Celebrate Hooverfest on August 4th

Date: July 13, 2007
Contact: Adam Prato, [phone]
Contact: Pat Hand, [phone]

An all-new Hooverfest takes place on Saturday, August 4th in West Branch, just east of Iowa City, at Interstate 80, exit 254. Activities are located on the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and in downtown West Branch, hometown of our nation’s 31st president. Events begin at 10:00 a.m. Admission is free to all events.

This year, the festival honors the 57 Iowans who have lost their lives in the War on Terror. Their families are special guests. The evening ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m., earlier than in past years. Visitors should arrive early in the day to enjoy all the new activities. Lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged on grassy areas in order to enjoy the nighttime ceremony.

Iowa Governor Chet Culver will speak in the evening, with music supplied by an Iowa National Guard bagpiper and the award-winning Tipton High School Boy’s Choir. The Guard is providing a special surprise to honor the fallen Iowans and their families. A film tribute precedes patriotic music to the traditional Hooverfest fireworks.

Over 20 Iowa organizations are partnering with Hooverfest to offer more daytime activities. Among the partners is the Iowa Children’s Museum, bringing special guests to help with hands-on activities. Fine artists and crafters are selling their work on the Historic Site, a first for Hooverfest, and on Main Street. Also new is the participation of area food vendors and caterers. Community groups sponsor activities all day long.

The Village Green hosts volunteers from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Iowa DNR, Mississippi River Museum, Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association, the University of Iowa Natural History Museum and more. Six 45-gallon aquariums, stocked with fish from Eastern Iowa streams and rivers, are a centerpiece of the expo. Demonstrations, exhibits, and hands-on fun highlight Herbert Hoover’s favorite sport.

Area bands fill the site with upbeat music, and the Hooverball National Championships, located in Beranek Park, celebrate their 20th anniversary. The Hoover Presidential Library-Museum offers special day-long opportunities.

Visitors are encouraged to use I-80, exit 254 to enter and exit West Branch to avoid construction at exit 249. Allow extra arrival time, as parking, available along the streets of West Branch, is limited. Most of the town is within walking distance of the event. Handicapped parking is available at the Visitor Center parking lot.

More information is available at www.hooverassociation.org. Hooverfest is produced by the Hoover Presidential Library Association and funded entirely by private donations.