Fair 2024 – Thursday, August 15

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(Music)

Iowa PBS presents Fair 2024. Here is your host, Paul Yeager.

Hello, I’m Paul Yeager in for Bill Riley and welcome to our Thursday night edition of Fair 2024! For 54 years it’s been our pleasure to bring you highlights of the great Iowa State Fair.

And the Fair is all about the best - the best food, the best entertainment, the best contests, and the best livestock. 

We have the best hour ahead of us.  Here’s what’s coming up in tonight’s show.

An up-close look at an event that benefits families all over the state. FFA students preparing The Garden and a hot new attraction in Heritage Village.

Abby Brown takes us now to the MidAmerican Stage for a celebration of Iowa’s future.

[Abby Brown] Here in this classic American setting, 47 kids from 17 different countries come to participate in the Children's Citizenship Ceremony.

(Music)

All right, Pedro, what are you doing at the fair today? 

[Pedro Cadlas Montiro Linhares — Gilbert, IA] I'm getting naturalized.

[Abby] Oooh. What does that mean?

[Pedro] That means I'm gonna become an official us citizen. 

[Abby] That's excellent. So what did you have to do to get to this point? 

[Pedro] Well, we had to first start off with the green card, and then we waited a couple years. That means we're a permanent resident. And then after the green card, they gave me a passport and then I come over here, and I'm getting naturalized. 

[Abby] Okay. And you say we. Who's we? 

[Pedro] Me, my mom and my dad. 

[Abby] Okay, so where were the people in your family born? 

[Pedro] Brazil. We were all born in Brazil. 

[Abby] You were born in Brazil? So how old were you when you came to Iowa? 

[Pedro] I was about 10 years old. Like, 3rd grade.

[Abby] Okay, so pretty new. How old are you now? 

[Pedro] I'm 16. 

[Abby] And how are you liking it here? 

[Pedro] It's pretty good. I like it here a lot. 

[Abby] Okay, so what does getting naturalized mean to you? 

[Pedro] It means a lot because it's gonna help me in the future. Just becoming a US citizen means a lot because it's my home.

[Emcee] Pedro Monteiro. 

[Abby] Tell me about the ceremony today and what you're doing here.

[Banaas Alobaidi — Waukee, IA] We're gonna get our citizenship, so we're gonna become American citizens.

[Abby] Okay. And what does that mean to you?

[Banaas] It means a lot. I'm gonna have lots of rights and stuff, and I'm gonna become an American.

[Abby] Okay, good. And that means your story didn't start here. Right? Tell me where your story starts and everywhere you've been along the way. 

[Banaas] Okay. I was first born in Malaysia, and then we moved to Jordan when I was 5 months old. And then when I was 3, we came back to America. So I've been here for 11 years.

[Abby] And what are your hopes and dreams?

[Banaas] I want to have great grades so I can be very successful in the future, and I wish to be rich. And have a happy family.

[Abby] Oh, that's beautiful. 

[Mick Dedvukaj] These are all children who derive citizenship from their parents. And so they will all be taking the oath of allegiance to the United States, and then they will be getting a certificate of citizenship. It's kind of special. When they swear the oath of allegiance, they raise their right hands, and it's kind of symbolic and important to the families. Yeah, this is just wonderful. It's a happy day for everyone. 

[Abby] Hey, what did you get today?

[Ahmeed Elherik — Ames, IA] A certificate.

[Abby] Ooh. And what was on that certificate? Do you know?

[Abodi Elherik — Ames, IA] Our name. 

[Abby] And did you have to sign your name on there?

[Abodi, Eiman & Ahmeed] Yeah.

[Abby] So you got to put your autograph on your certificate?

[Abodi, Eiman & Ahmeed] Yeah.

[Abby] And what does it mean that you got that certificate today? Do you know?

[Eiman] I'm a citizen.

("Star Spangled Banner" playing)

(Music)

[Paul Yeager] Welcome to the Sheep Barn. Today it's the 4-H Breeding Sheep. We've got all sorts of breeds here and great competitors. We're gonna meet three of them who took home big prizes.

Hi, my name is Cayenne Harker, and I am from Cosgrove. I just won Supreme Champion Ewe Suffolk. 

[Paul] You're twelve and you said you have been doing this for. For a long time.  Why do you keep doing it? 

[Cayenne] Because I've always wanted to show Suffolk and I like to win. 

[Paul] So what's that like to be in the same ring as your brother? 

[Cayenne] Good. Makes me feel good. 

[Paul] You mean because you beat him? 

[Cayenne] Yes. 

Hi, my name is Gensley Ball. I am 18 from Spencer, Iowa, and I just won Supreme Grand Champion Purebred Ewe. 

[Paul] What's that mean to you? 

[Gensley] A lot. I've been working with this sheep for almost two years now, so it means a lot to finally win big with her. 

[Paul] Do you have a name? 

[Gensley] Her name's Cece. 

[Paul] What's it like walking in knowing that this is a big deal? 

[Gensley] My heart was pumping, man. I was so scared. 

[Paul] After you won, you gave a nice big hug to Cece. What did you say? Anything?

[Gensley] Oh, I told her "good girl." You know, everyone at home has been calling her fat. And I said, "You just wait. This girl is going to win big at state." And look what we did. 

