The forecast was not good. An aggressive electrical storm with reports of up to 2″ hail was barreling down on Des Moines, Iowa.
This was especially bad considering over 1,200 Chivers from over 30 states were out in the open and ready to party their faces off until the wee hours of the night at the Keg Stand Bar in Des Moines.
A few of us from theCHIVE HQ along with Iowa Chivette Asa Hope came to Des Moines to attend the largest meetup ever thrown. The Chive Chapter admins throwing the party had been working on it for months, all to benefit Chive Charities.
As the storm neared and tornado warnings flashed, the immediate concern was the safety of Chive Nation in attendance.
We arrived to the meetup at 6pm with black clouds looming. Weather reports indicated that the storm would hit Des Moines around 7pm. Rather than stick around and give the impression that this storm was a little sprinkle, the crew decided to take refuge and recommend the massive group of Chivers do the same.
The Chive Charities crew came as well. They were ready to party.
We hunkered down at a bar down the road and had Asa Hope teach us all how to dominate in Big Buck Hunter. At 7pm, the rain came. What started as a drizzle turned into a downpour. This looked like it could become a doozy.
Follow Asa on her Instagram!
All bark and little bite. John started to get antsy between games of Big Buck Hunter (as he does when there’s a party going on and he’s not there), so we decided to head our way to get mad with the midwest.
What we came to find was that no matter hard the rain came, Chive Nation stayed put. Being drenched did not matter one bit when it came to coming together, raising a glass and helping Chive Charities. Goes to show what an amazing, awesome and DGAF-we’re-helping-as-many-people-as-we-can community Chive Nation is.
Iowa Chivette Heather Michaels came to party! Follow her on Instagram.
Around 10 o’clock the rain let up, but it wouldn’t last long. We rushed to the stage where the live band would’ve performed (weather permitting) so John could thank everyone for coming and give some background on Chive Charities and its ties to Iowa. Afterall, the flash campaign that started it all, Taylor Morris, originated in Iowa.
After thanking everyone for coming and supporting Chive Charities, John had one more surprise up his sleeve. With so much separation in America, it was a breath of fresh air to see a community come together and party their faces off in the name of charity.
And what better way to thank to Chive Nation than a way to support America by bringing it together, one whiskey at a time.
Join the movement at VoteForMurray.com!
We partied until 3am and then took it to the hotel. I don’t remember the flight home. With all said and done, Midwest Madness was able to raise a record-breaking $55,000 for Chive Charities. Amazing work. A special thank you to all of the Chive Chapter admins (Graham, Brad, Jake, Amy, Holub, Ralphiee, Kristin, Matt and the rest of you crazy degenerates), The Keg Stand, and the rowdiest group of Chivers we’ve ever partied with. You guys are the absolute best.
