Wednesday was “Older Iowans Day” at the Iowa State Fair and several such citizens showed off their talents.
Listen to report from Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis: Older Iowan Idol :65 mp3
Bruce Buttel of Centerville was the first performer at the fair’s “Older Iowan Idol” competition. The 63-year-old Elvis impersonator, on the hottest day of the fair, was dressed in an all black jump suit with a wig and sunglasses. Before he broke into his version of “Jailhouse Rock,” Buttel had a request for the audience. “If I drop dead, please, will the most attractive woman here come give me mouth-to-mouth?”
Buttel survived and took home the blue ribbon and a $100 prize. “I’ve been doing this, off and on, all my life since I was in high school,” Buttel told Radio Iowa. “I didn’t always have the outfits, but always doing Elvis routines. My older sister was a big fan and I fell into it. I like the guy’s music and it’s fun, this is just fun.”
Buttel had some stiff competition from the likes of Geraldine Tait. The 71-year-old from Humeston sang something called “The Chicken Song,” complete with barnyard clucking. Seventy-nine-year-old Robert Endrulat of Murray, who uses the stage name “Cowboy Bob,” yodeled and played guitar while his friend Bob Staats of Creston kept the beat with his hand-carved wooden spoons.
Pictures and audio from “Older Iowan Idol” 2011: