Nostalgia Unites at the Iowa State Fair

by Bryon Houlgrave

DES MOINES – The Iowa State Fair is known for a lot of wonderful things, but at Pioneer Hall a miracle of sorts is happening. 

For 11 days in August the large white barn on top of the hill on the eastern edge of the fairgrounds is a gathering place for members of all generations. Fairgoers old and young forget their differences and peruse antiques and collectibles from the various vendors. For Baby Boomers, the collectibles transport them back to their youth. For the younger generations, it’s the thrill of the thrift. 

For one booth, old photographs are the hot item.

“Young kids will buy photos to take home and put in a frame,” said Karen Rogan, an antiques and collectibles vendor from Altoona. She said her booth, KK Collectibles, sees a lot of young people come through each day of the Fair. 

“I have a little bit of everything here for people,” Rogan said. 

On the opposite side of the barn, in a spot that could be easily overlooked as you enter from the east door, looms a pair of old portable jail cells from Durant. The iron bars of the cells look cold and ominous, perhaps by design – a blue ribbon deterrent from speaking disparagingly about one of the Fair’s many fried food items or the beloved Butter Cow.

Farming enthusiasts stop by a booth to look over the old tools while their children pull at their arms to check about an Ertle tractor toy across the aisle. Book lovers (and journalists) will delight over the print shop museum where a Civil War-era printing press smashes ink down onto paper, a practice done long before industrialized printing presses came along. In the dozen or so booths, thrifters and those longing for a trip down memory lane can discover clothes, toys, jewelry, games, action figures, movie and music collectibles, cowboy hats, pocket knives, lamps, posters, photographs and just about anything you can think of from an era gone by. 

For Karen Rogan, the conversations about those eras with members of all generations is what makes her Fair experience worthwhile.

“Everybody’s just so much fun to talk to,” she said.