Fair 2026 – Thursday, August 20

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to Fair 2026. I'm Bill Riley. We're at the halfway point of our fair coverage, and tonight we're going to enjoy some of the lighter moments that make a day at the fair so much fun. Whether it's a unique competition, a surprising performer or a favorite tradition, there's always something that makes you stop, smile and take notice.

On tonight's show a trio of towering performers take a shine to the fairgrounds. We’ll see who measures up at the Beard Growing Contest and we'll head over to the Sheep Barn to meet some dedicated 4-Hers.

We'll get started with a tradition that brings together competition, generosity and some big names in Iowa. Brooke Kohlsdorf takes us to the Governor's Charity Steer Show.

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[Brooke Kohlsdorf] One of the most celebrated events of the fair happens here at the Livestock Pavilion the first Saturday of the fair. It's where some of the best young exhibitors get paired with Iowa celebrities. Judges then decide the best of the show to a standing-room-only crowd. This is the 44th edition of the Governor's Charity Steer Show.

Every year, proceeds from the auction that immediately follows the show here at the Livestock Pavilion go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. Next are the celebrity interviews.

(On screen text: 
Steer: Norm
Gov. Kim Reynolds
Exhibitor: Kayle Englin, Orange City)

[Gov. Kim Reynolds] I'm very humbled by the opportunity and I was really proud to continue the tradition that Governor Branstad started 44 years ago to really highlight how important the beef industry is to this state of Iowa. $10 billion boom to our economy. It's how our young people are staying on the farm.

(On screen text: 
Steer: Cheese
Ike Boettger, Former NFL Player
Exhibitor: Owen Kahl, Tipton)

[Ike Boettger] I did a little film study on YouTube to see what I was walking into, and this is awesome. The Iowa State Fair is great, and it's the best state in the world. Iowa, baby.

(On screen text: 
Steer: Larry
Sec. Mike Naig, Iowa Department of Agriculture
Exhibitor: Cordell Hoeft, Plymouth)

[Mike Naig] I want you to know that Cordell Hoeft and his family, they've got a full circle moment here. His family spent some time at Ronald McDonald House when he was just 14 months old, so I know this is special for them, special for Floyd County.

(On screen text: 
Steer: Touchdown
Jason Brown, Country Music Artist
Exhibitor: Lylah Houk, Blakesburg)

[Jason Brown] Great, I'm so honored to be here today raising money for the Ronald McDonald House, a great organization, the 44th annual, and I text Kim, I said, “I'm coming for you, but I don't know if it's going to do much good.”

[Emcee] Who is the lady that was selected to show Comet? Can you tell us what special thing she has in common with you?

[Boy 1] She's my mom.

[Emcee] She's your mom? What? She's your mom?

(On screen text: 
Steer: Comet
Dr. Aubrey Cordray, Iowa Veterinary Medicine Association
Exhibitor: Hayes Cordray, Humboldt)

[Dr. Aubrey Cordray] 21 years ago, I was actually an exhibitor in this show ring. So it's a wonderful opportunity that I didn't see coming, that I get to be on the other side of the show stick here with Hayes. Just getting to do this with my son is a just experience that I will not take for granted and I'm so grateful for. It's been an honor to see him work with Comet and him embrace the Ronald McDonald experience this week. And I know that we'll have plenty of memories for many years to come.

[Emcee] Is it the first time you showed a steer, or no?

(On screen text: 
Steer: Alfred
Gabe Arnold, University of Iowa All-American Wrestler
Exhibitor: Sawyer Goehring, Douds)

[Gabe Arnold] Yes, first time.

[Emcee] What do you think?

[Gabe] It's awesome, especially when you got a pretty dang good-looking piece of beef right here.

[Brooke] Now it's time to select the Community Hero Award. This year it's Kayle Englin from Orange City.

[Emcee] Another big round of applause for a young person who's worked a lot of hard hours raising funds.

[Brooke] Showmanship this year was judged by Tyler Krug. Dr. Aubrey Cordray and her son Hayes were this year's winners.

Let's go across the ring for the People's Choice Award. It's gonna get loud in here.

[Emcee] Let's hear it for Zach Lahn. I don't think we need to go any further. Here's your champion. Here we go. There's your People's Choice Award winner.

(On screen text:
People’s Choice Award
Celebrity: Zach Lahn, Republican Candidate for Governor
Steer: Lightning McQueen)

[Brooke] Let's get some final comments from Judge Taylor.

[Will Taylor, Judge] I will tell you, the youth that stand behind our celebrities, they will be farmers, they will be agronomists, they will be veterinarians, but more importantly, they'll be doctors and lawyers and contributing members of society. Let's put our hands together for the kids that put all the work in. Thanks for having me. It's been a true pleasure and honor.

I'll show you my champion, and when I do that, please absolutely raise the roof one more time.

[Brooke] This is Governor Kim Reynolds' first win at the Governor's Charity Steer Show.

