61 Photos of Iowa Leather Weekend Celebrating Its 30th Anniversary

The 30th Anniversary of Iowa Leather Weekend, held October 12-14 in Des Moines, saw record-smashing attendance once again and also celebrated the 35th anniversary of The Blazing Saddle (Iowa's oldest LGBT bar).

Weekend events included the Cigar Smoke-Out/Grill-Out, the Women of Leather social, the Rubbermen Meet-Up, a three-day vendor mart featuring Twin Cities Leather, Leather Masters, Le Chateau Exotique, and Lion's Den; and Puppy Pawlympics with Mal Orion, Iowa Puppy 2018.

Returning to the contest to emcee was the delightfully witty Karen Ultra, and the contest also featured powerful performance numbers celebrating 30 years of Iowa Leather, honoring the trans community, and paying tribute to Robert "Mongo" Eikleberry, founder of the Imperial Court of Iowa, the Corn Haulers Leather and Levi Club, and The Blazing Saddle.

The Iowa Leather Weekend Contest featured four competitors for Mr. Iowa Leather, two for Ms. Iowa Leather, two for Iowa Bear and two for Iowa Puppy. Capturing their respective titles were Mr. Iowa Leather 2019 Jason Ranschau, Ms. Iowa Leather 2019 Jinx, Iowa Bear 2019 Zach Gillette, and Iowa Puppy 2019 Pup Yukie.

Rounding out the weekend was the Bearracuda dance party, the Anita Bryant Pie Day fundraiser with proceeds benefiting One Iowa Action, and the ILW Victory Party, with RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 finalist Ginger Minj performing the final showing of her musical, "Crossdresser for Christ."

The Iowa Leather family congratulates both the winners and the competitors for celebrating this one-of-a-kind weekend and proudly representing Iowa Leather in our communities. See you next October in Des Moines!

Photos: Everett Allen Photography and Magnus Wynter Photography