“Dances with the Stars” Returns to Dubuque in June

It's almost time for an annual Dubuque event that gets a number of notable community members dancing and has raised more than $2 million for local nonprofits since its inception in 2010.

That event is "Dubuque Dances with the Stars," which will take place on June 3rd, 2023 at the Grand River Center. The annual event helps target a community-wide audience to highlight, educate, and create awareness of nonprofits' role in our community. It's put on by the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce.

Jacquelyn Pfohl and Jeff Vaassen, who is dancing in the event for Dubuque Main Street, stopped by the studio to talk about Dubuque Dances with the Stars. In addition, Danielle Stowell of the Millwork Night Market in Dubuque spoke about how people in the Tri-States can assist the Dubuque Food Pantry simply by purchasing a produce item at one of the summer farmers markets.

Vaassen spoke about his ongoing dance training for the event, as well as his move to help Dubuque Main Street, which is dedicated to the development and ongoing support and prosperity of the city's downtown region:

I'm the board president [of Dubuque Main Street] and really excited about the direction we're going [....] we've got farmers markets going on, we've got challenge grants, all those kinds of things. [It's really about] creating a vibrant downtown and helping people [who] want to live, work, and play here.

Danielle Stowell of the Millwork Night Markets in Dubuque joined us on-air today to talk about how people can support the Dubuque Food Pantry by shopping at one of the Saturday markets this summer:

This year, through a partnership with Dubuque Main Street and Saturday Morning Farmers Market, the Dubuque Food Pantry has started what's called the Food Recovery Program. Theresa Caldwell of Dubuque Food Pantry has been working for years to try to get the unsold, leftover produce at the end of the day collected and brought over to the food pantry to be given to families in need to help get more fresh, healthy, local produce to the food pantry versus just the canned and boxed goods.

This year, the public is invited to purchase something extra when you shop. Whatever you can spare, if you have the means to purchase extra food, can and will go a long way in assuring families in the Tri-State area have something on their plates.

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Take a listen to my conversation with Jacquelyn, Jeff, and Danielle about Dubuque Dances with the Stars and how you can help make a contribution to the Dubuque Food Pantry!