exposure, we will post a link to your website and any contact info you choose on the blog. We will also devote an entire post to your sponsorship as well to thank you for sponsoring our shows!

Go ahead and shoot me an email (sean.thurm@yahoo.com) or call/text me (319-231-9826) if you are interested in sponsoring a show this year! See you all this summer!

Vendors anyone?

Hi Everyone!

I had somebody ask me about vendors today so I checked into it. It turns out that we can have vendors in Iowa Falls but not Waterloo. Waterloo really doesn't have a great place for vendors anyway but I checked. Now, to be a vendor at Iowa Falls, it will cost $65 and we will try to find you electricity if you need it. The one person that asked me does need it and the folks at Ellsworth Equestrian Center said they'd find a way to make it happen. There are other vendors at the facility permanently, but I'm not too sure what they are...I'm sure some will have tack and show clothes and stuff like that...always fun to look at and buy :)

What are some ideas if you plan on being a vendor? Maybe desserts like cookies or pie or bars...or maybe you know a photographer that would be interested...or maybe jewelry...or maybe a sandwich shop type thing...the possibilities are ENDLESS!!! Oh wow, just another thought! Maybe somebody wants to do an omelet bar type thing in the morning and then do hamburgers or hot dogs or something the rest of the day???? Sounds AMAZING to me :)

If you want to do something like this just let me know...I don't have a vendor form yet since I just got addressed about it today, but I'll have one shortly. Have a great day everyone!

SHOW BILLS POSTED ONLINE!!!!

Hi Everyone!

I just got word that the show bills for BOTH fun shows are online! I'll find somewhere easy to display them on the blog but for now I'll post them here. I am the contact for both shows this year. On the website it says Erin for the Iowa Falls show but please contact me...I'll see if I can change that. Well, its getting late and I have big plans for tomorrow so I better get to sleep! See you all this summer!

Waterloo Fun Show - June 26

Iowa Falls Fun Show - July 23 & 24

So what is a Progressive Barn Party?

A Progressive Barn Party is, for lack of a better word, awesome. Yeah, that helps a lot I know. Picture this: A barn at a horse show full of horses and people form different farm. Each of those farms bring some sort of food to share, and everybody walks around the barn to eat and socialize with everyone. That is basically the idea here.

So what can this do for you when you participate?

This is a great networking tool! Maybe some of you have horses for sale or a stallion at stud or give riding lessons. This is a chance to meet tons of new people! Maybe you're looking to buy a new horse for your young rider - maybe somebody you meet here has a friend that couldn't make it that has the perfect horse! Also, a variety of food to munch on is incredible!

What makes a great barn party?

The first thing that make a great barn party is a variety of people and a variety of food. You want to have the best food in the barn. Keep in mind this doesn't have to be expensive. Who can argue with Sloppy Joe's? or Cookies? Maybe you want to go in the direction of drinks...how about Sparkling Punch? There are endless possibilities! Don't worry about the plates and silverware - we'll take care of that. We'll also try to get some music going during the barn party, but I haven't been down to look at the facility yet so we'll see what happens with that.

Other notes:

I'm going to try to get a barn map put together for that day so people will know what food is where. So be sure to tell me what you want to bring and where you want your stalls to be so I can put you on the map :) That will also allow you to be sure you are bringing the same thing as someone else. Keep in mind this is for the Iowa Falls Show only - not the Waterloo Show. If you have any questions don't hesitate to email me - I'm always available for questions :)

Wow...its been a while...sorry guys...

Alrighty, I've really slacked on keeping you all updated...my bad. I've been super busy since I last got on here - school, work, and SHOW STUFF!!! So here's what I have for the 2 shows this year...there might be some stuff you guys have already hear or know about but this is everything I have TENTATIVELY planned for the shows this year...keep in mind, this is subject to change.

