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Tuesday A Great Day To Visit The Fair

Tuesday might be the best day of the 11-day run to attend the Iowa State Fair.

Our last visit to the State Fair, a five-hour trip through the fairground, cost us a total of $98. Granted, $48 of that was spent on beer, but the other $50 disappeared rather quickly, too. We spent $20 for a 3-pack of cotton Iowa State t-shirts at the Varied Industries building, $6 for a couple of Big Slide tickets, $12 for round-trip tickets on the Sky Glider, $6 for a giant turkey leg, $4 for a couple of melon cups from Beattie’s and pocket change for a variety of odds and ends.

But Tuesday offers the best money saving opportunity of the fair: the annual Farm Bureau Cook-Out, which features a variety of samples of delicious grilled meat from contestants. If you don’t act too needy, you can get your fill of the best pork, chicken and beef that will be so tasty you’ll want to suck on a briquette.

But there’s more. A tri-fecta of free acts on the stage offers a tantalizing sample of great musical acts that have either enjoyed stardom or are on their way to the musical plateau. Santana lead singer Greg Rolie plays on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage at 8 p.m. John Ford Coley (of England Dan & John Ford Coley fame) entertains on the Budweiser Stage at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and country star - and Iowan - Jason Brown performs on the Susan Knapp Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Auctioneers from across the state face off for the Iowa championship at 9 p.m. at the Riley Stage. The popular Pedal Power Tractor Pull occurs at 10 a.m. on Rock Island Avenue. The Outhouse Races are at 2:30 p.m. on the Grand Concourse. And Century Farms will be honored all day long at the Budweiser Stage.

And the best kept secret of the fair, the Pigeon Rolling contest, occurs at noon southeast of gate six. A little explanation: there is a breed of pigeon that doesn’t so much walk as it rolls in a sort of somersault style. The contest involves seeing which pigeon will roll the farthest. It’s fascinating.

A few years ago, an intrepid television reporter showed up at the pigeon rolling with animal right activists, ready to blow the lid of the event. Seems she expected that pigeons would be rolled like bowling balls, rather than tumbling on their own. She left with some great video but a bit disappointed. This is the event you’ll love telling your neighbors about. And after you’ve seen it once, you’ll never desire to see it again. Perfect for your State Fair bucket list.

Videos

Snake Slithers Into Reporters Pants On Live TV

KCCI-TV Meteorologist Kurtis Gertz got quite a surprise during a live broadcast from the Iowa State Fair on Thursday when a snake slithered up his pants.

via kccitv on YouTube

Iowa State Fair’s Animal Learning Center

via YouTube from MunsonCam

The Nadas perform “Alasak” at the Iowa State Fair

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Pictures

Giant Slide

Giant Slide, originally uploaded by cmlburnett.

Midway

Midway, originally uploaded by cmlburnett.

Sundown over Midway

Sundown over Midway, originally uploaded by cmlburnett.

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