Iowans can probably agree that we march to the beat of our own drummer and kind of don’t give a rip what anyone else thinks of us. That’s the beauty of this great state of ours. Here are 14 ways Iowa is America’s black sheep…and we love it that way.

1. The title of “Pork Queen” is a high honor, not an insult.
Flickr/Iowa Farm Bureau
2. We have cow chip throwing contests...for fun.
Flickr/Corey Taratuta
3. It’s “pop,” and never soda. And we don’t care if you make fun of us for saying it.
Flickr/Vox Efx
4. We play a game called cornhole, without irony.
Flickr/Nathan Rupert
5. Forget houses or event halls, we like to have our parties in cornfields and church basements.
Flickr/toddandd
6. We buy food from strangers on the side of the road. In some cases, we just leave our money in a box.
Facebook/Knights Sweetcorn
Don't miss Knights Sweetcorn - picked fresh!
7. We’re the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk.
Flickr/Peter Zillmann
He’ll be making his first appearance on March 22nd of 2228. Every year, Riverside, Iowa has a Trek Fest to celebrate.

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8. We’re also home to an annual hobo festival.
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
In Britt, Iowa, there’s a hobo festival where they crown a hobo king and queen!
9. We actually go swimming in pools of corn.
Flickr/Carol VanHook
10. We eat puppy chow. Not the dog food...the delicious chocolaty dessert.
Flickr/Kelly Garbato
11. What you consider casserole, we consider hot dish. That’s what we call it and we’re sticking to it.
Flickr/dana robinson
12. You can hear us yelling the word “padiddle!” when we see a burned out headlight of a car on the road. It’s tradition.
Flickr/Erin Nekervis
13. We eat fried sandwiches as big as our head, and we won’t apologize for it.
Flickr/wdecora
14. Butter sculpture is a major art form here. Just go to the Iowa State Fair and you’ll see why.
Flickr/Timothy

Sure, Iowans do have some strange ways, but really, we wouldn’t have it any other way. For more Iowa quirkiness, here are 13 Things Only Those From Iowa Know To Be True.

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