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Locker Room

From sky to sea

8/21/2013

This weekend outdoor events include a journey north of Des Moines to Perry for the Fly Iowa 2013 air show event, or a road trip south to Indianola for the cardboard boat race spectacle. Both are free to attend and family-friendly.

This weekend outdoor events include a journey north of Des Moines to Perry for the Fly Iowa 2013 air show event, or a road trip south to Indianola for the cardboard boat race spectacle. Both are free to attend and family-friendly.

When’s the last time you looked to the sky and were truly in awe? Honestly. Unless there’s a shooting star or some other natural wonder, is there really much to see?

You bet your little black box there is. Fly Iowa 2013 is the signature event of the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group and is the state’s annual Air Fair.

“The pilots involved in the air show, for the main part, are quite experienced and most have a commercial rating,” said Chuck McDonald, executive director of the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group.

Fly Iowa is a free aerobatic air show featuring various aircrafts flying entertaining maneuvers. This year’s event will feature the Vanguard Squadron flying a four-ship precision formation flight routine, a Stearman Bi-plane flying with a wing walker, a comedy act flown in a high-wing TaylorCraft plane “drunken farmer kind of thing” and a dog fight between a P-51 Mustang and a Jap Zero — both famous Word War II aircrafts. A total of nine pilots will be flying six different aircrafts for a two-hour show.

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

Every year Fly Iowa takes place at a different town/city’s airport, and it’s Perry Municipal Airport’s turn this year.

If the wild blue yonder isn’t your thing, how about setting sail on artificial waters? Hoist the sails and tape up your cracks — er, leaks — because it’s time for an adventure on waters of Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center down in Indianola. The task is simple: Get your boat across the pool. The catch? Your boat is made of cardboard.

“It truly is a great way to celebrate the end of summer and a real team-building experience for groups and families,” said Kathy Kester, publicity and marketing coordinator with the Indianola Parks and Rec.

This will be the sixth annual Cardboard Boat Races, and the event doesn’t seem to be sinking anytime soon. Usually about 20-30 “boats” show up to race, Kester said. The event also brings out many fans that prefer to stay on dry land.

“We have had giant ‘rubber duckies,’ tractors, submarines, rafts, battleships and sometimes just plain boxes,” said Doug Bylund, who Kester calls the brains behind the event. “We’ve also seen 10 people on a six-by-10 (foot) cardboard raft. That was pretty impressive.”

It’s hard to say which “boat” will float the best. Only a test sail will tell. One thing Bylund does mention to those considering participating in this race, though: “Make sure you have plenty of duct tape on your boat.”

Duct tape. Of course. CV               

David Rowley is an Iowa native with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and a master’s in film journalism from the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

 

Fly Iowa 2013: “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”
Friday, Aug. 23, includes a car show and train exhibit downtown Perry from 5-7 p.m. and a demonstration at 6:30 p.m. for Friday Fest in Pattee Park.
Saturday, Aug. 24, includes: 7-10 a.m. flight breakfast; 9-5 p.m. Exhibits, Presentations, Wings Program; 10 a.m. displays/vendors; and 1-3 p.m. free Airshow all at the Perry Municipal Airport.
Cardboard Box Races
Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center, 714 W. Detroit, Indianola
Gates open at 6:45 p.m. and everyone will line up their boats on around the pool for photos. (No registration required.) Kids will start at 7 p.m. followed by teens, adults and then family races.

 

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