Fair 2022 – Saturday, August 20

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[Iowa Pork Producers]

I am Kevin Rasmussen and I am a pig farmer. We feel a deep responsibility to protect our environment and ensure sustainability. I think it's important to share our story and that others know that we are always striving to do better. 

♪♪ 

BILL RILEY: Hi, I'm Bill Riley. It's Saturday night and welcome to the grand finale of Fair 2022. Do we have a great line up of highlights for you tonight. Sharpen your pencils for a friendly botanical battle at the Agriculture Building. And get ready to laugh, or maybe groan, as kids take the stage at Pioneer Hall for the Joke Telling Contest. And hold on tight for a test of endurance and strength, Monster Arm Wrestling. 

But first, Abby Brown is going to introduce us to some time set aside for folks with autism and sensory processing disorders to help them explore and enjoy the fair.

ABBY BROWN: Many flock to the fair for the big sounds and bright lights. But for some the fair is far more enjoyable when the lights are dim and the sounds are softer. For the first time ever, the fair has a Sensory-Friendly Morning.

Emily, tell us about Sensory-Friendly Morning at the fair.

EMILY WYNN: Anybody can come, but we are providing programming more designed for those who were on our sensory friendly spectrum to experience the fair in a more calm and relaxing setting. We have lots of partners that help us at the fair to put this on and we have various activities and multiple locations across the fairgrounds.

ABBY: Teri, talk to us about what sensory processing means and how different people process sensory stimulation differently.

TERI WAHLIG: All of us are bombarded with light, sound, movement, all kinds of sensory inputs. Some people have a harder time processing all of that input to where they can still function despite everything coming in.

ABBY: Missy, tell me about your family.

My husband and I have two boys. This is Roman, he's 10 years old and this is Nash, he is 7. And Nash has been diagnosed with autism and intellectual disability.

ABBY: Hi. what do you think? 

MISSY: We're having fun at the fair, aren't we? 

ABBY: Roman, what's your favorite thing to do at the fair?

ROMAN: Go down the big slide.

ABBY: You can go pretty fast, right?

ROMAN: Yes.

TERI: We often hear from families that they have not been able to explore the fair before as a family. If one child has sensory processing issues, it makes it too difficult for them to go out into the community. This year with the Sensory-Friendly Morning their whole family is  able to enjoy the fair together. 

ABBY: The Flores family is here this morning at the Iowa State Fair for Sensory-Friendly Morning. what are you most looking forward to?

MOTHER: We want to see everything so that my son can have a beautiful experience. It's something very special and nice. It's only once a year.

ABBY: Steve, what is your favorite animal?

STEVE: A cock-a-doodle-doo.

TERI: I hope more and more venues incorporate sensory-friendly environments. Movie theaters, restaurants, anything outdoors as well. It just helps families explore and enjoy their community together.

FLORES FAMILY: Hi everybody.

[ Decorate a Diaper and Diaper Derby Contests ]

RHONDA HIATT: Today, we are at the Decorate a Diaper and Diaper Derby. They are two separate events. The Decorate a Diaper, you have to be 24 months and younger and we have three themes. A group theme, a creative diaper and then the Iowa State Fair diaper which is anything that reminds you of the Iowa State Fair.

KRISTI CRANE: This is so much fun. There are so many creative moms and dads and grandparents and caregivers that really put a lot of thought into decorating a diaper and making matching costumes to go with them. I just love it.

The diaper has to be visible. The creators can make them coordinate with the rest of the outfit, but the judges need to be able to see the diaper. 

RHONDA: We've had everything from peacocks to the giant slide to corndogs. People are just so creative. Iowans are so creative. It has been fun to see every year the different diapers they come up with.

KRISTI: The tie-dye family, congratulations Amelia.

IRWIN FAMILY: I tell you what, we did a really big tie-dye project earlier this summer and it was so much fun. So we decided to try it on a diaper and if it would work.

