ARE YOU READY?

On Saturdays in the fall, Kinnick Stadium becomes one of the biggest “cities” in Iowa. Lots of fans, lots of tailgating. Everyone does it different. These are few of their stories …

THE VETERAN

Let’s see … three or four folding tables, six or seven chairs, turkey fryer, small grill with skillet for breakfast, big grill for lunch, stereo and speakers and a few coolers. The TV finally came when he realized he needed a generator for more power. A DVD/VCR combo became handy for analyzing last week’s game before popping in some classic games related to that particular week’s matchup. Satellite dish capability is new for 2010.

It’s pretty simple, says Roman Terrill, a 1994 University of Iowa graduate who added a law degree from the university in 1998. Overkill is the way of the world.

“The spirit of the tailgate is always to cook more food than you need and give it to other tailgates. Never take money … always make a point to try to clean up every last cigarette butt and wrappers and everything … kind of be a steward of the tailgating environment.”

Terrill’s tailgater — he can more often than not be found in the UI dental school lot — has been a destination spot for years. He is known for theme tailgaters, a result of trying to spice things up in food preparation.

“After a while, you can only cook so many brats and so many cheeseburgers … it starts to get a little bit, you know, lame,” he says.

Some highlights: Everything was orange for Syracuse week in 2007 — orange chicken, Orange Julius, a delightful “orange-and-black” thing for dessert (“It looked good. It didn’t taste very good”); Buffalo burgers and Buffalo wings for who else — Buffalo — in 2003; and a classic Greek theme of gyros, pitas and Uzo in honor of wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who, “while having a Greekish name, is really not terribly Greek,” Terrill says.

The most memorable might have been Mexican week in honor of wide receiver Ramon Ochoa and fullback Edgar Cervantes, who both came up huge in a classic 2003 upset of Michigan. For the next game, sombreros were worn, quesadillas and tortilla soup were served, and a CD of mariachi music purchased at Walmart at 2 a.m. before that morning’s game was loudly heard throughout the dental lot.

“We were doing such a good job that … a rival fan came up and saw our tailgate and offered to do the Macarena for us, which she did and she looked good doing it,” he says.

Terrill believes his true claim to fame might be organizing the annual dental lot kicking contest, open to friends and random passing strangers alike. Two guys join hands to form the crossbar and then hold up canoe paddles with their outside hands for the goal posts. Want to kick? Throw a buck into the football helmet. If you make it, you move on to the next round until a winner is crowned.

“Hundreds of people show up for that and the winner one year was a guy from Belgium,” Terrill says.

Then there’s the tuba. Opposing teams often park their marching bands in the dental lot before they march to the stadium. Terrill, who owns and can play a sousaphone, would often line up with the opposition’s tuba line and try to march with them. Sometimes he succeeded. Sometimes not.

“Did that at the Iowa State game and, man, were they not happy about that,” he says.

What makes Terrill’s spot a must-see is that it’s open to everyone, not just friends and family. He often doesn’t know many of the people. Sure, there are friends and regulars, but the spot is usually jumping so much that friends of friends and random passers-by stop to get a look at the loud, live scenery.

 “I’ve never invited anyone to my tailgate,” Terrill says.

THE ROAD WARRIOR

Living in Chicago has not slowed 2006 UI graduate Brandon O’Hare even a little bit. He has his season tickets. He has a group of fellow Hawkeyes who make the trek to Iowa City for every home game and as many road games as possible.

“When you see the sign for the world’s largest truck stop in Davenport going into Iowa City, it’s a big rush from then on in when it’s gameday Friday,” O’Hare says.

It helps having friend Alex Andrade live within walking distance of their preferred tailgating spot in the Myrtle Avenue lot. O’Hare and five or six companions typically arrive in Iowa City about midnight or 1 a.m. Rolling in that late, O’Hare and the gang park overnight in the Myrtle lot and head back to crash. Then they wake up with the Hawkeye fight song blaring in their ears at 6 a.m. and head over to Myrtle.

