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DES MOINES The Iowa Barn Foundation’s model barn display at the Iowa State Fair came to an end this year.
The display ended in style, taking up a 15 by 15 area within the State Fairgrounds Agriculture Building.
In order to complement the model barn that had served as the focal point of the show for two years, the foundation first made arrangements for the construction of two silos. Last year, a windmill was added. In addition to working with Iowa State University officials to come up with ideas for the silos’ construction and recruit about 60 students to help with it, Dwight Hughes, a board member of the Iowa Barn Foundation from Cedar Rapids, raised some money to help pay for the silos’ construction.
Following that, the charity raised thousands of dollars through the auction of the various display pieces.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer Iowa Barn Foundation claims that since its founding in 1997, it has raised over $2 million and provided funding for the repair of about 300 barns throughout the state. The foundation organizes yearly barn tours in Iowa and publishes a biannual journal.
The Iowa Barn Foundation’s website, iowabarnfoundation.org, has additional details on the organization, its grants, its spring and fall barn tours, and its magazine.
Hughes discussed the State Fair exhibit and its impact on the organization with The Gazette.
The interview that follows has merely been condensed and clarified.
Why did you choose to include silos in this year’s Iowa Barn Foundation State Fair exhibit?
A: We intended to bring in a silo, but ended up bringing in two, including an old barn board silo. With the help of foundation volunteers, we actually demolished a shed located just west of our horse farm. My son assisted with welding up the rings that I had bent. In order to pick it up, we made four pockets out of it. It stood nine feet tall. Then, using some discarded galvanized steel I acquired at a neighbor’s, a retired mechanic who works in heavy industry maintenance was able to install the top. After that, we wanted to do a special tribute to Roy Reiman, who served on our board of directors and, as you are aware, edited 13 magazines without any advertising in the past: Birds and Blooms, Farm & Ranch Living, Reminisce, and Country Woman. After he retired, he co-founded Our Iowa magazine with an old classmate of mine, which featured stunning photography and stories from Iowa. We also wished to pay tribute to him. In fact, the first two years of the display were funded by him and me. We assured the directors that we would not withdraw any funds from the treasury. The model barn and windmill were funded by Roy Reiman and me, and this year we wanted to add silos and do the same. Additionally, I looked across the nation for materials that could be used to construct a 20-foot silo. The kids blew that full of foam after designing rings and creating molds that are three feet tall and six feet in circumference. They continued to design and build in an effort to make it function. In the interim, I made the decision to undertake a fundraising project in Roy Reiman’s honor, and I personally wrote a letter to 75 of my friends—both in Iowa and across the nation—who were passionate about barns, had some connection to agriculture, and most likely knew Roy Reiman from Iowa State University. The cost of what we refer to as the model glazing block Roy Reiman silo was $4,000, which is what I requested. Additionally, we decided on glaze block since it was first conceived as an extension of Iowa State University in the 1920s. As you travel the nation, they are really well-liked. We donated $25,000 in exchange for that letter, and the remaining funds that were not needed were placed in the Iowa Barn Foundation’s treasury to support the preservation of Iowa barns throughout the state. When the three new owners (auction winners) arrived on Monday morning at 8:00, they gave me three checks totaling $10,000, which will be put into a pot to be given to workers doing foundation repairs, barn painting, roof replacements, and other projects.
To what extent were you satisfied with the amount of money you managed to gather for the foundation?
A: We were overjoyed. You obviously constantly have higher goals in mind. I usually inform my pals that they can change the decimal place. It’s alright. Before they made the check, I had a heart-to-heart conversation with all three owners about our foundation, our volunteers, and how we’ve benefited. All three of them gave us a tip. We ended up with $10,000, which is a significant portion since it demonstrates the culture of the people of Iowa.
What is the significance of the State Fair display for the Iowa Barn Foundation as an organization during the last three years?
A meeting was held this October, three years ago. We had two board meetings a year, and the Barn Foundation issue had generated so much interest that a huge number of donations were coming in, but we lacked the funds to adequately handle them all. We would like to assist more folks, thus we began prioritizing and separating. I therefore proposed that we simply needed additional members and that this wasn’t that hard. We had to locate a sugar mommy or sugar daddy. And where would that audience be if we were searching for it? I continued by responding to my own query, which was that it would take place in August at the Iowa State Fair. And where would you like to be if you were at the State Fair? And the Agriculture Building’s center would be that location. There was hush as everyone around the board table began staring down at their hands when I broke eye contact. In essence, they said, “Go home, farm boy.” We won’t acquire that space, even though you have a fantastic dream. I made three connections once I got home. Steven Huffman in Ottumwa, Iowa, received number one. His company is MetalScapes. I spoke with him over the phone for ten minutes about my ambition of promoting the Iowa Barn Foundation by placing a model barn in the middle of the Ag Building at the State Fair. I had collaborated with him. It was a brief exchange. We concurred. To build it, have it erected, and install it in its proper location, we came up with a $10,000 budget. And that concluded that conversation. I next sent an email to Larry Wiebel and Roy Reiman at Our Iowa magazine, which was my second point of contact. Our board of directors included Roy. He wasn t at that meeting, but he was familiar with what we were trying to promote. Our mission is to save Iowa barns. And I explained that we had a $10,000 budget to build a model barn to put it at the State Fair. And I didn t hear from him. So I called Larry in a week, and he said, Dwight, that s a brilliant idea. You need to go forward with it. But I don t sign the check. That s Roy s job. So I emailed Roy and said, We got a $10,000 budget. I m going to put five in; I want you to match me. He immediately emailed back and said, Where do I send the check? So I had the designer-builder. I had the money. But I didn t have the space. So I called the State Fair, wove my way through the administration department to get to Jen Cannon, who s responsible for every square foot in that space. I told her my vision, my dream. Her first question was, How much money do you need? I said I don t need any money. Oh, really. How much space do you need? And I said to her, What do you think? And in a few seconds, she said, How about 15 foot by 15 foot? I said that ll be perfect. She said, Dwight, I don t need to talk about this any longer. Just plan on doing it. So then I had to go inform the board of directors that the dream came true. We re actually going to do it. And we started. Since that time our membership has quadrupled, our income has doubled, and our image and reputation has phenomenally grown. And we re getting over 1,000 people at the spring tour and upward to 2,000 or 3,000 people at the fall tour, because it s all over the state of Iowa. Priceless.
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