Le Mars Mayor will take a plunge from a plane

They toss the mayor of LeMars out of an airplane next week. Organizer Angie Watson says LeMars Mayor Virgil Van Beek was set to make a parachute jump today to publicize the town’s being chosen to host “Fly Iowa” this year. But the jump’s postponed a week because of wind forecasts for today, and Van Beek will jump next Tuesday.On July 6th and 7th, LeMars will host “Fly Iowa,” a two-day airshow. Organizers in LeMars, which is known for its Blue Bunny Ice cream factory, were thrilled to be chosen for the annual airshow. She says they hit on the idea of getting out the word by having the mayor make a parachute jump for the news conference. Depending on weather and other factors, they hope to bring in eight thousand people. In addition to a pilots’ fly-in, the event features professional aerobatics, family activities, demonstrations and displays.