Harkin steak fry goes high tech

Those unable to attend U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry fundraiser on Sunday featuring Al Franken can catch it live on the Internet.

Franken, Minnesota's freshman U.S. senator, is keynoting the event, which is slated to run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Warren County Fairgrounds in Indianola.

The Iowa Democratic Party is planning to host a live video stream at http://iowademocrats.org/live.

“We're excited to launch a new way of including our supporters who can't be a part of an important event like the Harkin Steak Fry,” said party chairman Michael Kiernan. “There is a lot of interest in Sen. Franken, and I think Iowa Democrats are looking forward to a chance to get to know this new neighbor-state senator better.”

A liveblogging of the event also will be available at http://iowademocrats.org/blog. The formal program is expected to start around 2 p.m.

Spokesman Matt Paul said they have 1,300 steaks on hand and another 200 steaks on reserve, as well as chicken, hot dogs and veggie burgers.

This year's event is the 32nd annual steak fry for Harkin and is considered one of the biggest events every year for Iowa Democrats.

“We've been very pleased with the interest this year,” Paul said. “There's no doubt that Sen. Franken has been a big draw.”

Harkin hosted the Democratic presidential candidates at his steak fry in 2007, which drew thousands of people during the middle of the Iowa caucus campaign season.

In other years, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Barack Obama have served as keynote speakers for the steak fry.

Gates open for the event at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate for $35; student tickets are $15 with a student ID. Tickets for children 5-10 are $5, and children under 5 are admitted free.