At least four presidential candidates and more than 61,000 college football fans will be at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames for Saturday’s Iowa/Iowa State game. There will also be 60 to 70 Iowa State troopers who will be trying to keep traffic moving throughout the area.
State Patrol spokesman Alex Dinkla says there’ll be many tens of thousands of vehicles, so the roads leading to the stadium are sure to get congested.
“With that many people all heading to one destination, we just want people to have patience,” Dinkla says, “take their time and ultimately arrive safe so that they can enjoy the game.” He says the primary objective will be to keep traffic flowing smoothly and safely, but they’ll also be watchful for lawbreakers, especially those who’ve been tailgating too enthusiastically.
“Make sure to plan accordingly, arrive early, try to get there, enjoy the game and then after the game, if you’ve had too much to drink, or if you don’t think that you should be driving, make a smart choice,” Dinkla says. “Be responsible, get that designated driver, get that sober driver so that you can arrive home.”
The current list of Republican presidential candidates who will be either taking part in tailgate events or attending the game include: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former President Donald Trump, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 P-M.
(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)