Fair 2022 – Thursday, August 18

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♪♪ 

Hi. I'm Bill Riley. Welcome to our Thursday night edition of "Fair 2022." For more than 50 years it's been our pleasure to bring you highlights of the great Iowa State Fair. We have a fantastic hour ahead of us tonight. Here is a quick rundown. 

Talented singer and song writer Spencer Crandall brings his popular country music to the stage. We'll meet some enthusiastic beard growers as they face off at Pioneer Hall. And Brooke Kohlsdorf joins Iowa celebrities at the 40th Governors Charity Steer Show. Now, we've all heard people say something is easy as pie. But is it really that easy? I'm not so sure it is. Travis Graven is at the Elwell Family Food Center and he'll find out what is exactly involved in making a really good pie. 

TRAVIS GRAVEN: I think I might have died and gone to heaven. Just look at all of these pies. There are 14 classes of cream and custard pies all competing against each other. 17 classes of fruit pies that compete against each other. They all look delicious, so the judges have a difficult, but, dare I say, enviable job ahead of them. 

Beautiful. Look at the glaze on the strawberries. 

Blue berries. This is beautiful. 

TRAVIS: Is there anything just in general that is a key to a state fair blue ribbon pie? 

DIANNA SHEEHY, JUDGE: Starting with the crust. We don't want a thin crust or too thick of a crust. Then when it comes to appearance it's always nice to have everything wrapped up into one, a beautiful pie, one that tastes the best, and everything's done the way you want it. You don't always get that. So it makes it a little challenging to judge. 

TRAVIS: What makes a good peanut butter pie? 

JOHN WEILER, JUDGE: Well, rich peanut flavors. A nice, consistent yet firm filling so it doesn't run too much. And then whatever else we can make on top of it to spice it up a little bit. We got peanut butter, we got chocolate chips. We've got graham crackers, we got Oreos, marshmallows. We have the works here. This is going to be good. 

TRAVIS: What are you tasting right now, Mary? 

MARY HANNA, JUDGE: This is pecan pie and it has a wonderful tender and flakey crust. It is nicely shaped. The filling needs to be full of pecans but I'm also looking for that syrup and sugar that blend with the butter. That should be a real rich flavor. So it's just one of my favorites. I was happy to judge this one. 

TRAVIS: You are making me hungry just describing it. 

[ LAUGHTER ]

MARY: Yeah, it's kind of tough to go from tasting to eating or I mean that is an easy thing to go from tasting to eating. I have to be careful when I do that. 

TRAVIS: You've been doing a little bit of everything this morning, Lois. Are you full yet? 

LOIS ALDRIDGE, JUDGE: Almost. Almost. Some delicious pies. You just want to keep eating and eating but there's a limit. 

TRAVIS: If there is something you could pick out, one or two things, what is a key to a state fair winning pie? 

LOIS: We first eat with our eyes, so that's the first thing I look at. Is this something that I would take home? Or is this something that I would want to serving from? And of course next is the blend of the flavors. 

TRAVIS: Do you have a favorite kind of pie? 

JOHN: It starts with "P" and ends with "E." Okay? And there's just me in the middle, right? "I." Okay. So, yeah. I like them all. 

TRAVIS: Sara, you're dishing out pie here. What's the occasion? 

SARA GIESLER-TARBOX: Well, it's Machine Shed Pie Day and one of my favorite days of the fair. I entered eight pies and these pies didn't place so we pass them out to people just for fun because we might as well spread the love. 

TRAVIS: Even though they didn't place I'm sure they are still delicious. 

SARA: They are. Everybody seems to be enjoying them. 

TRAVIS: If you had some advice to somebody maybe considering entering what would you tell them? 

LOIS: Practice at home. Practice makes perfect. Practice, practice, practice. The thing with a pie is it can look perfect and you can't cut it before you bring it. So practice makes perfect. 

♪♪ 

[ Beard Growing Contest ]

Well, it started off just being lazy. I didn't like shaving all the time so kind of kept growing a little longer and I kept getting compliments out in public. Just kept growing it that way and enjoying it ever since. A little over seven years now, never trimmed it off. 

JUSTIN KRABER: Oh, the warmth, absolutely, in the winter. It's an amazing face warmer. She made me shave it during January before. Uh-huh. It's not happening again. No. 