Big sister is five and she's the one who really did the tie-dye on this diaper.

RHONDA: We have a variety. We have some people who just come out for a day and they may just throw some stickers on and they just want to participate in an Iowa State Fair contest. And then we have others who have worked months on some of these diapers.

The first place winner is little Miss Lacey. Our chicken, all those feathers and beads. 

KRISTI: Diaper Derby. They have to be crawlers. They crawl across the mat from starting point to ending point. They'll have a coach at either end. We have heats, whoever crosses the finish line first is our winner.

ANNOUNCER: On your mark. Get set. Go!

KRISTI: Sometimes the kids are all about that bottle on the other end and it is over in a flash. Other times, they are more interested in making friends with the other babies on the mat. There's nothing better than the Iowa State Fair. It's so much fun to be a part of it.

[ Fruit and Vegetable Identification Contest ]

AARON STEIL: Is guava or lychee? Is it jicama or maybe it's just a rutabaga. If you think you know the difference, then the Fruit and Vegetable Identification Contest might be just for you.

RONDA MAGNUSSON: This is a Fruit and Vegetable ID Contest and is sponsored by Hy-Vee. They order in exotic fruits and vegetables, but we do have some common ones, for people to guess and see if they can identify all of them.

AARON: There was a line that formed before we started here. A lot of people get really excited about this.

RONDA: Yes, they are. And especially today, they were really excited to start.

AARON: Are any of these tripping you up?

MARLENE MOGLE: Yes.

AARON: Can you just whisper into the mic what you think some of these might be?

MARLENE: The number 33 is a rambutan. Can you hear that? This one is a lychee, I think.

This one reminds me of dragon fruit.

YOUNG BOY: This one over here reminds me of tofu. This one reminds me of ginger. The one over there reminds me of cucumbers. They're really tiny so I don't think they are.

ROBYN NEESE: I have participated many years.

AARON What keeps you coming back?

ROBYN: The desire to win.

AARON: What is the best you have done?

ROBYN: I've had first place for quite a few years, but last year I got beat.

AARON: So you have some making up to do?

ROBYN: I have a title to re-gain.

AARON: What out here has really tripped you up a little bit?

ROBYN: Number three.

AARON: What you think it is?

ROBYN: I think it's a sapote, but I think I'm wrong.

AARON: Are there any that have been tripping you up?

MICHAEL HEIN: Yes, number 27. I have no idea what that is. 

AARON: Any guesses?

MICHAEL: It could be a mutant celery root? I have no idea.

AARON: What strategies do you have for trying to figure this out? Do you touch them or smell? What are you working with, here?

MOREEN HEIN: Touch and smell definitely does work because different fruits smell differently.

MICHAEL: I'm not sure I want to touch them. I just want to stare at them and guess what they are.

AARON: So, what are you doing here?

ANGIE SCHAFFER: I was smelling it. 

AARON: Do you have any ideas of what it might be?

ANGIE: I now believe it is not cinnamon or ginger. So, i am going to guess that I don't know what it is.

SHELLEY WEDERGREN: Number 36 is pretty tough. I would challenge anyone to get that one right. Also, 28.

AARON: Did you make any guesses?

SHELLEY: We did. One we guessed was an Asian Goose Haring. I think we might be right on that, we'll see.

There was a Council Bluffs apple. That may or may not be accurate on that one.

BILL RILEY: Now it is your turn. Let's see what you know about the Iowa State Fair with tonight's trivia question. How much was the admission to the first ever Iowa State Fair in 1854? Was 10 cents? 25 cents? 40 cents? or 75 cents? We will let you know the answer a little later in the show. 

Now, what can you do with two chairs, two handlebars, and a whole bunch of grit? Easy, it's the Monster Arm Wrestling.

♪♪

[ Cheering ]

♪♪

LEE ANN KROUGH: The Iowa State Fair is the place where all the wrestlers from all the tournaments that I run come and meet. We're a family. It's a three-minute match. every minute counts as a point. If you get it on your side for 31 seconds out of the minute, you get the point. Two out of three wins.

