Tasseldega Nights is back at Deer Creek Speedway
By Tanner Sanborn
It’s that time of year again! Olmsted/Wabasha, Fillmore, Dodge, Goodhue, Mower, and Freeborn counties have been hard at work the last 6 months prepping for Tasseldega Nights. The annual racing event is set for July 16 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley. The county grower associations have been ordering signage and promotional item giveaways, going through plans, and getting ready for our biggest event of the year!
Last year Tasseldega Nights went through a revamp to bring new life into the event. County leaders got together and decided to try to bring the event itself back to its ethanol promotion roots. Instead of selling T-shirts, they focused the county corn growers booth on consumer ethanol education and brand awareness. They really wanted to explain ethanol and its benefits while also telling consumers and members “Hey, we’re here”.
The idea they came up with was to create “Ethanol 101,” a series of bullet points that breaks down the most important bits of ethanol information in an easy-to-digest format for the average consumer.
Another thing the counties have done is create county- and ethanol-branded giveaways! Last year we created a branded tumbler that consumers could take home and use to show their support for ethanol! Every county that participates in this event donates these items with their own logo.
I am excited to announce that this year we are giving away stainless steel Koozies to keep your drinks cold! Counties will continue branding them with their own logos and a shared “Ethanol, Better for your air, your engine, and your wallet” logo. Each koozie will come with a packet of Sunshine Suzy Corn Nibblets and a pocket card of our “Ethanol 101” bullet points. Did I mention that all attendees get this for free?! All you need to do is stop by the booth and have a quick conversation about ethanol and that’s it!
Because our county groups title sponsor this event, every person who shows up gets in on the action for free! It is super exciting to bring this to you annually, and everyone involved puts in tons of hours to make this event work year after year.
We hope you will join us at Tasseldega nights this year on July 16th to learn more about ethanol and support our county corn organizations! Gates open at 4 p.m., hot laps start at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m.
Tanner Sanborn is the Minnesota Corn Growers Association district field manager for District 5.
