Four decades of friends, family and memories made at the Iowa State Fair. 

For Sherry and Gary Beattie, the Iowa State Fair has been about more than selling fruit cups or offering fairgoers a cool, covered place to grab a sandwich and escape the 90-degree heat or a brief rain shower.

Ask the Polk County Farm Bureau members what they’ll remember most after more than four decades operating Beattie’s Melon Patch Stand, and they don’t hesitate to answer: It’s the people, the laughter and the memories stitched into every August.

“We’ve made a lot of good friends over the years doing this,” Gary said. “That’s the fun … seeing the people you know … Familiar faces are the real reward.”

The Beatties have watched neighbors and fellow vendors become family. Like the Texas crew running lemonade stands with corn dogs; the McConnells, who offer an old-fashioned soda fountain; or the Crutchfield 

family, who operated the Giant Slide for 39 years. “It was right next...