ISU students can expect the arrival of a new on-campus event this coming fall: ISU BaconFest 2013.

Bacon is defined as the back and sides of the hog, salted, and dried or smoked, usually sliced thin and fried for food. In recent years bacon has gained a cult status with baconfests popping up across the United States, notably the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines which, for its 2013 event, sold out its 8,000 tickets in three minutes.

“I saw how popular the event in Des Moines has been and I thought ‘Why can’t Iowa State have one of these?’” said Jake Swanson, president of the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council.

Swanson, who served as the 2012 Iowa Premier Pork Ambassador, spawned the idea for a baconfest after working with the Iowa Pork Association and talking with Iowa pork producers about the idea.

His idea sat on the back burner for a few months until he was selected as president of the College of Agriculture Student Council following the end of the 2012 fall semester.

Swanson saw this as an initiative he could accomplish during his term. He developed a proposal and presented it to his executive board and the College of Agriculture Dean-Student Advisory committee, where he received huge support for the plan.

The College of Agriculture Student Council then approved the event.

“It was really important that it comes from the [College of Agriculture] Student Council because that’s the body that unites the college,” Swanson said. “This will also be the only student-run baconfest in the nation.”

The projected plan for the baconfest is modeled after the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, with some events such as a Miss Bacon Pageant, bacon eating contest, bacon judging and even a pig squealing contest.

The plan is to also have baconfest be held on Central Campus, where bands will perform during the event.

“When Jake proposed his plan, everyone in the room was caught up in this excitement of hosting this event,” said Wendy Wintersteen, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Science.

Both Wintersteen and Swanson see the ISU Baconfest as another way to display the importance of agriculture and display what the College of Agriculture has to offer; both highlighted the importance of showcasing the Iowa State Meat Science program along with the event.

“We have one of the best meat science programs in the country, and what better way to showcase that area than with a baconfest,” Wintersteen said.

Swanson is hoping to attract Ames and Iowa vendors for the event. In his proposal, bacon purveyors will be expected to provide 100 pounds of their bacon for sampling, and restaurants participating are expected to prepare 500 bacon-inspired samples.

Wristbands are expected to be sold for the baconfest at a cost of $20 apiece; the cost will include free music and a T-shirt. Another option is to use what Swanson is calling “bacon bucks” at the bacon sampling booths.

The ISU Baconfest is already starting to garner attention and possible sponsors, even though the event has not been officially announced yet.

Swanson said that Murphy-Brown, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods and the biggest producer of hogs in the United States, had already contacted him and expressed interest in sponsoring the baconfest.

“People love bacon. Who better to host this event than Iowa State with our famous meat lab and our college of ag?” Swanson said. “This is going to be a really fun event, and it’ll be something that the students will really enjoy.”