♪♪ 

STATE FAIR QUEEN MARY ANN FOX: And our winner for the longest beard is number 250. 

[Cheers and Applause] 

MARK VAN DONSELAAR: Just nine years continuous. Last time I trimmed it, I trimmed 11 inches off nine years ago. 

♪♪ 

And in second place [longest beard], 237. 

But, it was a tie [best groomed beard]. And number 229. 

DAKOTA RUNDLETT: I love my mustache wax and a good barber. A good barber is key. 

JACOB MOSER: Yeah. I would agree a good barber and good products. 

[ Governor's Charity Steer Show ]

ANNOUNCER: And we'll bring our first celebrity into the ring as tradition is. Please welcome the governor from the state of Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds. 

BROOKE KOHLSDORF: This is the 40th edition of the Governor's Charity Steer Show. There are 25 entries this year. It's all for a good cause. The proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House. 

The 25 competitors are lined up, and the celebrity interviews are under way. 

GOV. KIM REYNOLDS: But especially these young kids that are here today and working so hard. But they put a lot of work in and for them to come in and take the opportunity to show here and take it to the ring to raise money for a great cause is remarkable. 

ANNOUNCER: Governor, good luck again this year. 

REYNOLDS: Let the competition begin. 

LT. GOV. ADAM GREGG: 2019 the last time I had the opportunity to win this thing. We've got a great steer today so I think we have a good shot. 

GARY SLATER: Maverick is top gun. The rest of you guys watch out because we're coming for you. 

JOHN MORTIMER: We were at the governor's steer show in 1983. You think it's warm now, it was 109 degrees in here. 

ANNOUNCER: Tell me about Chad. 

CHIP FLORY: Chad is 1485 pounds of Iowa corn fed beef. 

JESS SETTLES: This is my third governor's show. We grew up in southeast Iowa. We're hog guys. 

CLARISSA CHUN: We're going full Nelson on the competition. We're going to take them all out. 

REP. STEVE BRADLEY: We have Big Mac here. He is 1,410 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal. 

ROSS KOOPMANS: About three years ago we had a child with Down Syndrome and when you have something that happens like that it is an emotional rollercoaster. You get to hear it from the steer's mouth I would say that, you know, it's events like these that parents like myself need. There is no other way we could have done without it and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

BROOKE: This year's steer judge is Brian McCulloh. 

BRIAN McCULLOH, JUDGE: I actually grew up in Iowa. And the Iowa State Fair as a 4H kid from this state was a big deal. I knew before I came the level of quality, the depth of quality that was going to be at this event. I'm not looking for the heaviest steer. I'm not looking for the heaviest muscle steer. They have to combine as many good things into one package. That's what I'm looking for. 

BROOKE: While McCulloh is thinking about who to select let's see who judges pick for the Community Hero Award. 

ANNOUNCER: With Tucker Klima, Tradition, and the Eastern Ronald McDonald House in Quad Cities McDonald's. 

BROOKE: Now it is time to give out the award for showmanship. 

ANNOUNCER: Gary Slater is our showman of the day today. 

BROOKE: Next is the battle for the Peoples Choice Award. The crowd is making this one difficult. 

[ Cheering ] 

It's Clarissa Chun, showing Maverick.

BRIAN McCULLOH, JUDGE: I think it is a phenomenal Iowa beef industry council. All the sponsors. All the parents. All the exhibitors. Congratulations. Let's hear one final roar for what is a phenomenal event here in Iowa. 

ANNOUNCER: Looks like he is going to give a customary tap to our winner. Here is your top steer at this year's event. Congratulations to John Lawrence, our showman. Brady Werner from Williamsburg brought the number one steer in today. That steer is named Blue. Big thank you to our judge for doing a wonderful job. 

JOHN LAWRENCE: I've done this three or four times before. It's always a fun event for a great cause. 

BROOKE: Have you ever won? 

JOHN: I have never made the final drive before. So this is a highlight. I'm really excited. And congratulations to Brady, who made it, and Blue, who made it all possible. 

BRADY: He did a good job setting him up. 

BROOKE: Now it's into the auction ring. The Governor's Charity Steer Show has raised more than $4.5 million for the Ronald McDonald Charities of Iowa. This year the steers sold at auction brought more than $436,000 pushing the total to just over $5 million. And that's how we finished up. 

