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(Music) Iowa PBS presents Fair 2024.

Here is your host, Paul Yeager.

Hello and welcome back to our 3rd night of Iowa State Fair highlights.

I'm Paul Yeager in for Bill Riley.

When the fair was founded in 1854 its purpose was strictly educational.

The early founders weren't farmers - they were businessmen who thought competition would improve our products and elevate Iowa to the national stage.

On tonight's show we'll see how that competitive legacy lives on.

It's in the hearts of these hard working FFA champions.

It's in the confident precision of cowboy mounted shooting.

And we'll learn more about those early days of the fair while we get some exercise on the Historical Walking Tour.

It's going to be a great show.

And we'll kick it off with a look behind the scenes of an iconic Iowa State Fair treasure.

Tthe Butter Cow.

(Music) [Sarah Pratt] There's no perfect dairy cow.

You're gonna have the one that has the amazing udder, but maybe its fat sags a little bit.

Or you have the one that has really strong legs but its udder is a little bit smaller.

Even if it's not perfect, it's probably more realistic, in fact, than otherwise.

This year, the cow is a Jersey.

I have been studying Holsteins quite a bit as well, so sometimes I'll have a farmer walk by and they'll say, "I don't know, her udder looks a little bit more Holstein."

I think most fairgoers that come by maybe aren't even thinking that it's a particular breed.

But I have to admit, Jersey's my favorite breed of all.

They have the most gorgeous eyes.

They're a bit smaller, typically, than other breeds.

They have the highest butter fat content in their milk.

So I think it is the perfect cow to represent in the butter sculpture.

Maybe it's because I love history, and maybe it's because I'm a teacher, but my list, I like it to have some sort of tie in to Iowa.

But the fair has given me free reign to brainstorm outside of that, too.

So it's delightful because really, the fair is more about celebrating who we are as a culture, too, not just limiting just to what we're known for, the history of Iowa.

So that is a fun thing to kind of think outside of that.

My sister, in fact, Megan, mentioned to me ten years ago, "Hey, Jimmy Fallon and Steve Higgins are taking over the Tonight Show, and Steve's from Iowa.

He needs to be in butter."

The theme for this year's fair is Fair Fever.

One of the little taglines was something like, Catch the fever.

The only cure is thrill rides, favorite fair foods, and entertainment.

And so we were like, "How can we tie into that?"

Well, the Sky Glider is celebrating 50 years, and it's one of our family favorites.

Okay, that's great, but who's gonna ride in the Sky Glider?

It's a year of 50s for our family.

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

My husband's turning 50.

So we thought, "Maybe it could be some family."

My dad reminded me that the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Steve Higgins, was celebrating 10 years.

It was like, "Aha!"

This is the perfect thing.

They love fun.

They are all about whimsy.

They are the perfect duo to be in the Sky Glider.

And then I found out Jimmy Fallon is turning 50 also this year.

So I was like, "Ah, this is so perfect."

And of course, Johnny Carson was born in Iowa, and so he's going to be featured in a relief sculpture as well.

It's going to be a fun, whimsical, tied into the fair theme, tied into Iowa, tied into whimsy.

And we're just really excited about it.

(Music) Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome to Kids Can Cook.

How are we, chefs?

Are you so excited to be here?

My name is Melody Boyer, and I'm with Kids Can Cook.

We are brand new to the Iowa State Fair.

It's our very first year here.

We're from Stephenville, Texas.

So you each have a white bowl in front of you, and you have a tray that has all your ingredients.

We pre-measured everything, so you don't have to worry about making a mistake.

You have a little container with ground beef in it.

It's raw ground beef.

Go ahead and dump that in.

Like I said, it's all measured.

Diane Linderman, who is the creator of Kids Can Cook.

This is her brainchild.

She loves kids.

She loves cooking.

She put her two passions together, and she wants to inspire kids to gain confidence through cooking, learn to eat healthy, and that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

Oh, that smells good.

And our last thing is our teriyaki sauce.

So you see that little black container that has some liquid in it?

You're going to pour that in and take your little white spoon that's next to your blender and use the spoon to scrape all of that out into your bowl.

Now here comes the fun part.

You get to use your hands.

You're gonna stick your hand in there and squish it all up.

Squish it, squish it, squish it.

