ICON Water Trails and the Great Outdoors Foundation partnered again to host the fifth annual Wild Prairie Showdown. This year, Team GOF and Team ICON were led by one individual competitor, with three alumni competitors offering each team support and expertise. The event raised nearly $190,000 and had more than 400 in attendance.

THE EVENT 

The Wild Prairie Showdown — Presented by Reilly Construction & United Contractors — was held at Val Air Ballroom on Thursday, October 16. The event featured dinner, a fashion show, live fundraising, interviews from competitors, and an awards ceremony. The energy in the room was palpable, with friends old and new cheering each other on throughout the event. 

THE PROGRAM 

Guests heard from several speakers during the event. Hannah Inman, CEO, Great Outdoors Foundation, announced Watershed26, a premier water quality summit to be held on June 30-July 1, 2026. Chris Costa, GOF Board of Directors chair, shared exciting news of GOF’s continued commitment to water quality by investing $1.3 million from the Conservation Acceleration Fund (CAF) into green infrastructure within ICON’s downtown sites. Matt McKinney, ICON Board of Directors Co-Chair, shared statistics and figures from ICON’s work that set the initiative apart in our region. Finally, Stephanie Oppel, Executive Director, ICON Water Trails, invited everyone to reflect on the evolution of ICON and the incredible efforts that have led to its success today.   

THE AWARDS 

At this year’s Wild Prairie Showdown, GOF presented the Creative Conservationist Award — presented by Bolton & Menk — to John Swanson, Polk County Water Resources Supervisor. Swanson is a champion for water quality, most notably leading Polk County’s ‘Batch and Build’ program. Bringing efficiency, speed, and funding to critical water quality projects, this program has installed 185 practices —treating 6,000 acres of tile drainage — to date. Swanson is a valued partner of GOF, working on several Conservation Acceleration Fund (CAF) projects and contributing his expertise to shared audiences.  

ICON also presented its Waveshaper award to the ICON Water Trails Capital Campaign Co-Chairs and Honorary Co-Chairs. Awardees include Steve Chapman, Allison Fleming, and Suku Radia, Jim Cownie, Bill Knapp, Connie Wimer, and Steve Zumbach, whose individual and collective expertise propelled ICON from vision to reality, securing more than $33.5 million in private fundraising for the transformative initiative.  

THE COMPETITION 

Team GOF was led by Jonny “Mountain Man” Kallen, and supported by returning alumni Katherine Harrington (’21), Cory Sharp (’21), and Emily Kessinger (’22). Team ICON was championed by Molly “Ms. Drizzle” Hanson, with Rene Martinez (’24), Annie Brandt (’24), and Emily Naylor (’23). All members participated in their respective team’s ‘skit’, with individual competitors representing their team during interviews.  

THE MVP 

After competing in fundraising, fashion show, and interview categories, Kallen and Team GOF came out on top. In addition to their collective fundraising efforts, Team GOF gathered more than 700 votes from supporters during the event.