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As executive director of Winefest Des Moines, Kit Curran said there is more to it than the “glamour” of event planning. She and her assistant will spend hours hand-washing hundreds of wine glasses and cleaning spittoons. With the first of the 2008 events, the Gala Auction, completed, Curran is spending seven days a week preparing for the rest of the summer’s events, including the Grand Tasting on June 7.

Have you always lived in Iowa?

I was born and raised in Boone, Iowa. I went to school at Iowa State University. After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, where I lived for 10 years and came to my senses and moved back to Des Moines. I have been here since then, which is going on 15 years. I came back kicking and screaming and now there is no place in the world that I would rather live.

What is your career background?

I spent the majority of the time in advertising and (public relations) and such. And I was president of the East Village Association for two years. As I worked in that area and became involved in that organization, I became very passionate about events and planning. So I left advertising and came into events with the Downtown Events Group. They had been hired to run Winefest and they actually brought me in to take that over. And I was there for one year of Winefest and then we went off on our own, so this is my third year of running Winefest.

What is your favorite part of running Winefest?

I love all the people that I am able to meet and I love the fact that it is never boring because you are doing everything from the financial end and budgeting to setting up vintners to working with the city and the community and patrons. It changes every single day, so one is never bored. But I am also kind of an adrenaline junkie. I like the fast-paced sense of urgency that you have to have to put on events. And my favorite part is at an event when you see that everything is running smoothly and everyone is happy and that it is a success. The event has gotten bigger and better each year, our attendance set records last year and it is just exciting to be able to put on an event like that to raise money for such a wonderful cause.

Are you adding anything new to the event this year?

We have a few things that will be a surprise. What we are really trying to do is continue to hone the event and make it better in an effort to raise more money for our philanthropy. We are continually asked to add more events and we just want to do what we do better. The reason we even exist is to raise money for the Bravo (Greater Des Moines) organization. We want to do what we can to the very best of our ability so we can make the most money. And at that point, we will take a look and add some more events. Our goal is to have Winefest occur year-round and have events throughout the year.

What are some other goals for Winefest?

One of our goals is we want to make it one of the most premier events that occur in Des Moines over the summer. You know, the (Des Moines) Arts Festival is a little hard to compete with, but just one of the most popular events of the summer. We would also like to raise a lot more money for Bravo’s Connecting Kids and Culture program.

How did you make your first dollar?

Washing dishes at a nursing home. When I was younger, it was probably stealing vegetables out of the neighbors’ gardens and going around with a wagon and reselling it to them.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I don’t have a lot of spare time. I volunteer; I am on the East Village board. I try to assist them as much as I can. But my job, especially this time of year, is seven days a week.

When you do get a break, what do you like to do?

I love to travel. And work in my garden. I have a big yard and it is a lot of work. After the events in the summer that is usually where you will find me on the weekends.