[Paul] She looks great. Tell me what you think makes a good animal in the ring. 

[Gensley] She's one of the best out of my flock because she's got a great demeanor. She loves to show. She knows when you take that halter off and walk in that ring, it's time to go. So she gets her game face on and she's ready to go.

[Paul] Do you enjoy the competition? 

[Gensley] Oh, I love it. It's no fun when there's no competition.

(Music)

I'm Jessica Meyer. I'm from Williamsburg, Iowa County, and I just won the Pedigree Dorset Wether Sire Ram.

[Paul] What's it mean to win?

[Jessica] It's a lot. It means that your sheep is amazing. Or good, at least.

[Paul] You have some other activities. But I'm guessing showing is maybe your main one. 

[Jessica] Yeah, I do dance and show choir, too. But if I were to have to choose it definitely would be showing. 

[Paul] Those activities have a little bit of showmanship to them. Does that help you in the ring?

[Jessica] Yeah, I think so. It helps with nervous systems because you get it all. You know, you've been in front of crowds, so you kind of know how it is. 

[Paul] Right before you went in on that championship drive, you gave your animal a hug. Did you have any words of encouragement? 

[Jessica] I feel like giving your animal hugs and petting them. It helps you, like, calm them down and it helps you calm down. Cause your animal can sense what you're feeling. So you have to be calm in order for it to be calm.

[Paul] Overall, what's it like to show at the Iowa State Fair? 

[Jessica] It's stressing, but it's also really fun. It gives you a lot of opportunities.

[Woman 1] Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." Checking out the Fine Art Exhibit on the 3rd floor of the Cultural Center can do just that.

[Kara Berhow, Fine Arts Superintendent] You've got your paintings, acrylic and oil painting, pastels. But then we've got sculpture, we've got glasswork, pottery. The sculpture is very fun because it's all different types of sculptures. We've got wood sculptures. Then you're more classic, like clay, hand sculpted things. So there's really a vast variety. And then, of course, the drawing is a big and very popular category that you always think of when you think of fine art.

We have three categories for the children. So there's the actual children that are younger. Those are not judged. Every child who enters in the fair gets in the fair, so that's something to note for your kids.

And then, of course, we've got the youth and junior categories, which is up to age 18 and still in school. And then 18 and over is the main gallery of fine arts.

We post all of the art calls on the Iowa State Fair website, and the artists then take a picture of their work, submit it with their artist statement, a little bit about what they've done, the medium, all of that. And then from there, our judges actually go online, look through all of the art, pick what they think should be in the show, what is juried out, and then after that, they actually physically will bring the work here, where it is judged for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Best in Show in each category.

The most popular category is typically painting and acrylic painting. It's usually our biggest one. Though this year, I would say that drawing may rival that, so that those illustrations and things are pretty close. But we have a nice mix of all this year.

Our gallery is run during the fair by volunteers who really love art. They love people, they love the fair. They come up here to just keep track of the gallery and talk to people about art. And this year, I sent out a call to all of the artists who were entered into the fair and said, "Hey, do you want to volunteer?" And many of them did. So if you come up here to check out the art and ask questions, you might just be talking to an artist in the fair.

Our judges get to pick however many pieces of art they want to bring into the show. So there were just over 550 people that entered into the show, and we've got about 330 pieces that are shown in both galleries. Those artists are chosen based on the quality of their work within their medium, and that is very subjective. So each year, the judges might be more or less strict as to what they let in.

This year, we have so many great things. I know that's why our show is a little bit more full because it was hard to choose. The Best in Show winner is a very talented photorealistic illustrator. She draws paper and pencil, and it is magnificent. It is just emotion evoking when you look at it.

[Paul] It’s impossible to measure how much work goes into getting ready for the fair. Preparations begin weeks, months, sometimes even years ahead of time. The FFA students from Bondurant-Farrar know this very well. They’re responsible for planting and maintaining The Garden.

[Caitlin Remington — FFA Advisor, Bondurant-Farrar High School] That first year that we started, it was all — the state fair had their idea. We planted it, we took care of it. Now it's turned into almost work-based learning for my students. In our agronomy or plant science class, we actually have our students plan and do research on what's going to grow the best and what also the Food Bank wants us to grow. It's great to grow food, but if nobody's going to eat it, then why is it there, right? 

We get to decide what is grown and planted and where. And that's really how it's evolved and changed. And now I have garden managers that are in charge, and they have their own little groups of what they're going to do every day or when we come out here and work.

I think they get to see that this is almost a lifelong skill. You don't have to stop gardening when you get out of high school. People can do it for many, many years. So I think that's really a cool skill, too, that they can take and then teach their family or friends in the future, too. 
 
[Garrett Von Stein — FFA, Bondurant-Farrar High School] I didn't know much about plants when I first started coming here three years ago and now I'm able to identify plants. I did nursery landscaping judging this year, so I was able to help identify plants and then also identify weeds as well. We always have people come up. They kind of talk with us. A lot of older folks, they come and have their own garden. They kind of talk with us about some stuff. Sometimes we even get educated ourselves on different stuff that we have here.

