Events mark Khrushchev's 1959 Iowa visit
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Associated Press - August 23, 2009 2:54 PM ET
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa briefly became the warmest spot in the Cold War 50 years ago, when a farmer from Coon Rapids and the leader of the Soviet Union talked corn and farm equipment.
Iowans and Russians will mark the anniversary of that visit in 1959 with speeches at Drake University on Thursday followed by three days of events, including a conference and banquet.
Participants will look back at Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev's 2-day stay in Iowa during a 13-day journey through the United States that included time in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Camp David.
A conference on "Feeding a Hungry World" will begin Friday afternoon at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, and a public banquet will include the same menu served to Khrushchev in 1959.
On the net:
"Khrushchev in Iowa" event site: http://www.creatinggreatplaces.org/khrushchev.aspx
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