[Gov. Kim Reynolds] It's not, it's not set, you know. I mean, I've come in second a lot of times over the years, or third or fourth or whatever. So it's, it's, it's just amazing. I'm so happy for Kayle. That's who I'm happy for. I mean, these kids put so much work into these steers and he worked— you worked me through the whole thing, didn't you?

You helped me be a better showperson for sure. He was a great mentor.

[Kayle Englin] I'm just so happy because all my hard work this summer has paid off.

[Brooke] The Governor's Charity Steer Show has raised over $6.5 million for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa since the event started in 1983. And that's how we finished up at the Livestock Pavilion.

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[Travis Graven] Beards come in all varieties— long, short, thick, scraggly, even some fancy ones. My sad short scruff can't compete with these professionals, but let's see who does win blue ribbons at this year's Beard Growing Contest.

[Judge] 25. So how long have you been growing this thing?

[Contestant 1] I'm thinking 25 years.

[Judge] Oh my gosh. The yardstick's not long enough, you guys.

[Travis] So how much time do you have invested in this?

[Ryan Smelcer, Fairfield] About 8 years ago, it really took off.

[Travis] That's dedication.

That's what I aim for.

[Travis] What work was involved in putting all this together?

[Nate Anderson, West Des Moines] Honestly, I'm just lazy and don't like to shave. I just started curlicuing the mustache because I cut my dreadlocks off last year, and I needed to do something to look at.

[Travis] How many years do you have invested in this?

[Anthony Perdue, Des Moines] Uh, I haven't been clean-shaven since I got out of the Army in 2013.

[Travis] So you don't remember what it's like to have a smooth face?

[Anthony] No, my beard's older than my marriage.

[Travis] And what are these?

[Paul Swanson, Dayton] They're sideburns. I call them Stubbs and Lefty. I've actually named them.

[Travis] And what kind of reactions do you get about them?

[Paul] Usually, do you know the Civil War's over?

[Travis] Do you always have this beard? Or you grow it special for this?

[Rex Hall, Birmingham] Special for this. Yep. My wife says it gotta go.

[Bearded Ladies] Iowa, that's where the tall corn grows.

[Travis] And what category are you entered in?

[Bearded Ladies] Participation.

[Travis] Participation.

(Laughter)

[Emcee] First place for 2026, number 147. Congratulations. Good job.

[Will Garriott, West Des Moines] I grew a beard and wondered if I'd be able to grow some handlebars because not everyone can. I could, and then last year was my first time competing. Had a lot of fun, thought I'd come back and do it again.

[Nate] It's all in fun for me, honestly. I'm not, I'm not a huge competitor when it comes to that, but I mean, I love all the beards. They're great. They look amazing. There's like super long beards, short manicured beards, curlicue mustaches. I mean, I'm all for it.

Barry Knowles from Holiday Lake. My 5-year-old daughter does my grooming and my propane forge does the trimming.

[Emcee] All right. First place for 2026 is number 114. 114.

(On screen text: Best Groomed — Justin Fisher, Des Moines)

First place for most unique, 126.

(On screen text: Most Unique & Most Historic in Nature — Ben Pullen, Spencer)

With 32.5 inches, our first place winner, number 149. 149! Woo-hoo!

(On screen text: Longest Beard — Bulmaro Martinez, West Des Moines)

[Bulmaro Martinez, West Des Moines] I was growing it up to here, and then I just let it go. I mean, I really take care of it, like, a lot. I wash it, everything, oils at night before I go to sleep. Yeah, it's a lot of care. It takes a lot of care.

[Travis] I mean, it wouldn't look this nice without doing that, right?

[Bulmaro] Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. You want something to look nice, you need to take care of it.

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[Vance Polton, Fisheries Management Technician, Iowa DNR] There's 21 tanks, the biggest tank being tank number 1, that's 800 gallons. There's 2 of the middle side tanks on each side that's about 500, and then the smaller ones are about 250 to 300 gallons depending on how much water they're in.

[Tyler Stubbs, Community Fisheries Biologist, Iowa DNR] The last couple years we've had a little over 200 fish in general on display, around 40 species. We try to cover as much of the state as we can as far as fish species go, and they are all separated in these individual tanks.

[Man 1] So I got flathead, a channel, and a bigger walleye.

[Tyler] When those trucks get here, we'll have a couple people carrying tubs. We carry 2 or 3 fish at a time. We bring them in here and they've each got assigned tanks before they get here. It's run just like a huge home aquarium, really. It's a big recirculating system, and it's in the mid-50 degrees.

We do that for a couple reasons. One, that cooler water holds more oxygen, and cooler water also takes some of the stress away from fish in general. They don't move near as much, and so they're not exerting as much energy. They're maybe not eating each other as much as they typically would, and so they're behaving and getting along.

100 years ago, man, I bet that was a challenge, keeping those fish looking good and keeping them happy and healthy and alive.

[Lance] They wanted right off the bat to get a permanent building. They just couldn't afford it, but they became a bigger and bigger draw at the fair. They finally got the money because the fishing license had come around, and now they were getting hunting and fishing license money so they could afford to build it.

