Iowa State Fair Camping

[Jeremy Parsons, CEO/General Manager, Iowa State Fair] These are the people that really love the fair. I mean, true passionate supporters of the Iowa State Fair are campers for sure and you know, it's important that we continue this great tradition for sure because it really is one of the things that makes the Iowa State Fair so special and unique.

[James Breckenridge, Iowa State Fair camper] So we have been in these two camping spots we think for like 45 years, but we've had I mean, we're on our fifth generation of family camping. So my great grandma used to camp up here when it was a cement pad and you know brought the tent and the dresser so that's been a definitely a very longstanding tradition.

[Woman] This is our little state fair village that we have collected over the years and we usually set up every year and try to add to it every year.

(Young boy moves toy people around and spins the ferris wheel.)

[Child] Stopping, people coming.

[James] We do the lighting contest every year so we are trying to decorate as much as we possibly can so by the time it's all said and done there's going to be a lot more decorations, a few thousand lights and so definitely once it gets dark it's going to be a whole different ball game and you know we're just trying to make it fun. I want people to come in, talk to us, check it out see the disco balls and just make it fun for everybody. Have not  missed a single, one I mean COVID obviously 2020, but there wasn't a fair so that doesn't count. But I I've never missed and never will. Honestly it's right up there with Christmas. It's one of my favorite times of year. It's so much fun. There's so much to see, so much to do, great time with family. The camping up here, it's like a community. I mean it's, I was telling the neighbor, it's kind of like a once a year family reunion, people we only see once a year but we camp next to the same people all the time and it's just part of the experience.