We want to squish those onions and mix the onions and the garlic and the teriyaki sauce all together.

You have a tray in front of you that has these little wrappers.

You're gonna take every corner and fold it into the middle.

It's kind of like making a little present.

An envelope.

Good job, sweetie.

And you can take the lid off the top of your blender, and you have a cup of ice.

Go ahead and pour your ice in.

We are going to make a lemon berry sorbet.

Okay, we have our strawberries and our blueberries.

Go ahead and pick up your strawberries and pour them in.

And the strawberries are full of vitamin C, which is good for your immune system.

And then we have our blueberries, which are full of antioxidants.

And then we have our lemon juice.

You can pick it up and smell it.

Oh, it always smells so good to me.

Go ahead and pour that in.

And our last ingredient that we're gonna help you with is stevia.

Are we ready to race our blenders, chefs, we ready?

All right, let's make something yummy.

Ready, set, go.

Cooking is just one way to gain confidence.

If you make something and it doesn't turn out, you try again and you keep trying again until it's a success.

And that's a goal and a mission in life is that whatever you put your heart into, it's going to be a success.

[Child 1] My favorite part was probably mushing up the wonton meat.

[Child 2] I had a great time, and my favorite part was making the smoothies.

[Charity Nebbe] The very first Iowa State Fair was held in 1854, so there is a lot of history to consider, and there's no better way to learn about the history of the fair than to go on the annual Iowa State Fair Historical Walking Tour.

[Leo Landis] Welcome and good morning.

We're happy to have you joining us this year on the tour as we discuss some history of some of the buildings and locations on the fairgrounds and share stories of Iowa history.

[Charity] This is the 10th anniversary of the Historic Walking Tour, and I learned so much on the tour.

But do you change up the script every year?

[Leo] We do.

We always like to remind people that this has been farmland since the 1880s and when it was bought from the Thorntons.

But then that it's been our state fair since 1886.

And we do.

We look for stories that are timely or just new things, so that people learn something new every year.

Crews built the current steel and brick structure in 1909 to seat 10,000 people.

At that time, it was the largest building in Iowa and remains one of the most recognizable structures on the fairground.

The Des Moines Register in 1916 reported that "The state bars freak shows in fair amusement this year.

Any fancy dancing or racy outfits or any objectionable shows.

I have to keep checking to make sure I'm not gonna walk into a tow truck or something.

1910 was a peak year for farm horses in Iowa.

The Des Moines Register stated that "The horse show at the Iowa State Fair will be the greatest show ever held in the whole world, without any exception."

[Melinda Carriker] I love coming to the state fair every year.

And I specifically took work off this morning so I could be here for the walking tour.

Because I hadn't had a chance to actually take that tour before.

And learn the history of each one of the buildings.

[Leo] Then just off to your left and behind you is the swine building, which was constructed in 1907.

[Charity] Why do you think other people should take a moment and think about the history of the fair?

Because, yeah, we come for the food.

We come for the shows.

[Leo] It really helps ground us in our state's history and our nation's history.

The fair movement of the 1840s and 1850s was to promote better farming, better home living.

The roof profile is derived to provide proper lighting and ventilation.

And the long open windows at roof level draw in fresh air.

Those are still themes through 4-H and future farmers.

And the competitions that continue today and are an important part of the judging competitions.

So those roots that go back to the beginnings of the Iowa State Fair and other state fairs are things that are part of our history, but also part of why the state fair is still popular.

Andrew, let's grab the speaker.

We'll walk and talk as we do the Midway.

[Melinda] There's so much great information.

I really enjoy sharing that with friends, and I always have friends who are saying, "Oh, are you going to the fair this year?

What are you going to see?

Post pictures."

[Leo] I want to give a shout out to the county fair queens who joined us.

So thank you, county fair queens.

Thank you again, and we hope we see you again next year.

Have a great Iowa State Fair.

[Charity] I have learned a whole lot about the Iowa State Fair today, and now I'm off to do some fancy dancing and look for some racy outfits.

[Paul] Next up.

Our tour of the fairgrounds will take us to the Jacobson Exhibition Center for a fast moving and exciting sport that's straight out of the old western movies.

(Music) [Jamie Travis] We've been doing this now, I think, for almost 10 years, putting on a cowboy mounted shoot as part of the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association sanctioning body.