BILL RILEY: So are you ready for some more trivia? Here's a good one for you. How many ribbons are handed out during the Iowa state Fair each year. 20,000? 30,000? 40,000? Maybe 50,000 ribbons? That is a tough one. We'll bring you the answer a little later in the show. Meanwhile we'll head over to the Mid-American Stage with Spencer Crandall. 

SPENCER CRANDALL: Iowa State Fair, how we doing? 

♪ It's a small town ♪  ♪ What did you expect ♪ 

Hi. I'm Spencer Crandall. I am a country music artist from Denver, Colorado and have been in Nashville, Tennessee for a few years now. 

♪♪ 

My sound is like if Justin timberlake made a country album. I would say Frankensteins all my influences. 

This is the dream right here. Little country music, the sun is going down. 

I take from hip hop, EDM, pop music and obviously country music is kind of where I live so country storytelling, country instrumentation but pulls no punches and unapologetic about Frankensteining other genres in there.

I write a lot of love songs. When love songs don't work out you get breakup songs. Don't worry. This is a breakup song that the kids say slapped. 

When it comes to song writing I pull from my real life. I think it's the most interesting, most authentic. I want to tell my story and what actually happened. Something translates when it's your story. So that's real important to me. 

♪ Trying to tell my friends ♪

♪ Now I have to call my mom say the trip is off go to Colorado for the weekend ♪ 

♪ We just bought a couch so what do we do now ♪ 

♪ Now that we know we can't work this out ♪ 

♪ Can we go from being in love back to friends or is this I guess I'll see you around ♪ 

♪ What do we what do we what do we do now ♪

♪ If I see you out sometime can I come say hi or do I walk by ♪ 

♪ Can I send a birthday text ♪ 

♪ Which one of us goes and what do we what do we what do we do now ♪ 

♪ Now that we know we can't work this out ♪ 

I wrote "Things I Can't Say" with my buddy Josh and Julie, and Julie is featured on the song. We wanted to tell this story because everybody's been here. I'm thinking the words I love you. But I don't want to scare this person away because this feels really, really early. So what are the things I can and can't say and we wrote the whole chorus, these are the things I can't say. I love you. I want to be with you. 

So another song that really changed my life, I put it on TikTok, "Hey, check out this song," and a few million streams later here we are and it's been an incredible ride 

♪ See us in a ranch house with a pine ♪  ♪ A couple kids with your baby blues ♪ 

♪ But I love you is on the tip of my tongue and I want you to want me to be the one ♪  ♪ And I almost tell you every night when we're getting off Face Time ♪ 

The Iowa State Fair is massive. I had no idea how big it was. We were just driving by seeing horses and agricultural set-ups. It's pretty impressive. 

♪ You know I want to babe I'll add it to the list of things I can't say ♪ 

Iowa State Fair, how we feeling? 

[Cheers and Applause] 

BILL RILEY: Hey folks what a thrill for me to introduce to you the 2022 Iowa State Fair Queen. I'm standing here with her. Mary Ann Fox from Mitchell County. Let's get to know her a little bit. Congratulations. So much fun last Saturday night when you were crowned. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. 

MARY ANN FOX: I hail from Mitchell County, Osage to be more exact and New Haven to be even more exact. I have family out there that like to get that represented. I graduated from Osage High School this past spring and I'll attend Iowa State University. I grew up on a farm around Black Angus Beef and a variety of other farm animals. So a farm girl through and through. 

BILL: Wonderful. Now, Saturday night. 98 county queens on that wonderful stage, beautiful night. Probably 4,000 or 5,000 people in the crowd. Tell us what it felt like when your name was selected. 

QUEEN CONTEST ANNOUNCER: "From Mitchell County, Mary Ann Fox." 

BILL: What it's like at the county level to encourage young ladies from around the state to consider becoming a county queen candidate? 

MARY ANN FOX: Well, to be honest I wasn't breathing for the first 30 seconds. I held my breath until my name was called and even then I don't think I was breathing. But it was an unforgettable experience. Happiness and a sigh of relief knowing my hard work paid off. When it comes to the county level that's where it starts and getting out there. It's a great opportunity. Being involved in your county and your community is what's important. And just being an ambassador for your county. Great opportunity for any girl that wants to do it. 

