Iowa State Fair

Illustrated vignette of a horse and cow facing each other, a pig and ram, horse racing, and fruits, vegetables, wheat and corn forming part of a decorative display. Small harmonica attached.

Considered one of the largest and best known state fairs in the United States, the Iowa State Fair is held annually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1854 and it moved from town to town until it moved permanently to Des Moines in 1886. The fair strives to be a place where people can be educated, informed and entertained. It hosts one of the largest livestock shows and the state’s largest art show. The fair was featured in the novel State Fair by Phil Strong, which was then adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein as a musical in 1995. One of the long time favorites of the fair is the Butter Cow sculpture. The sculpture has been a part of the fair since 1911 and it takes approximately 600 pounds of butter to sculpt.