FRYfest 2024 features 35th UI Hall of Fame class, performance from American Idol winner

A recent American Idol winner will headline and an eight-person Hall of Fame class will be highlighted as part of the 15th anniversary of FRYfest.

The annual tradition was named for and originally planned as a celebration of revered former Hawkeye football coach Hayden Fry. It will once again help kick off Iowa's athletic year on Aug. 30, one night before Iowa football takes the field for its regular season opener against Illinois State.

All events will take place in and around the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Conference Center in the heart of Coralville's Iowa River Landing.

"We are always so thrilled for the opportunity to show off our community and to host this fantastic event," said Coralville Mayor Meghann Foster.

American Idol winner, local band bringing free music to FRYfest

Iowa native Maddie Poppe was crowned the champion of American Idol in 2018 and will headline the entirely free musical performances. Poppe has more than 120,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and according to her website, hit number two on the iTunes pop charts for her album "Whirlwind."

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Iowa City band James Tutson and the Rollback will open for Poppe.

Tickets are required but available at no cost. They will be available for pickup beginning June 10 at the Coralville SCHEELS customer service desk and the Think Iowa City offices, as well as on the FRYfest website.

Hall of Fame inductees announced

Eight former Hawkeye athletes will be officially inducted into the prestigious University of Iowa Hall of Fame as part of the FRYfest-ivities.

Inductees include:

• Mike Boddicker, baseball

• Sue Bury, field hockey

• Rico Chiapparelli, men's wrestling

• Adrian Clayborn, football

• Laura Dvorak, women's tennis

• Shonn Greene, football

• Kevin Kunnert, men's basketball

• Lindsey Meder, women's basketball

Katie Wynn of the Iowa Letterwinners Club announced the inductees. Their athletic careers at the University of Iowa span from the 1970s to the 2010s.

This year's group has a long list of accolades and a big trophy cabinet. Between them, there are three NCAA team titles, seven Big Ten team titles, an NCAA individual title, eight All-American honors, 15 Big Ten honors, a Doak Walker award and two Big Ten Player of the Year awards, Wynn said.

As is tradition, the athletes will participate in a panel during FRYfest and will be available for autographs afterward.

Final farewell for Herky on Parade 3 statues

The third edition of Herky on Parade — the decennial collaboration between local artists and area sponsors — will also wrap up on Aug. 30 as part of FRYfest.

All 100 statues, deployed throughout Johnson County on May 1, will be available for public viewing in the same place for the first time.

More: Our favorite Herky on Parade 3 statues, from must-see locations to student-led designs

Many of the statues have already been bought for permanent keeping by area sponsors, though some will be available for purchase as part of an auction at FRYfest and a to-be-announced future Herky on Parade auction later this year.

Proceeds from the sale of the statues will go to the Iowa City Community School District and the Clear Creek-Amana School District, helping to fund art education programs over the coming years, Think Iowa City President Josh Shamburger told the Press-Citizen in April.

FRYfest staples back for another year

The World's Largest Hawkeye Tradeshow, a pep rally from the Hawkeye Marching Band, trivia and the 4th Annual FRYfest games also return on Aug. 30 as part of FRYfest.

The FRYfest games include bags and pickleball tournaments.

Area sponsors include SCHEELS, Gilcrest/Jewett Lumber Company and the Eastern Iowa Airport.

The day will end with the High Porch Block Party leading into the aforementioned musical performances. Iowa football then takes the field against Illinois State on Aug. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: FRYfest 2024: Idol winner Maddie Poppe, Herky on Parade 3 farewell