Officials tout Iowa State Fair as affordable 'staycation'
Shawn Johnson butter sculpture, fried food, Def Leppard among attractions
By Charlotte Eby, Journal Des Moines bureau | Posted: Saturday, August 02, 2008
After spring and summer storms and flooding battered the state, Iowans ready for a celebration can find fun at this year's Iowa State Fair.
State Fair spokeswoman Lori Chappell said fair officials haven't set attendance expectations this year because of how much severe weather impacted people across Iowa and the Midwest.
"Ultimately, we're just hoping that everyone that does show up has a great time," Chappell said.
Knowing that many families are watching their money, the Iowa State Fair is giving fair-goers a break on admission on some days of the fair.
The 11-day event opens Aug. 7 with free admission from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Fair-goers that morning can head to the Grandstand to help set a world record for the most people simultaneously eating a corndog.
On Friday, Aug. 8, fairgoers will pay a reduced admission fee of $8. Evenings Monday through Thursday and the last Sunday of the fair, the regular admission price is slashed in half.
In a time when gas prices are high and some families are deciding on "staycations" this summer to save money, Chappell points to many of the free amenities the fair has to offer.
It's always free once inside the gates to see the butter cow, who will be joined this year by a butter sculpture of Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, an Iowa native. Agricultural and civil rights pioneers Etta May Budd, George Washington Carver, Henry Wallace and Norman Borlaug will also get their own butter sculpture.
In keeping with the state fair tradition of food on a stick, the new featured food this year is battered and deep-fried pineapple on a stick. Mini cinnamon rolls complete with cream cheese frosting are another food new to the fair in 2008.
Crawfish etouffe and a London broil steak sandwich also join the fair menu.
"Once you get in the gate, you could spend your day eating your way through the fair, or you could spend your day sampling and picking up freebies and have a relatively inexpensive day," Chappell said.
Popular grandstand acts this year include metal band Def Leppard, and Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu of "High School Musical" fame.
Besides the grandstand acts, the fair will have $400,000 in free entertainment. One of those free shows is the Extreme Canines stunt dogs, with performances daily. All of the dogs in the show have been adopted from pounds and shelters and trained to perform stunts.
Children's favorite Bob the Builder will perform daily at the fair's Hy-Vee Fun Forest Stage.
The State Fair, a frequent campaign stop, will again serve as a setting for politicking. The fair could see a visit from Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and several Iowa congressional candidates will deliver stump speeches at a "soap box" along the fair's Grand Concourse.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.
If you go
What: 2008 Iowa State Fair
When: Aug. 7-17
Where: Fairgrounds at East 30th Street and University Avenue in Des Moines
Admission: Adults, $10; children 6-11, $4, children 5 and under, free.
Information: Full schedule available at www.iowastatefair.org
State Fair spokeswoman Lori Chappell said fair officials haven't set attendance expectations this year because of how much severe weather impacted people across Iowa and the Midwest.
"Ultimately, we're just hoping that everyone that does show up has a great time," Chappell said.
Knowing that many families are watching their money, the Iowa State Fair is giving fair-goers a break on admission on some days of the fair.
The 11-day event opens Aug. 7 with free admission from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Fair-goers that morning can head to the Grandstand to help set a world record for the most people simultaneously eating a corndog.
On Friday, Aug. 8, fairgoers will pay a reduced admission fee of $8. Evenings Monday through Thursday and the last Sunday of the fair, the regular admission price is slashed in half.
In a time when gas prices are high and some families are deciding on "staycations" this summer to save money, Chappell points to many of the free amenities the fair has to offer.
It's always free once inside the gates to see the butter cow, who will be joined this year by a butter sculpture of Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, an Iowa native. Agricultural and civil rights pioneers Etta May Budd, George Washington Carver, Henry Wallace and Norman Borlaug will also get their own butter sculpture.
In keeping with the state fair tradition of food on a stick, the new featured food this year is battered and deep-fried pineapple on a stick. Mini cinnamon rolls complete with cream cheese frosting are another food new to the fair in 2008.
Crawfish etouffe and a London broil steak sandwich also join the fair menu.
"Once you get in the gate, you could spend your day eating your way through the fair, or you could spend your day sampling and picking up freebies and have a relatively inexpensive day," Chappell said.
Popular grandstand acts this year include metal band Def Leppard, and Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu of "High School Musical" fame.
Besides the grandstand acts, the fair will have $400,000 in free entertainment. One of those free shows is the Extreme Canines stunt dogs, with performances daily. All of the dogs in the show have been adopted from pounds and shelters and trained to perform stunts.
Children's favorite Bob the Builder will perform daily at the fair's Hy-Vee Fun Forest Stage.
The State Fair, a frequent campaign stop, will again serve as a setting for politicking. The fair could see a visit from Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and several Iowa congressional candidates will deliver stump speeches at a "soap box" along the fair's Grand Concourse.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.
If you go
What: 2008 Iowa State Fair
When: Aug. 7-17
Where: Fairgrounds at East 30th Street and University Avenue in Des Moines
Admission: Adults, $10; children 6-11, $4, children 5 and under, free.
Information: Full schedule available at www.iowastatefair.org
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