Attend the Log Cabin Days Festival in Indianola, Iowa

You will not want to miss this year’s Log Cabin Days celebration! The theme is “Warren County Trains That Were.” We have a rich history of trains and depots in Warren County, and you will be amazed at how these trains affected the placement of towns and the growth of Warren County. The Warren County Model Railroaders reside in the lower level of the museum and have built a magnificent model display of the community and the trains that ran through it. The “train guys”’ will be here with the trains running and will be happy to answer any questions. You may even get an engineer hat and kerchief; they have 100 to give away!

The Log Cabin Days Festival two-day celebration will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. The annual parade will kick off the event at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. It starts in uptown Indianola by the county administration building, travels around the square and then west across town to the Museum complex located just to the east of the Warren County Fairgrounds at 1300 W. 2nd, (Hwy 92) where you will find fantastic food, demonstrations of old-time crafts, vendors and living history taking place. Come meet our pioneer couple, shop in the general store, attend a wedding and a funeral, build your own scarecrow, the list goes on! There will be food for every tastebud — from our annual chicken noodle dinner that will be found in the museum dining room to funnel cakes, snow cones and a lot of other goodies on the grounds. 

Saturday Highlights:

• 10 a.m. – Annual Parade
• 11 a.m. – Heritage Village comes to life with old time crafts demonstrations. Enjoy a chicken and noodle dinner, hot dogs, funnel cakes, caramel apples, chicken noodle bowls and cherry and peach crisp with ice cream.
• 1:30 p.m. – Our famous pie auction will take place on the steps of our one-room country schoolhouse.
• 3 p.m. – Don Van Ryswyk and Friends will be jamming in an open session. Come join in the fun — play, sing, dance. Bring your lawn chair.
• 6 p.m. – Drawings for the raffle include chances to win a premium hog package from Fareway, tickets to the Boone Railroad and Museum or a model train set. You do not need to be present to win. The results of the silent auction will be announced.

Sunday “Hands on Funday"

• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Come for food, games, tournaments and bingo.
• Beefburger or hot dog lunch, other foods (listed under Saturday’s events).
• Bingo – $1 per card.

Join our cribbage or Junior Chess tournaments at 1 p.m. Pre-registration is requested by emailing us at contact@warrencountyhistory.org. The $5 entry fee will be paid when you arrive. See our website for more details.

Bring a team, challenge your friends to a game of corn hole, horseshoes or croquet. Have you always wanted to learn more about playing the game of horseshoes? A horseshoe pitching expert will be on hand to share his knowledge and give you pointers.

You will be able to tour the entire museum and enjoy great food and vendors both days.

The Warren County Historical Society is a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers. We appreciate your support for our biggest fundraiser of the year. Do you love history? Contact us to volunteer!

For more details and the most up to date information please check our website warrencountyhistory.org and follow us on Facebook at Warren County Historical Society, Iowa.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership calendar of events is a one-stop resource for activities taking place throughout the region. Find networking information for Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses, including Chamber luncheons, roundtables and ribbon cuttings. You can also find live music happening each week thanks to the “Live Music This Week in DSM” blog series.