[Camryn Bruce — FFA, Bondurant-Farrar High School] I feel like we all kind of fall into our little places. Some people water, some people weed, some people pick things. We kind of just find our own little groups. My favorite thing to do is weed just because I think it's cool to just be able to see the beds, especially from the beginning to the end of summer.

I think, honestly, we have a pretty good thing going now. We have a lot of crops that are growing really well, and everything seems to be pretty happy this year, so hopefully we can keep that going.

[Lauryn Fuchs — FFA, Bondurant-Farrar High School] I think overall, it's just a really good experience for anybody who comes up here. It's away from masses and state fair, so it's a nice place to actually enjoy what our state has to offer, and we get to learn about it and work on it the whole summer, and it's awesome.

(Music)

[Caitlin] People don't know where we're located. We're up here at the northeast corner. Right by Little Hands and the Animal Learning Center. Come on up and see us.

[Emcee] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome again to the 42nd Governor's Charity Steer Show. Leading off our show today, please welcome into the arena your Governor, Kim Reynolds.

[Brooke Kohlsdorf] The Governor's Annual Charity Steer Show is in its 42nd year. It's one of the most popular events at the fair. It is a fun show to watch. But the best part, it raises money for the Ronald McDonald House.

[Gov. Kim Reynolds] Well, I'm really proud of this show and what it means.

(The governor leads a cream colored steer, Ritz, by exhibitor Alexa Fitzgerald.)

[Brooke] The 24 competitors are lined up and the celebrity interviews are underway.

[Governor Reynolds] But we also get to recognize the beef industry and how important it is to the state. $10 billion annually to our GDP. 

[Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg] It's such a special opportunity to get to be a part of this. I always come away inspired by all the kids that are doing such great things. This is the next generation of leaders for our communities and for our state.

(The lieutenant governor leads a cream colored steer, Smokey Bear, by exhibitor Calli Korner.)

[Brent Johnson, Iowa Farm Bureau President] The Ronald McDonald Foundation. That charity is just world class. And for Iowa's farmers to be world class in what they do, you know, it's just another piece of giving that is just part of everyday farming and agriculture in Iowa. I know.

(Brent leads a black steer, Buddy, by exhibitor Lilly McClure.)

[Jeff Angelo — iHeart Radio/WHO Radio] I don't know if anybody knows this, but I won this one year. I don't talk about it much, but I'd like to remind everybody that I did win this one year.

(Jeff leads a black steer, Whopper, by exhibitor Emma Norman.)

[Kale Nelson — RMD Siouxland House] We stayed in the house in Sioux City when our son Clayton was born, and we were just very thankful to have a resource like that.

(Kale leads a black steer, Ned, by exhibitor Lily Schulenberg.)

[Cole — "The Corn Star," YouTube Influencer] He gets showered, bathed, he's got special shampoo, and when you rub his leg, he kicks it like a dog. So he's quite literally, a 1440 pound dog.

(Cole leads a black steer, Sir-Loin, by exhibitor Izzie Birker.)

[Mike Naig — Secretary, Iowa Department of Agriculture] The way that this show allows kids to learn about something that's bigger than themselves. It's a great way for our beef industry to show up and to support others. But we've seen that time and time again this year around our state.

(Mike leads a cream colored steer, Peaches, by exhibitor Brennan Ruzicka.)

[Audi Crooks — ISU Women's Basketball] Today's been super cool, very eye opening. A lot of really hard working people that put in a lot of time. So I'm happy to be here.

(Audi leads a brown steer, Hilton Storm, by exhibitor Lainey Harre.)

[Brooke] This year's steer judge is Ross Havens from Wyota, Iowa. 

[Emcee] All right, now we're gonna put our judge back to work. 

[Brooke] Havens is making his choice for the top 5.

Before Havens selects this year's champion. Let's see who's awarded the Grand Champion Showman and the People's Choice Award. 

[Drake Hook — Grand Champion Showman Judge] We got a very nice group to pick through out there. I think right now we'll go ahead and select our champion.

(On Screen — Grand Champion Showman steer, "The Business," Mark McCully, American Angus Association)

[Emcee] There's our showmanship winner.

[Woman 2] We're super, super excited to announce that the 2024 Community Hero award goes to Layne White, team number 3.

(On Screen — Community Hero Award, steer "Budder", Layne White)

[Brooke] The selection process for people's choice is a loud one.

(Crowd cheering)

[Emcee] How about our favorite Iowa state basketball player, Audi Crooks?

(Crowd cheering)

[Brad Hook — People's Choice Award Judge] Lots of times when we go to select our champion, we'll say, "I think there was a real hammer in this show today." And there was. Right here. Mr. David Carr.

(On Screen — People's Choice Award, steer "ZZ", David Carr, NCAA Wrestliing Champ

[Brooke] Now back to the top 5 and Steer Judge Ross Havens. 

[Ross Havens — Steer Judge] As far as the steers, I think we got some steers out here, the top 5 that meet the requirements of what our industry is looking for today. Have some quality grade to them, have a lot of muscle in them. And these youngsters have fed them up to being market ready up into that 1400 pound range.

I'm going to go out and pick your champion steer so we can get on to raise the funds for this great charity. Again, let's give a round of applause for the exhibitors, the sponsors, and our celebrity showmen.

