DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ Some cynics might call it a Mickey Mouse operation, but drought-beleaguered Iowans say they’re honored to help the world’s most famous rodent celebrate his 60th birthday with a cornfield seeded in his image.
The ″birthday card″ devised by Walt Disney Productions is a 520-acre field in north central Iowa, planted in corn and oats in a profile of the cartoon legend that’s visible from 30,000 feet in the air.
The presentation is scheduled for Aug. 6-7, and the celebration is the latest in a series of events surrounding the farm field art that has brought cheer to some Iowa communities struggling under the farm crisis of the 1980s and, lately, the drought.
This time, it also may bring in some cash for economic development and community groups.
Walt Disney Productions characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as well as Donald Duck and Goofy, all are scheduled to appear at the fair in Sheffield along with ″Ear Force One,″ a 12-story-high hot air balloon in the shape of Mickey’s head and featuring a birthday hat.
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