State Fair Crowds

September 23, 2014
drewnorton's picture
With attendance over a million each year, the Iowa State Fair brings in quite the daily crowd.  As a staff member working the Fair, you learn an entirely new way of weaving in and out of Fairgoers. 
 
My work day started before most of the early-bird Fair attendees arrived. One perk - I was able to find donor’s bricks at various locations without getting interrupted by foot traffic. Throughout the day, the nice temperatures would bring more people through the gates. After the second day, I figured about the fastest and most efficient path to do my job. 
 
There were at least three different times during the Fair when the crowd itself was something to see.  Every morning the Fairgrounds would literally stop for the singing of the National Anthem. People stopped walking, got quiet and would pay attention to the Star Spangled Banner.  It gave me goose bumps watching the entire Fairgrounds salute our country. 
 
Walking by Pella Plaza was an extra challenge this year with the giant American Gothic statue. The towering structure was constantly surrounded by a mob of photographers. I’m pretty sure I photobombed a few family pictures. 
 
One of the most exciting crowds for me was during the Florida Georgia Line concert. The sold out Grandstand show was loud, entertaining, and overall a great time. At one point during the concert, the crowd shined cell phones to look like a sea of lights.  Super cool!
 
The Fairgrounds covers more than 400 acres of land but most of the time, walking down Grand Avenue or around Rock Island is congested. Wouldn’t it be nice to explore the Fairgrounds without zigzagging among the crowd? 
 
The Blue Ribbon Foundation invites you to our 8th annual Fairgrounds 5K! This fall the leaves will start to change colors, construction projects are fully underway, and the Fairgrounds have recovered from the 1,015,902 visitors.
 
The 5K run, 1 mile walk and Kids’ run will take place on Sunday, November 2 at 1:00 pm. This is the perfect time to enjoy Fair scenery - without the Fair hustle and bustle - in beautiful fall weather!
 
Register today on the Blue Ribbon Foundation website
 
This is your chance to join the Fairgrounds 5K crowd to support the Blue Ribbon Foundation.