By Steve Weisman
The 9th annual Okoboji Blue Water Festival (OBWF) is quickly approaching. Set for Saturday, August 10 at the Preservation Plaza Green Space in Arnolds Park, what better place to hold the foremost clean water event in the state than on the shores of West Lake Okoboji!
Co-chair and organizer, Greg Drees shares the excitement that he and his co-chair Julie Peterson have for this all-day clean water celebration. “It’s hard to believe that we are in our ninth year. This year promises to be even bigger than ever. Each year, more and more people are coming to see what this OBWF is all about.”
According to co-chair Julie Peterson, “The pieces of the puzzle have really come together extremely well. It’s going to a full day from 8 a.m. to well after dark. There will be something for everyone, and all the events are FREE all day, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and donors.”
Drees notes that the same successful format will be used in 2024 as has been used over the past eight years. “We will have more than 30 clean water exhibitors lined up along the Promenade. They are a mix of lake protective associations, conservation organizations, non-profit organizations with some sort of clean water message or natural resource message. They will interact with thousands of festival goers about implementing clean water ideas.”
In addition, Kids & Family Activities are once again being planned. Kid’s & Family Activities offer special clean water education activities for the entire family. Peterson says, “This is an element of the festival that we are very proud of, and it grows in scope each year.”
Activities range from story time with the Milford Library to interactive water tables, to t-shirt and face painting, fun giveaways (books, sunglasses, water bottles). Peterson notes, “It’s all about teaching kids the value of clean water and impressing on young minds the important roles of conservationists. Having fun and learning at the same time.”
Fishing Clinician: Dan Spengler
Dan Spangler (photo submitted)
There is a lot of excitement among anglers both young and old to attend the fishing seminar put on by Dan Spengler, Senior Project Manager-Bait Development with Berkley/Pure Fishing. Spengler will discuss and demonstrate the newest in the line of successful Berkley hard baits. In visiting with Spengler, he says, “One of my goals is to reach anglers of all ages with our products. In addition, I hope we can get a lot of youngsters to attend. Kids are the future of fishing. Of course, we will have Berkley product to hand out, and if I can convert even a single kid to a lifelong angler by giving away some product, then that’s a win in my book!”
Shoreline issues on area lakes
Mike Hawkins (photo by Steve Weisman)
There is little doubt that the flooding that occurred in mid-June had a catastrophic impact on lakes in the Iowa Great Lakes, including the Okoboji Lakes, Big Spirit Lake and Silver Lake (Lake Park) with 70 shoreline/bank collapses in the area. That number may increase if more heavy rains occur.
According to Peterson, “For that very reason, the OBWF will be having Iowa DNR Mike Hawkins, Fisheries Biologist and clean water expert, provide a much needed seminar on shoreline issues in the Iowa Great Lakes at 11:15 a.m., under the Big Tent. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about this issue right now and the potential of more damage that could come through future heavy rainfall events.”
Meanwhile, Hawkins sees this as a much needed opportunity for ALL people to learn about what happened during the recent flood, how and why the damage occurred, what’s next and what the future holds. Whether people like to think about it, our weather has become a weather of extremes. The chances of damaging storms and heavy rainfall, and at the same time slipping back into drought-like conditions are becoming more the norm. As Hawkins says, “We need to look at why this happened, and also look beyond just the lakes. We need to look at the entire watershed from the north where this all began and then south of the Lakes area. In the big picture, this is all about soil health and land stewardship.”
Peterson adds, “This is truly an important topic for all of us. Greg and I are excited that Mike will be here to speak about this topic!”
Keynote speakers:
Art Cullen (photo submitted)
Chris Jones (photo submitted)
Art Cullen, editor and co-owner of the Storm Lake Times and Chris Jones, recently retired research engineer at the University of Iowa, will be the keynote speakers/panelists for the early afternoon Clean Water Discussion to be held under the Big Tent. According to Peterson, she and Drees are excited for people to learn more about water quality issues – both successes and problems that need to be addressed. “We are privileged to have two such distinguished speakers join us under the Big Tent at this year’s festival.”
Cullen is a familiar face to many across northwest Iowa as the editor and co-owner of the Storm Lake Times. Cullen won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for exposing dark money in corporate agriculture. Judges noted, “For editorials fueled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged the powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa.”
Cullen also chronicled Storm Lake with his January 2020 novel entitled Storm Lake: Change, Resilience and Hope in America’s Heartland published by Amazon. Over 70% of those who reviewed Cullen’s book found it to be a 5-star read.