But at that time even, it was getting some flak. That was a waste of money. Nobody goes to that community education or public education. about fish and wildlife was still pretty much a really new thing. They designed the whole thing in early June. They had the drawings. W.E. Albert, who was our warden at the time, looked at it and said, okay, we gotta do this.

They got started in the week of July 21, 1926. It was done for the first day of the fair on August 25. It was full of fish. It had water running. The aquarium building at that time was the only thing built. None of the walls were here. The ceiling wasn't here. This was done in the Italian Renaissance.

It had a marine or nautical theme to it, which is, they thought, oh, this'll fit real nice with this. But if you look at those bigger diamond tiles on the side, they have seahorses and crabs. They built this whole building and had it running in just under a month. I can imagine Mr. Albert coming out, seeing the designs. “Yeah, that'll work.” And then seeing what those tiles were and saying, “We don't have seahorses in Iowa. Well, sir, we got a week to finish this thing up. Let's go with the seahorses.”

A lot of people, especially if they lived in town, never saw any of this stuff before. That was part of the draw. People didn't see these fish.

[Tyler] It's a huge impact for not only our constituents, but the amount of people that come through here that maybe don't hunt or fish at all, but it shows them some appreciation of, you know, the diversity of species that we have here in Iowa.

[Lance] We had baby paddlefish a couple of years ago. Very few people even knew what a paddlefish was. They couldn't figure out what was the big nose for. If you don't know what the fish are, you're more than likely not going to go fishing.

[Tyler] It's a huge privilege to be able to be a part of something that, you know, the generations have come through here. I came through here as a kid. My dad came through here as a kid. My kids come here. And so it's a generational impact just in this one building, which is just kind of cool to be a part of.

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[Bill Riley] Earlier this week, we showed you how one Iowa State Fair tradition found a new audience in Washington, D.C. Now, we're going back to the Renwick Gallery to see how even more Iowa stories are being shared as part of a national exhibit celebrating American craft.

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[Mary Savig, Curator-in-Charge for the Renwick Gallery] When I went to state fairs, including the Iowa State Fair, I saw craft everywhere. And for me, that is defined by things that are made with skill and by hand and also really emphasize ideas of process and memory. Fairgrounds are able to offer this really unique lens on American art.

(A gold, black, blue and red butterfly made of thread sits in a display case.)
(On screen text: Anne Hanson, Cedar Rapids — Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly)

(On screen text: Deborah Zeitler, Iowa City — Green Vessel with Beads)

As a fellow Midwesterner, one of my favorite conversation topics is the weather.

(On screen text: Debra Wykert, Muscatine — Temperature Quilt, Wonky Weather)

When I went to the 2023 State Fair and I saw this temperature quilt, I knew we had to have it in the show. I loved the storytelling of this. The artist, Debra Wykert, documented the weather for an entire year.

(A full size butter cow stands in the Renwick Gallery.)

(On screen text: Sarah, Hannah and Grace Pratt, West Des Moines — Curious Regard)

This is an example from the miniature competition at the Iowa State Fair, which was a very delightful surprise for me. It was one of my favorite unique competitions I came across during my state fair research.

(On screen text: Beth Grabu, Adel — The Pump House)

Someone who has earned a lot of accolades in the miniature competitive categories is Beth Grabau. She recreated this really amazing scene of her memory of her grandmother's pump house.

(On screen text: Deborah Zeitler, Iowa City — Leather Shoes)

(On screen text: Mary Shotwell, Des Moines — My Millefiore)

This amazing pyramid of canned foods is an homage to a lot of the canning and produce displays at state fairs. Historically, these were really elaborate displays that were really meant to promote the abundance of agriculture in the United States. We worked with an Iowa canner named Rod Zeitler. For Rod especially, things like color and composition are important.

And the biggest question I get on tours is what is in the fluorescent green jars, and that is Rod's award-winning mint jelly.

It's all I've talked about for the last 6 years to anybody who will listen, like how great these fairs are and what I'm learning from them. It's honestly just been a highlight of my career, if not my entire life. I never got to be a Dairy Queen, so I think this has been my, sort of, backup plan. If I couldn't be a Dairy Queen, it was to curate this show.

(On screen text: Growing American Craft)

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[Dana Lain Formaro] You've seen strolling performers before at the Iowa State Fair, but probably not this shiny.

If you're looking for a photo opportunity to help commemorate America's 250th birthday, catch up with the AmirrorCAN Men at the Iowa State Fair.

[Woman 1] We actually saw them on the skyline.

[Woman 2] Yeah, and then we were trying to find them, and we could see, like, a little sparkle, so we ran over here.

[Dana] The red, silver, and blue suits are made in Europe. The little pieces of mirror are glass, which makes the suits very heavy.

[Woman 2] I don't know how they're doing that.

[Woman 1] Yeah.

[Woman 2] It must be so hot in there.

