This time last year, the 2019 Iowa Democratic Wing Ding at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake had its largest slate of guests ever. Twenty-one candidates running for president were on the list, 1,600 tickets were sold and gobs of, yes, chicken wings were ordered from HyVee to satiate those in attendance.
A year later, things are going to be a bit different.
According to Black, during the early days of the pandemic, event planners weren't sure if they'd even be able to pull anything off.
"Normally we get together in January and February to plan the event and figure out what we want to do and how. As the pandemic arose, we thought I don’t know if we can do this," Black said. Even if the planners had wanted to have a packed house at the Surf, they couldn't have.
But by the tail-end of April, Black said that the planners settled on the idea of a virtual event that would be donation-based for anyone wanting to attend. Sure the guest list would be smaller but attendance could be much larger.
"Right now, we think it’s more necessary to play it safe and be cool and lead by example," Black said.
As for the lack of wings, Black has a recommendation for that: "Grab your favorite beverage, your favorite munchies, couch and enjoy from the comforts of your home. It’s not the same as having the wings and the fun stuff, but we want to bring the Wing Ding to people and we’re doing that."
The Wing Ding officially gets rolling at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and can be accessed through the event's website which is Iowa Wing Ding dot com.
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Photos: 2019 Iowa Democratic Wing Ding in Clear Lake
Dancing in the Clear Lake streets
Chants
Elizabeth Warren arrives
Hugs all around
Wing Ding
Warren supporters
Outside the Surf
Scholten's bus
Amy Klobuchar 3
John Hickenlooper
Michael Bennet
Tom Steyer
John Delaney
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Elizabeth Warren
Kamala Harris
Amy Klobuchar
Joe Biden
Bernie Sanders
Steve Bullock
Amy Klobuchar 2
Steve Bullock
Cory Booker 1
Cory Booker 4
Cory Booker 2
Kamala Harris mug
Julian Castro 2
Pete Buttigieg 4
Kamala Harris at the Democratic Wing Ding
Julian Castro 1
Tim Ryan
Cory Booker 5
Cory Booker 6
Bill de Blasio
Marianne Williamson
Jay Inslee
Kirsten Gillibrand
Andrew Yang
Cory Booker 3
Pete Buttigieg 1
Tulsi Gabbard
Pete Buttigieg 6
Tom Steyer
Pete Buttigieg 2
Pete Buttigieg 3
Tom Steyer
Vice President Biden
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Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at Jared.McNett@globegazette.com or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98.
Iowa Democratic Wing Ding Chairman Randy Black talks about the historical importance of the Wing Ding, displaying a scrapbook of photos and memorabilia from a previous event, slated to be entered into Barack Obama's presidential library. For the 2020 iteration, Black and other organizers had to plan an entirely virtual affair.