♪♪

[ Cheering ]

♪♪

RILEY ANDERSON: I'm an extremely competitive person. I love the competition whether I win, whether I lose, it's my favorite thing.

This sport is 100% technique. Once you can get locked into that machine right and you get that technique down, that is when it becomes a strength. When your competitor has the technique that's when it's the best match. It's a great sport. There are not very many women wrestlers. We need more, always. If anyone ever wants to try it, come on out. I'll teach you my techniques.

♪♪

[ Corndog Conversation with Ed Wilson ]

PAUL YEAGER: Do you think we're going to be able to go more than 30 feet without you getting stopped?

ED WILSON: I hope so.

PAUL: Are you Mr. State Fair now?

ED: I don't know if I'm Mr. State Fair, but I love the fair and it's been so good to me. And it's a reunion every year. They call me Mr. State Fair, but I don't think I have quite earned that. I'm not a Bill Riley.

PAUL: I've been asking people in the Media Center, "Is there is anybody who's been covering the fair longer as a TV person than Ed Wilson from Channel 13 in Des Moines?" And they said "No, I don't think so." 

ED: This is my 32nd year at the fair doing the weather.

PAUL: 1988 was your first fair?

ED: 1989. I came in September of 88, so I had just missed the fair.

PAUL: People stop and want to see you at the fair. What is it mean to you when someone wants a picture?

ED: It means everything. It's so much fun. I have many pictures were someone that I saw when they were a 5th grader or five years old, and they are now grown, they bring up the picture of the two of us together back then, and then we do a redo. I have the side-by-side pictures that are hilarious. It means so much. 

PAUL: You can't pick, I'm guessing, a favorite anything here, because you'd really upset the apple cart but are there other staples that you try to hit or maybe from a TV perspective live shots or conversations you try to have each year?

ED: My favorite things to be right out here where we are on the Grand Concourse. When we do live weather out here, that's the genuine article. You find whatever is going on that day and you can't fake it. It's just too they are. They have a blast, especially during the evening hours, during our shows. That's my favorite thing, is to meet people and hear their stories.

PAUL: We finally have one of these. Are you okay with a corndog?

ED: Absolutely.

PAUL: I'm not going to make you pick a favorite, but are you one who can eat a corndog at any time of day?

ED: Pretty much.

PAUL: And it is fitting that as we are doing this, it's raining. What gives, Ed Wilson? Why does the weather guy ruin my plans all the time? 

ED: Well, back here I have my umbrella. It's not raining that hard. But if I would have left my umbrella, it would have down poured. It's the weather man's curse. When you don't have the right gear, you are going to get whatever you are going to get.

PAUL: You have done live shots. You've cooked pork up here. Who do you think has flipped more pork chops up here than you?

ED: Other than the pork folks themselves, one of my really good friends Dana. He's from northern Iowa as well and he's here almost every single day standing between those grills. There's not a hotter place. This is comfortable today. today is wonderful. But it's so hot on a hot day, and I would drink plenty water trying to prepare and you can still feel it ooze away  from you.

PAUL: When you stop and talk to people during a report and you will ask where they are from, and you hear somebody that is from out-of-state, do you smile?

ED: Absolutely. I love that. We've had several times, foreign exchange students. They are just getting to Iowa, they're going to spend a year with this family, and they bring them to the Iowa State Fair. What an inauguration to get into this thing and be completely hit in the face with Iowa. This is as Iowa as it gets.

PAUL: Ed Wilson, I greatly appreciate the time. Enjoy your corndog and enjoy your fair. Good to see you.

ED: This has been so fun, Paul. I miss working with you, but I love watching you.

PAUL: I appreciate that. Thanks Ed.

♪♪

[ Kids Joke Telling Contest ]

KID: How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?

EMCEE: I don't know. How many?

KID: Tentacles.

