State Fair entries up despite earlier disease scare

Concerns earlier this year about “foot and mouth” disease don’t seem to have impacted the animal entries at the upcoming Iowa State Fair. State Fair Administrators studied the “foot and mouth” issue and decided to keep the animals at this year’s fair. Fair spokesperson Kathie Swift says Iowans did worry about the impact of the disease on the fair, but animal registrations hit records in some categories, indicating those concerns have eased.Swift says fair officials will continue taking the proper precautions to help prevent any possible disease outbreak. While animals at the fair aren’t something new, there’s a new addition to one of the popular buildings at the fair.Workers have completed the installation of air conditioning in the Varied Industries building on the fairgrounds. The Iowa State Fair opens its 11-day run on Thursday.