WATERLOO - NATIONAL CATTLE CONGRESS FAIRGROUNDS

June 25

3:00pm Horses may arrive

4:00pm Open Arena

6:00pm Grill out

June 26

6:00am Open Arena

8:00am Classes begin

We have some things that are a little bit different this year. Because of an event prior to ours, horses will not allowed on the grounds until 3:00pm...I can't stress that enough! I would hate to have people waiting around in Waterloo with horses for hours. I hope to have things set up in the office by then but no guarantees I guess.

I will definitely have the arena open as soon as I can and I'm planning on that to be around 4:00...could be sooner though. Something that we did last year and liked a lot was the Grill Out! We are planning this again this year...its very simple. You bring stuff to grill and a dish to share...we'll bring the grill and we'll all have a great time socializing!

I will open the arena as soon as I get to the grounds the morning of the show...we are starting an hour earlier this year. Hopefully this will get us out a little bit earlier so we're going to start at 8:00am.

Keep in mind we are still doing our high point awards for the overall HORSE, YOUTH, and ADULT!

IOWA FALLS - ELLSWORTH EQUESTRIAN CENTER

July 22

12:00pm Horses may arrive

1:00om Open Arena

July 23

6:00am Open Arena

8:00am Classes Begin

Game classes only - 6 JACKPOT CLASSES!!!

4:00pm Progressive Barn Party

6:00pm Open Arena

July 24

6:00pm Open Arena

8:00pm Classes Begin

Halter, Pleasure, and Games - 3 MORE JACKPOT CLASSES!!!

Ok...this is a bit new for me. We are making this a 2 day show this year...it was like this last year, but we will have a different format this year. Saturday will be a show with just game classes. This includes 6 OPEN JACKPOT CLASSES!!! We will try to be done by 3:00 or 4:00 so that we can all be ready for the Progressive Barn Party...if you don't know what this is keep checking the blog...I'll post that later this week or this weekend to explain the whole thing. After the classes are done, there will also be an open arena for all that want to use it.

On Sunday, I'll open the arena once I get to the fairgrounds and it will be open until we drag before classes. These classes will be set up a lot like the Waterloo show. We'll have halter right away and then pleasure followed by games to close the day. Keep in mind for BOTH DAYS we will have overall highpoint awards for overall HORSE, YOUTH, and ADULTS!

Remember that if you have any questions, just shoot me an email :) See you all this summer!

Waterloo Show - June 25-26

Hi Everyone!

As promised I will highlight some plans for each show we have this year. I'm going to hold off on Iowa Falls for a little bit. We have a Board of Directors meeting on the 23rd and I'm going to propose some changes for that show - once those are approved I'll let you all know what kind of fun we're going to have!

So...the Waterloo Show...I'm still working on the final touches of the class list but it'll be basically the same as last year. I won't be changing and updating any additional classes this year until the show so if you don't see something you want, just shoot me an email and I can put it in somewhere the day of the show :) We are still planning on another grill out for Saturday night! There was some really good food last year...hopefully we get even more people to come out and hang with us this year!

Another change is we will be starting at 8:00am this year. Hopefully by starting just 1 hour earlier we can get everyone home before in gets too late. We know you guys have jobs and this is just a fun hobby so we'll make sure we take take of you guys that way.

As for the classes, I have split some that eventually got split last year. I still left Showmanship as any age, but I ready to split it if someone asks for it. I did have 1 addition from last year though - Ride-a-Buck. How I'm going to do it this year is you will pay your entry fee ($5) and then you will supply your own "buck." All the "bucks" that hit the ground will be a jackpot prize for the winner! Sound good?

As always, we are about fun more than anything else. If you have any other ideas that could make this a better show, just email me - I'm always looking for new ideas! And of course, always check back here for updated info.

Thnks to Jodie Elson for taking some pictures at the show last year! If anyone has any pictures from any show, I'd love to get them! Pictures are a great way help us promote the show and make it better every year! The pictures I have in this post are both Jodie's. Thanks again for the support everybody! See you on June 25-26 in Waterloo!