KID: What did the duck say when he was buying chapstick? Put it on my bill.

KID: Why did Santa do karate? Because he wears a black belt.

REGINA PIRTLE: You are going to see a lot of young people who are here to have fun. They have either made up a joke or asked their grandparents to tell them a joke or they found one online.

MACY: I got this joke book from my grandma for Christmas.

REGINA: We need to begin with some volunteer judges. 

JUDGE: Four different categories. Your first impression, last impression, presentation and overall.

KID: What do you call a snowman in Florida?

EMCEE: I don't know. What you call a snowman in Florida?

KID: Water.

KRIS DAVIS JOHNSON: I'm a retired pediatric nurse, so I like kids. And they can be awful funny. Or not.

KID: What you call a pig who knows karate?

EMCEE: I don't know. What do you call him?

KID: Pork chop.

KID: There was a magician from Mexico and he was doing his last act. He said, on three, I will disappear. Uno, dos, and he disappeared without a tres.

KID: What do you call a cat that likes candy? A Kit Kat.

KID: What does a janitor say when he jumps out of the closet? Supplies!

KID: My grandpa was very competitive. he would always try to beat me at everything. Baseball, checkers, who could eat the most corndogs. But I would never forget, the last words he said to me just before he passed away. With his last breath he said, "Staring contest. Ready, set, goooooo."

KID: What did one toilet say to the other? You look a little flushed.

KID: Knock knock.

EMCEE: Who's there?

KID: Iowa State.

EMCEE: Iowa State who?

KID: Exactly. Go Hawks.

EMCEE: 1st place, we'd like you to tell your joke one more time.

QUINCY: So my uncle came back from the army the other day, you know? And he brought back one of those hand grenades, you know? And he pulled the pin and he got scared and he threw it and it went into the outhouse, you know? And grandma was in the outhouse and the grenade went off and blew the outhouse to bits. And grandma come out and said, "Whew, glad I didn't do that in the house." 

QUINCY: Every year we'll go on vacation and we rent a van. Me and grandma were on the iPad looking up jokes. I like that they  are really funny and they make everybody laugh.

♪♪

BILL RILEY: Much of the spirit of the Iowa State Fair comes from the contests and competitions. Let's see who some of the winners are.

Fruits and Vegetable ID

• 1st: Marlene Mogle, Des Moines
• 2nd: Robyn Neese, Stanhope
• 3rd: Rachel Reece, Churdan

FFA Photography

• Best of Show: Jaylin VanderWiel, New Sharon
• Reserve Best of Show: Abigail Martin, Shenandoah
• State Advisor's Selection: Laura Steinkamp, Carroll
• State Executive Director Selection: Jacey Sisson, Wellman

Youth Whistling, Ages 5-16

• 1st: Rowan Cornelius, Bondurant
• 2nd: Lillian Jacobson, West Des Moines
• 3rd: Preston Ford, West Chester and Riley Goodrich, Urbandale

Accordion

• 1st: Brett Feuring, Carson
• 2nd: Roger Kubik, Avoca
• 3rd: Gavin Sisson, Harlan

Harmonica, Adult Class

• 1st: Phil Hague, Johnston and Ron Anderson, Onawa
• 2nd: Dave Whited, Afton
• 3rd: Topper Gulick, Des Moines

Harmonica, Youth Class

• 1st: Henry Place, Pella
• 2nd: Gus Major, Des Moines
• 3rd: Audrey Hadden, Soldier

Outhouse Races

• 1st: Booty Buster, Des Moines
• 2nd: The Real Deal, Austin, MN
• 3rd: Super Troopers, Winterset
• Best Costume: The Blue Ribbon Foundation

Hand Knitting, Socks (one yarn, one color)

• 1st: Joellen Bierschenk, Van Horne
• 2nd: Katie Kenel, Des Moines
• 3rd: Sharon Somers, North Liberty

Hand Knitting, Mittens/Gloves (two or more colors)

• 1st: Genevieve Heimer-Lang, Iowa City
• 2nd: Jill Sanders, Des Moines
• 3rd: Joellen Bierschenk, Van Horne
• Honorable Mention: Cindy Westemeyer, Johnston
• Honorable Mention: Ellen Pirro, Des Moines

♪♪

BILL RILEY: We've reached the halfway point of the show and it is time to take a quick break. When we come back, we will see some fine examples of what the state fair is all about.