Our overall winner. How about that? Second time a winner. Jeff Angelo.

(On Screen — Winner, steer "Whopper", Jeff Angelo, iHeart Radio/WHO Radio)

[Jeff] Kid from St. Louis, Missouri. This is pretty stunning. This is pretty amazing. This is the kind of thing you take your grave. But Emma was the absolute most amazing, amazing coach. And the future of agriculture, the future of the state is so bright. This young lady. My goodness. I can't be happier for it.

[Emma Norman — Exhibitor] I have been very thankful to be able to win this show and to even compete in this show. It's a really good experience for your first year.

(On Screen — Winner, steer "Whopper", Exhibitor Emma Norman)

[Brooke] Now it's into the auction ring. And that's how we finished up.

(On Screen — $5.9 million raised over 42 years. Governor's Charity Steer Show)

[Charity Nebbe] New to the fair this year is the Hot Glass Academy. It's designed to give fairgoers an up close look at the art of glass blowing. Let's check it out. 

[Forrest Buford — Americus, GA)
I know this is glass blowing, but blowing a bubble is a short part of our process. The longest part is doing things like adding those colors on, melting them down, and shaping and manipulating this ball of goo to prepare it for the bubble. 

[Charity] Forrest, this is your first time at the Iowa State Fair, but you travel all over the country to a lot of fairs. Tell me a little bit about what you do. 

[Forrest] So, yes, with Hot Glass Academy, we go all over the country. Whatever state fair, county fair, public/private event would like to have us. We'll come set up even if it's in a field. As long as there's propane and electricity, we'll be out here making glass for everybody.

But when I squish it on there, it's also conducting away heat, making a cold skin. That skin is going to be the resistance necessary for this bubble I'm initiating. You can see it growing and growing.

Glassblowing is very ancient. Began in Rome, around Italy. But of course, there's also the new projects and fun things. We also are making Iowa themed things now that we're here. Got a lot of corn, several windmills out on the table. 

Now I'll bring it out of the fire. And you can see it, it is moving. We're going to squish it straight down into this mold on the floor and add air. 

[Charity] Is it difficult to do your artwork in a portable way, to bring your forge out and set up at a fairground? 

[Forrest] Well, it's actually a newer thing in the scheme of the art community. So this equipment behind us, the furnace on wheels, that was started in the same town where our company's based. And it's only within the last decade that having a furnace and coming out as a road show has been available to the mass public.

So now it definitely does not fit in the furnace. Whatever I do now, I'm finished.

So we'll stretch out that big piece of glass like taffy. I'll grab onto my arbor here, and then we'll just whip it around. We melt that down so it'll be smooth to the touch tomorrow. That's how you do a pumpkin. Thank you, guys.

Safety glasses for you. Always important.

[Charity] Okay. 

[Forrest] Safety first. So there it is, that 2000 degree goo. Start grabbing on there. Do things. 

[Charity] Your things look beautiful, and mine don't necessarily. 

[Forrest] Now you may spin around. And all we gotta do is pat it in there. Instantly it heats up and sticks to the surface. So now we got our coating of glass. We'll come back and melt it now. Trap pressure with my thumb, gently squeezing, and then I'm going to start to inflate. Remove that from the rod. Now grab a tiny piece of glass. I'll come in here, touch down, stretch it into a nice thin line. We thusly wrap and twist into an ornament loop. 

[Charity] That was so cool. Thank you so much. 

[Forrest] I'm so glad that we were able to get this experience out here for everybody, even at the state fair. 

[Charity] It's awesome. 

Congratulations to everyone who competed in a contest this year. Here are some results.

(Music)

Mr. Legs

Best Legs — Ben Hogan of Readlyn
Thinnest Legs — Nicholas DeArcangelis, Chicago, IL
Hairiest Legs — Larry Gale-Sanders, Keota
Palest Legs — Jim Emerson, Maine
Tannest Legs — Rafael Gacopo, Cedar Rapids
Sexiest Legs — Kyle Walter, Des Moines
Athletics Legs — Andrew Roehr, Omaha, NE

Best Bagger Contest
1st Place - Titus Doak, Oskaloosa Fareway
2nd Place - Brady Diercks, Maron Fareway
3rd Place - Samantha Reed, Altoona Hy-Vee
4th Place - Daven Peterson, Boone Fareway

Backgammon — Experienced Division
1st Place - David Nelmark, Urbandale
2nd Place - Tim Wieland, Des Moines
third place - Bill Steffen, Pleasant Hill

Backgammon — Inexperienced Division
1st Place - Mike Taylor, West Des Moines
2nd Place - Mike Davis, Coon Rapids
3rd Place - Keith Maynes, Waukee

Chicken Calling
1st Place - Bonnie Swalwell, Newton
2nd Place - Julie Steinkamp, Wall Lake
3rd Place - Brenda Freeman, Ames

Youth Rooster Crowing
1st Place - Ryan Barton, West Des Moines
2nd Place - Wesley Pittmann, Omaha, NE
3rd Place - Owen Russell, Monticello

Duck Calling — Youth Division
1st Place - Brody Steenblock, Panora
2nd Place - Reagan Westercamp, Oskaloosa
3rd Place - Tate Hoffman, Pleasantville

Turkey Calling — Adult Division
1st Place - Ervin Eiben of Monticello
2nd Place - Brandon De Jong of Oelwein
3rd Place - Jerry Pettyjohn of Oskaloosa

Turkey Calling — Youth Division
1st Place - Liam Cretsinger of Coon Rapids
2nd Place - Brody Steenblock of Panora

We’re going to take a quick break, but the state fair celebration is far from over. So stick around for more Iowa State Fair fun on Iowa PBS!