[Dana] How much would you guess their suits weigh?

[Woman 2] 25 pounds.

[Dana] What's your guess?

[Woman 1] 30.

[Dana] So the jackets alone are 40 pounds. Can you imagine?

Due to the masks, these guys are silent, but that's okay. They find a way to communicate.

If they could talk, what would you ask them?

[Woman 3] Are you hot?

[Dana] They're pretty hard to miss, but if you want to be sure to catch a glimpse of this larger-than-life patriotic trio, they're official strolling times are 11:30 to 12:30, 2 to 3, and 4 to 5 PM every day of the fair.

[Woman 4] The AmirrorCAN Men are very handsome.

[Dana] Very shiny.

[Woman 4] Very shiny, very glittery. I like that they reflect everything beautiful about the fair.

[Dana] Absolutely.

As you can imagine, this patriotic trio appears in hundreds of pictures every day.

This is definitely an experience I can reflect on when the fair is over.

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[Paul Yeager] Emma from Algona is getting ready to go into the ring here at the sheep barn at the Iowa State Fair, as is Isaac from Greene County. Both are putting the finishing touches on their breeding ewes. It is a big day here at the Iowa State Fair for the sheep. It's always kind of fun and everybody gets competitive, and they just remember the most important thing that they're learning is life lessons.

Winning at the Iowa State Fair, what's that mean to you?

[Olivia Grell, Granger] I mean, a lot. It's really cool to be able to be here and show for someone that I know so well and be able to show off their lambs, right? Like, it's about me, but not really. Like, they're the ones who did most of the work. So it's just really cool to be able to showcase what they've done, honestly.

[Paul] What'd you win today?

[Chloe Knepper, Delmer] I was a Supreme Champion Purebred Ewe.

[Paul] What makes a good showman?

[Chloe] They have to be able to present their animal to the best of their abilities in a way that just makes it stand out and try to not draw attention to themselves, just their animal.

[Paul] Where did you learn those skills?

[Chloe] I've learned them over the years from different breeders and then people that help along the way.

[Paul] Tell me about some of the people that help you along the way.

[Chloe] My mom and my dad. Because they, I mean, they're the whole reason I even started showing sheep, and they're the reason I'm here today. So they've been the biggest help so far.

[Paul] Who do you have with you?

[Braxton Scholl, Anita] Oh, it's my lamb Frosty. We haven't been showing that much, but it's my first year showing lambs, so.

[Paul] All right, tell me about Frosty.

So like, we walk her every single night, probably about, it's probably like a 20-minute walk every night. So then when we get done with that, we'll go to the show barn, we'll go wrap her legs and stuff like that.

[Paul] There's a lot going on when the judge is talking. Did you hear anything that the judge said to you at the end?

[Braxton] No, I didn't.

[Paul] What do you think the judge liked about Frosty?

[Braxton] Like, how stout she was and how muscular she was.

[Olivia] I caught the, you know, she needs more bone. We were talking about that after. We knew that stuff, you know, like, it's stuff we know. More shag, more hair on her legs, that kind of stuff. But yeah, I didn't catch a whole lot. I'm kind of just, like, thinking and not really thinking about what he's saying too much.

[Paul] Your mind's going 100 miles a minute right there.

[Olivia] Yeah.

[Paul] And again, this is your first time showing sheep at the Iowa State Fair and you go and win a class. What's that like?

[Braxton] That's really exciting for her because this is only her second show out.

[Paul] You're going to be a 9th grader. What other activities are you in and do they translate at all to being a good show person?

[Chloe] I'm in 4-H, FFA, and band, and definitely a lot of 4-H and FFA. I got to meet a lot of really cool people that have helped me along my journey too.

[Paul] Chloe, what's it mean to take home a banner and get a picture with the judge?

[Chloe] Um, it means a lot. It kind of shows off all of the hard work and success that you've had and all of the hours you put in behind the scenes to get here today.

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[Bill Riley] One of the best parts of the Iowa State Fair is seeing people rewarded for the time, talent and care they put into their projects. Here are some of today's winners.

(On screen text:

Fiddlers' Contest

Grand Champion — Johnny Butten, Springview, NE
Runner Up Grand Champion — Megan Wright, Des Moines

Food

Canned Marmalades: Orange
1st - George Ellerbach, Iowa City
2nd - Rod Zeitler, Iowa City 
3rd - Kimberly Peterson, Granger

Canned Fruit Butters: Apple
1st - Jacqueline Riekena, West Des Moines 
2nd - Terri Sinclair, Cumming 
3rd - Martha Kunkle, Carlisle

America 250

Judge Choice: Doll Houses & Miniature Rooms
Cheryl Koenig, Sally & Bailey Book, Ankeny
Annie Elwell & Ellie Schonefeld, Ankeny
Beth Grabau, Adel

Judge Choice: Photography
David Mordini, Clive
Beckett Ford, Ankeny
Ryan Barton, West Des Moines
Amy Doerring, Newton 
Nadir Nimry, Grimes
Jolene Erickson, Jewell

