Iowa State Fair - agricultural fair

One of the first temptations that lured me onto this long road was the promise of the Iowa State Fair. When my new friend Debbie from Des Moines, Iowa invited me to drop by for a guided tour of the local highlights that adventure somehow expanded to involve driving around the USA. Naturally, the Iowa State Fair was a significant stop in my journey, and one I had been eagerly awaiting.

We arrived in Des Moines on Friday evening. That night Debbie's TV showed us some selected highlights from the day at the fair, a preview of what might be in store for me in the morning. To be honest, I was slightly alarmed, particularly by the piano accordion contest. Just what kind of rural hoedown nightmare had I signed up for? Debbie and her daughter Sara assured me that the Iowa State Fair is actually very cool and there was nothing to worry about. They mentioned, for example, that there is a hog calling contest every year in which humans compete to make the best pig noises. I thought they were probably joking. I was wrong.

This sign was one of the first things I saw at the fair. So far, no sign of the piano accordions.

Like all good agricultural fairs, this one featured prize winning vegetables. I'm not sure what makes for an outstanding carrot, but these ones were the best.

This is a competition that I find it much easier to understand: Most unusual vegetable. This one is self explanatory, I think.

This rockmelon (cantaloupe) in a rusty muffler was my favourite.

Obviously the third place winner was so unusual that someone just had to take it home. Who would have imagined a problem with vegetable theft? Maybe it's an Iowan thing.