BILL: Now before we let you go, I have to find out what it's like to be the queen of the fair and strolling the grounds. Before we started the interview a beautiful young girl came up and had her photo taken with you. It has to be a magical feeling. Give us an idea what it is like to be queen. 

MARY ANN: It is definitely, especially when the little kids come up wanting a hug, a photo, even a fist bump. It makes me feel special because they look up to me in more ways than one. 

BILL: Well said. 

MARY ANN: It's great. I love it. It can get a little tiring but it is rewarding. I love the fair. I've always been here every single year. Walking through the grounds seeing it through a different set of eyes just makes it that much better. 

BILL: Wonderful. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2022 Iowa State Fair Queen from Mitchell County, Mary Ann Fox.

Congratulations to everyone who competed in a contest this year. Here are some results. 

Banjo

• 1. Darin Manson, Albia
• 2. Josiah Heckman, Weldon
• 3. Leon Johnson, Mitchellville
• 4. John Schlenker, Ankeny
• 5. Marti Narenstone, Council Bluffs

Mandolin

• 1. Daniel Bell, Osage
• 2. Ben McClure, Des Moines
• 3. David Hargrove, Winterset
• 4. Derek Stuart, Polk City
• 5. Mike Gonzalez, Des Moines

Nostalgic Comfort Food - Appetizer/Side Dish

• 1st: Tiffany Smith, Earlham
• 2nd: Larry Mahlstedt, Des Moines
• 3rd: Susan Schultz, Haverhill

Nostalgic Comfort Food - Dessert

• 1st: Susan Schultz, Haverhill
• 2nd: Natalie Larson, Des Moines
• 3rd: Rita Cashman Becker, Fort Madison

Nostalgic Comfort Food - Main Dish

• 1st: Cheryl Pike, Johnston
• 2nd: Jacqueline Riekena, West Des Moines
• 3rd: Aimee Rodin, Des Moines

Mrs. Grimes Chili Cook-Off

• 1st: Kyle Barton, West Des Moines
• 2nd: David Smith, Des Moines
• 3rd: Anita Van Gundy, Des Moines

Breads and Spreads

• 1st: Heather Collier, Des Moines
• 2nd: Amy Fuson, Indianola
• 3rd: Marcia Trevillyan, West Des Moines

Horseshoes - Iowa Juniors

• 1. Cooper Weise, Roland
• 2. Damian Lanczos, Roland

Horseshoes - Iowa Cadets

• 1. Ella Scott, Truro
• 2. Luke Smith, Gladbrook
• 3. Zach Smith, Gladbrook
• 4. Bailey Culver, Tama
• 5. Brooklyn Wiese, Ellsworth

♪♪ ♪♪ 

BILL RILEY: It's time for a very short break, but when we come back we're going to meet some majestic horses and their riders in the show ring. We'll get a line dancing lesson in Pioneer Hall, and all of those ribbons that the fair gives away, well, we'll learn where they're made. So come right back for more state fair fun on Iowa PBS. 

♪♪

There was incredible talent on the Riley stage today. Here are the acts moving on. 

Sprouts Champions

• Dance Solo: Catie Christenson, 12, Urbandale
• Tap Trio: Monroe Eischeid, 10, Manning; Elly Houston, 11, Denison; Sophia Hodne, 11, Irwin
• Tap Trio: Kinley Oberhaus, 10; Kayleigh Sieverding, 10; Kinidi Struck, 10 all of Davenport

Senior Finalists

• Vocal Solo: Carter Hayden, 21, Blairstown
• Lyrical Dance Solo: Bailey Miller, 21, Gowrie
• Twirling: Grace Wood, 20, Indianola

♪♪

Tune in to Iowa PBS on Sunday, August 21 for the talent championships. 

BILL RILEY: Welcome back everyone to Fair 2022. We'll start the second half of our show with a reach back into the archives. In tonight's Fair Flashback Chad Randolph former host of Market to Market reminds us what life was like on the south end of the fairgrounds way back in 1978. 

CHAD RANDOLPH: In our coverage of the farm events at this year's state fair we neglected to show you one thing, the people, the ones who spend most of their time every year at the state fair in these buildings. The people for whom every year the state fair is the big event. As much work as it is pleasure. The people showing the cattle, sheep, and hogs. They are, quite frankly, the life and breath of Iowa State Fair agriculture and the fact that these people show up year after year gives you a good indication of their support, not just for the Iowa State Fair but probably more importantly for all aspects of Iowa agriculture. 

