Preparing for opening day at the Iowa State Fairgrounds
The Iowa State Fair is nearly here.
KCCI's Andrew Mollenbeck went to the fairgrounds on Wednesday to see the last minute preparations.
The rides are being set up and the food stands are waiting on final deliveries. But some events have already started.
The 4-H and FFA members had a horse show on Wednesday.
Kennedy Eskildsen from Northwood introduced us to her quarter horse named Charm.
"It's actually been really fun. I've showed cattle since I was four years old. I got the chance to ride horses and I've really loved it a lot. Honestly, I've learned a lot," Eskildsen said.
An annual rite of the fair is to find new foods. There are more than 50 new options. But one catching a lot of attention is called Pork Picnic in a Cup.
"It's a cup that has many layers of goodness in it with everything you can find at a pork picnic. So we have a layer of corn chips, barbeque pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, and then we have a spear of our brown sugar pork belly in it," Hanna Spurr of the Iowa Pork Tent said.
While new bites are fun, it is a tradition that brings many people back year after year. Janice Goering tells us she first camped here in 1965 — something she continues doing every year.
"My dad brought an old truck up with a box built over the top of the back and a tarp, and that's where we camped. Now, I was out walking this morning and he said, 'You wouldn't see anything like that today,' and I said, 'No, you wouldn't,'" Goering said.
As a reminder - the vendors DO accept cash in addition to credit cards. Some rumors confused that message. And the fair remains a gun-free zone.
You can stay up-to-date with KCCI State Fair coverage at kcci.com/iowastatefair.