[Abby Brown] Emery, if you could take one animal home from the fair, what would it be?

[Emery] A cow.

[Abby] Why a cow?

[Emery] Because I like cows.

[Boy 1] A sheep.

[Abby] And if you could take an animal home from the fair, what would it be?

[Girl 1] I think I'd take a lamb home. 

[Abby] Oh. Why a lamb? 

[Girl 1] I don't know. They're just kind of cute.

[Girl 2] Um, a cow. A big one.

[Girl 3] I would probably take the chickens. I've always wanted chickens in my yard and my mom doesn't let me, but that's okay.

[Abby] Helena, if there was one animal on the fairgrounds and you got to take it home, what would it be?

[Helena] Probably take home a calf. They're so cute. I just saw one sleeping over there. They're really cute. But I don't know what I would do when it grew up.

[Boy 2] Probably a pig.

[Boy 3] A cow.

[Girl 4] Probably a horse.

[Girl 5] A cow.

[Abby] Why a cow?

[Girl 5] Because they're cute.

[Boy 3] Ducks. Yeah. Because I've always wanted a duck pond, but it's too expensive. 

[Girl 6] Pigs.

[Abby] Why do you love pigs?

[Girl 6] Guess.

I'm supposed to guess? Because they're cute.

[Girl 6] Yeah.

[Abby] Greta, if you could take one animal home from the fair, what would it be?

[Greta] It would be a horse. 

[Paul] Welcome back, everyone to Fair 2024. We’re going to start the second half of our show at the Elwell Family Food Center where things are getting a little spicy. Blair Ryan introduces us to some folks who are serious about hot sauce.

[Blair Ryan] We're here at the Elwell Family Food Center checking out the fresh and fiery favorites of the Anything Hot Contest. 

(Music)

[Lester Davis — Judge] There's a contest — anything using jalapenos. The only requirement is you have to cook something with jalapenos. So it's hot. Two of my fellow judges work at the Iowa Cubs, where I also work, and the 4th one was a judge that I worked with for about 20 years with Spam. So we just decided we all like hot food, so we decided to have a Jalapeno Contest.

There's a whole gamut of different things. We get anything from appetizers to entrees to snack food. We never know what we're going to have. We usually get about a dozen or so. We're up to about a dozen.

[Kody Nielsen — Judge] Strawberry pretzel salad. It's a salad, so it's healthy.

[Lester] A lot of times they're not hot enough. They don't put enough jalapenos in it. We judge at 25% on appearance and 75% on taste. And so we look at it first, we judge it, and then we taste it. You just want a nice texture, good on your palate, and you want some spice, you want some heat. And so a lot of times, I think people are afraid to add too many jalapenos to get it too hot. But we've really never had that problem.

[Kody] A good start with the sweet and spicy. Both start at the same time. I was expecting it to be delayed for the spice.

[Lester] I'm a barbecue judge, and I've judged a lot of barbecue contests which are certified. You want something that tastes good that you would like. You get some that has no flavor. I mean, it's flat and needs seasoning and that. And you don't rate it very high. And then you get another one that everything is perfect. The seasoning is great, and that's what we go with. Sometimes you'll eat something and it doesn't taste hot. Then, like a minute or two later, then the heat comes on for some reason. I don't know, but it reacts a little bit. You can taste the heat. 

[Blair] Was anything overwhelmingly hot or was it all edible? 

[Dustin Halderson — Judge] It was all edible. My lips are still kind of burning, coming down. I might have took too much of the honey. That's kind of what did it, but great flavor. Like I said, it's supposed to be hot. That's what we're here for, to judge. When people put in the entries, I usually end up saying it needs to be hotter. But this year, I think everybody stepped up their game. 

[Blair] And what was a highlight and a favorite of yours today? 

[Dustin] All the ingredients, everything was really good. Today we had ice cream, a Jell-O cream cheese treat with jalapenos. Very refreshing with a good hit of heat. So super creative. And the winner was just a little sandwich with hot honey. The hottest thing I've ate in a long time. So that's what we want.

(Beeping of a forklift backing up)

[Dave Davis — Bloomfield, IA] Grew this one with my 4-year-old granddaughter Hayzlee. She thinks she's got a heck of a good pumpkin here. Estimated weight of 1189 pounds. Actually hoping maybe it gets right there around 1300 pounds. I know the state fair record is 1323. We never know until it hits the scale.

[Jim Smith — Osceola, IA] I spend most of the summer sitting there talking to them. They're good listeners. They are very good listeners. And it's kind of sad that you cut them loose.

[Paul Harrington — Blakesburg, IA] It's a real tough year for us. There's weigh off so Bloomfield, Anamosa. This is probably the most people are going to see the pumpkins. You know, the fairs are all popular, stuff like that. It's a tight community.

