INDIANOLA, Iowa (CNN) - Sunday marks the 30th annual Harkin Steak Fry, a fundraiser for Iowa's Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, who said he expects between 8,000 and 10,000 people to show up. This year, the cash all goes to Harkin's upcoming re-election bid.
But on the eve of the big event CNN caught up with the senator to ask him why they call it a "fry" if the steaks are cooked on a grill.
"You don't fry it. These are grilled steaks, and I dont know the answer to that question," Harkin said Saturday at the University of Iowa/Iowa State University football game in Ames. "Somewhere way back someone dubbed it a steak fry and it stuck and nobody can ever remember why that name ever came in to being but we still call it a steak fry."
As far as the current crop of Democrats goes, Harkin said anything can still happen.
"To put it in sports analogy, its a jump ball. For the Democrats, there are three that are kind of bunched up together. That's Clinton, Obama and Edwards, and then you have all the others behind them. But you add everybody up I mean you still only got 50-60 percent of the caucus-goers."
But he added that he'd like to see someone do something big.
"I always like to see things new, and I like to have them kind of make some news with something, but you never know. I think there will be a lot of attention placed on this."
- CNN Iowa Producer Chris Welch