Fair Memories

Hello!

With June coming to a close and August just a few short weeks away, I'm getting a lot of Fair nostalgia and going back to the reasons I took this position in the first place. The Iowa State Fair has been part of my life ever since I can remember, as I'm sure it has for many of you.

As kids, my siblings and I would wake up early on a weekday morning at our northern Iowa farm so we could load up in the family van and head down to the Fairgrounds so we could be there when they opened at 8:00. After we'd all gotten a nap in (though I could never sleep because I was so excited) and we'd approach the Des Moines city limits, my dad would start reminiscing about his own Fair memories, showing purebred Suffolk lambs and Duroc hogs through the Bison FFA chapter. He'd talk about "sheep heaven," which was what all the exhibitors called the loft above the sheep barn where they slept, although he said they never got much sleep because of all the razors and sheep bleating below. Hearing my dad talk about the Fair made me realize how important this place was from a young age and how much it meant to so many people.

After we'd found a place to park outside the grounds, we'd head to the gate beneath bright August sun. There was always a sense of adventure I felt when I reached the gate and peered inside at the 4-H building, the livestock barns, and the food vendors that awaited me, and when we stepped inside, I knew it would be a great day.

We would make our rounds doing the typical highlights--waiting in line to see the Butter Cow at the Ag Building, cutting in lines to get our free egg on a stick from the Iowa Egg Council, surveying the "Biggest" animals, taking note of all the neat 4-H projects we could draw inspiration from for next year and sometimes locating our own to see what ribbon we received, grabbing all the freebies we could get our hands on at the Varied Industries Buildind and sticking our hands in the hot tub (which I find really weird now but we got really excited about it!), watching the swans and waterfowl at the Natural Resources Building, and grabbing our one choice Fair food. I always went for Dippin' Dots or some kind of ice cream treat.

After a long day of walking in the heat, we'd unwind with a ride on Ye Old Mill and some fresh-squeezed lemonade at our favorite stand outside the Hog Barn by the Avenue of the Breeds entrance (still my favorite part of the Fair!).

It's gotten harder to get to the Fair the past few years for my family what with my brothers in football. And now that I've taken this job nearly three hours from home, it's gotten very hard to be away from my family. But when I come to the Fairgrounds every day for work, I'm reminded of home in some sense and the memories we've shared here.

I'm looking forward to seeing my family enjoy the Fair this year while I'm working to improve the grounds with the Foundation so that they and families from all over can continue to enjoy and make these memories that are so precious.

What are your favorite Fair memories? I'd love to hear all about them.

Until next time,

Kristine