Big Pumpkin

1st - Pete & Alba Caspers, Peosta
2nd - Curt McWilliams, Victor 
3rd - Rusty Caspers, Anamosa

Youth Spelling Bee

5th and 6th grade
1st - Owen Shera
2nd - Sylas Jones
3rd - Mariah Sollars

3rd and 4th grade
1st - Aiden Behrens
2nd - Mia Anderson - Mueller
3rd tie – Lane Wright
3rd tie – Anna Dowey
3rd tie - Olivia Welch 
3rd tie – Adel Shepard

1st and 2nd grade
1st – Manuel Ramirez-Sanchez
2nd – Bryce Nicholson
3rd - Grant Behrens

Accordion

1st - Brett Feuring, Carson
2nd - Ed Fallon, Des Moines
3rd tie – Hudson Brock, Atlantic
3rd tie – James Sullivan, Omaha, NE )

[Bill Riley] There’s still plenty more fun ahead, but first we need to take a short break. When we come back Charity Nebbe checks out an expanded campground market. We’ll mark America’s 250th anniversary with a special tree and we’ll enjoy a good old fashioned comedy show. So don’t go far—we’ll be right back with more highlights from the Iowa State Fair on Iowa PBS.

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[Paul Yeager] I'm sorry, Cooper, but I gotta ask you, would you rather be here on the opening day or the last day of the fair?

[Cooper] Uh, opening day.

[Man 1] Probably opening. That's the FFA show.

[Boy 1] Last day.

[Paul] Why?

[Boy 1] 'Cause it's the open show.

[Woman 1] I like the opening 'cause it's the cleanest.

[Woman 2] It's new and exciting. The last day's ugh.

[Man 2] Opening day.

[Woman 3] Last day. It's not as busy.

[Man 2] No, that's part of the—

[Woman 3] Opening day, everybody's here. There's no parking.

[Boy 2] Last day.

[Girl 1] Opening.

[Paul] Do you like the —

(Lamb bleats)

What's your name?

[Woman 4] This is Chili.

[Paul] Do you prefer it to be the first day or the last day?

(Lamb bleats)

[Woman 4] Last day, 'cause then we get to go home.

[Man 3] The last day, 'cause I'm done spending money.

[Paul] Okay, Iris, would you rather be here when it's 95° or a rainstorm?

[Iris] Honestly, I really don't know.

[Woman 4] Probably 95°, 'cause it gets really muddy.

[Man 4] Oh, rainstorm all the way. I'd rather be wet than hot.

[Boy 1] Rainstorm.

[Paul] Why?

[Boy 1] Because the barns are a lot emptier and it's easier to get around.

[Boy 2] I would rather stay 95°.

[Woman 1] Rainstorm.

[Woman 5] Rainstorm.

[Paul] Would you rather push a stroller or carry all that stuff in the stroller on your back?

[Man 5] Push a stroller. Yeah, without a doubt.

[Woman 1] Push a stroller, that'd be fun.

[Woman 5] Definitely push a stroller.

[Woman 1] If I didn't have to have a kid in it.

[Woman 6] Push the stroller. I've done both though.

[Man 1] Carry a bunch of stuff on my back.

[Paul] No pushing the stroller for you?

[Man 1] Nope, I do that with wheelbarrows all the time.

[Man 2] Push the stroller. I get tired after a while.

[Woman 3] Yeah, probably push the stroller.

[Man 2] That's why I'm pushing it.

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[Bill Riley] Welcome back, everyone to Fair 2026. Some of the best fair stories begin long before the first competition. They start on farms and in backyards across Iowa, where young people spend months preparing for their moment at the state fair. Tonight, we're headed to Guthrie Center to meet 4-H’er Lillie Lauzon as she gets her chickens ready for the journey to Des Moines.

[Lillie Lauzon, Guthrie Center] I am prepping broiler chickens for the Iowa State Fair. So I get them from my post office and then I bring them home to water that has electrolytes in it since they've been kind of stressed out. And then I feed them just game bird chick feed for 2 weeks. And then I start to mix in their other grower feed.

And then eventually they get fully onto that and they start adding a whole bunch of weight on. And then 3 days or a couple days before the fair, I end up washing them. And they move through the line of washing them. Then after that, I take them to the fair and see what happens.

They're 2 weeks old right now.

Well, they were 2 weeks old yesterday, so a little older. But I'm at the stage where they're transitioning from their chick feed to their grower feed, and they're in their ugly stage where they're just getting their wings and they still got a lot of fuzz on them. When I could start 4-H, I lived in town and the only thing I could raise was chickens because, well, I was in town.

And we built this coop and then I just got pretty good at it.

And I started winning the county fair.

And I was told by multiple different people that I should take this to a higher level. And the judge one year during the county fair told me that I had chickens good enough to win the state fair. So I decided that I should probably give it a shot.