[Announcer] All right, let's get ready.

Right out a little need for the speed.

[Jamie] It's the greatest thing ever.

Basically, it's riding your horse in a pattern, and we have to shoot 10 balloons and you have to break every balloon.

If you miss a balloon, it's a 5 second penalty.

It's a timed event.

If you don't go through a certain spot or things like that, or if you knock over barrel, that's a penalty.

If you lose your hat before the timer, that's a penalty.

So we have a range master that will be sitting down there in the arena and he'll be watching all of that, making sure that if there is a penalty, you're assessed a penalty.

[Sugar Ray Quinn] The guns are a single action 45.

It's a specially loaded blank that basically shoots out about 10 to 15 feet.

I mean, 15 feet is really pushing it.

(Music) Horsemanship, marksmanship, speed, everything's a factor.

It's a very humbling sport when you start because you think, "All I got to do is go out there and shoot ten balloons."

Well, like I always say, every balloon that's left is a five second penalty tacked onto your total, your raw time.

So I give you total time at the end.

If you have a 12 second run plus and change, and you have 3 penalties, you just jump that up to a 27 second run that's going to take you right out of the hunt.

(Music) [Jamie] You know, it's such an adrenaline rush.

When I come in the arena, I'm always so nervous.

And I say to people, "I think if it wasn't so much fun, I wouldn't be nervous about it."

When you're running as fast as you can possibly go, shooting that gun as fast as you possibly can, there's no better feeling in the world.

It's so much fun.

(Music) [Quinn] Fastest growing sport in the world as far as equine go.

And the biggest thing there is, it's a sport where grandpa, grandma, mom and dad, the kids, the grandkids, everybody can do it because it's leveled to a point where you're running against your same type of competition.

(Crowd cheering) [Brooke Kohlsdorf] The FFA Parade of Champions is a moment to shine.

A victory lap, you could say, for these students who have spent thousands of hours on their award winning entries.

Everything from restored tractors to animals.

In the Ag Mechanics and Technology Show, there were 80 exhibits shown by 64 members from 30 chapters.

(Music) This year, 1,113 photographs were brought to the fair by 434 exhibitors from 94 chapters.

(Music) In the farm crops division, 66 students from 26 chapters had 374 exhibits that were judged here at the Iowa State Fair.

(Music) There were 699 exhibits in the horticulture division shown by 70 FFA members from 27 chapters.

(Music) 53 students from 19 chapters brought 891 flowers to the fair for judging in the floriculture division.

(Music) The rabbit show had 255 exhibits that were brought to the fairgrounds by 50 members from 35 chapters.

(Music) The poultry show saw 60 exhibitors from 36 chapters who brought 412 exhibits to the Iowa State Fair for competition.

(Music) The Avenue of Breeds is celebrating its 46th year at the fair.

The North Polk FFA chapter at Alleman, which is responsible for the exhibit, has nearly 100 animals on display.

(Music) There were 1,034 exhibits in the swine division.

In the commercial gilt division alone, there were 209 animals shown by 157 FFA members from 102 chapters.

(Music) In the sheep show, 720 exhibits were shown in four divisions.

On its own, the market lamb division had 327 animals that were brought to the fair by 185 exhibitors from 104 chapters.

(Music) The beef show had 283 exhibits.

Judges in just the breeding beef show looked at 216 animals from 86 chapters exhibited by 162 members.

(Music) The number of FFA members in Iowa has been steadily increasing over the past few years, and there are now more than 20,000.

This year, over 2,200 exhibitors entered more than 9,300 projects.

We had a chance to catch up with Collin Bauer, this year's president of the Iowa FFA Association.

[Collin Bauer] So being able to walk through that parade is really, really special.

And really, it shows how hard that they truly had to work to get to be in that parade.

And it's really, really special, especially being someone who's walked through there myself.

It's really really cool.

(Music) The number one misconception when it comes to being in FFA is that it's all about agriculture and you have to be a farmer.

Nowadays, it's about leadership, development and advocating for the industry.

Several years back, we actually changed the name of the organization to the National FFA Organization and went away with the acronym of Future Farmers of America to kind of negate that misconception.

So agriculture is still the core of what we do, but we're advocating for it.

