Ann Hegstrom’s Prep for the Iowa State Fair

[Ann Hegstrom] I just love the fair. The fair is just Iowa. Everything about it is things I love. I love going to look at the 4-H exhibits to see how those kids are doing. Of course you have to go see the Butter Cow. That's something you have to do every year.

The food, the people are fun to talk with. What's not to like? Except maybe the heat.

I come every day to the fair. I work every day at the fair, but I come early so I can do all the contests and see the fair.

Good morning, Nick.

[Nick] How’s it going?

[Ann] We're great. I need some coffee and a donut.

I come early in the morning, get my breakfast, my coffee, all that, early in the morning.

Yes. Look at this.

[Nick] Look at that. I love it.

[Ann] When the fair first opens on Thursday morning, they have a history tour. For that I'm planning on wearing kind of a historical map of the United States and a vintage Iowa flag.

[Tour Guide] The Agriculture Building is still home to one of our most beloved Iowa State Fair icons, which would be the Butter Cow.

[Crowd] The Butter Cow.

[Ann] Because I go everywhere all the time, I probably get in at least 10 miles every day. I have to decide what I'm going to wear for every day at the fair and for every contest that I participate in. The best part about a fair outfit is the fact that people notice it. People recognize me and go, remember me, and they'll talk to me.

I do a lot of the heritage contests because I want to make sure that they continue. So part of that is they're fun. But I also want to be enthusiastic about it and have other people come and join. It's the chicken calling, it's the husband calling, it's the kids telling jokes. The cow chip throwing contest and the rubber chicken throwing contest. Those are all part of the heritage ones and the fun. I hope people just always want to come do it all. That's a part of the fair that I hope will continue forever. When I go up on stage for a chicken calling, I'm wearing a feather boa, and I'm ready to do my yell.

Yeeee!

And they laugh. And that's the best part of it. But I really came to the fair seeing it through my husband's eyes. He always went to all the ag buildings and had to watch all the contests. And so that became part of my life, too.

And he spent a lot of time at the wood carvers contest. He loved to talk to those guys. He was a farmer. He did, like, a little bit of everything. And then suddenly he had an accident and he couldn’t do any of it anymore. So this is one of the ways that he could still vicariously enjoy part of Iowa.

And so every year, I make sure that I honor that somehow, some way.

(Ann sawing a log using a bow saw.)

[Judge] Good job.

[Ann] Thank you.

[Judge] Congratulations.

[Ann] One day at the fair is overwhelming. It's hard to do everything that you want to do. That's the advantage of when I come every day for work and I come early. I could just do bite sized portions of the fair. And then it's just really fun and you're not worn out.

[Camera Operator] I'm slowing you down, aren't I Ann?

(Ann smiles)