And it's my 3rd year doing it. And my first year I got Grand Champion Commercial Fowl, pretty sure. And then last year I got the Grand Champion Broiler. It's hard, but it's fun at the same time. Get to watch them grow very quickly and just, it's impressive how much they can grow in a little bit and how much food you have to prepare for them.

So last year I got Grand Champion and I got the banner. And a whole bunch of ribbons. And it's kind of a whole process that you don't realize you'll have to go through. And your chickens, they get put into that barn. And then for, I think it was 8 days or the rest of the fair, they stayed there.

And then after that, they got sold at the sale of champions on the last Saturday of the fair.

My hopes for the state fair this year, which very unlikely to happen, but it's to win another purple banner.

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[Charity Nebbe] The State Fair has many traditions, and that includes camping. For two weeks every year, the state fair's campgrounds become a village of its own, and the grocery store is here to keep these mobile mansions fully stocked and the campers happy. And this year, there's a new addition that is bringing an old Des Moines favorite back to life.

You and your brother took over the general store here in the campground just a few years ago. Did that feel like a sort of a mantle you were taking on when you took it over?

[Kim Robertson, Des Moines] So when we first started, we just kind of looked at it, and I think he just decided it needed a little total renovation.

[Charity] A little total renovation.

[Kim] Just a little total renovation. And so anyway, so we did. Gutted it. We've had a long-standing record with the fair since like 1986 doing Bouder’s. So running a store wasn't the problem. It was just the labor that's involved, the expense that's involved, lots of just time, effort, whatever you want to call it.

[Charity] Now the campers who come to the state fair campgrounds are very well prepared, but what do they need? What sells well in the general store?

[Kim] They need ice. And then when they're done with that ice, they want more ice. So ice is a huge thing. And then it gets into all the other things that would be kind of a grab-and-go mentality. In 2025, Mark decided that we were going to have soft serve ice cream.

[Woman 1] We've been here since you opened and he gets ice cream every day.

[Employee] So, you know how good it is.

[Kim] It was a slam dunk. And I think what that did is it just opened the door to what else is possible. Marty was a classmate of mine, and we knew each other. We knew each other from the Ingersoll area because he had Embers, and Marty knew what he was doing with pizza.

He was so excited, and that just makes me— he's just like we are. Well, he's Italian, so that just says it all. What else can I say?

[Marty Scarpino, Des Moines] My mother and father opened up Scarpino's Pizza, I think '65, on 73rd and University, Des Moines, Iowa. They had a Dixieland band. People just showed up. And then my girlfriend, Dina, and I bought Jesse's Embers, and I worked there since '81. So we bought that and just sold it last year. Everybody knew how to make the sauce in the family.

And then my brother Danny came up with the sausage recipe. I think he got the recipe from my grandfather. People at the fair like it, so I hope it goes good.

[Charity] Did you spend time at the fair when you were growing up?

[Marty] Yes, my grandfather was chief of police out here from 1945 to 1975. So we had fun at the fair. It's kind of hard because if you're playing the games, if you throw something, you automatically win because that way they didn't want my grandfather to give them any heat.

[Charity] Why did you want to resurrect Scarpino's Pizza?

[Kim] Because it's local. Everything about this store has to be about local. Scarpino's was around way back when. And pizza is just one of the things that is so popular. We just want to keep all the campers extra happy. Happy campers is what it's all about.

♪ (Graphic transition) ♪

[Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture] Well, first of all, it's great to be here on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Fitting place, I think, to plant the official Iowa America 250 commemorative tree, a beautiful bur oak, which is our state's tree, official tree. And so that's all fitting. And also, we really wanted to feature— this is an effort to plant 250 trees across the state of Iowa, working with youth, with 4-H and FFA.

And the other piece about this that's so great at the fairgrounds is that folks every year can come and check in on the tree and see how it's doing. It'll live for generations, we certainly hope, but also be able to take pictures in front of it and just celebrate what it means to be an American and what it means to have achieved this 250th anniversary of our country's independence.

It's so important to do that, to commemorate the history, but also to think about the future, what will happen 250 years from now. It's all about doing something today that has a benefit for tomorrow.

[Chris Cournoyer, Lieutenant Governor of Iowa] I've been thinking a lot about how we honor our past. To me, the best way to do that isn't just by looking back, it's by planning something for people coming after us. That's what America 250 is really all about. It's not just a big birthday party, it's a chance to build a legacy that lasts.

By getting these trees in the ground, you're doing more than just making the fairgrounds look better. You're showing everyone that being a leader is about taking care of your community today so there's shade and beauty for someone else tomorrow. It's that same roll-up-your-sleeves attitude that always made Iowa special.

[Mike Naig] The Great Iowa State Fair is a celebration of Iowa, of our community, of agriculture certainly. And so again, we think that because it is such an important annual event that it's a fitting place to have the official tree.

[Nora Pickhinke,  Iowa FFA State President] This tree is going to see so much throughout its lifetime. to see all of the accomplishments of the State Fair, whether it be within 4-H members, FFA members, State Fair Queen contest, anything that happens on this Bill Riley Stage right behind me here, just anything, um, and all the moments throughout the State Fair.