♪♪ 

They are the people of the south end, the people who are for the most part, frankly, just too busy to ever venture north of the show range. They probably don't eat many corn dogs, rarely go to the Midway, and only hear the roar of the crowd at the grandstand from quite a distance. They're farmers, not quite the dying breed some people might have you think, the people who make up the bulk of Iowa's social strength, and who are responsible for nearly 80% of its economic well being. When they come to the state fair they come to show off their work, talk shop, promote their products, or just eye with envy somebody else who's got something better. 

♪♪ 

Theirs is a lifestyle with which most of us would be unfamiliar if not uncomfortable. For the most part, they drive pick-ups with trailers, camp out, sleep in animal pens or in makeshift, open air, quote, "dormitories" in the lofts of live stock barns.

♪♪ 

Doesn't seem to bother any of them. For ten days every year this is their life. 

♪♪ 

There is a certain camaraderie among the people of the south end. A camaraderie well worth seeing and seeing up close. Next year or tomorrow, if you get the chance, walk down into the live stock area, and as the fair people like to say, take a closer look. You'll see for example cowboys either real ones or one day cowboys. The city folks who buy cowboy hats and then wear them wrong. 

There are barkers there, too, just like any part of the fair. But over here in the south end, they're hawking wares you can't necessarily put in the back seat of your car and take it home. They are selling and selling hard equipment like combines, tractors, harvesters which is a comment, happy or sad, take your pick, on machinery manufacturers' ingenuity and the current state of farm economics. All in all, it's quite a package, but lest we lead you into thinking that everything is serious over here we want to remind you that camaraderie is what this area of the fairgrounds is all about. There are of course places to meet, relax, and have some fun 

You know, when you walk through the south end of the fairground, talk to the farmers, look at their products, you can't help but keep in the back of you mind one fact. That is that these people's livelihoods are probably more uncertain than any one of us would like to admit. For these people, these farmers are dependent upon nature for their livelihood. No questions asked. They have to put up with its fickleness and its whims. Don't blame them, then, if for ten days a year they have a good time. 

[ FFA Horse Show ]

KRISTIN FISCH, SUPERINTENDENT: We're at the Livestock Pavilion for the horse show. We have I think this year about 85 participants. Around 120 horses. That is showcasing about 55 different individual school chapters from across the state of Iowa. The exhibitors range in age from 7th grade to 12th grade. One thing that is unique about our show is that we have such a wide range of types of horses here in classes, so some of these exhibitors, they go and saddle their horses and maybe show at the county fair and state fair. Some of these exhibitors show across the country. Today you'll see western pleasure, English pleasure, equitation which means the rider is more judged than the horse. They have a pattern they'll do one at a time. 

LITA PERRIN, JUDGE: The Open Walk / Trot Pleasure Class is going to be an exciting class, because we're going to have English and western exhibitors. It is going to be on the horse. So how the horse moves, how broke the horse is, how they do their transitions will all be really important. It'll be fun. 

So the Pony Western Pleasure Class will be a good class today. Those horses are going to be exhibiting, showing their movement and their brokeness. We are looking for horses that are soft, that can go with the relatively loose rein that shows a higher degree of difficulty. 

ANNOUNCER: First place with the purple, Kirstin Schaefer from Midland.

KRISTIN: Heavy Hitch is one of the highlights of our show. It makes our FFA show unique. It is one thing we always appreciate when the exhibitor takes the time and effort to bring that up here. It is a lot of work to bring the wagon and the team and all of that. We've lucked out the last five or six years and had at least one entry in that class. 

ANNOUNCER: First place with the purple is Dally Orman, Agri-Power FFA.

LITA: We will be judging the English Pleasure Class today. The riders use their seat and legs to drive their horse up into the bridle. Which creates a collected, driving movement. That is what we also want when we are going to go jump a fence so it kind of is a preparatory class for that. 

ANNOUNCER: First place with the purple is Morgan Hanson, IKM-Manning FFA.

MORGAN QUICK, SUPERINTENDENT: I think the biggest takeaway for our students is the amount of people they make for friends. There are so many people I can go back and say, "Hey, I showed at the Iowa State Fair with them." So it's all about making those life long connections for these students. We're hoping that the older students are helping the younger, inexperienced ones go through and get better with their showing techniques and, also, inspiring the little kids that come around the barns to hopefully one day that they'll have a horse and be showing. You never know, one day this might spark their future career and lead them to their next great journey. 

