21-04-2025
Campustown Showdown in Ames will feature cattle drive, live music, fashion show
Cattle will take over Welch Ave. this weekend as part of the inaugural Campustown Showdown.
Presented by MaxAg in partnership with Discover Ames, the inaugural event, taking place on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, is a spinoff of the Aggieville Showdown in Manhattan, Kansas, which began in 2021.
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The event aims to blend agriculture, entertainment and community 'in a way that's equal parts tradition and spectacle,' according to a news release.
Attendance is free and will feature a "Grand Drive" cattle show on Welch and champion livestock from across the Midwest.
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'Campustown has never hosted an event like this before,' Kevin Bourke, president and CEO of Discover Ames, said in a news release. 'It's a chance to showcase our vibrant community and its rich agricultural heritage to a wide audience.'
The cattle show starts 6 p.m. Friday at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center, where exhibitors will compete to have the chance to show their cattle in the streets of Campustown.
'Our mission is to bridge the gap between rural and urban communities by hosting engaging livestock show events in entertainment districts, providing consumers with an immersive experience of the cattle industry's producer-to-consumer journey,' Christian Calliham, founder and executive director of Campustown Showdown, said in a news release.
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Exhibitors will compete at 6 p.m. Friday, April 25, starting with the showmanship competition at the Hansen Ag Center. At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, the competition resumes with market beef and breeding heifer divisions.
The top competitors will advance to the Grand Drive on Welch Avenue in Campustown. The public is invited to both the Hansen Ag Center and the Grand Drive.
The Grand Drive will begin its stroll at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 on Welch Avenue, between Chamberlain and Hunt streets. Visitors can watch the competition and enjoy vendor booths in the area.
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There will be live music, a western fashion show and an after-party at BNC FieldHouse.
The champions will compete for more than $7,500 in cash prizes.
Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rfaaborg@
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: First-ever Campustown Showdown in Ames bridges urban-rural gap