♪ (Graphic transition) ♪

[Bill Riley] The Riley Stage has been filled with memorable performances this week, and these young entertainers have earned their place in the next round. Here's who advanced today.

(On screen text:

Sprouts Champions

Lucy Smid, 11, Des Moines — Jazz Dance Solo
Faith Eugenia Scott, 10, Johnston — Violin Solo

Seniors Finalists

Sebastian Gearhart, 16, Urbandale — Piano Solo
Ava Kloppe, 27, Cumming — Contemporary Solo
Bella De Haan, 17, Pella — Piano Solo )

Watch the Talent Championships, Sunday, August 23 at 8 p.m. on Iowa PBS.

[Bill Riley] Some fair traditions aren't measured by blue ribbons or attendance records. They're measured by the people who come back year after year for a familiar meal, a friendly face and a place that feels like home. For more than 75 years, one food stand has been serving fairgoers with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Today, it's the last church-operated food stand on the Iowa State fairgrounds.

[Jerry Slagter, West Des Moines] We're kind of famous for our seats, our little bar here. So it's like, “Oh, that's stand with the red seats out front.” I think it's special for us. And I think people like just coming here. I don't know if it's an old-fashioned kind of feel.

[Mike Plymale, West Des Moines] This is our 77th year of serving the public at the Iowa State Fair. A group of women from the church decided there needed to be a United Methodist Church presence on the State Fairgrounds. It was a very small wooden stand with a sawdust floor.

[Jerry] It used to be open 24 hours, so we would have someone actually sitting in a cot. Kind of sleep a little bit and just doing coffee and doughnuts.

[Mike] We're on Rock Island road. This used to be known as Church Row, and we are the last church on Church Row. Breakfast is the busiest time. Last year, we sold one ton of gravy. It's good down-home food, and people come back year after year, and we see that every day. Customers that have been there for years, or they came with their parents to eat here, and they're coming back and bringing their kids.

[Skylar Kirby, Pella] We come here every year for breakfast. It's just like a fan favorite. I don't know, the food's great, the people are super sweet and attentive, and prices are great, and we just like it.

[Camren Madden, Alden] Constantly got to be watering the pigs, you know, especially when it gets hot out. So, you know, just being close enough where maybe at the show in 15 minutes and I'm hungry, I can sneak away, you know, probably 20 steps across the street and come. And the food's great here. It's never let me down. I always go for the biscuits and gravy, so you might as well give it a shot.

[Jerry] It's got to be unique to have 300 people say, “Yeah, I'll take an 8-hour shift because we think it's the right thing and it's a fun thing to do.” That's really special, I think, that it's all volunteers.

[Mike] They want to serve the public. They want to have a church presence here at the state fair, and they really have fun doing it.

[Jerry] We have volunteers from our church, but from the community-wide, other churches. I think once someone does the stand, they enjoy it. We try to have a lot of fun. Everything comes on a stick, so we said, “Well, why not a prayer?” So we hand these out, something that you can take with you, put in your pocket, just kind of a fun little fair thing.

We're busy all the time, and the fair is busy too, but once you sit down, it seems like it slows down a little bit, and, and you can talk to people.

[Mike] I love to meet new people and make new friends, and I've made friends here from all over the world.

[Jerry] Mom and Dad did it, or Grandpa and Grandma did it, so I want to do it. So I think as long as we keep that going and, you know, run a good stand, have fun while we're doing it, maybe we can get to 100.

♪ (Graphic transition) ♪

[Man 1] You couldn't shoot the sky.

[Man 2] Watch me!

[Man 1] You couldn't shoot the ground.

[Man 2] Watch me!

[Man 1] You couldn't shoot fish if it were in a barrel.

[Man 2] Watch me!

[Jeremy Danley, ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show] I'm Sheriff Hoppalong Casually. I run this town on law and order. We don't mess around, we don't fool around. We take things very, very seriously to maintain law and order.

[Sheriff] Boss, boss, boss. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Boss. Nothing.

[Man 2] Then you're the boss of nothing.

[Sheriff] Yep. Hey!

[Man 2] I'm so bad, I like to go through the 10 items or less line with 11 items.

[Sheriff] Boo!

[Jeremy] Bad Bob comes in, he challenges people, he challenges myself. He challenges my deputy. He gets the audience all riled up. We gotta get him locked back up in jail.

[Man 2] Ahh! Ahh!

[Man 3] Shish kebab!

[Jeremy] You wanna have a lot of laughs? You wanna see some special effects? You wanna— you could even dance in the aisles. We don't care. Just come down, see the show. Laugh, cheer, boo. You could even throw a beer at me. I don't care. I'll probably take a sip.

[Man 3] Pull the gun! Pull! Yeah!

[Ed Landwehr, ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show] And this right here is Shenanatown, and, and we do a show in front of here. We do it at, at 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock. It's lots of fun. It's like a vaudeville show, but it has guns in it. You afraid of guns? I'm afraid of guns.