LITA: The FFA horse show or any horse shows like this where there is a big competition takes so much preparatory work. These kids look forward to this for a long time. They take lessons. They work their horses sometimes five, six days a week in preparation for this. And there is so much pressure on these youth to be able to compete that sometimes it goes south for them. So they have to learn how to win, how to lose, how to work hard. Showing horses is so great for youth because it prepares them for so many things in the future. 

[ Line Dancing Lessons ]

CHARITY NEBBE: Every year I come to the Iowa State Fair and Iowa PBS comes up with crazy ideas for things that I can do on camera. Last year they asked me to ride an extreme ride. So I said, okay. I'm up for it. And I rode the skyscraper. This year they tried to come up with something even more terrifying. And they succeeded. This year I'm going to learn country line dancing. 

♪♪ 

NORMA HATCHER, TEACHER: Everybody come up and we're going to start out with a pretty easy one. 

CHARITY: I'm glad I'm not the only one here without the proper foot wear. 

So you guys came with the right foot wear, which was key. Obviously that was my problem. And you have some great moves out there. Do you guys go line dancing much? 

KAITLYN BRIGGS: Yeah. We started, I think in 2020 taking lessons from Norma and we've been going to lessons like every week since. 

CHARITY: Really. That's great. What do you love about it? 

ASHLYN BRIGGS: The music. We play music and I'm a big old country fan, so we like listening and then just dancing to it, too. 

CHARITY: I haven't line danced since sixth grade gym class, a long time ago. We're behind now. Sorry. 

NORMA: Step to your right and then just touch. Okay? 

CHARITY: Now I'm here with Norma Hatcher, our wonderful teacher from Osceola. 

NOMRA: Thank you. 

CHARITY: How long have you been teaching line dancing? 

NORMA: About 31 years. 

CHARITY: Wow. 

NORMA: Now, this is the particular part. We're going to do a quarter turn to our left. 

CHARITY: So what do you love about it and what do you see people getting from it when you teach them? 

NORMA: It's great exercise. It's not only physical exercise. It's mental exercise. People that come to class or to a dance, it's social. Six, seven, eight. Step together step touch. 

CHARITY: What was the most challenging part of this line dancing do you think? 

HILL FAMILY: It was almost all challenging. 

CHARITY: Yeah. I thought it was almost all challenging, too. But it was fun, right? 

NORMA: Step, kick, back, touch. 

[ LAUGHTER ]

CHARITY: Totally nailed it. Totally. 

♪ Oh, yes wait a minute Mr. Postman ♪  ♪ Wait wait wait Mr. Postman ♪ 

CHARITY: Let's say you're learning a dance and you seem to be getting worse at it as you go along. Do you have any pointers, any maybe psychological advice? 

NORMA: Maybe walk away. 

[ LAUGHTER ]

CHARITY: That's exactly what I did. 

NORMA: I mean walk away for a little bit. Take a break and then come back. 

CHARITY: Okay. All right. Next time I'll bring my cowboy boots. Norma, thank you so much. 

NORMA: Thank you so much. I appreciate this. 

♪ Is there a letter a letter for me ♪  ♪ I was standing here waiting Mr. Postman ♪  ♪ So-so patiently for just a card or just a letter ♪  ♪ Mr. Postman look and see ♪ 

CHARITY: Clearly, I am not going to quit my day job. I better go sit down. 

[ Trivia Answer ]

BILL RILEY: And now, the answer to tonight's trivia question. Which was, How many ribbons are handed out during the Iowa State Fair each year? 20,000? 30,000? 40,000? 50,000 ribbons? The answer is, 40,000. Whoa. That's a lot of ribbons. But we have a lot of winners and a lot to be proud of out here at the Iowa State Fair. Our good friend Abby Brown is going to tell us more about how all those ribbons are made and right here in Iowa. 

[ Iowa State Fair Ribbons ]

ABBY BROWN: Ribbons are synonymous with the Iowa State Fair as corn dogs and butter cows. Thousands are handed out each year for everything from cattle shows to bubble gum blowing contests. These aren't mass produced overseas. What makes these ribbons special is that they're manufactured right here in Iowa. 