[Lindsey Quinn — Guernsey, IA] This pumpkin was supposed to keep growing until September 28, and I was gonna pick it and take it to the Bloomfield weigh off. But she quit growing two, three weeks ago. And I thought she was gonna be rotten on the bottom when we picked her up, and that's why she stopped growing. But she's fine. She's here at the fair, and I'm really excited. 

[Emcee] You've got experienced crew here that's gonna make sure that nothing bounces off the pavement. And it's really important that we get right down to the last eyelash when it comes to weighing in these giant pumpkins.

(Indistinct chatter)

[Mike Naig — Sec. Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship] Weights and Measures is one of the programs within the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship. The green sticker that you see on the gas pump that ensures that those meters are running accurately, that's our team that goes out and checks those scales. And so we have participated many years now and overseeing the weighing in of the giant pumpkin here at the Iowa State Fair.

Our team calibrates the scale, makes sure it's official, and then one of our employees at the department serves as the weigh master. 

[Emcee] The first one for the 2024 pumpkin weighs 29 pounds.

[Ivan Hankins — Weigh Master] People put a lot of time into this stuff. It's really cool. I mean, it's no different than livestock growers, except they're growing big old veggies.

[Don Young — Des Moines, IA] And tap that. No vibration.

[Man 1] Nope.

[Don] That means it's almost completely solid, what they all are when they're little. But then you might have a cavity that big or whatever. But then when you go to another pumpkin, this is all just witchcraft anyway, but...

[Ivan] I don't know if I call them a cult. I suppose you could. The pumpkin cult. They don't gather in dark rooms. They go out and they share their secrets. They talk about thumping. They talk about seeds.

[Pete Caspers — Peosta, IA, State Record Holder 2424 Lbs.] I'm hoping it goes a little heavy. It's gonna have to, because I think Dave's is gonna go a little heavy. But they got really similar genetics in them, so that could play a role. 

[Ronda Magnusson — Ag & Horticulture Superintendent] We are Iowa grown pumpkins only. We're so early in the pumpkin season. I don't know when for sure it started, but I've been doing this for about 18 years. It was going when I came as superintendent. I think it started with just three or four pumpkins. One of the growers told — I think the biggest pumpkin was maybe 400 or 500 pounds. And now everybody's just excited. They want grow pumpkin.

[Jaxon — Van Meter, IA] We weighed it last night and it said 94.2. 

[Schnicker Family — Mount Pleasant, IA] What do you think it's gonna weigh? Estimated 284. 284! That's something. 

[Emcee] Now the official is 1294 pounds. Hayzlee! First time grower and the pumpkins finger in her. Last but not least, Pumpkin Pete from Peosta, Iowa. Oh, almost. 1286. That means that Hayzlee is the champion. 1286 pounds. 

[Dave] I told Hayzlee at the beginning of the year, she's gonna be our good luck charm. And by golly, she was, so pretty tickled. That's a personal best. This one actually went quite a bit heavy as to what it estimated.

(On Screen — 1st Place Winners, Dave Davis & Hayzlee, Bloomfield)

[Dana Lain Formaro] If you're looking to get out of the sun or the rain, come on into the Cattle Barn and learn more about dairy cows.

(Music)

[Emily Zilisch — Iowa State University Dairy Science Club] Dairy has seven recognized breeds, all of which are portrayed down there. I believe there's three of each. So it's your black and white holsteins, red and white holsteins, milking shorthorns, jerseys, guernseys and ayrshires.

[Dana] What are the differences?

[Emily] Mainly based on color. Holsteins are your biggest breed. They produce a lot of milk, so they're the biggest producer. Jerseys are your smallest ones. They're more docile. Their milk is really good for ice cream and butter and all that stuff, because of the high fat and protein content of it.

So normally we would do "I Milked a Cow," but this year, with the bird flu, we were unable to do that. So instead, we have a prize wheel. As you can see back here, kids or adults, whoever wants to come through, we've had people of all ages gets to spin the wheel and test their dairy knowledge and get a prize. And then we bring out one of the month old Jersey calves, and they get to pet them and take pictures with them.

[Dana] You're paying for a photo with a calf, but it's really a fundraiser to benefit the ISU Dairy Science Club.

I'm sure these kids have lots of questions for you. What are some of those really good questions you've heard from kids?

[Emily] A lot of the questions I've heard from kids is, "What are the calves names?" They always want to know that. How old they are, and then just what they like to do, what they like to eat and all that kind of stuff.

[Jadyn Beland — Iowa State University Dairy Science Club] So this is the wheel. And kids will come up and they'll spin it. And little do they know they're learning something new about dairy calves and just about the dairy industry. And not only do the kids learn something, but the parents will learn something and they'll be able to go back to school and go back to work and tell their friends a little bit more about the dairy industry.

[Dana] What was your question and did you get it right?

[Woman 2] Our question was, how many hours a day does a cow spend resting? And my son, he guessed 16 to 18, and we got it wrong. It is 12 to 14, I believe.

[Dana] Do the kids typically like it or are they scared of the cows?

[Emily] It depends. It's definitely less scary with the baby calves than is is with the bigger cows. But some younger kids still aren't quite sure. It depends on the kid.

