Iowa mayor appears partially nude in brewery calendar

By Beau Bowman

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    CRESTON, Iowa (KCCI) — Hot Air Brewing in Creston and the town’s mayor are facing some backlash after publishing a “Father Figures” calendar where the mayor appears naked.

KCCI received almost a dozen complaints and news tips from people offended by the picture on the month of November’s page: Creston’s mayor, Gabe Carroll, in a nearly naked portrait posing with a baked chicken.

“That’s just weird,” said Bailey Niedermann, who works in Creston. “Being the mayor, I would not even publicize that at all.”

“He’s got underwear on, I mean the only thing naked is the chicken. I’m not really sure, but then again people like to get mad,” said Katie Davidson, owner of Hot Air Brewing.

Davidson said while it was just all in good fun, it was also for a good cause: 25% of the money raised by the calendars is going to the Christmas Basket Fund, which she says will help families put Christmas dinner on the table.

Carroll wasn’t available for an interview Wednesday but sent KCCI a statement reading in part: “I can understand some people not getting the joke and feeling offended… that’s just part of life I suppose. But in the end we’ve raised about $220 for the Christmas Basket Fund, and have about 55 calendars left to sell.”

Some Creston residents, like Tom Jackson, stand with Carroll and say it’s a great way to support a small business.

“He’s trying to support a small-town business and I think Gabe is a down-to-earth guy. Think he’s doing a crack-up job as mayor,” Jackson said.

Hot Air Brewing says they’ll continue to have Carroll’s back too.

“Gabe has been our mayor for three years. And he’s done a lot of really great progressive work in our small town that was not doing so hot,” Davidson said.

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