Iowa State Fair
The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held in Des Moines, Iowa in August.
Iowa State Fair
11 days
Iowa State Fairgrounds
Des Moines, Iowa, United States
1854–present
(excluding 1898, 1942–1945, 2020)
August 8–18, 2024
1,170,375 (Record) (2019)[1]
445 acres (180 ha)
It began in 1854 and has been held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds since 1886. It is based in the state capital Des Moines, Iowa over an 11 day period in August. With over a million visitors, it is one of the largest and best known state fairs in the United States.[2]
Contests and competitions[edit]
Agricultural contests[edit]
Agricultural contests are held for the largest boar, ram, bull, and rabbit. There are 4-H, Future Farmers of America (FFA), and open-class shows for sheep, swine, beef and dairy cattle, horses, goats, llamas, rabbits, poultry and dogs. Contests include rooster crowing, hog calling, wood chopping, pie eating, monster arm wrestling, outhouse racing and cow chip throwing.
Entertainment[edit]
Grandstand[edit]
The Iowa State Fair Grandstand was built in 1909 and was renovated to add more and improved seating in 1927, 1997 and then again in 2018. It is located on Grand Ave, just off of the main gate. Grateful Dead played the Grandstand on 6/16/74, with part of the show being released as Road Trips Volume 2 Number 3.
The Bill Riley Talent Search[edit]
Bill Riley's Iowa State Fair Talent Search debuted in 1959 and features Iowans ages 2 to 21. In 1996, Riley retired after 50 Fairs and 37 Fair Talent Shows and the Plaza Stage was renamed the Anne and Bill Riley Stage. He died in December 2006, succeeded by Bill Riley Jr., who has been host since 1997. Nearly 100 local qualifying shows are held across the state. There are seven days of preliminary competition for Sprouts (ages 2–12) and Seniors (ages 13–21), followed by the semi-finals and, ultimately, the selection of a Sprout and Senior champion.[15]
Former Entertainment[edit]
The Iowa State Fair has been home to many forms of entertainment over the years. Notably, in 1932 the Fair hired Joseph Connolly to crash two outdated locomotives together in front of the Grandstand. Connolly named one "Hoover" and one "Roosevelt" in honor of the presidential candidates of the day, presaging the State Fair's role in Presidential nominations. The trains accelerated to approximately 50 miles per hour and smashed in a fiery spectacle before 45,000 fairgoers.
Other past entertainment includes a plane intentionally crashing into a model of a house, a circus elephant, and a human cannonball.[16]
Iowa State Fair Parade[edit]
The Iowa State Fair Parade is considered Iowa's largest parade,[17] having around 200 floats, vehicles, and other performers. It occurs the evening before the opening of the State Fair. The parade begins at the State Capitol Complex and travels west on Grand to 15th Street. [18]
Political Soapbox[edit]
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to visit the Iowa State Fair in 1954. Since then, presidential candidates have visited the Fair, and the Des Moines Register currently sponsors the "Political Soapbox,” which provides space for candidates to speak to the public. Candidates have 20 minutes to speak and can take questions from the crowd as well. Historically the Iowa caucuses have been the first contest in the presidential nomination process, and the fair preceding the caucuses is a high visibility event for candidates.
Police Department[edit]
The Iowa State Fair Police Department was established in 2018, replacing the combination of private security guards and local law enforcement agencies that previously provided security and policing services to the Fairgrounds. Officers wear a blue uniform with a distinctive white cowboy hat. The police officers are state-certified officers, but funded by the Iowa State Fair Authority. Officers work year-round, providing services to the State Fair and other events held at the Fairgrounds. There are six full-time police officers and a number of part-time officers, made up of both retired and active-duty officers. People arrested at the Fair are booked on site, and transported to Polk County Jail by Des Moines Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol.[19]