LORI WHITE: We're here at Staats Awards in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. We've been around for almost 125 years. We manufacture awards. We do V-top ribbons, we do banners. And about in the 1920s is when the different fairs had different -- we always had blue as first place and red as second place but then each county fair or state fair might decide what other color to do for third and fourth or things like that. So Staats was known to establish the placement colors all the way up to tenth. Our largest clienteles are state and county fairs. We do large county fairs in Los Angeles, Orange County in California. We've been very blessed to have all the state and county fairs that we do. 

LORI: We can brag that we do 29 state fairs. So Amy is working on the Iowa State Fair right here. I can tell you, with Iowa State Fair we do about 5,000 of the rosettes. We do 14,000 V tops. And there's over 1,400 banners done back here. 

AMY: I've been here two and a half years. I have no idea how many I've made. 

LORI: Well, you saw the manufacturing side. I had 23 gals that work back there. It's all hand sewn. We are very proud of this. We are very lucky to have these ladies that still have that trade to be able to hand sew those rosettes. 

EMPLOYEE: It's a lot of fun to see people get them. I do the queen sashes, also. So it's fun to see all the girls wear those. 

LORI: Some of the trades that they did years ago we still do here with the heat press on the satin banners. It reminds you of printing for a newspaper, it is a type set. Each word printed on there is typed up to hot stamp on to that rosette or ribbon. Every line that is changed, for every event that is being awarded, requires a change out to that verbiage. It's a little labor intense sometimes, yeah. It is one of the largest fairs in the nation, so to have that as a clientele is rewarding to us as well. What's great about our job is it is very rewarding to be able to produce these products that are going to be handed out to a young kid that has worked very hard raising the cattle or raising a sheep or pig or whatever they worked really hard for. It does mean a lot to them. It's a rewarding position that we have here. 

[ Rubber Chicken Show ]

TRAVIS GRAVEN: Most fairgoers associate a rubber chicken with the Rubber Chicken Throwing Contest up at Pioneer Hall but these clucking chickens are stars of a comedy show for kids of all ages here at the Fun Forest Stage. 

ANNOUNCER: It's Great Frisbee and the Rubber Chicken Show! 

Welcome to the Rubber Chicken Show. Once again my name is Greg Frisbee. What the rubber chicken show is a comedy juggling variety show now with 50% more rubber chickens. 

TRAVIS: What can people expect to see? What are some of the things you do? 

GREG FRISBEE: There's comedy, juggling, lots of rubber chickens in the show. Squawking. We have audience participation. Chickens flying through the air. It's mayhem. 

TRAVIS: And plenty of chicken jokes. 

GREG: Lots and exceptional chicken jokes. That is eggs-ceptional chicken jokes. 

TRAVIS: And comedy-hens? 

GREG: Yes, the stars of the show. Impeccably talented. 

GREG: We've got regular rubber chickens. We've got squawkers. We've got the ultra rare Elvis chicken. Fans of Elvis chicken. Chicken ala King right there. Plays "love me tenders." It's really kids of all ages. I like to perform a variety show for families. It is not a little kid show or a grownup show. It's a show for everybody. 

The move help me out. Clapping rhythm just like this make it loud make it proud here we go. We're going for three. There is one don't move. There's two don't move. Come on, folks. Got three 

I love being part of the community. I love connecting with people. For some reason rubber chickens are just part of Americana. And people seem to really respond well to it so they come out. They have fun. I just love connecting with people. It's great. 

One, two. And three. Look. 

TRAVIS: How did you get started doing this? 

GREG: I started off as a shy kid doing magic tricks and learning to juggle when I was a teenager. When I was in college I started performing on the weekends just to kind of make a few extra dollars. Piece by piece I started doing birthday parties and then that kind of morphed into doing more local events, festivals, fairs, cruise ships, international travel. So piece by piece it kind of slowly took over my life. This is my favorite fair in the entire country. I just -- people come out in droves. It's just really great family fun. But Minnesota is fun but Iowa is definitely my favorite of the state fairs. 

I shall play for you Beethoven. Spitting a ping pong ball. At a xylophone. After this we launch a chicken. Ladies and gentlemen, "Ode to Joy." 

♪♪ 

[Cheers and Applause] 

Three, two, one, fire! 

