There are two weeks left until the Farm Progress Show, and even though classes at Ogden Community High School start in one week, students are eager to volunteer with Bulldog Builders, named after the school's mascot. The organization, located ten miles west of Boone in Ogden, is responsible for one of the show's four food courts.
Feeding the show's numerous visitors is a significant aspect, so Leaders Tom and Judy Cleveland recruit about 1,000 volunteers from multiple churches and Ogden Community High School to help serve food. "The community is very supportive," Tom says. "It's typically not a problem getting the workers."
Tom and Judy Cleveland, leaders of Bulldog Builders, an ecumenical faith organization which recruits volunteers from Ogden Community High School and local churches to help with one of the Farm Progress Show’s four food courts.
While two churches, one Methodist and one independent provide most of the support, Judy says it is an ecumenical organization, and many volunteers are not church-goers. Instead, they get faith by volunteering.
The menu consists of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches with a side of chips and pop. In addition, the organization is partnering with Hickory Park restaurant of Ames to serve their popular pulled pork sandwiches. "We're feeling really good about it," Tom says. "Because we know it's going to taste really good."
(Left to right) Louis Rodriguez, Eric Paxton, Pat Dornfeld, Troy Tessendorf, Nick Dornfeld, Antonio Arriaga, Gail Sheafer, Ronnie Mosher, Dave Oudekerk, Anastacio Martinez, and Barb Dornfeld of Xylem Landscaping LTD, the company responsible for maintaining the Farm Progress Show site. This includes mowing, mulching, and fencing, and requires crews to come in a month before the show, and stay two to three weeks after to clean up.
Keeping the show site sharp
Xylem Landscaping LTD of Cordova, Illinois is responsible for mowing, laying chips, hardwood mulch, and installing white vinyl split-rail fencing, privacy fence, picket fence, and decorative rocks. One crew arrives on the scene a month before the show, and Xylem's farm show coordinator Barb Dornfeld says by the time the show starts, there will be 25 people. "We just keep building," she notes.