It's not all about production ag necessarily, but we understand that there's other aspects that go into the industry as well, and that's what we're trying to do.

If you ask someone why they're in FFA or what's their favorite thing to do, they're going to tell you.

They're going to answer with something right?

For me, I found a love for public speaking and doing those types of contests, and I found myself here.

For some people here, the state fair might be Grandstand ushering, it might be judging soil.

There's so many things to do in this organization.

People have found a home, and people have found what they love in the organization.

I think that's so very special.

[Brooke] While there aren't any horses in this year's parade, 110 FFA members from 57 chapters brought 454 entries to the Iowa State Fair in the horse division.

Congratulations to everyone who participated this year.

[Abby Brown] Walk in from the parking lot, walk here, walk there, walk and talk.

Walk and eat.

Not anymore.

There's lots more places this year to sit and find shade.

(Music) [Jeremy Parsons] Well, I think in today's world people have a higher expectation when you go someplace.

One of those expectations is you want it to be safe, and the second is you want it to be clean.

So when we talk about creature comforts here at the fair, we want our fairgoers - we know they're gonna have a great time at the fair, but we want them to be more comfortable doing that.

So in today's world, that's through things like accessibility.

So that's increased paved, accessible parking spaces or new sidewalks that don't have cracks and uneven places in them.

It's remodeled restrooms.

It's a brand new shower house up in the campgrounds.

It's an investment, $100,000 investment in picnic tables and shade structures and benches.

People tell us the number one reason they come to the fair is for food.

So we want to make sure you can enjoy that food.

And sometimes not every fair food is on a stick.

You need to sit down and eat that dish of whatever it is.

[Kristy Heilman] Pretty much all we've done so far is food.

[Abby] Perfect.

Now you gotta have a place to eat your food, right?

[Kristy] Yes.

[Abby] Did you notice that these are brand new?

[Kristy] Yes, it's fantastic because especially over by the stage here, every year was trying to find somewhere to sit because there's great food over here but nowhere to sit.

[Abby] I've noticed the same thing and people seem to be loving it.

[Kristy] Yes, they're fantastic.

I'm so glad they have them this year.

[Natti Hill] It's perfect.

It was perfect because our legs were getting tired.

And then we found this table.

[Abby] What a nice break for your family.

So what's on the agenda for today?

[Natti] Well, we're gonna eat corn dogs next.

Yes.

[Abby] Tell me the best place that the fair to people watch?

[Lynn Kruse] Our favorite spot is the...

I think it's the old west or far west down here on the corner.

There's a corner street down there, and that's where we like to camp out.

I guess.

[Abby] Now you're not the only ones.

The fair has recognized that we need lots more places to do some people watching, and these are brand new spaces.

So what do you think?

[Lynn] Oh, these are.

Yeah, very nice.

(Indistinct chatter) [Jeremy] We need to remember at the Iowa State Fair, we exist for the fairgoer.

It is not a given that - no one has to come to the Iowa State Fair.

We want to make sure we're a place that people want to be.

And I think one of the ways we become that place, of the place where people want to be, is that they have a good experience while they're here.

And while we always have that great experience with our programming whether it's the Butter Cow or the Husband Calling Contest or a livestock show or the DNR building, the shopping.

All the things that make up the fair.

We know we check off all those boxes, but we also want to make sure you have a good time experiencing those things.

And part of that is being comfortable where you are.

[Paul] It takes a little courage to put yourself out there and enter a contest at the Iowa State Fair.

Here are some fairgoers who went for it - and won!

(Music) [Paul] We're going to take a quick break, but when we come back we have a collection of fair favorites in store for you.

We'll be entertained by some lively tunes from Pioneer Hall.

We'll be impressed by these highly trained and majestic horses with a rich history.

And we'll delight in this distinguished duo of Fairfield and Rosetta.

It's going to be a real treat.

So stay tuned for more Iowa State Fair fun on Iowa PBS!

[Reporter] We have hired thousands and thousands of people.

Researchers, reporters, who are right now traveling about the grounds trying to get the great advice for you.

We're gonna go out and see what they have to say for you.

[Man 1] Come before 4:00 to beat the rush hour traffic.

[Woman 1] Wear tennis shoes.

[Man 2] Yeah, she forgot.

