Long Grove, Iowa

Friday and Saturday June 6th and 7th

Friday Beach Party featuring

Blackout Unplugged

Doors Open at 6, Band Starts at 8

Saturday featuring

Coupe DeVille, the Cadillac of Rock and Roll

Doors Open at 6, Band Starts at 8

DES MOINES, IA - The Des Moines Area Sports Commission, a division of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, is seeking an additional 1,500 volunteers for the AAU Junior Olympic Games, July 22 - August 2 in Greater Des Moines. Principal Financial Group, West Bank, Nationwide and Wells Fargo & Co. have committed to providing more than 500 volunteers towards the event. Areas of need include event assistance, awards assistance, registration and set-up/tear-down. Shifts are available for sign-up atcatchdesmoines.com/aaujo.

The 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games will include 14,000 athletes and 40,000 total visitors in Central Iowa over 12 days. Athletes range from ages 3 to 22 competing in 23 sports at eight Greater Des Moines facilities?including the Iowa Events Center and Drake Stadium. The Games are expected to generate $47 in economic impact for Greater Des Moines. Des Moines hosted the Games previously in 1995, 2004 and 2009.

"We're proud to again host AAU athletes, coaches and fans this summer," says Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission. "Our community's support is vital as volunteer interaction greatly enhances the overall city experience for visitors."

"The Junior Olympic Games provide thousands of youth with an opportunity to learn sportsmanship, physical fitness and teamwork," says Suzie Glazer Burt, Honorary Chair of the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games. "It takes volunteers from our community to educate and support these youth athletes, providing a positive and impactful experience they'll always remember."  

Signature Sponsors of the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games include Principal Financial Group, UnityPoint Health - Des Moines, Wells Fargo and Co. and Markey's Rental and Staging. Champion Sponsors include MidAmerican Energy, Nationwide Insurance, Prairie Meadows, West Bank, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Alliance Technologies, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Adventureland Park. Supporting Sponsors include Classic Tents, ColorFX, Copy Systems, Electronic Engineering, Knapp Properties, NB Golf Cars, Scheel's, Sigler, Greg and Suzie Glazer Burt, Vital Signs and Reynolds and Reynolds.

About the Amateur Athletic Union

Founded in 1888, the Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest multi-sport, not-for-profit, volunteer organizations in the United States. It is dedicated to the development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs for youth and adults. The AAU Junior Olympic Games are the largest national multi-sport event for amateur youth conducted in the United States.

The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote Greater Des Moines as a fun, vibrant and affordable destination statewide, nationally and internationally. Our focus increases visitors to our community through meetings, conventions, sports events, leisure travel, and group tours, thereby contributing to the local economy.

By Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman

Politics should never trump sound policy, particularly when it comes to our kids.

Four years ago, Congress, in a strong bipartisan effort, committed to America's children that they would enjoy healthier and more nutritious meals at school. Sadly, just as we are beginning to see the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 succeed, some in Congress want to step back from that commitment.

Now is not the time to backpedal on a healthier future for our kids. Two-thirds of adults and one-third of American children are overweight or obese. The cost of treating obesity-related illnesses is $190.2 billion per year, dragging down our economy and increasing budget deficits. If nothing changes, this generation of children will be the first to live shorter lives than their parents.

Thanks to HHFKA, parents, teachers, school nutrition professionals, doctors, nutritionists and USDA have implemented science-based nutrition standards based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine that make the school environment healthier for millions of American children.

Replacing fat-, sugar- and sodium-laden meals with more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other healthy foods at school should be a no-brainer. Access to nutritious meals reduces the risk of diet-related health problems and gives our kids a fair shot at a healthier, more productive future.

It is outrageous, then, that certain members of Congress are now attempting to undo the progress we've made since the passage of the law.

Our nation's schools and schoolchildren are thriving under the new standards. School lunch revenue is up. A recent Harvard study showed that, thanks to the new standards, kids are now eating 16 percent more vegetables and 23 percent more fruit at lunch?astounding progress in just two years. Some predicted kids would reject healthy food and throw more food away, but the same study showed the critics were wrong.

These changes haven't happened overnight. USDA has listened carefully to schools and provided time, flexibility, guidance and additional funding where needed. As a result, more than 90 percent of schools across the country are now meeting the standards. Kids are eating healthier in those schools because of it.  There's no reason to turn back the clock now.

Yet, some in Washington want the power to overrule experts and decide for themselves what goes on the lunch tray of school children. Our position is that pediatricians know better than politicians what's healthy for our kids.

It will take persistence and strong leadership by families, schools, states and USDA to ensure continued success in the fight for a healthier next generation. We stand ready for the challenge and we expect our Congressional leaders to do the same. Anything less would be a betrayal to our nation's children.