Like the inspiring show of teamwork in building a Habitat for Humanity house. The intensity of the Big Wheel Races. And the prestige of the Sale of Champions. 

It's down to the wire on the Riley Stage. The championships - they're tomorrow. Here are the young Iowans advancing. 

Sprouts Champions

• Vocal Solo: Corban McHone, 12, Fort Dodge
• Guitar and Vocal Solo: Grace Holmbeck, 12, Sibley
• Musical Theater Vocal Solo: Dawson Huinker, 12, West Des Moines

Seniors Finalists

• Dance Trio: Aubrey Klipdel, 13, Betsy Lehman, 13 and Ella Varley, 12, all of Urbandale
• Vocal Solo: Aleesha Smith, 14, Waterloo
• Vocal and Trumpet Solo: Isaac Morlan, 18, Cedar Falls

Don't forget. We'll bring you the talent championships here on Iowa PBS Sunday, August 21 at 8:00 p.m.

BILL RILEY: Welcome back, everyone. The Habitat for Humanity team and volunteers spent the first nine days of the fair building a home. Let's check it out.

[ Sound of power tools ]

LANCE HENNING: We are at the state fair and this is right before we get started building a house at the fair. We are starting with just the floor piece in place. On the first day of the fair, we will raise the first wall. And by day nine, we'll have the house finished, it will look like a finished home. And the last couple days of the fair people will be able to tour the Habitat for Humanity home.

RYAN HANSON: This is day two of our construction build. Today, our goal is to have all the trusses stood. We want to sheet both sides of the roof. We also will install the windows. We have one more door to install and we also have siding going on today. 

Typically, a house would take us three months to build. This is my first attempt at building a house in eight days. It typically takes four weeks to frame, roof, and side. And then our trades - plumbing, heating and cooling, electric, insulation and drywall come in and do their thing for about four weeks. Then we come back on the tail end and take another four weeks to trim it out.

I've never done this before and I'm excited and we've gotten a great start at it.

JEFF MENARY, Grinnell Mutual: We have about 20 today and we will also have another crew of 20 more coming later in the week. It is a great team building experience for our staff to be doing this. And what's great is you come in and your group works with three or four hours and they can see the change that is happening to the building. I think that really brings joy to people as well.

PRODUCER: Do you mind if I ask what you are doing?

I have to get a plumbing inspection so I'm putting an air test on it. It has to hold a certain PSI for a certain amount of time so that they know it is airtight.

ISABELLA GRAHAM: We are on day six, and today, we are installing cabinets and doing trim. 

It's insane. I have never built a house this fast. All of our trades have come in and knocked out things that take a week to do, they did in one day. It's amazing to see the teamwork and have it happen as fast as it did.

Today is day nine of the Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity build. It's surreal to be able to see a home completed and in about a week it will be moved just east of the fairgrounds, only a few blocks away. Everybody did something extraordinary this week. All the way from our volunteers, to all of our trades. I am very proud that our team was able to accomplish something that is just unheard of.

BROOKE KOHLSDORF: You can't really walk a city block at the Iowa State Fair without passing multiple food vendors. We checked in with some of the vendors run by the farmers and ranchers to produce the goods themselves that they're selling.

JOHN MORTIMER: We started at the fairgrounds in 1985. Right at the same spot we had a tent and 38 years later we kind of have it figured out pretty well. It runs pretty smooth. We can serve 7,000 - 8,000 people a day.

[ Commodity Food Producers ]

BROOKE: Is part of your job not just to feed the people, but also educate people about what you do?

