Iowa State Fair Attendance topped one million people (1,094,480) in its return after being canceled by COVID in 2020. Fair spokesperson Mindy Williamson says it was a good comeback. "We didn't know what to expect in 2021 after not having a fair in 2020, so all of our expectations were just blown … [Read more...]
Iowa State Fair wraps up return run
The Iowa State Fair wrapped up its 11-day run Sunday and will evidently come up short on setting any attendance records. The final tallies will be out soon, but fair officials say they're confident the event drew more than one million people this year, but will not exceed the attendance record … [Read more...]
Plymouth County teen named Iowa State Fair Queen
A young woman from northwest Iowa was crowned the new Iowa State Fair Queen over the weekend. Eighteen-year-old Plymouth County Fair Queen McKenna Henrich, from Akron, was presented the title during a ceremony Saturday night at the fairgrounds in Des Moines. Henrich says she's thrilled by the … [Read more...]
Many happy to see return of Iowa State Fair
People were lined up to get into the Iowa State Fairgrounds Thursday as the event returned from the pandemic layoff. The fairgoers were anxious to get back to the familiar sights, sounds, and tastes of the fair. And everyone had the same opinion on the year without it -- one woman saying it "was … [Read more...]
Iowa State Fair opens after year wait for pandemic
People flowed into the gates when they opened this morning as the Iowa State Fair returned after being canceled in 2020 by the pandemic. Fair CEO Gary Slater spoke at the opening ceremonies. "I can tell you it was a hard 14 months, but we weren't sure we would be here today -- but we are … [Read more...]
Iowa State Fair looking to fill jobs during fair run in August
The Iowa State Fair opens its gates in Des Moines in one month and the search is on for workers to fill some 1,500 positions. Spokesperson Mindy Williamson says it takes a lot of people to keep the fair going. "Those positions that we have open are anything from admission ticket sellers and … [Read more...]
Toledo trying to find money to fix iconic Cow Calf statue
An effort is underway to save a derecho-damaged cow sculpture done by Norma “Duffy” Lyon -- who sculpted butter cows at the Iowa State Fair for more than 40 years. It stands near the town of Toledo and is one of the only large-scale works Lyon did that was not made of butter. It’s known as the … [Read more...]
Iowa State Fair CEO says too early to predict COVID-19 impact on August event
The Iowa State Fair is scheduled to start in 127 days. The annual event has been drawing over a million people to the fairgrounds in Des Moines for the past several years. Iowa State Fair secretary and CEO Gary Slater says it's way too early to speculate about how COVID-19 may impact the event … [Read more...]
Iowa State Fair sets attendance record for second straight year
A spokesperson for the Iowa State Fair say the 2019 fair that ended Sunday broke the attendance record set last year by around 40,000. The fair saw attendance hit 1,170,398 people during the 11-day run. “It was a combination of weather, new foods to try, new daytime entertainment and it maybe … [Read more...]
Bearded men enter Iowa State Fair competition
A few dozen men aimed to exhibit their facial hair to win a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair, but only three were able to win the judges over for the "best groomed", "unique" and "best beard with costume" prizes. Tim Smith of Cambridge has entered the fair's beard competition nearly 10 times … [Read more...]