Welcome to the 2014 Iowa State Fair! My trip took me from Kansas City to Minneapolis through Omaha and Des Moines. Des Moines is the capitol of Iowa and hosts one of the largest state fairs in the country right in the middle of farm country. As expected, the fair has a huge agricultural focus and was a great way to spend the day. The park-and-ride lot was located at the state capitol, so I also had a chance to explore the capitol building and grounds.
The Iowa State Capitol is gorgeous. The exterior and interior are all very well done with extensive artwork, marble and metal work, and a very unique library. As expected the state senate is a little more decorated and stately, but the real gem is the library. The library is about 5 stories tall in an open hall with ornate spiral staircases leading to each floor. There are several large murals and monuments, and best of all - free admission and tours!
Back to the fair, it was time to see the famous Butter Cow. They carve a cow sculpture out of fresh butter and display it for the fair. Along side the cow is a changing art exhibit also carved from butter. This year was a Field of Dreams theme - If you churn it, they will cream. Not really, but that would be funnier!
Iowa is corn country, and the state fair is no exception. There is a huge display of award winning corn at the fair including field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn. Driving across the Midwest, you see a lot of corn fields. Most is used for animal feed and ethanol production and requires a lot of chemicals and water to produce. Iowa is a pretty conservative place, but has a vested interest in both promoting biofuels and wind energy which are both abundant in the region. It makes for interesting bedfellows in this agricultural stronghold.
As expected, the food options are also as wide as the corn fields. Above is a Walking Taco. It is a bag of tortilla chips split open, crushed, and topped with meat, salsa, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. It tastes much like a taco salad, but designed to be very portable. I also sampled a Corn Brat (like a corn dog, but with a bratwurst instead), some local Iowa wines, and a Dutch Letter (S-shaped pastry filled with almond paste). Ironically, the pork options were not that tasty which belies the Iowa pork industry reputation. I guess I need to stick with BBQ instead!
The Iowa State Fair shares a lot of soul with the California State Fair in my backyard. In Iowa, there is a much larger focus on the agricultural and rural traditions. The competitions include more canned and homemade goods - including an ugly cake contest! - and the whole feel is very rural even though it is located in the big city. California focuses much less on the farm side, but still has a great feel. If you are ever in Iowa during fair season, drop by. You will have a great time. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.
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