Most of O’Hare’s partners are native Iowans or Iowa grads. But they try to bring a taste of Chicago with them, stopping at Paulina Meat Market on the way out of town (“just an old-school Chicago butcher that has the best meat around,” he says). O’Hare and his friends usually take up two spots and have about 25 regulars for mornings full of Chicago burgers and brats, beer pong and bags.

He prefers to head back Sunday after some victorious night life in Iowa City. It’s a routine he and his friends don’t see changing anytime soon, especially since he’s bringing his girlfriend of two years, Sally, to her first game this Saturday.

“We’ll keep doing it as long as we can, I guess, as long as it’s still doable,” O’Hare says. “Most of my friends don’t have families yet, so it’s a good way to spend the weekends.”

THE DUTIFUL HOSTS

For more than 10 years, Jerod and Becky Lyons of Iowa City have been giving their friends a place to crash on game weekends. It’s even the reason for their latest home improvement venture.

The couple recently put the finishing touches on a summer project — a downstairs bathroom and guest room for visiting friends.

The Lyonses put up four of married friends for every game, but the number of people milling in and out over the course of the weekend can number as high as 20 or more.

“Somebody different has always got somebody different with them for the games,” Jerod says. “We’ve just always been like that. The more the merrier, you know.”

The two rarely go to games, just play the host and join in for the tailgating action. Come kickoff, they head home and watch the game on TV and wait for the gang to return for postgame party time.

The location doesn’t hurt, either. After living on the east side of Iowa City for five years, the couple bought a house in 2005 just blocks from Kinnick Stadium on the edge of University Heights. At first, the now-vacated lot at Olive Court could easily be accessed at the end of their street. Nowadays, Jerod and Becky join their relocated friends by the “Red Barn” at 711 Melrose Ave., still just a few short blocks away.

“I would never say that it had any bearing on buying this house, but it was sure a huge bonus when we realized the location and how close it was going to be to Kinnick, no doubt about it,” Jerod says. “Instead of getting up and driving over here for tailgating, now we’re just walking down the block.”

With that many people around, one might think the Lyonses would grow weary. On the contrary, they say. They love playing the hosts.

“You’ve got six or seven weekends a year where everyone’s getting together and you know what’s going to happen,” Jerod says. “I look forward to it.”

What’s different this year? Well, they finally decided to get some tickets.

“I want to be there for the national championship,” Jerod says

— SAM

Local filmmaker Emily Ashenfelter knew something in Iowa City needed to change when it came to women in filmmaking. Iowa City hosts Landlocked Film Festival each year — this year’s festival starts today — and several members of the community love the art of filmmaking.

But, as a former film student at The University of Iowa, Emily says she noticed an absence of women filmmakers in this area.

“I wanted to create a group and environment that would be welcoming to women — to let them explore and learn about filmmaking, and meet other filmmakers,” she says.

So Emily started a group dubbed “Iowa City Filmmaker Chicks” on MeetUp.com last summer. She told her friends about it, and they told their friends, and so began the group.

The members of Iowa City Filmmaker Chicks prefer to spend their time actively making films instead of having regular meetings and an established group of officers. Right now, the women have several different projects under way or just finishing up – from a piece for a Public Service Announcement competition to short films that may someday be entered in film festivals.

Members participate in whichever projects they’d like, in any capacity, no matter age or background.

“We involve every aspect of filmmaking,” says Emily. “Writing, editing, shooting, acting, creating background noise, or even flipping a light switch. Filmmaking is such a collaborative process. You really need a group effort because there are so many elements involved.”

Currently, members range in age from midteens to 60-plus. Some members have film degrees or are amateur actors, but others have never been involved in film before.

In addition to working on film projects, the group also does lots of information-sharing and swapping of best practices. For example, Emily’s strong points don’t rest in knowing how film equipment works. Joanne Seeberger, another ICFC member, loves learning about the latest in cameras and HD, so she teaches Emily and other group members about the technology behind the equipment they’re using.

“Everybody has different strengths,” says Joanne. “You learn from people and play off of each others strengths.”

They throw in a little bit of professional development when they can, too, like getting together and conducting sessions on storyboarding.