[Reporter] Let's take a look at those shoes.

[Man 3] I would wear a hat.

Some suntan lotion.

Bring something cool to drink, you know?

Cause it's hot and humid out here and you don't want to heat exhaustion or anything like that.

[Reporter] What is your advice to people coming to the Iowa State Fair?

[Woman 2] My advice is to carry a canteen.

Walk fast, see it all.

There's lots here.

[Woman 3] Suntan lotion and lots of it because it's hot out here.

[Reporter] Okay.

Advice for people going into the midway?

[Man 4] Bring lots of money.

[Man 5] Don't bring your money.

[Reporter] What?

You lose a lot of money in there?

[Man 5] Yeah.

[Child 3] Ride the rides.

[Child 4] Go on rides.

[Child 5] It's the rides.

[Child 6] Go to the rides.

[Reporter] What's the best thing to do?

[Child 7] Eat.

[Child 8] Eat lots of food.

Bring lots of Pepto Bismol.

[Reporter] Okay.

Advice for people having a great time at the fair.

What does, what do you have for advice?

[Woman 4] Look for the guys.

[Woman 5] Look for the guys.

[Reporter] Is that what the sunglasses are for?

[Woman 5] Yeah.

They can't tell who you're looking at.

[Reporter] Good advice from the Iowa State Fair.

That was 1990.

More than 30 years ago and the advice still holds up.

Welcome back, everyone.

I'm Paul Yeager.

Some of the best entertainment at the fair is free.

Wander up to Pioneer Hall and you can almost always find something wonderful to listen to.

And the fiddlers contest is no exception.

(Fiddle music playing) [Holly Reyner] There's a lot of jokes about the difference between violin and fiddle, but it's really just the style, same instrument, and sort of the way you approach it.

With violin, you really have to play what's on the page.

Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etcetera.

And then with fiddle, you have a lot more freedom to add ornamentation or to vary the music.

So it feels like a much more personal experience, at least in my opinion.

(Fiddle music playing) [Holly] So I teach in the Waco Community School District, and I'm 412 orchestra there.

So because I love both classical and fiddle, I'm trying to put both of those things into what I'm doing.

And so I think the challenge with fiddle is you have to move faster, and it's a little bit scary at first to start to add in those ornaments and that kind of thing.

But once you get into it, it's really fun to get to add those extra elements.

And so I think as they go through that gets easier.

(Fiddle music playing) I think the improvisational aspects, those ornaments, the extra, the slides, the slurs.

I think that's what keeps you coming back to fiddle.

As you get to add that in.

Really don't think you're ever done learning.

That's a very teacher answer, I think, but it's a lifelong process.

Coming to this, I hear other people do things, and I made some notes about what other fiddle players were doing so I could bring it back to my students into my own playing.

But I think you have to invest time into it.

So it's something you really choose for your life.

Maybe a couple years until you're making some good sounds.

It takes patience, which I think is some of the value to students, for sure.

(Fiddle music playing) [Dwight Hughes] The major mission of us being at the Iowa State Fair is to bring awareness to the public and the people of Iowa that we are preserving history.

We're worried about the agricultural structures that have been built for 100 years or more.

And our goal is to jump start this very quickly in the next 20 years, because a lot of the barns that we're talking about are 100 years or older.

And if we don't get on this quickly, they'll be deteriorating to the point where you can't save them.

So we're very, very thankful to the Iowa State Fair Board and the staff of the people at the Iowa State Fair that allow us to be in the center of the Agriculture Building and showcase agricultural technology, agricultural history in the way of barns.

28 years ago, a collection of a half a dozen people from Iowa State University huddled in Ames and started the Iowa Barn Foundation with the major goal of preserving history, architecture, and the skilled talent of all of the prairies on the castle, I like to call them.

Barns all across Iowa that tell the story of our agricultural heritage.

And in that period of time, they've raised over $2 million and saved over 300 barns.

So when we designed the model barn, it was to capture attention, to stimulate interest, to draw people to the idea that barns are part of our history.

And as I mentioned earlier, we call them castles on the prairie.

And we think this is a pretty unique addition to the Iowa State Fair because it shows new and old.

It gets into people's idea of how they grew up, perhaps on a country farm, on a piece of property that their family may have had for upwards to 100 years or even more.

