Every year, all across Iowa, county fairgrounds wake up and come to life as the rural residents and their city cousins gather to share the fun of the annual county fair. The fairs are a celebration of youth, of caring for animals and reconnecting with old friends. And, most of all, the fairs are a summer celebration of the bounty and beauty of living in Iowa.

Farm Bureau writer and photographer Joe Murphy is a veteran of Iowa county fairs, all the way back to his youth in Winnebago County. He’s compiled a few of his recent photos to provide a glimpse of the Iowa county fair experience.

Written by Joe Murphy
Joe is a photographer for the Iowa Farm Bureau.