SPORTS | 16 Walk off win sends Lady Spartans to state tourney
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024 • $1.50
A new Champion is crowned
SOLONECONOMIST.COM
U of I's Kade Pieper wins Beef Days Hay Bale Toss Joel Kellar Solon Economist
joel-keller@uiowa.edu Joel Kellar | Solon Economist
Lee Cusick hands a chair for the beer tent off to one of his sophomore basketball players. Cusick is the sophomore basketball coach and likes to see the community get together and celebrate during Beef Days, as well as having the opportunity for catching up with past students.
It takes many hands Volunteers from all over the community set up for Beef Days Joel Kellar Solon Economist
joel-keller@uiowa.edu
SOLON — Beef Days weekend is one of the highlights of the summer in Solon as thousands of people flock to Main Street for the festival. But the show would not go on without the many volunteers that help out in the days before the craziness. The volunteers range from all sorts of people and organizations. The Co-President of Solon Beef Days, Denise Bruck, estimated that over 20 different organizations help with setting up the festival or cleaning up. Amongst these organizations are many of the Solon School District’s athletic teams. “It teaches the kids to give back to the community and we wouldn’t be able to do Beef Days without them,” she said. The students show up Tuesday morning and all-day Thursday to help Solon Public Works Director Scott Kleppe and the rest of the city workers and volunteers. Thursday is the big day of set up for the volunteers. That is when the beer tent and stage go up with all the other benches and tables scattered around Main Street. This year the Solon boys’ basketball program worked Thursday afternoon to help set up the beer tent. In the heat of the day the boys were working under the supervision of some of their coaches. Lee Cusick, the sophomore boys’ basketball coach, was the head of the supply chain of chairs making their way from a trailer to the beer tent. Cusick said they like to volunteer for Beef Days to help out in the community. For Cusick, one of the best parts of Beef Days is catching up with people and past students who come back to Solon for the event.
INSIDE
VOLUNTEERS | 3
Solon Public Library News - 3
SOLON — It’s the can’t miss event of the Solon Beef Days: a competition of strength with a good ole’ Midwestern twist; the Hay Bale Toss. The signature event packed a massive crowd onto Main Street Friday night, including a few who got a view above the crowd in the second and third floor of the building overlooking the ring. The event began with the women’s division. Many got a rude awakening of just how tough the competition was as only five of the twelve participants advanced past the first round. Quinn Morelock, Kara Duchter and Alisha Boles were locked into a battle for the first-place prize, the champion’s belt and some cash. In the third round, they had to throw the bale over the eightfoot bar. One after the other, they did so with ease. But that was the last time any of them would be able to make it over. In the final round, all three fell just short of clearing the bar and the competition ended in a three-way tie. The masters’ division followed with seven contestants signed up, and each one making a run for the title. It was Steve McElmeel and Moose Kueter who took over during this round as both made it over the ten-foot bar, knocking out the rest of the division. Kueter then cleared the next mark at 10’6”. And after missing the first, McElmeel cleared the bar to stay alive in the competition. However, they both were unable to reach the 11-foot bar. The round ended with the second tie for first place of the night. 22 people signed up for the open division, the division that Iowa Hawkeye football offensive-linemen have turned into a tradition to win with some winners even going on to make the NFL. Tyler Elsbury, Leighton Jones, Cael Winter, and Kade Peiper all continued that tradition and were four of the final five competitors. Haden Hammel was the outlier, making a push for the crown but ultimately the underdog story ended on the 11-foot bar. It was down to the Hawkeye athletes from there. Pieper was the only one to make it over the next bar at 11’-6”. Pieper had won the championship, but he did not want to stop there; he wanted the 14’-6” record set by two-time Champion Gennings Dunker last year. Pieper cleared 12-feet with ease, but that was where the tossing ended. Pieper said, “I think the bales were lighter last year, they were pretty green and heavy this year.” PHOTOS | 10
| Opinions - 4 | Beef Days Photos - 7 - 10 |
12 | Public Notices - 13 | Sports - 14 - 16