[Dana] And how about the cows? Do they like getting their picture taken? The cows don't mind if they love all the attention.

Here at the ISU Dairy Demo, you can get a hat and you can get a picture with Peanut.

[Paul] There was some incredible talent on the Riley Stage today. Here are the acts moving on.

Sprouts Champions

Gunner Jennings, 12, Davenport (Lyrical/Contemporary Dance Solo)
Luke Justice, 11, Urbandale (Bull Whip Demonstration)

Seniors Finalists

Jonah Carney, 16, Parkersburg (Vocal Solo)
Lily Schloss, 18, North Liberty (Vocal Solo)
Annelise Bell, 15, Ottumwa (Contemporary/Acro Dance Solo)

Tune in to Iowa PBS on Sunday, August 20 at 8pm for the Talent Championships.

There are elements of the fair that might be a surprise to the uninitiated - and the campgrounds is one of them. It’s a city unto itself at fair time.  If you know, you know.

(Music)

[Woman 3] Sophie here, she came when she was two weeks old and she's been here every year. 

[Jenni Rowley — Columbia, IA] I've been coming for 53 years. Started coming when I was six months old with my great aunt. And this used to be her spot. And now we're starting the boys at six months.

[Holly Emge — Grinnell, IA] It's a little insane. This is my first year with her here, so I'm still kind of learning.

[Vicki Keegan — Cedar Rapids, IA] Probably the first time camping was close to 40 years ago. I don't remember how many campers are here now, but I want to say over 2000. But it's a great place to come and have family fun.

(Music)

[Steve Parizek — West Liberty, IA] I was at a garage sale, and I seen this tiki bar for $100. So I had to have it. I was thinking of the fair the whole time. And then we had a big screen up, so we probably had 20 to 25 people sitting here last night. The main reason we come is because of these people.

(Music)

[Misty Phillips — Muscatine, IA] In a camper, you miss things. In a tent you hear everything, you see everything. I love it. You're a little more one with nature, the fair. You got to think of bugs. You get more bugs in tents and rain. I'm gonna get wet if it rains. I bought a cot, and it was uncomfortable, so I slept on the ground the first night. I went and got an air mattress the second night, and it was amazing. And the camaraderie is great. You get that there. But I think you're a little closer here, because you're pretty much right on top of each other.

(Music)

[Vicki] It's just a very friendly atmosphere. People are here for different reasons, but yet everybody is almost family here.

[Lauren Emge — Grinnell, IA] It's always been a big family thing. So just spending time with everybody.

[Holly] When you're a kid, camping at the fair for a week is the best thing ever. We grew up camping at the fair, and we would stay with our cousins for days on end. And you just go into the fair every day and find new things to do. But as an adult, I would say you get more tired of camping. But I think they love it.

[Jenni] Everybody we camp by, we grew up together. So all these people up here on this side, we were kids playing up here, and now we're all adults, and our kids have grown up here, and we're all just one big happy family.

[Ralph Davis — Horseshoe Pitching Superintendent] Being a lady, you get to step up to the 27th foot foul line. Then you take your step, and release the shoe. Very good. Wow. 

[Elli Blackford] Getting closer. 

[Ralph] I know. You're a natural.

Anyone can play. Come in and sign up. If they need some help getting started, we get them started, and they just have fun and go at it. We're open just about every day of the week.

[Tom Tabat — Fort Dodge, IA] First thing, you want to decide what kind of shoe you want to throw. Now, most of the shoes you can get in sporting goods stores, are what we call picnic shoes. They're not really balanced well, and you can see the difference in shape, how much narrower it is here. And the points are wider on the professional shoe.

Look at that.

This would be one point. And if the shoe is within 6" of the stake, it's two. And if it's around the stake, where the points break the plane of the stake, that's three. If I'm starting with somebody, watch them and see just how they throw. Let them throw a couple and see how they hold the shoe, what's comfortable for them, and then try to work from there.

There's so many different ways you can deliver the shoe. I throw a turn and a quarter, which the shoe will go around one and a quarter times. The idea is when it comes to the stake, it's going to be open. So it goes on the stake.

A lot of people, especially beginners, will throw a flip shoe where they throw it, make it flip like that.

[Ralph] I think horseshoes has been part of the Iowa State fair for years. I's one of those things that, back in the day, the farmers came in, and they all got together, they pitched horseshoe. And the way we have it set up is for children, for women, and adult men. And as you turn 65, you can move up closer as you get a little bit older, little bit weaker, and it keeps you going. And it's something you play probably all your life. 

[Ava Sinnott — Pella, IA] I'm the junior champion 2024. I just throw a lot of opens here and with my grandpa at his house, because they have horseshoe pits in the backyard. I watched him a lot. Because I didn't always pitch a win, and then I did it last year. Then I just decided I wanted to actually play.

[Ralpph] The championship games are sanctioned players. You gotta be a member of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association and the Iowa Hawkeye Horseshoe Pitchers Association to participate. There are gonna be several classes. To qualify you gotta have three tournaments in from a prior year. So if you played in last year's state tournament, that's one. So really, all you need is two more tournaments between now and the fair. A lot of local tournaments. Some of them have several a year, county fairs. 

