Serious Facts
Dudes, if you don’t believe the Iowa Bacon Board is serious about supporting their mission statement, than here are some serious facts to prove otherwise.
The Competition
Manni Balignasay is the four- time Blue Ribbon Bacon Eating Champion in 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011.
The Bacon Showcase
The popular BaconShowcase provides individuals with the opportunity to sample some of the nation’s best bacon brands and talk directly to brand reps. In previous years, the following bacon brands have been showcased: Applegate Farms, Eden Farms, Falls Brand, Farmland, Hormel, Iowa Farm Families, Niman Ranch, Polehnas, Vande Rose Farms and more.
The Bacon Lecture Series
The Bacon Lecture Series brings together some of the most brilliant bacon minds providing festival attendees with the opportunity to challenge their bacon knowledge and beliefs. In 2012 a special session will be added to the series to address concerns about apocalyptic survival skills and how to best preserve bacon in preparation for a variety of transformative and cataclysmic events.
Past lecturers include:
- Jonathan A. Campbell, MS of Iowa State Meat Laboratory
- Leo Landis (A.K.A. The Bacon Professor)
- Scott Bush of Templeton Rye Whiskey
The Iowa Bacon Board
Members of this highly esteemed board are charged with planning and coordinating the annual festival. In 2011, this group includes: Kit Curran, Seth Hall, Mark Pederson, Marshall Porter, John Tiffany and Brooks Reynolds.
The Bacon Ambassadors
Individuals who have played a critical role in planning, promoting and
coordinating past festivals include: Brad Proctor, Suzanne Reynolds, Logan Porter, Terry Huerter, Colby Giudicessi, Patrick Porto, Christopher
Maharry, & Jeff Bruning.
The Mascot
A furry pig named Blue is the official mascot of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.
The Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour
In an effort to promote the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival around the world, the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour has hosted events in: Keystone, CO; Reykjavik, Iceland; Phoenix, AZ; Boise, ID; Pittsburg, PA.
