Saturday at the Fair

"Giant Pumpkins and the State Fair," wc,5x8

One of the decidedly interesting features of the Iowa State Fair is the competition. Consider that more than 60,000 entries for competition are received for contests ranging from farm animals to fine art. There are all sorts of contests involving the prowess of humans and/or animals--horses pulling huge loads, pig races, and many others. But perhaps my favorite lineup of contests are those for the largest animal or other farm produce. There is the Big Bull, the Big Boar, the Big Ram (even a Big Bunny) but the best is the Biggest Pumpkin. These are an exquisitely specialized sort of pumpkin, raised for their size alone and always inspiring awe in fair attendees. This year's biggest was a sizeable 795 pounds, though that's smaller than last year's I think. And not really huge--there is a website of international weightoffs of giant pumpkins where the largest registered weighed over 1700 pounds. Nonetheless, these are respectable squashes. The weigh-in was on Friday, but I only got around to sketching them today.

"Outside the Grandstand," wc, 3.5x7

Another sketch from today is of the crowds on the Grand Concourse just in front of the Grandstand. I stopped in the shade to sketch the sign and the people as they streamed by. The giant grandstands loom to the north of the concourse, towering about three or four stories and holds something like 25,000 when completely packed. These grounds have hosted deliberate locomotive crashes, stunt fliers, all kinds of racing, and of course big musical acts from pop and country. The evenings at the fairgrounds are much different than the days. As night falls and the air cools, people stroll and snack on the incredible range of foods (many not so healthy, alas) before attending a show. It's a pleasant time at the fair, but I wasn't staying that long.

Unlike the first two days, the fairgrounds began to be crowded a lot earlier since it was Saturday. Maybe it's a holdover from the work week, but people seemed more intent and in more of a hurry today. Whatever the reason, as the fairgrounds filled up and the temperatures rose, I realized it was time to pack it in for a day. It's easier to do that, knowing that there will be several more days to explore and savor.