HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
OF THE IOWA STATE FAIR

The internationally-acclaimed Iowa State Fair is the single largest event in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country. Annually attracting hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, it is a "celebration of excellence," the real heartbeat of the Midwest, unequaled and unduplicated.

The inspiration for the original novel "State Fair" by Iowan Phil Stong, three motion pictures and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical, Iowa's ag-extravaganza is without question the country's most famous state fair. It is also billed as "America's Classic State Fair" because it features all of the traditional events expected in a state fair, from farm machinery and food exhibits to Grandstand shows and competitive events.

Throughout its history, the Fair has been a unique institution, serving to educate, inform and entertain people from all walks of life. It is an outstanding agricultural showplace, the home of one of the world's largest livestock shows. Also home to the largest arts show in the state, the Fair showcases visual and performing arts with a variety of special exhibits and activities.

Each year hundreds of manufacturers and industrial representatives clamor to rent coveted exhibit space. In addition to its tremendous growth in agriculture and industry, the Fair is also an entertainment mecca for Iowa and the Midwest. Current programs include superstar stage shows, approximately $400,000 worth of grounds entertainment offered free with gate admission, fireworks, auto and horse races, a 10-acre Midway, all kinds of competition, plus hundreds of displays, demonstrations and special activities.

In 1881 historian James Wilson noted that, "One of the most valuable effects of the State Fair is the fraternizing, humanizing consequences of bringing our people together. . . .No one meets and mingles with 20,000 Iowa men, women and children on the Fairgrounds - the only place they can be brought together - without growth of sympathy." Certainly this is even more relevant today, when the pace of modern life tends to isolate individuals even more from their neighbors. The Fair continues to draw nearly one million Iowans together each year.