Drake Day at the Fair results in photographs, memories Drake Day at the Fair results in photographs, memories More than 70 volunteers came out to enjoy the weather, gorge on fair food and - for their official duty - help out beneath the Drake tent. They handed out 10-packs of postcards, which featured historical photographs, and fliers for the home games of each of Drake's athletic teams. Dozens of student athletes - not included in the 70-volunteer head count - also distributed fliers with free sports tickets, signed autographs and gave free temporary tattoos at the Institute for Character Development's Character Counts! tent. "Athletics is always a big hero at Drake Day at the Fair because of the overwhelming generosity of the coaches and athletes who give their time," said Daniel Finney, JO'97, former public relations specialist at Drake University and lead organizer of this year's fair event. Drake also used a green screen to provide 500 free photos of visitors in one of three computer-generated scenes. Families donned hard hats for the construction of Drake's Old Main building in 1882, wore caps and gowns at the graduation ceremony of 1916 or ran with multiple gold metal-winning Olympian Wilma Rudolph at Drake Relays in the 1960s. Drake mascot Spike was there, too, towering above the tent in giant inflatable form and giving hugs to the children in his less giant, live-action form. "The photo booth was very popular, especially when Spike showed up," Finney said. "Everyone wanted to have their picture taken with Spike." In a more educational vein, the Drake tent featured a timeline outlining key points in the University's history. The timeline was very popular with alumni, according to Finney. "One alum said he was sorry that he had not known that history when he was a student, so that was very gratifying," Finney said. After wrapping the fair festivities, Finney started last week as lead editor of the Record-Herald and Indianola Tribune, a weekly community newspaper. "Since this was the last official thing I did with Drake," Finney said, "I'd like to say that it was a great way to end that stage of my relationship with my alma mater. It's always great to see people excited about Drake, talking about Drake and interested in Drake. That's very heartwarming." The event also features a free basketball shoot-out to raise money to sponsor underprivileged students in Des Moines Public Schools. Participation in each of four tournaments - crossover, dunk, three point and free throw - is limited to 25 students. The winners will earn cash prizes. Drake students will run a carnival for elementary and middle school students with field games, a disc jockey, food and refreshments, inflatable games and Drake mascot Spike. There also will be a raffle drawing for educational materials and Drake merchandise. "There are many more organizations from Drake and the surrounding community participating, so we can donate a lot more school supplies and have better activities than last year," said Deidre Howard, a Drake junior and co-coordinator of the bash. "And all sponsors will have booths where they'll give away educational materials and other free stuff." The Associated Collegiate Press recently recognized Drake University's student newspaper, The Times-Delphic, as one of the nation's top college publications. The paper's 2006 Drake Relays edition received a second place award in the Convention Best of Show category at the National College Publications Workshops, sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press, in Washington, D.C., Aug. 3-6. The category included entries from four-year college newspapers published at least twice weekly. "We were in with a pretty big group of heavy competitors," said Erin Delahanty, who served as The Times-Delphic's editor in chief when the Relays issue was written. Baylor University's newspaper took first place in the ACP's contest, while New York University came in third. The Times-Delphic, which consistently receives top honors in nationwide college newspaper contests, received first place in the contest in 2004. The ACP's Best of Show awards is an on-site competition open only to publications that have staff members attending the workshops. Representing Drake at the event were 2006-07 Editor in Chief Alissa Cunningham and Managing Editor Kathy Nowacki. The competition allows each participating publication to enter one copy of a newspaper from the current school year, one copy of a magazine or yearbook from the previous school year, or a single broadcast program. Delahanty said the 86-page Relays edition was the culmination of many months of hard work and planning. More than 30 writers contributed content to the publication, which included a special six-page pullout section in celebration of Drake's 125th anniversary. Kathleen Richardson, faculty adviser for the paper, said the Relays issue was "the crowning achievement of the school year for The Times-Delphic staff," and that she was "proud of all the people who spent a tremendous amount of time and effort into producing a publication that people enjoyed looking at." Delahanty, who will be a senior this fall, said the hard work was worth the return. "It was really rewarding to see our hard work pay off and find out that we can compete with other schools and their newspapers." Working under the notion that a garden in every school can combat some of the serious health problems facing children, the nation's most influential garden policy experts will descend on Des Moines next month for the first-ever summit to discuss the social, environmental and health benefits of gardening. Chief on the experts' agenda is the establishment of a set of Principles for Garden Policy, which they hope will help people and public officials see gardening as a means to create a better lifestyle for themselves and their