New State, New Fair

Move to a new place? Start taking part in local cultural events. :)

Like the Adel Sweet Corn Festival, in a small town 20 min. west of here, less than 4,000 people in size, but probably about half again as big as the little burg in which I grew up. And, like my home town, smack in the middle of farm country, unpretentious and simple.

Even with 70 vendors (or so they said), really, it's all about the corn. All you care to eat. No charge, friend. Our treat. Just step in line, we'll get you some paper plates,



just tell us how many ears you want, then go to the condiment table and slather it with butter sauce (note the sawdust sprinkled around to catch the grease), dust it with salt or pepper,



pull yourself up a patch of grass or a chunk of curb, and chow down!



Mmm, mmm. How do the volunteers manage to cook all that corn? After all, there's a refrigerated semi-trailer full, all shucked, washed, and crated the night before.



They do it like loading hay bales into the mow. Line up some guys and put it on the belt. Drop the crates into the boiler for 8 minutes,



haul it out, drop it on the belt, dump it in the vats, and... serve.



Pretty slick for a little town. And speaking of little towns, where else do you make your own entertainment like this? The volunteer fire department comes out and plays "spray the barrel" on a side street. (like tug of war but pushing the barrel to the other side's goal). Of course all the spectating kids get wet and it's entertaining as can be.



Small town America at its unspoiled best. :)

Then, off to the REAL party: The State Fair. Yeah, baby. The big time. And when I say big time I mean BIG.

1,212 pounds of it, right here. Now, isn't that attractive? Makes you want to run right out and have a pork chop on a stick.

And, yes, they were marvelous. :) Just about the best pork chop I've ever had, factory meat or not. And I honestly do repent. I do. I pledge to not have pork chop on a stick for at least... a year.

But what I thought was more impressive than the Big Boar, was the cutie taking orders outside the pork tent in a tiara. The Hog Queen herself (excuse me, the Iowa Pork Princess) was waitressing in dress, heels and sash. And let me tell you, close up, she was as fresh faced and sweet as you could imagine, especially for standing 3 feet from blazing roasters on a 93 degree day.

Not a hint of a glisten on her face. Amazing.



Now, of course, pork isn't the only hit at the fair. There's um, corn.



And there's a thriving dairy industry, too, as witnessed by the butter sculptures, including the famous (?) Butter Cow.



Plus, the wine industry is a contributor to the state's economy as well - to the tune of $235 million. Not bad, considering the terroir and climate they have to work with.



Naturally, even in rural America there is the occasional jaw-dropping exhibit. This one is a recreation of Minas Tirith (from Lord of the Rings) all made from matchsticks. Yikes!



Maybe there's some genuine benefits from obsession. Artists generally suffer from it, and the rest of us benefit.



In sum, I'd put the Iowa State Fair on a par with Wisconsin's fair. Better in some areas, worse in others. Both, though, are a stretch behind Minnesota. That one, my friends, is one seriously good fair. But for the time being... this one'll do.