Iowa State Fair Time

The Iowa State Fair is legendary. At least two (maybe three) movies have been made about it. There are many traditions, news items, and foibles. In most years the Fair attracts a million visitors, give or take a few, for its delightful mixture of friendship, conviviality, creativity, exceptional skills, and odd food on a stick. The attractions are also a delight: the famous butter cow (yes sculpted life-size from butter in a special refrigerated showcase), the Big Boar, the Big Bull (each having topped the scales in its show division), the Avenue of Breeds and all of that food.This year has been no different except that I've visited every day this week to observe and sketch. Here are some of the results.

There is a big barn-like structure on a hill overlooking the Fair called Pioneer Hall. Inside, during fair time there is a flea market where vendors sell all sorts of antique tchochkes and where old time crafts are demonstrated. There is a blacksmith who comes every year and fires up a forge built into the wall of the building. Next to him is a print shop that prints up handbills and the like. During the ten days of the Fair, the smith makes various kinds of wrought-iron items for sale and demonstrates how certain effects are achieved, while casually using red-hot metal. The second morning of the Fair I got to Pioneer Hall early because it's easier to sketch when there are fewer distractions, and the crowds can be dense later in the day. Luckily the blacksmith was already set up and the forge hot even before his aisle of the building was open. I managed a watercolor portrait, which he was kind enough to sign, across the bib. His glasses reflected the sun coming in from the left, and the fire lit the underside of his nose.





The fairgrounds have many permanent buildings--the Grandstand, the Show Arena, the Agriculture Building, and so on. This is a view of the Show Arena, next to a group of huge barns that house various kinds of farm animals--Cattle, Swine, Sheep, Horses. The day I was there, there was a show of dairy cattle in the ring by the 4H kids, solemnly leading Jersey heifers around the ring. After the show I wandered toward a lineup of pioneering buildings dating from the 19th and early 20th century, all moved here from their original communities. There is a General Store, a Pharmacy, Barber Shop, and a Telephone Building. Up the hill a bit farther is a one-room schoolhouse and a pioneer church. I spent an hour or so sitting under a shade tree sketching the Pharmacy and General Store. This is ink and watercolor, a full page in my 7x10 sketchbook.

One of the great things about the State Fair is how much is happening. There are silly events and fascinating ones. There are contests and exhibitions. Pioneer Hall, at the top of the hill, hosts all kinds of these, including everything from turkey calling to husband calling. And the Hall features free entertainment--often country music. It's a great spot for a cool drink and some country fiddlin'. I sat one morning and watched a duo of fellows play guitar and sing everything from Bob Dylan to Johnny Cash, with real style. It took about half an hour to sketch one of them. I didn't have a chance to draw his partner before they finished, and I ambled back down the hill to check out the next unusual event.

Perhaps the most enjoyable events for me are the competitions to be the biggest-the largest pumpkin, for

example, and the Big Bull and the Big Boar. The largest pumpkin this year weighed in at an astonishing 758 pounds. But the largest boar, known officially as the Big Boar was a giant at nearly 1200 pounds. But both the boar and the squash were overshadowed by the Big Bull who made almost 2600 pounds of beef on the hoof. Wow. I had a bit of time to sketch the Big Boar, who was miraculously standing up. Most of the time swine lie quietly, staying cool. But I caught the boar at feeding time. He was surprisingly gentle it seemed, and nuzzled up to his owner, who was just outside the enclosure.

It looks as if I'll make at least one more visit to the Fair before it closes this Sunday, so I'll probably post a few more sketches in the coming days....