JOHN: It is. A lot of them are agriculture people that come through, but no everyone. There are lots of city people and they probably don't learn a whole lot while they're here, but it's available if they want to. Somebody came in yesterday and asked, "Is prime rib is beef?" Yes, it's beef.

BROOKE: What's the silliest question you've ever had from someone?

PERRY ANDERSON: We have a lot of people come up and ask where we get our lamb as they're looking into the Sheep Barn. No, we're not taking those lambs right now. We're trying to show people that lamb is another red meat that is a very good meat.

THOMAS BURKHEAD: The number one question we get is, "What came first? The chicken or the egg?" Since we're serving mostly eggs, we say the egg came first. A lot of people don't realize that Iowa is the number one egg producing state in the country.

CYNTHIA HAMLETT: Generally, we use about 50 to 60 tubs of ice cream, three-gallon tubs of ice cream out of this booth each day. Add that all up and it's quite a lot of ice cream.

Each day, the Dairy Science Club at Iowa State brings over some dairy cows and they have milking demonstrations. Visitors at the fair can come and watch how their milk is produced. Nothing compares to real dairy milk.

BOORKE: Do you feel like part of your job here is not just to serve people full but also to educate them?

JIM BOYER: Yes, very much so. That's what the Iowa Pork Producers are about. Promoting the product and educating the public about how healthy the product is, how affordable it is, how safe it is, and how important pork production is to the Iowa economy.

BROOKE: Is it easier being here or on the farm? 

JIM: Given a short days that we come down here, it's usually two or three days a year, I enjoy it. But, at the end of those three days, I am happy to go home and deal with pigs.

BROOKE: Which job is harder, doing this or being on the farm?

JOHN MORTIMER: Well this was. Because you don't know what you're doing. You knew what you are doing when you are feeding cattle. Down here when we started we didn't know anything about running a food stand. This is a different animal down here.

BROOKE: Keep in mind that many of these vendors use proceeds to help support their industries or other charitable causes. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

[ FFA Gardener Keegan Jones ]

I am Keegan Jones. I do the gardening side of FFA. There are not a lot of people who do this, many focus on animals and tractors so I thought I would start doing a garden and it seems to be doing pretty well out here. I just enjoy having the fresh fruits and vegetables that come out of here all year long. It's a win-win overall. 

I started FFA my freshman year and I have been in it every year. This garden started in 2013 or 2014, it was real small. My sister got involved. She's two years older than me and she brought me into it. I helped her a couple years and then I took it over after my sophomore year and it has only gotten bigger and better ever since. 

This garden got started because the historical society didn't like mowing all the area, so they asked our FFA teacher if he wanted to start gardening out here and he said yes. It became part of me and I enjoy doing it. 

We grow everything you can imagine. We have cabbage, broccoli, all different types of squash, cucumbers, beans, peas, tomatoes. We have different sizes of tomatoes. We have different spiciness levels of peppers. In the back we have potatoes, several different varieties of them. We have onions running along here. We have our strawberry plants down here. They are pretty nice. 

The community around us, I feel like they saw how good we were doing with our garden out here and how we have been winning at the state fair all of these years and they decided to join together and make this garden over here. It's doing really good as well. So, this is my FFA garden and that's their community garden. We don't get in each other's gardens, but we work together and help each other. For us, we are only a family of four. We take just what we need and have people that we share this with that help us with the garden. they can come in and take what they need. We've donated to the assisted living homes out here in Nevada and we donated to the high school last year. It's nice seeing all the faces light up whenever you donate all the food. It feels good on the inside.

Going through FFA, I submit all my vegetables at the fair. Last year, I ended up getting Reserve Champion overall, and I got Grand Champion in the decorative box. I think more people should get into gardening. It's a great thing. It helps our communities and families and you can donate to anybody and help them out too. It makes me enjoy being outside more and it helps my family and others. I just enjoy doing it more than whatever I receive in return. I could get recognition or not, it doesn't matter to me. I'm going to garden either way.