communities. "Gardening is such a powerful tool, because it offers people so many benefits," said summit organizer Neil D. Hamilton, director of Drake's Agricultural Law Center and a member of the board of the National Gardening Association. "Everyone is equal when gardening. It provides people with common way of communication and can be an entry point to many different civic discussions." Other topics of interest during the Sept. 7-8 conference at Olmsted Center include a presentation from the Center for Disease Control on "Gardening's Contribution to America's Wellness," and discussions on "Gardens, Prisons and Healing People," "Urban Gardens: Beautifying Communities, Feeding People and Educating the Public" and "The Future of Gardening in American Society." There will also be a session on "School Gardens and Educating Children." "Increasing plant based-education in America's schools could have a profound effect on the health of the nation," Hamilton said. "By learning about plants and food production, students will achieve a greater understanding of the nutritional value of fresh produce. School gardens may also boost students' consumption of vegetables and promote healthier eating. By taking care of a garden, they will learn to enjoy eating the fruits of their labor." The 2006 National Summit on Garden Policy is sponsored by the Drake University Agricultural Law Center and State and Local Food Policy Project in cooperation with the National Gardening Association. Bruce Butterfield, director of research at the NGA, will be presenting results of a new attitudinal survey that looks at "What Gardeners Think." The Drake Agricultural Law Center will publish the conference proceedings as a special report in 2007. The schedule for the conference, titled "Gardens For All: People, Plants and Policy," is posted at Drake University's "eco house" is opening its doors to six students this month. The house at 1161 26th St. will give students a chance to live in a setting that aids in making environmentally sound choices such as recycling, conserving water and electricity as well as composting and carpooling. Residents of the "eco house" also will organize an environmental project involving Drake's campus and neighborhood. "I am greatly looking forward to living in this house," said Elizabeth Bales, a senior pharmacy student from West Bend, Wis. "I am not an environmental science major, but I am passionate about living smart and this house will help teach me new ways of doing that." Students were selected to live in the house based on a variety of qualifications, including grades and campus involvement. "Students don't have to be environmental science majors to live in the house," said David Courard-Hauri, Drake associate professor of environmental science and faculty adviser for the house. "Students just have to show passion and desire to live in a unique setting like this." The "eco house" previously housed the Drake ROTC program and was later used as office space for the University. The residence has since been completely renovated and furnished with a water-efficient dishwasher other energy-efficient appliances. "I hope the presence of this house will help remind students to do the simple things that we've been taught," Bales said. "Everyone can always use a reminder to recycle, turn off the lights, conserve water and do simple actions like these." Drake continues to be ranked No. 2 in reputation for academic quality (peer assessment). It has the highest ranking in its category of any Iowa college or university. Drake improved in several areas this year, including student/faculty ratio, average freshmen retention rate and freshmen in the top 25 percent of their high school class. U.S. News' annual "America's Best Colleges" special issue and complete guidebook are available on newsstands and in bookstores. The rankings also are posted at The golf tournament, featuring a four-person best shot, will have a 12:15 p.m. tee time at Willow Creek Golf Course. The cost is $80 per player for golf only, including a gift, lunch and golf cart. The Corn Feed dinner will begin at 6 p.m. at the Drake Knapp Center. This annual kickoff to the athletic season will feature new Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb, along with Drake men's basketball coach Tom Davis, Drake women's basketball coach Amy Stephens and Drake football coach Rob Ash. The cost for the dinner is $20 per person. The cost for those fans who will play both golf and attend the corn feed is $95. For more information call x1946 or e-mail The program will explore Jewish literature and culture through scholar-led discussions of contemporary and classic books on a common theme. The library's series will explore the theme of "A Mind of Her Own: Fathers and Daughters in a Changing World." The series will be held at the Franklin Avenue Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the following dates: Sept. 13: "Tevye the Dairyman" by Sholem Aleichem DUCSOM offers individual instruction for children and adults at all levels in piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, organ and music theory. Voice instruction is also available for those 15 and older. DUCSOM's Young Violinist program is designed for children ages 3 to 8. Students receive both individual and class instruction weekly. Activities include learning Suzuki pieces and children's songs in Suzuki style, note reading - separate from playing the violin - counting rhythms, beginning theory, practice performing and playing music as a group. Preschool children also are invited to participate in Tuneful Tuesday programs: "Music is All Around I" from Sept. 5 through Oct. 17 and "You Are The Music I" from Oct. 31 to Dec. 5. For more information about DUCSOM programs, call x4011 or send an e-mail message to |
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