DALLAS CENTER, Iowa, May 28 (UPI) -- An Iowa sports bar has been criticized for planning a pro wrestling event that features dwarf wrestlers timed for when a large cycling event is in town.
Brian Filloon, owner of The Longest Yard sports bar in Dallas Center, Iowa, said he and his staff were looking for ideas for a more unique entertainment offering when an annual Des Moines (Iowa) Register-sponsored cross-state bike ride done by thousands of cycling enthusiasts rolls through town next week.
Filloon said his staff came up with the idea to host wrestling matches and contacted the outfit Rock and Roll Wrestling in St. Cloud, Minn., to set up the event on July 23.
Buck Zumhofe, the wrestling promoter and a participant himself, called the criticism from some in the community "ridiculous." The night's card calls for three matches with six wrestlers, two of whom are dwarfs.
Dallas Center City Councilman Terry Gibson said concerns have arisen over what kind of message hosting midget wrestling sends to riders about the city.
"Midget wrestling sounds more like a carnival event -- not an afternoon, evening community event," Gibson said. "It may play into stereotypes of certain people, and I don't know if we should be promoting that."
Filloon told the Des Moines Register he has a meeting scheduled with the council to address their concerns and intends to move forward with the event.
