DES MOINES, Iowa — Applishus has been around the Iowa State Fair for decades, and the boss of the stand, Connie Boesen, is enjoying her first fair as the boss of Iowa’s capital city as well.
Boesen started Applishus with one stand, and has now expanded it to four. Serving up apple egg rolls, apple slushies and now: apple fries sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Since being elected mayor of Des Moines in November, Boesen said she gets noticed a lot more wherever she does, in comparison to previous fairs.
“I’ve been stopped quite a bit,” Boesen laughed, “And they’re not even from Des Moines. They’ll say: ‘Congratulations on your win, we’re glad you won. But we’re from Urbandale or West Des Moines.’ So it’s fun.”
Boesen receives calls throughout the day at the fair – sometimes for her job running Applishus, but also for her job as the mayor. During the Iowa State Fair, she still attends city council and city meetings as well.
“For us, as my mayor role, I’m very excited for the fair to be able to showcase what we do as a city too,” Boesen said. “Not only do we showcase the state, but really want guests in the city to have a great time.”
Mayor Boesen’s life has literally been centered around the fair as she “grew up on the fairgrounds,” because her father, Ken, was the longtime Iowa State Fair manager.