Man walks 5 miles for a fair corn dog
If you think there are two kinds of people at the state fair, heavyweights and scolds in florescent running shoes, you may find entertainment in extremes. Looking closer, what you find as often is...
View ArticleA fair church food stand survives with prayer – on a stick
Once, church food stands lined up at the south end of the fairgrounds. It was informally called “church row.” Only one has survived, the West Des Moines United Methodist Church stand in front of the...
View ArticleState Patrol: Saturday usually busier than ‘east side night’
Sorry eastsiders. The first Friday of the Iowa State Fair usually isn’t the rowdiest night, authorities said. Unofficially called east side night, the first Friday of the fair is known to draw large...
View ArticleEast siders wear shirts to Iowa State Fair to show pride
The annual east-side night Friday was an all-Des Moines production, right down to the T-shirts. “I never miss the first Friday of the fair. I don’t miss east-side night,” said Janell Anderson, who has...
View ArticleSaturday at the Fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds Today’s forecast will make many want to be at the State Fair. It will be mostly sunny with morning temperatures in the 60s and a high of 82 by the afternoon. Today: Mostly...
View Article29 arrests at Friday fair
There were 29 arrests at the Iowa State Fair Friday, said Sgt. Scott Bright of the Iowa State Patrol. Six of the arrests were juveniles. The majority of arrests, 13, were for public intoxication. Six...
View ArticleDes Moines sisters have attended every Iowa State Fair together since 1968
Two Des Moines sisters have gone to the Iowa State Fair together every year for the past 45 years. It’s more than just a tradition — it’s sister time. “We may not talk for a month, but then we come to...
View Article7-year-old wins milk chugging contest, prefers chocolate
Kids got their morning dairy serving in the Animal Learning Center Saturday at the Iowa State Fair’s Milk Chug-A-Lug Contest. When the announcer said go, each contestant displayed different strategies....
View ArticleEgg roll competition proves difficult for many
Eggs plus gravity equaled a lot of broken eggs at the annual Egg Roll competition. About six dozen eggs rolled, most of them smashing before making it to the bottom of the hill behind the Poultry,...
View ArticleIsiserettes play their first Fair stage
Des Moines’ Isiserettes Drill and Drum Corps may have played at two presidential inaugurations, but they’ve never had the stage to themselves at the Iowa State Fair. Until today, that is. In the first...
View Article3 Iowa State Fair parking lots reopen
The Iowa State Fair has re-opened three parking lots that temporarily closed this weekend, but fair officials are still urging fairgoers to take advantage of off-grounds parking. Gates to the north...
View ArticleHow to wash a chicken
Though backyard coops are more in vogue than ever, one aspect of chicken-raising might still mystify many city-dwellers: Just how do you wash a chicken? Nancy Dean has all the answers. The chicken...
View ArticleA memorable year for Mr. Legs
It’s not that nobody will remember the winner of the 2013 Mr. Legs contest, it’s that they’ll just remember the second-place finisher more. Roy Eilert, 89, was definitely the crowd favorite after...
View ArticleHenry County Fair queen crowned 2013 Iowa State Fair queen
Henry County Fair queen Kelsey Smith was both in shock and in tears when she was crowned the 2013 Iowa State Fair queen on Saturday night. “They said southeast Iowa and my heart just dropped, and I...
View Article17 arrests made at fair Saturday
There were 17 arrests at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, said Sgt. Scott Bright of the Iowa State Patrol. “For a Saturday night with that attendance, it was a very slow night for us,” Bright said. Of...
View ArticleFair weather to be clear, warm and dry this week
Iowa State Fairgoers can expect a full week of warm temperatures, clear skies and no rain. Today will have a high of 85 degrees and partly sunny skies with a calm wind, before the temperature drops to...
View ArticleFair Food Finder app featured by IPTV
Searching for your favorite Fair food? Find all the items on your wish list using the Register’s Fair Food app. The app was recently featured in a video report by Iowa Public Television. “They hate me...
View ArticleTuesday at the Fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds Mostly sunny skies and a light north wind will serve as another perfect backdrop for the fair today. Today: Mostly sunny. High: 83. Wind: N 5 mph. Today’s highlights...
View Article17 arrests made Monday at Iowa State Fair
There were 17 arrests made at the Iowa State Fair on Monday, said Iowa State Patrol Trooper Scott Miller. Three of those arrests were for public intoxication, and ten were for possession of alcohol...
View ArticleShrimp corn dog tops Iowa State Fair new-food poll
Keep in mind that food vendor Leslie Soukup achieved this feat at the Iowa State Fair without a speck of bacon. It seems as if all things bacon and pork increasingly rule these fairgrounds and the...
View ArticleIowa heritage farms recognized at state fair
Iowa heritage farms were honored at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, in partnership with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, recognized heritage...
View Article‘Doctor Who’ TARDIS materializes at Iowa State Fair
The Iowa State Fair already offers a time warp for those who like to sip a freshly shaken lemonade, pitch a game of horse shoes and browse the overpriced antiques in Pioneer Hall. But among this year’s...
View ArticleWednesday at the Fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds The fairgrounds will be splashed with more sunshine and cooler temperatures today. The southeast wind will add more humidity this afternoon, but highs will remain around...
View ArticleFive arrests made at fair Tuesday
There were five arrests made at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, said Iowa State Patrol Trooper Vince Kurtz. Two arrests were for public intoxication. One was for possession of alcohol under the legal...
View ArticleChildren receive certificates of citizenship at fair
Forty-three children received their certificates of U.S. citizenship at the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday morning. “I think it’s a new chapter in my life,” said 13-year-old Linh Tran. The Children’s...
View ArticleCow-chip champ defends title
Steve Pope’s cow-chip toss won him yet another victory, but it may be his last. “This may be the end of the road,” he said, rubbing his shoulder. His rotator cuff may not be able to handle another...
