Marching bands, governors pouring beer and not one but two separate ice cream stations will greet a record number of Democratic activists expected to attend the largest single event in Iowa politics on Saturday as the run toward the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses kicks off.

Des Moines-area Democrats say they have sold more than 11,000 tickets for the Polk County Democratic Party’s annual Steak Fry.

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That’s more than the 10,000 people who showed up to see Democratic candidates ahead of the 2004 caucuses, in the pouring rain. The crowd will rival — and will likely surpass — the 12,000 people who showed up in 2007.

The ticket sales are another measure of unprecedented Democratic enthusiasm ahead of the February caucuses. In May, Polk County Democratic Party Chairman Sean Bagniewski said he expected 5,000 to 6,000 attendees — about half the number who have bought tickets.

“It’s a test of each campaign’s organizational strength and ingenuity. It’s also a time to energize supporters,” said Jeff Link, a longtime Iowa Democratic strategist who is unaffiliated with a candidate this year. “There will be a lot of uncommitted voters listening to the speeches, too.”

At least 17 of the Democratic candidates running this year will speak to party faithful Saturday. Ten have rallies planned in the hours leading up to the Steak Fry, and eight will make a show of marching into the event at the head of a long trail of supporters.

Some of the candidates are adding an extra splash to their entrances to draw notice from the activists on hand.

Virtually every candidate has plans to stump around the rest of the state after leaving the Steak Fry.

The party is so big that Polk County Democrats are going through the region’s largest supermarket chain to order their food. Bagniewski said the party had purchased 10,500 steaks from Hy-Vee, along with chicken and meals for kids. Three food trucks and two different ice cream stations are being set up.

Link, the Iowa Democratic strategist, said all eyes are on the weather. Thousands of Democrats in an outdoor park is likely to mean thousands of umbrellas too — the forecast says there is a decent chance for rain in the Des Moines area on Saturday.