The group purchases some of the equipment it uses; members also borrow equipment from Public Access Television. In the near future, the women plan to show some work at a local library or other venue so members of the community can see what they’ve been up to.

“We’re supporting women,” says Emily. “We want to get their interest and confidence levels there in terms of film.”

And nothing does that more than gathering a group of like-minded women together to work on a film project where they can determine for themselves how they’d like to contribute.

“It’s just so fun,” says Joanne. “I’ve met a lot of new people, and it’s incredible to see an idea actually end up on film.”
— LEAH

Filmmaker Chicks at Work
Several Filmaker Chicks have movies in the works.
“Mezzotint” is directed by member Mary Blackwood, who’s also the director of Landlocked Film Festival. The project combines a ghost story and period film. The movie uses modern techniques in sound design and hand-held camera techniques. The film is set in 1949 and uses appropriate props, costumes, and locations.

“Standby” is directed by ICFC member Emily Ashenfelter, who works at PATV and is on the board of directors for Landlocked Film Festival. The film is about a middle-aged woman who makes a movie about herself and her husband as a young couple. With zero experience in moviemaking, the characters inadvertently film the parts in between scenes because the camera isn’t working properly. Their final product ends up being everything except what they really wanted to capture on film.

On a typical day, Miriam Alarcon Avila has her hands full of flour and sugar in the bakery at New Pioneer Co-op, but today, her hands are full of sand.

“I thought it would be more like just playing in the sand,” she said as she brushed moist sand off her mud-speckled forehead, “But it’s quite difficult, much different than cakes. It’s incredible.”

Miriam isn’t a professional artist, and neither is her team of 10 co-workers and family members, but on Friday, she will compete against 11 other businesses and organizations in Sand in the City, a sand sculpting competition sponsored Iowa City Summer of the Arts.

In the event’s second year, organizers anticipate to exceed the 17,000 curious spectators that sauntered the sandy shores of Iowa Avenue in 2009, especially because this year’s event falls on the weekend before University of Iowa classes begin.

“It’s a good way to showcase downtown Iowa City,” says Lisa Barnes, executive director of Iowa City Summer of the Arts, “It aligns with our goal to bring the community together and promote art.”

Teams will have between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday to craft their sandy creations. The sculptures will be displayed until Sunday. Guest judges decide which teams receive first, second and third place. Spectators are also given the opportunity to purchase Sand Dollars to vote for the People’s Choice Award.

The Sand Dollars not only support future community events for Iowa City Summer of the Arts, but they are also currency for refreshment, and kids’ Fun Zone activities. Other festival highlights include food vendors from local restaurants, local painters, jewelers, and illustrators showcasing their artwork, various entertainers and musicians — Kol Shira, Funk Stop, Surf Zombies, and Dr. Z’s Experiment — performing throughout the evening, as well as a giant sandbox where anyone can sculpt their own masterpiece (see page 7 for tips to craft your own sand sculpture).

Although new to the corridor last year, Sand in the City events have helped non-profit organizations all over the country become self-sustaining for the past 15 years with the guidance of Bert Adams, owner and organizer of Sand in the City nationwide.

“I teach non-profits how to earn money, not beg for it,” says Adams.

But Adams wasn’t born a beach bum, or even an artist. When his job as a successful silicon engineer left him unfulfilled, he withdrew from the technical world to become the “Bob Ross of sand” and bring
his event to cities such as Portland, Omaha and
even Ottumwa.

“People who think they can’t sculpt sand because they aren’t artists usually come out feeling proud of what they did,” says Adams as he smiles through a shaggy, sandy beard, “It’s like something woke up inside of them. It’s a great feeling.”

Not only do individuals learn to “release the Michael Sand-gelo” within, but Adams’ business plan appears to be beneficial for everyone; participating companies receive publicity, community members come together to create and view public art, and the non-profit organization is given the ability to gain new supporters to their cause.

As Miriam concentrates on each stroke of the metal tool, her children watch over her shoulder with curiosity. Miriam explains that the concept for their sculpture is about conservation and healthy eating.

“My goal is for people to take the memory with them,” says Miriam, smiling, “and to realize there is something good that they can do to make a difference.”