[Cheers and Applause] 

Right there. That was a fantastic shot. 

[ Spencer Crandall Concert Part 2 ]

SPENCER CRANDALL: My relationship with my fans is really cool. Like pouring in and out of each other. I give them music and they say oh, my gosh I relate to that and then they come back to shows and show me I'm not alone or I'm not crazy. That kind of inspires me to go back and write more music and it is this beautiful, flowing, undulating relationship that feels like it's just only growing. So it's kind of to get validated in who I feel like I am is really cool and really important and honestly really special. I feel like I have a very unique job and I don't take that for granted. 

My first number one on the highway. So if you guys know this one help us sing it tonight. Okay? 

♪♪ 

♪ I was looking for a long time never found nobody like you ♪  ♪ I saw you order up a mai tai suddenly I wanted one too ♪  ♪ Got your name got your number and we talked till they turned on the lights ♪  ♪ I was looking for a long time I didn't know that night I found my person my heart beat my slow dancing Sunday morning sipping on coffee in bed ♪ ♪ My best friend ♪  ♪ My reason for speeding home from work ♪  ♪ My saving grace my every day ♪  ♪ I've never been more sure that you're my person ♪ 

Y'all sound so good. Thank you. 

Yeah, "My Person" is so fun because it's really changed my life. I get hundreds and hundreds of messages every day, hey, will you come to my wedding? Playing at my wedding? My parents just renewed their vows. I think it is a very quintessential love song, the moment you want to tell somebody, like you are my person. We wrote it just as I kept hearing people say it in conversation. Oh, that's my person. People were using it a lot for friendship. I was like I think that is a really cool way to say, like, this my human. 

♪ Look up ahead the road and I'll see you there ♪  ♪ Rocking chair I'm still gonna stare 'cuz you're --  ♪ My heart beat ♪ 

♪ The stealer of my T-shirts my reason for speeding home from work ♪  ♪ My saving grace my everything I never been more sure that you're my person ♪  ♪ yeah baby you're my person ♪ 

[Cheers and Applause] 

"My Person" is really this fairy tale moment. But I wrote "Made" as this -- honestly a challenge to myself to realize that if you really want the fairy tale moment there's a lot of work involved and that love isn't this thing that you stumble into. I think Disney especially maybe showed us when we were kids that you're going to accidentally run into a princess and it was going to be perfect. Then I grew up and started getting into relationships and it was not that. So I heard this line that was just, soulmates aren't found they're made. It is something you build together. I really connected to that. I wanted to be a part of this narrative that hard work and love can actually be synonymous. 

♪ Forged in the same fire even when we get tired thinking upside down doing all it takes ♪  ♪ Soulmates are made ♪  ♪ There ain't a single moment with you I'd change I just kind of want to say thanks for showing me that -- Iowa State Fair!  ♪ Soulmates aren't found they're made ♪ 

♪ Yeah we choose each other every day ♪  ♪ We choose bounce back better because soulmates aren't found they're forged in the same fire ♪  ♪ Work at it even when we get tired making upside downs doing all that it takes ♪  ♪ Soulmates aren't found they're made ♪ 

Thank you guys so much! This has been a dream come true. 

Thank you guys for real. For real. You guys have no idea how much this means to me. We love you. 

♪♪ 

BILL RILEY: Here is another opportunity to relax and feel as if you were there at the fair. 

♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 

BILL RILEY: What a great way to wind up our coverage for this Thursday of Fair 2022. We'll be back here again tomorrow night with another full hour of highlights. But until then, you can explore our website and our YouTube channel as well as our Facebook and Instagram pages to stay in that state fair frame of mind. There are so many ways you can engage with us about our amazing state fair. Anytime and anywhere. 

Here's what we'll be showcasing tomorrow. The turbo charged action of the Truck and Tractor Pull. Something new at the fair this year, the kitchen. And, of course, the Cow Chip Throwing Contest. That is going to be a hoot. There's so much to look forward to in our Friday night fair coverage. So don't miss it. Right here on Iowa PBS. So until tomorrow night, I'm Bill Riley. Thank you so much for watching. Remember to have fun at the fair.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 

Funding for Fair 2022 is brought to you by -- Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation. And by -- 

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[Iowa Pork Producers]

Caring for pigs is not just an individual job. It truly does take a village to put a safe, healthy food on your table and keep farming sustainable.