When it’s The Best Five Days of Summer you already know all about the awesome fair food, 4-H & FFA contests, and entertainment.
But how about we give some ❤️ to a few hidden gems 💎, starting with the horse-drawn wagon rides. Throughout all five days, you will find these beauties out and about. Hop on board – free of charge, of course – and take a stroll (or, rather, a roll) through the fairgrounds.
How sweet it is! We aren’t talking cotton candy; we are referring to honey bees. These amazing little workers are in the Round Barn, upper level. They don’t get to take time off for the fair, so you will get to watch them in action. See if you can find their secret path from outside to their hive.
Antique tractor display – There’s more than 🚜 to admire and sit on for great photos.
💎 See if you can spot this antique car and what it means to the fair.
Depending on your parking spot, the horse arena may be a bit off the beaten path. But its location is well-suited for horse exhibitors, who bring their horses in and park their trailers for the day, so they can participate in one of the 4-H, FFA and Open Class events.
4-H/FFA Horse Show
Open Draft & Mule Show
Open Horse Fun Day
New 💎
Barrel Exhibitions and Barrel Races – Wednesday – 5:30 pm & 7 pm
We heard you wanted to see more horse events, and this is the kind of face-paced action that holds your attention and has your cheering for your favorites, as they compete for top honors and prize awards at the Jackpot Barrel Bash.
Don’t worry; even though the competitive horses go home to the comfort of their own stalls at night, there are still horses on the grounds every day. See if you can find where they are housed. Here’s a little clue …
😆 Just checking to see if you were still paying attention! This is actually a picture from when the Plymouth County Fair was held in Merrill. But, that’s a story for another day.
Here’s your real clue.
More Gems💎
AgriVision lawn tractor train ride
Sunday Night Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Blackout Bingo
Pioneer Village Walking History Tour – Friday @ Noon. Meet at the Round Barn.
Mother’s Station (#48 on the map), Sponsored by Floyd Valley Healthcare
Jim DeBoer & His Hand-carved Wooden Tractor Display
Fair Auction – Sunday, 4 pm in the Pioneer Village
Reserved parking? Yes; please. Or a one-of-a-kind, painting of the Pioneer Village. These are all attainable wishes.
Everyone is welcome to get a bidding number – available in the village shortly before the auction – and take home a real fair treasure.
Here are a few of the things on the auction:
Grandstand Pork Catering; Beautiful, Handmade Quilts; New Holland T9.700 Collectable Tractor – the #1 and #2 tractors are donated by the Town & County Toy Club. They are the ones who operate the 💎 Toy Club Building in the Pioneer Village.
All of the carvings done by Blair Smith and Scott Toben will also be sold. These are amazing!
Visit the woodcarving tent in the Family Plaza to learn all about the craft. 💎 Hidden gem alert: B & R Chainsaw Sculptures enjoy sharing their knowledge and will take the time to include the kids in the learning process.
👑 Royalty is in the house! First, up. The Plymouth County Fair Royalty. We’ve enjoyed seeing the current court representing the fair the past year. As they pass their duties on to the next court on Wednesday night, the newly crowned eight will be strolling the grounds and getting involved in lots of events all five days. They are sure to run into some other nobbles.
👑 The Iowa Dairy Princess, Alia Domeyer, will be showing fairgoers the science behind making ice cream at a new – & free 💎. The STEM Festival on Friday (11 am – 3 pm in Century Hall) will be where you can be part of lots of hands-on demonstrations and interactive booths. At Alia’s booth you will even get to make your own ice cream! The kids are gonna love this!
👑 Trudy Loecke, the Iowa Pork Queen will also be at the STEM Festival – sharing her knowledge about pigs and handing out a highly-sought after giveaway. Stop by her booth at the STEM Festival (Friday, 11 am – 3 pm) to find out what it is.
Trudy is also serving as the Bacon Buddies judge on Thursday. It’s a delight to have her spending so much time in our corner of the state.
Since we are talking pork: the 👑 Plymouth County Pork Queen and Little Miss Pig Tails can be spotted at the pig show on Saturday and throughout the fair at the Grandstand Pork food stand.
Wearing the biggest 👑 of all …
Iowa State Fair Queen, Riah Schrage, will be on the grounds Sunday, Aug. 2. She will be spending the day with us, so watch for her at all kinds of events. It would seem there’s a good chance she will be seen at 💎 Royal Readings in the schoolhouse, held daily at 3 pm.
New 💎 this year, optional electronic ticketing. Purchase your ticket ahead of time and show the code on your phone at the gate, or if you’re more old school, print the ticket and hand it to the gate attendant.
This certainly isn’t all the hidden 💎s. We have to leave some for you to 🔎 find on your own, when you visit The Best Five Days of Summer! 🖐, July 29-Aug. 2.