So although the sand sculptures may not be permanent, organizers and participants hope Sand in the City will leave a lasting impression on the Iowa City community.
— TORI

See pics from last weekend’s event:

DID YOU KNOW?
WHAT: Sand in the City
WHEN: Friday (8/20) to Sunday (8/22)
WHERE: Sand Sculptures will line Iowa Ave.
between Clinton and Linn St. in downtown Iowa City
COST: Free
DETAILS: www.summerofthearts.org
TIPS: Due to Sand in the City there will be no Friday Night Concert Series concert or Free Movie Series movie this week.

Matt Rissi has been looking for a way to bring techno music to the younger Eastern Iowa crowd for a while.
And he found it in 4-year-old Dakota Neblock.

Matt, a performance DJ who also promotes underground music events, has participated in and put on dance/techno festivals and events all over the country for the last 14 years. He had been looking for ways to pull off an outdoor, concert-sized music event in Cedar Rapids with a decent-sized budget tied to it, but that’s a tough sell here.

“There aren’t a lot of people in Iowa who support this kind of music,” says Matt. “I needed a bigger cause.”

And then he found out about Dakota.

At 4 months old, Dakota was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, which is a form of cancer that develops from nerve tissue. It’s also the most common extracranial solid cancer seen in childhood. That means that there are approximately 650 new U.S. cases each year.

She relapsed at 9 months, went through chemo, and became cancer-free. Two years later, she relapsed once more. In February 2009, she began treatment. She’s now stage IV/high-risk and is continuing her fight with the disease.

Nick Neblock, Dakota’s father, and Matt knew each other through mutual friends. When Matt heard that Nick’s daughter was fighting cancer, he soon realized that tying a fundraiser to a music festival in Cedar Rapids might serve Dakota and the world of techno very well. From there, Dance4Dakota was born.

The goal for the event? To bring
1,000 people out to support Dakota and techno music.

“I wanted to make it more personal than just a cancer benefit,” says Matt. “I think it’s more effective to have the money to
go a specific family, which is why we’re doing this.”

The festival will be held on Saturday starting at noon at Coopacabana. Two stages (one inside, one outside) will simultaneously host a full-scale concert sound system and more than
20 performers, including dancers, emcees, and headlining DJs from all over the country.

If it proves to be a success this year, he’d like to continue the event next year,  maybe outside instead.

“The reason I went with a venue was to eliminate about 80% of the red tape I’d have to go through if I used city property,” he explains.
“By holding it at Coopacabana, I don’t need to worry about liquor licenses, an insurance policy, or
hiring police officers.”

If you’re thinking that this event isn’t for you because techno isn’t your style, think again. It’s not a rave, and it’s not music that only teenagers will enjoy, Matt says.

“I know there are people here between the ages of 18 and 35 who like to go out and see live music, and want to see something other than cover bands and karaoke. The vast majority of people who enjoy live music would love techno music if they were exposed to it properly,” he says.

And that’s one of his hopes for the Dance4Dakota event. In addition to helping out the Neblock family with medical expenses, he wants to bring techno to Cedar Rapids.

Even if live music isn’t your thing, the BBQ, dance marathon, beer truck, fan-cooled party tent, and prize giveaways make Dance4Dakota more than worthwhile – not to mention the fact that your presence will help a four-year-old fight her battle with cancer.
— LEAH

Dance4Dakota

• WHEN: Saturday (8/14), noon to 2 a.m.
• WHERE: Coopacabana, 529 Fourth Ave. SE
• COST: $10 at the door,
• or a $5 bracelet before the event
• DETAILS: www.dance4dakota.com or thesolarcathedral@yahoo.com

When people ask me about what I am currently doing with my life, I tend to give them varying degrees of the story.

Short version: I am in a band. Slightly longer version: I am a human prop in a very elaborate art project. The full story: I am a back up singer and dancer in a musical group.

This musical group parades around the country with a large sense of Iowa pride using a series of of theatrical props, costumes and dance moves.