Meanwhile, Jones recently retired as a research engineer for the University of Iowa’s Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR) and for many years has been known for his water quality advocacy. By googling Jones’s University of Iowa’s IIHR website, you can find a main link for the Iowa Water Quality Information System (IWQIS), which provides access to real-time water-quality data and pertinent information such as nitrate, pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations, discharge rates and temperature.
From June of 2016 through April of 2023, Jones wrote monthly blogs on the Hydroscience & Engineering website covering such topics as water quality and agriculture, water monitoring and nutrient and sediment transport.
Prior to his work with the university’s IIHR, Jones worked with the Iowa Soybean Association and the Des Moines Water Works.
Julie Gammack, who will moderate the event, is an Iowa native and journalist and founder of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. In addition, Gammack is host of the annual Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat in Okoboji and also author of Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck.
Drees concludes, “We are so excited to have Art Cullen and Chris Jones as our panelists and for Julie Gammack to agree to be our moderator. Both Cullen and Jones are passionate about the state of Iowa, its people and the plight of Iowa’s clean water efforts. Julie and I hope that we can get a huge crowd to be part of the 2024 Clean Water Panel.”
Music opening act:
The Nadas (photo submitted)
The Nadas will take the stage to perform ahead of headliner X Ambassadors on August 10. Known primarily as a folk-American act, The Nadas live show is authentic and polished with three decades of experience. Band founders Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith were the original songwriters, touring as an acoustic duo. With the addition of bassist Brian Duffey, drummer Brandon Stone and Perry Ross on keyboards and guitar, the band evolved into a genre-defying quintet emphasizing sound and mood and drawing on life’s experiences.
The Nadas have shared the stage with The Beach Boys, Bon Jovi, Big Head Todd, and others. “Festival goers from 2022 will remember The Nadas setting the stage for Melissa Etheridge, and that was a revved-up performance,” Drees said. “This is a tight band, and concert lovers are going to want to arrive early to catch their entire act.”
Music headliner: X Ambassadors
X Ambassadors (photo submitted)
According to Peterson, “We are very excited to bring this multi-platinum trio to the festival. Our reputation for bringing in top tier acts is reinforced with X Ambassadors.” The bandmates have dominated the alternative charts for the last decade. Brothers Sam Nelson Harris (vocals, guitar, bass and saxophone) and Casey Harris (keyboards) and drummer Adam Levin formed in 2000 and soared up the charts with their debut album “VHS” released in 2015. Since that time, X Ambassadors’ releases have continued to soar.
Drees adds the group is planning to release a new album soon. “They do have a new album coming out early next month, and if it’s anything like their previous releases, this one, too, will zoom up the charts! I guess if you want to put a genre on them, it would probably be alternative, but they kind of cross into various genres. We encourage music lovers of all ages to come and listen to this concert. It’s going to be a great live act!”
Come join the fun
Yes, the 2024 OBWF will offer a whole lot of fun, entertaining and educational activities for all ages! There is a reason why it has become known as the largest clean water event in the Hawkeye state! Drees reflects, “Julie and I, along with all our volunteers and sponsors, are so excited for this year’s Festival. As co-chairs, we thank all those volunteers and sponsors for helping make this day such a special one on the shores of West Lake Okoboji. Most importantly, this day is about protecting our waters and continuing to make improvements in further improving and protecting these fragile water systems. The floods that we experienced in June really point out the importance of conservation and clean water. Without clean water, life itself would not be possible. We all look forward to welcoming you to the 2024 OBWF!”
Listed below is the full day schedule for the OBWF:
2024 OBWF Schedule: Saturday August 10 @ Preservation Plaza
8 a.m. Chalkstock
8:30 a.m. Yoga w/ The shift Healing Arts on the Green Space at Preservation Plaza
9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Exhibitors Row
9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Kids’ & Family Activities
10 a.m. Fishing Seminar w/Dan Spengler (under the Big Tent)
10 a.m. Story Time 2/Milford Library at the Green Space
11:15 a.m. Mike Hawkins – Discussion of bank erosion, stabilization & repair
1 p.m. Keynote Address:
- Chris Jones – Clean Water Academic
- Art Cullen – Pulitzer Prize Winner
BREAK – Followed by free concert
7:15 p.m. The Nadas
8:45 p.m. X Ambassadors
