Democratic presidential candidates will flock to Surf for Wing Ding

Friday event may become a national role model

Anticipation is high for the annual Iowa Democratic Wing Ding on Friday, Aug. 14, at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.  Organizers say the event is expected to be the largest political event North Iowa has ever seen.

  Four of the five announced Democratic Party candidates running for president will be in attendance:  former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

In advance of such a gathering planning has been key.

Secret Service met with those planning the event and Surf staff Monday to review facilities and procedures, according to Dean Genth, a member of the Wing Ding Committee.

“This is going to be a fantastic grassroots event,” said Genth.  “We have been told this is a unique nationwide event. It’s a tremendous grassroots role model which the Democratic National Committee is even looking at.”

The Iowa Democratic Wing Ding is not affiliated with the Iowa Democratic Party.  Instead, it is sponsored and put on by 23 county parties— one-quarter of all Iowa counties (Boone, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Cerro Gordo, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Hardin, Howard, Kossuth, Mitchell, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright).   The funds raised by the Wing Ding are distributed directly to participating counties general funds, and are used to support county parties, local Democratic candidates and party events.

Genth explained that seven core counties plan and pay expenses for the event.  The remainder of the counties sell tickets and receive funds for use in their own treasuries.   

As of Monday night, approximately 50 tickets were still available on-line (www.iowawingding.com) for the event.  On-line ticket sales will close tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 12) at 5 p.m.  Tickets for the evening are $30 in advance or $35 at the door.

Because of the presence of the Secret Service this year, organizers have moved up the time for doors to open to the event.  This year the doors open at 4 p.m. and dinner will begin being served at that time.  Ticketholders are encouraged to arrive early to allow for security to do its job properly.  Those attending will be required to walk through a metal detector, empty purses and possibly be patted down.

Even if you can’t attend the event, you can still see the festivities.  Bloomberg News plans to broadcast live from the Surf Ballroom from 4-5 p.m. Friday and C-Span will provide live coverage of the event.  Major networks and print media will also be well represented.  Approximately 250 members of the media will contribute to the 2,100 capacity of the Surf.