At the center of it all is one Leslie Hall. She started a website in college — a viral online photo gallery that paid homage to her extensive collection of gem sweaters — and the whole thing has been snowballing into quite the production ever since.

Leslie started Leslie & The LY’s in 2004 and her raps about growing up as an overweight white girl in the Midwest quickly gained a cult following. So she started taking her show on the road.

That’s where I come in. I’m a LY. That means I have my own spandex wardrobe, tease my own hair to gravity defying heights and join Leslie for her homemade stage show.

The shows really are a family affair. Leslie’s mother, Rena Hall, makes all of our elaborately detailed costumes from scratch. You appreciate this feat if you’ve ever tried to sew Spandex. Her father, Dick Hall, takes the visions in Leslie’s head and turns them into stage props. Her siblings have also all been involved in one way or another.

To truly begin the story of this summer’s adventures with Leslie Hall, we must go back to April 3, 2009, when I was in the middle of my third annual spring tour with the band. We were in San Fransisco when we heard that the Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. That night in front of 700 fans Leslie announced that the second she got home she was going to be ordained. And, yes, wedding packages would be available.

She calls them “Gem Sweater Wedding of Grands.” The $299 package includes a ring bearer, a cake from Dairy Queen, two songs performed by Hall and a ceremony in any style the couple chooses.

Fast forward to June of 2010 and our first same-sex wedding ceremony for a lesbian couple from Philadelphia.

We decorated the walls with bedazzled sweaters. We even pulled out the world’s largest gem sweater prop from the video “Craft Talk.” Leslie pulled the Gem Sweater RV around back. There were balloons and cake, a sweet little acoustic band, a dance team and, of course, fireworks.

Leslie performed the actual ceremony. I teared up during vows just like at every wedding I go to. Luckily, I was wearing sunglasses. Back up dancers with big hair and spandex don’t cry at weddings.

After our performance, we decided to take everyone to an Ames dance club. Strangers and wedding attendees mingled and danced.

Then Leslie got a hot lead on a party in the country in a teepee. The three of us, Leslie, myself and the other LY — Karen Kvitek (aka Scrappy) — snuck off into the moonlight to check it out. A windy road led us to an oversized teepee, with DJ, fog machine and people with painted faces dancing the night away inside.

We decided this party was worth taking some Philadelphians to, so we led them out into the wilderness, danced with them for a while and then left them to dance the night away under the moon.

Since then, we’ve also played at a wedding rehearsal dinner on a boat on in Clear Lake, a very hot barn at a wedding south of Iowa City and a Women’s festival in Middleton, Wis., in a conference room at a Marriott hotel. Good times.

— MONA

DID YOU KNOW
Find out more about Leslie & The LY’s at www.lesliehall.com or www.leslieandthelys.com
Check out all the gold brilliance at www.youtube.com/lesliehall

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU
Our summer escapades aren’t over yet. We’ll perform at the Iowa State Fair Tuesday, August 17 at 9 am. at the Susan Knapp Ampitheatre. We’ll also kick off the Iowa Women’s Music Festival Sept. 16 at The Englert.

Tight Pants/Body Rolls

See more videos at www.youtube.com/lesliehall

More photos:

Pauly Shore
Thursday, August 5

You probably remember him from timeless comedy classics like Encino Man and Son-in-Law back in the early ’90s. But today, funny-man Pauly Shore is all grown up and ready to drum up some laughs in the Corridor. He’ll be performing at Penguins Comedy Club in Cedar Rapids August 5, but is also making stops in Burlington (08/03) and Dubuque (08/04). We’re crossing our fingers he’ll grow back  those long curly locks, just for us. Ooooowwww Bu-dy.

 

Pauly Shore
7:30 p.m. Thursday (08/05), Penguins Comedy Club @ the Clarion, 525 33rd Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, $22, www.penguinscomedyclub.com

Good things come to those who are forced to wait.

OK, so that’s not exactly the famous saying. But the members of Lady Antebellum — Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott — would vouch for the truth in that statement.

As multi-instrumentalist Dave Haywood explained in a recent phone interview, Lady Antebellum’s latest CD, “Need You Now,” is better because the group pushed back work on it in order to accept an opening slot on last year’s Keith Urban tour.