BILL RILEY: And now, for the answer to tonight's trivia question which was, how much was the admission to the first ever Iowa State Fair? 10 cents? 25 cents? 40 cents? 75 cents? The answer is 25 cents. The first Iowa State Fair was in Fairfield, Iowa back in 1854. It was also held in October. There is always something to see on the Grand Concourse. this time, it's for the kids.

ANNOUNCER: On your mark, get set, go!

STEVEN JORDISON: The Big Wheel Competition is a part of the Parks and Recreation Day here at the Iowa State Fair. This is our 40th anniversary. We are very excited about having so many different events here and the hundreds of thousands of people here at the Iowa State Fair.

[ Cheering ]

We represent 110 municipal Parks and Recreation departments from around the state. And we've got about 80 volunteers here today.

[ Cheering ]

The Iowa Parks and Recreation Day at the Iowa State Fair is for anybody and everybody regardless of age or abilities. We are very excited to be here on the Grand Concourse.

[ Cheering ]

PRODUCER: Was it fun?

CHILD: It was fun.

CHILD: I won a ribbon! 

PRODUCER: I am so impressed. You guys were little speed demons out there.

CHILD: And I popped a wheelie!

[ Largest Rabbit Contest ]

COMPETITOR: Because they are fun pets. I like it a lot.

COMPETITOR: I just love rabbits because they are my second favorite animal and they are easy to take care of.

COMPETITOR: Their uniqueness. They are more unique than any other species because of our 50 breeds.

BECKY STOCK: The main thing we're doing this weekend is showing our rabbits. We have purebred rabbits. Most of us that are showing are members of the American Rabbit Breeders Association. And we are a sanctioned show. All of our grand champion points will count. 

We have so many activities going on at the Iowa State Fair that we really have to stagger the events so we can get them all finished in the 11 days. In the past we've done some rabbit agility and hopping. Tonight, we are doing the Largest Rabbit Competition. I believe we have six entries. We are going to weigh those rabbits in and find out who is the largest rabbit at the Iowa State Fair.

Good evening. Welcome to the Largest Rabbit Competition at the 2022 Iowa State Fair.

Thanks for coming everybody.  I know we had some terrible weather earlier but it seems to have cleared off a little bit. We have six entries this year and the Largest Rabbit Competition. We're going to call them up one at a time and get the weight on these guys. 

♪♪

BELLMAN FAMILY: My dad coming into rabbits in the fourth grade. We started with one and quickly went from one to very many.

BASKETT FAMILY: It was definitely the girls saying they wanted to raise rabbits. I wanted to give them some responsibility and it gets them outside every day. They have to be accountable to something else that's living.

BELLMAN FAMILY: That's the thing about raising rabbits, in a matter of days they can change drastically. So, the competition is always different every year.

Mia is weighing in at 15.2 pounds.

DEITRICK FAMILY: We start them off with one banana a day with some cucumbers, half a watermelon and then we feed them the typical grain and sprinkle some oats.

Next we have the Bellman's second entry. This is Sadie who is also a Flemish Giant. 16.98 pounds.

CASEL FAMILY: Three years ago, my granddaughter was able to show rabbits in 4-H, and as long as we have been coming out here, my husband said, "You know we have a rabbit that weighs 22 pounds," and he said, "We may as well take it along and enter it into the Biggest Rabbit Competition."

This is Thumper. And Thumper is a Flemish Giant as well. Oh boy, 18.9 pounds.

CASEL FAMILY: It is just a family thing. We all get together and go. We do rabbits for a hobby.

♪♪

PAUL YEAGER: The first animal is in the ring at the 2022 Sale of Champions. It's taking place here inside the Media Center. It is a big deal. It's one of the biggest fundraisers for a whole lot of scholarships. Let's find out how all the winners do.

It's Avery Shalla from Riverside, Iowa, with the Grand Champion 4-H Market Steer. Look at that. $135,500. That is a new record for all species.

