Miss Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Lillian LaTour hopped on down the bunny trail to the Miss Bunny pageant to congratulate the newly crowned queens:

Miss Bunny Tristan Pippin
MS Bunny Lauren Ashley Cheatwood

The Iowa Rabbit Festival was started in 1986. It began as a way to promote the only rabbit processing plant in the area. The first festival was held in 1987 with a small rabbit show, a parade, and boothes to sale crafts. The few bands they hired played on a flatbed trailer. There was a pageant to crown Miss Bunny who then traveled to other state festivals promoting the Rabbit Festival.

The Festival has since grown from year to year. The processing plant is long gone, but the festival lives on. An average of 20,000 people attend the festival every year.

Photos by Kriste Latour

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