“We wish we could have put it out last year,” Haywood says. “But I’ll tell you, we wouldn’t trade it for the world because we found two or three songs that (without them) I don’t think would have made this album half of what we think it is.”

The close relationships the trio formed while on the road shaped the music on “Need You Now.”

The time touring was well spent for the group, which formed quickly after Hillary saw Charles perform in the summer of 2006 at a Nashville night spot. They soon began writing songs together, and Charles then recruited his lifelong friend Dave to complete the lineup. By the next summer, the group had been signed by Capitol Records and was recording its debut CD, which was released in spring 2008.

By the time recording of the “Need You Now” CD began in early 2009, the group had spent two years touring and a lot of time getting to know each other.
“The past two and a half years, we’ve been on the road every single day together, in town together,” Haywood says. “We hang out together. We know each other’s lives and we know what’s going on in each other’s worlds. I think this record has more honesty between what we wrote about. I think we’ve spent so much time together and we know each other that much better that I think we’re willing to take chances together and willing to put stuff on there that we wouldn’t have for the
first record.”

The group is spending plenty of time together in 2010 too. They have spent much of the year opening for Tim McGraw on his arena tour. They are performing at the Jones County Fair in Monticello today on an off day from that tour.

The trio has been to Eastern Iowa before. They performed at America’s River Fest in Dubuque in 2008 and the Quad Cities in 2009. They also played the Iowa State Fair in 2008.

Regardless of whether Lady Antebellum is opening a show or headlining, Dave says the group members have been trying to step up their performances.

“We’re trying to do some things that will be a little more exciting,” Dave says. “We’ve kind of been just standing there and singing for the past two and a half, three years. It’s time to kind of have some other elements and try to create some drama to the show and try to entertain people as much as we can.”
— Alan Sculley

DID YOU KNOW: Lady Antebellum never thought “I Run to You” would make it as a radio single.

“‘I Run To You’ was our favorite song on the first record, but it was one of those things where we always said, ‘Yeah, that’s our favorite song, but it will never be a radio single,’” says Dave Haywood.

Of course, the song ended up topping the country music singles charts, winning a pair of 2009 Country Music Association awards (including song of the year honors) and winning a Grammy in January Best Country Song By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR YOU: Rock your socks off. Tickets to their 8 p.m. concert with Phil Vassar today at the Great Jones County Fair are sold
out. But you can still snag first come, first-served seating on the hillside. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of deep fried delicacies and cold beers to keep you company while you wait.

Rock ‘n‘ Roll at the fair
Lady Antebellum is just the first of three nights of concerts. Alan Jackson with The Band Perry, will play at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $25 to $43. Styx with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Grand Funk Railroad will play at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20 to $35. Gate admission of $10 is not included in the cost of event tickets. Children under age 10 are free. For more information, go to www.greatjonescountyfair.com

CEDAR RAPIDS – What started as a one-shot song parody has spun into a viral video garnering 79,000 hits in its first week for Z102.9’s “Iowa Gurls.” The creative forces at Cedar Rapids rock radio station KZIA gave pop siren Katy Perry’s candylicious “California Gurls” a cornfield spin earlier this month — and have watched it all explode.

 “We thought we’d do an ‘Iowa Gurls’ song and play it once on the radio,” says Chris Jackson, 27, of Cedar Rapids, KZIA’s evening on-air personality. “Everyone loved it so much, they started requesting it and we started playing it (in rotation) like a real song. Then listeners said we should make a music video.”

 So they did.

 Perry’s version extols the beauty and heat radiating from the Golden State, where girls traipse around a Candyland paradise, sporting “sun-kissed skin so hot it will melt your popsicle.” KZIA’s version sings the praises of “Iowa, the land of farmers’ daughters” with “farmer tans so hot they’ll pop your popcorn.”

 “After Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ came out, it became a huge sensation,” Jackson says. “Other states, like Minnesota and North Dakota, started making their own parodies. This was the perfect opportunity to do ours on Iowa girls and Iowa stereotypes.”

