Altoona, IA - The Iowa State Fair

We are quintessential Iowans, we were born and raised in Iowa, we both attended Iowa colleges, we returned to Iowa after many years in other states (drawn by jobs and the Navy) and - here is the salient characteristic: we attend the Iowa State Fair. And, those of you who have not attended the Iowa State Fair are really missing a treat. It’s got everything: it’s got the animals,

the horticulture,

the arts and crafts,

the celebrities, (why is the driver dressed in a suit and tie?)

the contests,

the camping (more about that later) it’s got a midway, and - it’s got Sham-Wow’s and the Miracle Mop. You name it, it’s got it. And, did I mention the food? How could I have forgotten the food? Isn’t that why most people go?

Actually, I’ve got to confess, we had not planned on going to the Fair this year. But, when we were getting the Jeep serviced a few days ago, someone ran through the waiting area, asking if we had gone to the Fair yet. We said ‘no’ and he handed us 2 tickets. Karma. We had to go. Today was the day. We arose, had a fruit smoothie for breakfast (don’t want to spoil our appetite) and headed on over, parked in the Bunny lot and walked through the gate with our free tickets.

Now, it’s time for breakfast. We have been to the fair so often that we have our favorite foods at our favorite booths. However, this year we decided to mix it up and eat at different booths. Part of this is because we saw a story on TV about food for less than $2.00. The clarion call of ‘cheap eats’. One booth mentioned was the Wooden Shoe which had $1.50 cinnamon or raspberry rolls and donuts, creme filled Bismarcks and 50 cent coffee. Let me repeat that: $.50 coffee. So, instead of $2.00 coffee and $6.00 cinnamon roll, we spent $4.00 and got 2 coffees and 2 rolls. Delicious. What could be better? Oops, there goes Gary back for a second roll, $6.00 altogether and breakfast is done.

But, I haven’t even told you the best thing about breakfast: Mervin. Yep, Mervin was alone and looking for a table so we invited him over. He’s been to the Iowa State Fair ever since 1934 (except the war years when they housed the army here). That’s almost 80 years of fair attendance. And, he comes every day. He showed us his 10 day pass with every day, except the last two, punched out. He lives pretty close to the fair so it is convenient. He used to camp here but his wife didn’t like the camping (after 30 or so years) so he comes alone. We asked him what he finds to do every day and he told us that there was always something to see and do. He was wearing his Iowa State Fair hat, too. I suppose he was so much fun to talk with since he reminded me so much of Gary’s father, the same red hat, plaid shirt, jeans and the same stature and walk.

But he went off in search of adventure and we were on our way also. Our first stop was at the Pella Wildlife booth where we saw a show about cats in Iowa. No, not house cats, but mountain lions and bobcats, two cats one doesn’t usually associate with Iowa. Being hikers we are aware of mountain lions in the wilderness and often see signs on trailheads so we were very interested in what they had to say. Of course, they were talking about mountain lions in Iowa but some of their information was about the west too. Firstly there are probably only 6 - 12 cougars in Iowa since more than 95% of our land is farmed and not a suitable habitat. And, these cougars are transient, moving from the forests of Minnesota to the forests of Missouri. (I guess Iowa is not just a fly-over state, but a walk-through state as well.)

Do they kill much livestock? Nope, they mostly eat smaller animals but also deer. In fact, predators such as wolves and cougars do not kill much livestock even out west, where we hear so much about this. It seems that respiratory disease and digestive problems are the biggest killers of livestock as reported by ranchers themselves. Ah, but what to do if we should have a close encounter with a cougar while we are hiking? Well, the presenter told us that generally a mountain lion will sense human presence before humans know they are in the area and the mountain lions will quickly vacate the area. The odds of being attacked by a mountain lion are 1 in 300,000,000. However, he also mentioned what to do if one does spot a mountain lion. But in the end, I figure that my fear of a mountain lion outweighs the probability of seeing one on the trail. Though - we’ll be prepared.

Hey, did I mention the food that is served at the fair? I”m sure you’ve all heard about lots of the foods at the fair. But, did you know that there are 64 items that come on a stick: from a Bacon Wrapped Riblet On-a-stick to a deep fried cupcake on a stick to a deep fried brownie on a stick to pb&j sandwiches on a stick to - well, you get the idea. (No wonder there’s no more forests left in Iowa - we’ve turned them all into sticks for the Iowa State Fair.) Last year they introduced a new food: fried butter on a stick. Oh, my. I can’t even imagine that fried butter might be tasty though those who bought it said it tasted like a flaky biscuit. They even have hard cooked egg on a stick but that is given away by the Iowa Egg Council and is a fair staple. Here we are on the main concourse in front of the deep fried Twinkie, Oreo and candy bar booth. Note the pose on the left. He saw me coming with my camera.

But the fair is not all about food, it is about the animals. And, we always enjoy seeing the young 4H’ers show off their prize goats and miniature heifers, and piglets. They work hard raising them and grooming them for their showing. What a treat it is to see them standing proudly with their groomed animals waiting for the judging to begin.

It’s about families and getting together. Here’s a family section of the sheep barn. Look at all those ribbons! And, trust me, these families live at the fair. Look at the chairs, the mattress, the cooler, the shoes. They’re here for the duration.

It does get tiring.

Here’s a sheep that’s been shorn, ready for his (or her) big moment in the ring. But, first, you’ve got to protect that white, shorn body. This is one forlorn looking sheep.

We found a scoop of ice cream for $4.00 at the Dairy Barn or 2 scoops for $5.00. Why not share the 2 scooper and save $3.00? Sounds like a plan to me.

The big news this year is that the fair icon, the Butter Cow, was sprayed with red paint to protest meat eating. It happened over night but the Butter Cow carver and the maintenance crew had it cleaned up for the Fair by the next morning.

Then in a marketing coup, they turned this lemon into lemonade and are now selling Butter Cow Security t-shirts. They sold out of these shortly after they went on sale and had to order more. After the fair you can order one online.

One of our goals today, besides the fair, was to find my great grand-father’s grave in a cemetery about 5 blocks from the Fairgrounds. And, that’s another story.