[Zachary Smith — Gladbrook, IA] I played in the open singles a few days ago, and I also pitched in the Cadet State Championship. And I won that. I won all my games. Me and my dad also won the doubles championship. So these are flip shoes. If you can tell, there's a thumb grip that you can put your thumb on. And on the back, there's these things that you can actually flip it better. Because it's all in the control of your thumb and stuff.

[Ralph] We need a lot of younger people doing it. We think it's very important, but it's very difficult. It's not so much the competition against the other person. It's you wanting to get better yourself. So, like you say, next year, I'm in class D. I'm going to practice. I'm going to be in class B next year. You know, I want to move up.

[Steve Hatch — Knoxville, IA] This is our world horseshoe lineup here with Kevin Cohn. And here's Frank Jackson. He was a multiple winner, world champion. Frank Lundin from New London, John Paxton from Ottumwa. From the 1929 State Horseshoe Pitching Tournament. These are all Iowa guys. All good pitchers. That was the greatest horseshoe game. It was in the Guinness Book of Records. It lasted two and a half hours. This offers a glimpse back in history to the pitchers the very good pitchers through the years. Iowa should be very proud of the pitchers they have. To be a good horseshoe pitcher you have to practice a lot. You can always tell somebody just made a ringer because everybody turns around. That sounded good. You'll see people walking along and hear the clanking going on and they got to come over and see what's going on and watch. What's that? Let's go check it out. 

[Emmalyn Boberg — Johnston, IA] Hey, Iowa. I'm Emmalyn and I'm going to take you and my dad on a tour of the Fun Forest wooden train. Let's go.

(Music)

There are lots of places to play on this thing, but be prepared to crawl. 

[Dad] Here I go. 

[Emmalyn] The train is pretty popular with kids, so it might be a tight squeeze if you bring your dad up. 

[Dad] Yeah.

(Indistiinct chatter)

(Emmalyn giggling)

[Dad] What are you laughing at?

[Emmalyn] The train lets you see a lot of the fun forest. There's a playground. A stage. A climbing wall and more.

Hey, dad. Wanna race?

(Music)

[Emmalyn] I win!

[Dad] Yeah, but I have one hand on the camera.

(Music)

[Emmalyn] Back at the train, kids climb all over this thing.

Please be safe and don't climb up unless you're certain you can climb down.

(Music)

Alright. That's the whole tour. Dad, any advice for other dads? 

[Dad] Well, maybe bring knee pads. Take your time and have fun with it because your kids are.

[Emmalyn] Thanks for checking out the wooden train with me.

[Paul] What a fun way to wind up our coverage for this Thursday of Fair 2024. We’ll be back here again tomorrow night with another full hour of highlights, but until then you can explore our website, our YouTube channel, the PBS app and follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts, to stay in that state fair frame of mind.

There are so many ways you can engage with us about our amazing state fair...anytime, and anywhere.

Here’s what we have planned for tomorrow night’s show. A place where kids can find out if they have what it takes to be a cowboy. A vicarious experience you should never try at home and a classic display of elegant equestrianism.

You won’t want to miss tomorrow night’s fair coverage. There’s so much to look forward to right here on Iowa PBS.

Until tomorrow night, I’m Paul Yeager here for Bill Riley. Thanks for watching and have fun at the fair!

(Credits roll on screen)

FAIR

Host
Paul Yeager

Executive Producer
Theresa Knight

Editors/Production Assistants
Julie Knutson
Sean Ingrassia

Segment Producers
Judy Blank
Patrick Boberg
Dan Bolsem
Laurel Bower
Tyler Brinegar
Josh Buettner
Andrea Coyle
Sarah Currier
Travis Graven
Deb Herbold
Bryon Houlgrave
Emily Kestel
Colleen Bradford Krantz
Kelsey Kremer
David Miller
Rachel Mummey
John Torpy
Peter Tubbs
Paul Yeager

Videographers
Matt Clark
Darrin Clouse
Scott Faine
Eric Gooden
Kenny Knutson
Adam Welch

Editors
Neal Kyer
Kevin Rivers

Audio
David Feingold
Sean Ingrassia

Technical Director
Chad Aubrey
Neal Kyer

Camera
Melanie Campbell
Sarah Currier
Abbie McLaren
Theo Whitehead

Engineer in Charge
Kevin Rivers

Field Reporters
Abby Brown
Travis Graven
Brooke Kohlsdorf
Dana Lain Formaro
Charity Nebbe
Blair Ryan
Aaron Steil

Motion Graphics
Bo Dodge
Brent Willett

Production Assistance
Tiffany Clouse

Production Supervisor
Chad Aubrey

Graphics
Kate Bloomburg
Joe Bustad

Creative Director
Alisa Dodge

Digital Team
Caleb Brothers
Danny Engesser
Abby Friedmeyer
Randy Garza
Bryon Houlgrave

Communications Team
Matt Clark
Bo Dodge
Gillian Hiscocks
Hayley Schaefer
Dan Wardell

Communications Manager
Sarah Lewis

Engagement Manager
Caryline Clark

Director of Communications
Susan Ramsey

Director of Emerging Media
Taylor Shore

Executive Director & General Manager
Andrew Batt

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Iowa PBS
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