 Never meant to be a serious discourse on the Hawkeye State, he says the project grew “all out of good fun.”

 “We got together a few ideas and stereotypes. Everybody thinks we live on farms,” says Jackson, who served as editor and director for the music video, and takes his star turn as the Snoop Dogg-style rapper near the end.

 “We shot it over a three-day period and it became a huge hit,” Jackson says. “It was nothing we really expected to be so popular.”

 The cast and crew traveled to various locations the second week of July for the short shoot, including Cedar Rapids, Solon and Iowa City.

 “It really was such a quick process for something we put together just spur-of-the-moment,” Jackson says.

 Best of all, he says the project “cost absolutely nothing.”

 “We did it all on our own,” Jackson says. “I happen to be a music producer and video editor on my own time, so I used my own tools. It was really easy to put together.”

KZIA “Morning Show” producer Clare Duffy, 24, of Cedar Rapids, makes her music video debut singing the lead vocals.

“I’ve posted stuff on YouTube before, but this is the first music video with live action,” Duffy says. “We’ve done some parodies before, but never anything this big.”

She says Jackson was the project’s mastermind, wrote the majority of the lyrics and laid out the video shoots. Duffy helped tweak a few lines and Auto-Tune pitch-correcting technology helped tweak her vocals during the recording process.  

“By no means am I a singer,” Duffy says. “Auto-Tune gave me more confidence. Hearing myself in the headphones, I thought I sounded pretty good, so that gave me a little more confidence.”

The Cedar Rapids Rollergirls joined the crew for the video shoot.

 “They were really great to work with,” Jackson says of the local roller derby athletes.

 The video debuted on the station’s website July 14, and from there, it snowballed.

 “We’ve had lots of good feedback,” Jackson says. “A couple people aren’t taking it as a joke. We know girls in Iowa aren’t dancing around in cornfields. Everybody loves the Katy Perry song, and this way, they get to relate to it. Girls in Iowa don’t live the fancy beach life.

 “We’ve had good feedback for something that was just a joke.”

LONE TREE—People traveling down Observatory Avenue Saturday may have heard music rising from a Lone Tree farm.

Camp Euforia, a two day camping and music festival was here. About 20 bands played at the event billed as Iowa’s Premier Independent Music Festival. Juno What?!, Public Property and Mountain Standard Time were all scheduled to entertain. Four years ago the event drew about 850 people. This year around 1,500 people were expected, said organizer Eric Quiner.

A ticket cost $55 in advance and $75 at the gate. The two day camping and music festival was about connecting people to the rural land, said Quiner.

“If you have nice grounds people treat the grounds better, so that’s the kind of festival we’re after,” said Quiner, 28. He said he wanted to sustain the festival for years to come. It’s important that people respect the property and neighbors, he said.

To prepare for the weekend, Quiner said he coordinated with Johnson County agencies. A stretch of Utah Avenue had tree sap applied to control dust flow, he said. In the past law enforcement had come into contact with festival goers. “I think the people that probably deserved to be hassled usually were,” said Quiner.

See more photos:

Jerry Hotz’s 120-acre farm, 5335 Utah Ave. has played host to the event every year since 2003, when it was an appreciation event for fans of Quiner’s former band, Euforquestra. Back then Quiner was struggling to make it as a musician, and was working part-time for Hotz on his farm in the town, which has a population of about 1,200 people. The two discovered that they shared a love of the arts and the land. Last year Quiner quit the band, but continued organizing the event.

At 5 p.m. Saturday the Iowa City Yacht Club stage was flocked by an energetic audience. Dead Larry was rocking away. Corey Hanson, 22, listened out on the lawn, while he swung a hula hoop around his waist. Hanson said he planned to camp out on the farm overnight. About 20 vendors lined a stretch of the green lawn. Hanson was tempted by a stand. “I’m very finicky but it smells amazing,” he said.

Each year the festival brings in enough money to keep planning the next year, says Quiner. This event means more than money. “Let’s just put it this way we’re not getting rich over the deal,” Quiner said.

It’s about a celebration of community, he said.

– CHRISTOPHER PRATT