[Sheriff] Oh!

[Man 2] Haha! You missed me!

Haha! You got me, didn't you?

[Sheriff] Oh, that's disappointing.

[Man 3] What is it?

[Sheriff] I just remembered, I can't read.

[Man 3] Oh, that's right. You went to Iowa State.

[Jeremy] I started right here in Des Moines, Iowa, at a little-known place called Adventureland Park. Have you ever heard of it?

And that was in 1990-something-something, about 30 years ago. Then in 1996, went on the road full-time traveling around with this crew, going to all kinds of other fairs and amusement parks throughout the country. And then now here I am back where it all began, 30 years later. 30 pounds later, and a lot more gray in my beard.

[Man 2] Go get in your gunfight position.

[Jeremy] You got, you got the high noon sun up there, all kinds of distractions happening. So with that kind of challenge, it makes it a lot of fun. You can see them engaged with all of that, and you're not in ideal performance conditions, and they're laughing and they're paying attention, that's when you know you got something.

[Sheriff] What do you think about that? Hey, I fixed it!

♪ (Graphic transition) ♪

My name's Bill Gordish, and I've been carving at the fair here for several years, 35-plus years.

I had a couple of mentors over the years, but I mean, there's not too many people doing it. So the rest of it, you kind of have to learn on your own as you go and learn the different tools, maybe some different aspects. You can see things online, but I've been doing it like 40 years now, so kind of got things tuned into what tools I want to use and what I want to make.

I'm pretty much the guy for Iowa, me and a couple other guys that do it. Ron's in Waterloo, Matt and Rob are in Quad Cities. Dave was in Des Moines. He retired. So it's pretty much me in this area. But the ice has been the issue because the ice company came to town and got, you know, bought out the other one and they're not doing the blocks anymore.

So luckily, the Des Moines Area Community College, they— there was a block on Marketplace or a block maker and they bought it and they've been keeping me going. So it's been a blessing. It's a process, so I kind of draw on it with a 6-prong pick, and then after you draw on it and get what you're gonna cut, you kind of cut away everything you don't need.

And then you start shaping the 3D aspect of it. Is that meant to look like a pumpkin? I do things I know I can get done within a half hour, 40 minutes, because it's melting like crazy. That's all she wrote, man. That's right there.

[Bill Riley] Well, that's all for tonight but what a fun way to spend an hour at the Iowa State Fair. If you'd like to watch any of tonight's stories again, or catch something you missed, we've got plenty of ways to keep the Fair going wherever you are.

Watch all of our Iowa State Fair coverage wherever you connect with Iowa PBS, whenever it's convenient for you. Here’s what we have planned for tomorrow night’s show. We’ll get up close and personal with some fascinating reptiles. We'll feel the power as the tractor pulls take center stage.  And we'll delight in one of the fair's most unusual competitions — the Cow Chip Throwing Contest.

Thanks for spending part of your evening with us. One of the best things about the Iowa State Fair is that there's room for just about every kind of fun and we've enjoyed sharing a little of that with you tonight.

We'll do it again tomorrow. Until then, I'm Bill Riley. Have fun at the fair.

♪♪ (Credits rollup on screen) ♪♪

Host
Bill Riley

Executive Producer
Theresa Knight

Editors/Production Assistants
Julie Knutson
Neal Kyer

Segment Producers
Judy Blank
Patrick Boberg
Dan Bolsem
Laurel Bower
Tyler Brinegar
Josh Buettner
Andrea Coyle
Travis Graven
Deb Herbold
Emily Kestel
Colleen Krantz
Kelsey Kremer
David Miller
Rachel Mummey
Carissa Stockel
John Torpy
Peter Tubbs
Paul Yeager

Videographers
Darrin Clouse
Scott Faine
Eric Gooden
Mark Haugen
Kenny Knutson

Editors
Reid Denker
Kevin Rivers

Audio
David Feingold

Technical Director
Reid Denker

Camera
Lucas Thompson
Clarissa Stockel
Luke Garcia
Philip Blobaum

Field Reporters
Abby Brown
Travis Graven
Brooke Kohlsdorf
Dana Lain
Charity Nebbe
Blair Ryan
Hayley Schaefer

Motion Graphics
Bo Dodge
Brent Willett

Production Assistance
Tiffany Clouse

Production Supervisor
Sean Ingrassia

Graphics
Joe Bustad

Creative Director
Alisa Dodge

Digital Team
Matt Clark
Danny Engesser
Abby Friedmeyer
Randy Garza
Gavin Jensen

Communications Team
Caryline Clark
Matt Clark
Bo Dodge
Hayley Schaefer
Dan Wardell

Master Control
Jim Quint
Jason Walerius

Programming & Operations Manager
Matt Weesner

Director of Communications & Marketing
Caryline Clark

Executive Director & General Manager
Andrew Batt

Copyright 2026
Iowa PBS
iowapbs.org

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