Solon Beef Days

If you live in Solon you no doubt have at least heard of Solon Beef Days, but do you know how this annual celebration came to be?

It started in 1971 when the Solon Optimist Club, Solon Fire Department, Solon American Legion and the Solon Jaycees all got together and created this community event. Supported by residents and local nonprofit organizations, the event was such a hit they did it again the next year and every year since!

The Johnson County Cattlemen’s Association manned the grills for the event, grilling up steaks and “Beef Days” seemed like a fitting name for the event.

Beef Days isn’t just a community Summer celebration – profits from the Celebration are funneled back into the community and surrounding area as donations, large and small, to the School District, civic groups, City & county projects & organizations, senior citizens groups, scholarships for college-bound area students, Solon Parks Department improvements, Community Main Street causes, Recreation Department needs, etc. Since its inception, the Solon Beef Days Committee alone has donated in excess of $385,000 on a variety of local community projects, causes and scholarships.

Beef Days is a perennial Eastern Iowa favorite. Make sure you have plans to attend and enjoy Beef Days this year for the 52nd version of our hometown event! Stay tuned for the dates for the 2023 Beef Days celebration.