View ArticleGrandmother’s childhood inspires Pella cousins to throw cow chips
Three cousins from Pella took some inspiration from their grandmother’s childhood when they signed up to throw cow chips at the Iowa State Fair. Five-year-old Palmer Hemming threw a cow chip “mostly...
View ArticleRed Hat ladies duke it out for hat honors
At the Marvelous Red Hat Contest it was hard to tell who had entered in which of the two categories: “Glitzy & Glamorous” or “Wild & Wacky.” Many of the contenders could have easily competed in...
View ArticleThe two Iowa State Fairs — on the fairgrounds and online
Increasingly I feel as if there are two Iowa State Fairs: There’s the rather earnest rural circus itself that clamors and dribbles bacon grease across 450 acres on the east side of our capital city....
View ArticleThursday at the Fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds Today will be mostly cloudy and much cooler. We have our first chance for showers and isolated storms during the daytime hours at the 2013 fair. No severe weather is...
View ArticleIowa baby’s first days spent at state fair
Koltyn Michael Graff certainly won’t remember his first Iowa State Fair. Luckily, his parents will telling the story for years to come. Mike and Ashley Graff knew they had a decision to make when they...
View Article‘Butter Cow Security’ T-shirts snapped up by fairgoers
So the Iowa State Fair in a brilliant move created new T-shirts this week in the wake of the smearing of the revered butter cow in red paint by animal rights activists. The new “Butter Cow Security”...
View ArticleWild array of Riley Talent Search acts must give judges fits
The livestock on the fairgrounds tends to be evaluated according to rigid criteria, whether it’s weight and muscle tone or a precise athletic gauntlet replicated by each and every entry. But the young...
View ArticleFriday at the Fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds The last Friday of the fair will start out partly cloudy. Clear skies will return this afternoon. We are still going to be cool. Highs will stay in the middle to upper 70s....
View ArticleTemperatures expected to rise through fair’s end
It’s been a cool few days across Iowa but don’t expect the unusually low temperatures to last. A steady increase in temperatures will put Des Moines back at normal seasonal temperatures by the...
View ArticleIowa State Fair wakes up early for Al Roker and “Today” show
A crowd of perhaps 50 people gathered behind the barricades early Friday morning in front of the Grandstand as weatherman Al Roker from the Weather Channel and NBC’s “Today” show was on hand with...
View ArticleIowa State Fair ‘Fair-y Tale Wedding’ of 26 couples with funnel cake, corn dogs
Fred Ramos from Council Bluffs found himself at the Iowa State Fair early Friday to show support for his brother, Steve — who happened to be among the 26 couples who were married in a mass “Fair-y Tale...
View Article25 charged at State Fair Thursday
Twenty-three people were arrested at the Iowa State Fair Thursday on what officials called a typical day. Iowa State Patrol troopers handled 33 cases Thursday, filed charges against 25 people and...
View Article18 receive Governor’s Lifesaving Awards
One group tended to a man who had been run over by construction equipment. Another group worked to rescue two men trapped inside their truck after a crash. One was a teenager who jumped into an icy...
View ArticleSaturday at the fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds It’s going to be a super Saturday. Expect sunshine all day. Today: Sunny. High: 82. Wind: Calm. Today’s highlights 21st American Civil War Living History: 9:30 a.m. and 4...
View Article32 arrests at Friday Fair
There were 32 arrests Friday at the Iowa State Fair, said John Farley with the Iowa State Patrol. “Very typical,” Farley said. “It looks like the night before.” The majority of arrests, 16, were for...
View ArticleBean bags and beer on the Grand Concourse
Mitch Eaton of Adel held a handful of red bean bags in one hand, and a full, cold beer in the other. He was about to begin a practice round for the Bags Tournament on the Gand Concourse, where dozens...
View ArticleMuscle-bound fairgoers display their strength
If the winners of largest pumpkin need any help carting their prize-winning gourd off the premises, they’ll find it at the Bud Stage. Strength was on full display Saturday morning at the bench press...
View ArticleNon-butter Abe Lincoln speaks at Fair
Butter Abe may be all the rage, but can it deliver the Gettysburg Address? Didn’t think so. Lee Williams, an actual walking, talking human dressed convincingly in Lincoln’s garb, however, gave a...
View ArticleThe challenges of staying in character for Civil War reenactors
Ladies in Victorian garb snacked on cookies from a bucket and men in 1860s medic uniforms discussed wifi problems Saturday in Heritage Village, which has been transformed into a Civil War encampment....
View Article7 records broken at Iowa State Fair Sale of Champions
Seven records were set at the 2013 Iowa State Fair Sale of Champions on Saturday, according to an Iowa State Fair news release. In the sale, the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement raised...
View ArticleStong known for more than our wonderful State Fair
Another Iowa State Fair has come and just about gone. Now we know that our State Fair became the best-known in the world because author Phil Stong (who was born at Pittsburg, near Keosauqua) helped...
View ArticleSunday at the Fair: What you need to know
Weather at the fairgrounds It’s going to be a another sunny day for the last day of the fair. Expect sunshine all day. Today: Sunny. High: 85. Wind: S 5-10 mph. Today’s highlights Enjoy the last day...
View Article22 arrested Saturday at Iowa State Fair
Authorities arrested 22 people Saturday at the Iowa State Fair. The Carly Rae Jepsen concert at the Grandstand didn’t draw a particularly large or rowdy crowd, which Iowa State Trooper Doug Cutts said...
View Article$25,000 reportedly stolen from Iowa State Fair vendor
A safe containing $25,000 was reportedly stolen from the trailer of a concession stand operator at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The haul was about half of one day’s profit from four vendors operated by...
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