Lainey DeVries from Red Oak, Iowa. She's bringing in the Reserve Grand Champion 4-H Market Steer. Intense betting brings in a new record $65,500.

Here comes Jack Pryor from Woodbine. he's bringing in the Grand Champion 4-H Market Heifer. $37,000.

Grayson Belcher bringing in the Reserve Grand Champion 4-H Market Heifer. Another record. $45,500.

Grand Champion FFA Market Hog. Here's Jillian Woodruff from Moorland. Final bid, $40,000.

Reserve Grand Champion FFA Market Hog. Shae Lynn Becker of Keota. When it's all said and done, $27,000. 

Grand Champion 4-H Market Hog. Brody Pryor of Woodbine, his brother Jack was an earlier. It's #22,500.

The Reserve Grand Champion 4-H Market Hog, It's Haley Lampe out of Fort Madison. The bid for her hog, $22,000. 

Grand Champion FFA Market Lamb. Here is Cade Moon of Indianola. $8,500. 

Reserve Grand Champion FFA Market Lamb. Phoebe Sanders from Eagle Grove enters the ring. $19,500. That's a new record. 

Now, time for the Grand Champion 4-H Market Lamb. It's Sam Schmillen from Marcus. $21,500. A new record.

The Reserve Grand Champion 4-H Market Lamb. It's Colby Williams from Mabel, Minnesota. $6,000. 

Grand Champion FFA Meat Goat. Max Petzenhauser of Roland. And that goat fetches $10,000. 

Grand Champion 4-H Meat Goat. Cash Voegele from Lenox, South Dakota. $6,500

Now in the ring, the Hoegs. First it's Jacie, she is the Grand Champion 4-H Market Broiler. Jacie, $8,000. 

And sister Rachel has the Reserve Grand Champion, and Rachel brings $6,500.

Final total sets a record. $481,500. What a day. Congratulations to all.

well, as they say in the biz, that's a wrap. our final evening of iowa state fair coverage is in the can. and being a professionally trained television expert, i can confidently say, there were no bloopers this year. nothing. no, not the bloopers.

BILL RILEY: Well, as they say in the biz, that's a wrap. Our final evening of Iowa State Fair coverage, it's in the can and being a professionally trained television expert I can confidently say there were no bloopers this year. Nothing. Really? No! Not the bloopers! 

3, 2, 1, Tonight we'll get st-tarted...

Now the, uh...sorry.

We're celebrating fairs, sorry.

Cowboy Mounted Shooting. That's not good Bill.

In the more than 50 years we've been covering the Iowa. Sorry.

Heritage Villa. Village. Heritage Vill...sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry. Do it over.

Sorry.

It's the lacquer. 

You're daily reporter...

Live at the state fair...

Is that all right?

Well our next seg, what a segue. I should have said that, sorry.

This whole thing's a blooper!

All right, we'll do it one more time.

3, 2 [ Laughs ] 1. You messed up my counting. I practiced hard on my counting.

And with that we've come to the close of our Fair 2022 nightly programs, but the Iowa State Fair fun lives on in the digital realm. You can relive the magic by checking out our website, our YouTube channel, in addition to our Facebook and Instagram pages. You'll find lots of great state fair fun and there are several ways that you can engage with us about our beloved Iowa State Fair anytime and anywhere.

Thanks again for joining me on this wonderful Iowa State Fair journey. It's truly an honor to be part of this incredible tradition. From all of here at Iowa PBS, I'm Bill Riley and we know you had fun at the fair.

♪♪

Funding for Fair 2022 is brought to you by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation. And by

For more than 110 years, EMC Insurance Companies has served policy holders, independent agents, and local communities, providing insurance products for both business and life. Count on EMC. 

[Iowa Pork Producers]

Caring for pigs is not just an individual job. It truly does take a village to put a safe, healthy food on your table and keep farming sustainable.