It’s mid-summer. That means it’s high season for county fairs across Iowa. So consider yourself lucky that you’re never more than a tank of gas away from one of our state’s county fairs.

From the Missouri River to the Mississippi River, Iowa county fairs showcase the best of our state. There are great fairs in Franklin County, in Mahaska County, in Plymouth County, in Madison County and the list goes on and on.

At the fair you’ll see young people showing the cattle, hogs, sheep and all types of livestock they have carefully tended for months with dreams of making it to the big show: The Iowa State Fair. You can check out the cakes and quilts that carry on the state’s grand traditions. There are 4-H displays, talent competitions, entertainment and, oh, did I mention the food?

There’s nothing like pulling up a chair at one of the community sponsored food stands, visiting with a stranger, and sampling a piece of pie, homemade ice cream or a great pork sandwich or a turkey leg.
So take a minute to look through these photos. Then I encourage you to go to http://www.iowafairs.com/ and find some fun of your own.
County fairs are the jewels of Iowa’s summer!

For more fun fair photos you can visit: http://goo.gl/al21m

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