Thursday, June 11, 2020

A 2020 Fairwell to the Iowa State Fair



Well, it's now official.

August's Iowa State Fair - "Nothing Compares" - will not be held in 2020, after an 11-2 vote by the Fair Board, another victim of COVID-19. Besides being held within the throes of a pandemic, it probably didn't help that Minnesota and Wisconsin, two of our neighboring states, also cancelled their 2020 gatherings.

This was only the sixth Iowa State Fair to be cancelled, and the first since 1945. It was shut down in 1898, courtesy of the World's Fair in Omaha, Neb., and the Spanish-American War, before becoming  a casualty of World War II, from 1942-45.

With an estimated budget of approximately $30 million (plus capital improvement projects), it's cancellation loses an estimated $100+ million, worth of economic impact to our state. During the 2019 fair alone, approximately 1.17 million people attended, from all 50 states and about 17 countries.

I have to admit, I am an Iowa State Fair fan. I try to be there as often as I can during its 11-day run.

To say the Iowa State Fair is a hoot, is an understatement. Where else can you find a butter cow, the best livestock Iowans have produced, everything and anything you'd consider eating on a stick, as well as great music. Last year's free acts included Here Come the Mummies, Hair Ball, and Steven Adler of Guns N' Roses, while the Grandstand shows included national acts, such as the Slipknot (an Iowa band), For King and Country, Zac Brown, and Toby Keith.

One thing I really enjoy is roaming the Varied Industry Building in pursuit of the freebies. You'd be surprised at what you might find. For example, Iowa State Secretary of State Paul D. Pate, gave away this #BeAVoter card last year, using Spiderman to help remind Iowans to register and vote..




There's also a guy who has a card booth amongst the vendors under the Grandstand. His prices aren't too bad, plus he has a really nice basket full of 25 cent pack, ranging from the Olympics, to baseball, football and basketball).

While I'm not one for opening packs at a later date, apparently I still had a $1 pack of 2018 Alan & Ginter from his table. I remember it, because it was the last on, and I had to almost arm-wrestle another buyer to get it. After a rock/paper/scissors session, I had the last pack.

 Babe Ruth (#3); Mark McGwire (#212); and Poker Champion Scott Blumstein (#34).
Kyle Schwarber (#249); Exotic Sports - Sepak Takaraw mini (#MES-7); and a Fantasy Gold Mine Pedro Martinez (#FG-17).

As for the Iowa State Fair, there's always next year - Aug. 8 - 18 to be specific. You know I'll be there.

Stay healthy and safe out there.

2 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about the State Fair. I'm not sure if I've ever attended the California State Fair, but I loved going to our county fair when I was younger. The free concerts were pretty awesome. Pretty cool that Zac Brown and Toby Keith performed at yours.

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  2. I've been to plenty of fairs, but I don't think that I've ever been to a state fair. Hopefully things will be a little bit more back to normal by this time next year, so folks like yourself won't have to miss out on these sorts of things.

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