A new book in the making will chronicle the Bill Riley State Fair Talent Search. The man who created one the fair’s top attractions for decades will get help writing his history from the newspaper in Iowa Falls, Riley’s hometown. Anne Denholm works at the paper’s promotions office and says the book’s going to be a compilation of stories and photos by people by people who remember when they attended the fair or competed in the competition in any of its 40 years. Denholm says folks can mail stories and photos to the paper, or use a computer and scanner to write down their memories and scan old snapshots. They’re asking for 250 words or less, and any old pictures folks care to contribute. Have copies of those pictures made, because Denholm says photos will not be returned once they’re mailed to the Iowa Falls newspaper. You can also go to the paper’s website at www.iafalls.com and contribute stories or scanned pictures over the internet. Bill and Ann Riley have put fifty-thousand dollars into a fund to keep the State Fair Talent Search going in the future, and profits from sales of the book will to into the fund as well. The finalists who win in future shows will get prizes from the interest earned by that fund, and the Rileys hope others will also contribute to the fund. The book’s publication is expected in June of 2004, and copies can be pre-ordered by calling the Times-Citizen Newspaper at (800)-798-2691.
