For 15 years, FRYFest, an annual event honoring former Iowa football coach Hayden Fry, has served as the kickoff for this football season by celebrating all things black and gold.
FRYFest began in 2009 when the University of Iowa was set to play the University of Northern Iowa during one of its regular season home games.
Because of the time of day and distance, Think Iowa City — an organization focused on promoting tourism in the Iowa City and Coralville area — knew few people were likely to stay in the community’s hotels the evenings before and after the game.
The organization came up with FRYFest, which is now held annually at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Conference Center on the Iowa River Landing.
“To entice people to come in and enjoy our community, we’ve got this really can’t-miss festival that has really taken off,” Nick Pfeiffer, Think Iowa City’s vice president of public affairs, said.
Pfeiffer said FRYFest wasn’t meant to become an annual event, but its popularity kept it coming back.
“Everybody loved it, and the university loves it, so it’s really turned into its own special festival,” Pfeiffer said.
Pfeiffer has been involved with FRYFest since the beginning, both as a volunteer and a sponsor. Over the course of 15 years, he has watched the event grow along with the Iowa River Landing. Nearly 18,000 people attended FRYFest this year, a feat made possible by the help of over 250 volunteers, Pfeiffer said.
He said the 2009 schedule of events consisted of a concert by Grand Funk Railroad, a trade show full of Hawkeye merchandise, and a panel of players who worked underneath Fry during his tenure at Iowa.
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This year Maddie Poppe, an artist from Iowa who won the 2018 season of “American Idol,” headlined the free concert in the parking lot. There was also a “kid zone,” Hawkeye trivia challenge, pep rally, block party, bags and pickleball tournaments, and autograph sessions from the women’s basketball, gymnastics, and wrestling teams.
To commemorate 15 years, two special items were also on the agenda: a panel honoring Fry and 101 Herky statues on display, which were previously part of the Herky On Parade in Johnson County over the summer.
“This event is named after coach Hayden Fry, so being able to hone back in on Iowa football and Hayden Fry and bring back those memories has been an honor,” Kylee Stock, the Think Iowa City events coordinator, said. “You can tell the Hawkeye fans get excited about it.”
Joel and Denise Steinke of Cedar Rapids have attended every single FRYFest since 2009 and took part in a world record set at FRYFest in 2010.
With 7,384 participants, FRYFest holds the Guinness World Record for the largest hokey pokey dance. At the time, the Iowa River Landing was largely undeveloped, and the participants took up the entire field behind the Hyatt Regency hotel.
“That was kind of what made us say, ‘We’re never going to miss this,’” Joel Steinke said.
Four years later, the FRYFest achieved another world record for the longest double cornhole marathon lasting 26 hours and 12 minutes.
Max Baum, a fourth-year student at the UI, has been volunteering at FRYFest since his first year on campus and was back on site for round four this year.
“It’s an extremely authentic experience. That’s something I like,” Baum said. “There’s a lot of places where you can be a fan and people criticize you. It’s authentic, and it’s very community-driven.”