So, yes, I think that this is a really nice addition to the fair, and it catches them off guard and captures their attention for a few seconds or a few minutes.

And we have people here during the fair manning the display area to answer questions, to take membership applications to help promote the idea of saving barns.

We're trying to draw attention to older barns and then of course, windmills go with them.

And the barn is easily put up and taken down and stored.

It's all prefab.

And the old barns on the side of it that are red came off of the Frost Barn in Waterloo that are over 100 years old.

The new painted whiteboards are to replicate what you can do if you want to restore a barn.

So we have new and old on the same structure, limestone base.

It's to replicate what could occur on your property if you happen to have a barn to restore.

So this is a welcome and an invitation to everybody that has a passion and an interest to get involved with the Iowa Barn Foundation.

(Music) [Anna Pilcher] The Fabric and Threads Department has been a part of the Iowa State Fair for a very long time.

We have entries from exhibitors from all across the state of Iowa, across all age groups.

This year we have over 2500 entries into our department.

Fabric and Threads is located on the 1st and 2nd floor of the Varied Industries Building.

We bring the entries in a week and a half before the fair to get time to get through all the judging, to have everything exhibited ready to go by the start of the fair.

We're always looking at ways to keep our classes relevant to what crafters are doing out there and are excited about.

[Tracy Holland] Love her choices of fabric.

To me, you have those two different types of sewists.

You have that To me, you have those two different types of sewists.

You have that sewist who is really looking forward to next year's competition.

They're already thinking about what are they going to enter.

Taking that entire year to have a plan to enter as many categories as they can.

And then you have that other sewist that's like, "Yeah, you know, I made this really cool woven jacket or shirt and I get a lot of compliments on it.

I should enter it in the fair."

And it's great to see everybody's imagination and their creativity when they come in.

If I open this up, here's my fish.

If I close it...

This year at the fair, I'm seeing a high caliber of sewists.

And so as a judge, not only am I looking at the visual impact of the piece when I see it, but I'm also looking at the different design elements.

[Denise Link] I am the president of the local chapter of the American Sewing Guild and many of the other members have been long time entrants in the fair for things.

And so they really inspire me.

One example, last year, a friend of mine won the best in show for a coat that she made.

And it was so beautiful.

And I had never made a winter coat.

And this year I made a winter coat and I entered it in the fair.

I enjoy entering things into the fair because it stretches my skills.

But also I get to look at other things, beautiful things, that other people have done.

And it gives you a little bit more skin in the game if you have an item or two up here.

But really, it's the community that I have with other people who sew.

That's the part of it that keeps me coming back.

And we can look at each other's things and support each other in that creative endeavor.

[Tracy] Yeah, the hand stitching is great.

My favorite thing is watching the youngsters and the amount of talent that some of these kids have.

And we're really working hard to get the word out to these young kids to enter into the fair.

Everyone should enter regardless of your skill level.

[Paul] Here's a look at the acts advancing after today's talent competition at the Riley Stage.

(Music) [Paul] Be sure to tune in for the Talent Championships here on Iowa PBS Sunday, August 18 at 8pm.

I can't wait to see what's in store for us on Sunday.

Earlier this spring, when school was still in session, student artists at Central Academy in Des Moines were tasked with producing the official Iowa State Fair collectible pottery.

[Robin Taylor] So we have been doing a collector's piece of pottery since 1996.

And I've been very blessed to only have, I think, about 4 people or 4 groups that have done the pottery for us.

I was in search of a potter, so I just reached out to Dara Green, who's their instructor, and said, "Hey, throwing this out there, would you be interested?"

[Dara Green] All right.

Our goal is to get this into a ball without adding air.

We do 500.

500 pots.

This fits into our pottery curriculum perfectly because production pottery is a big part of pottery.

And so the goal is to get 250 done 1st semester and 250 done 2nd semester.

Really try not to get air in on you guys.

Otherwise it'll mess our throwers up.

Our program is located at Central Academy.

It is open to anyone in Des Moines high schools 9 through 12.

Throwers.

Do you guys have any questions?

Okay, everyone that's not throwing, let's go over to the roundtable.

There are so many steps.

I don't think people realize when they buy a handmade product or a piece of pottery, how many steps are involved.

I think each one of those pots are probably handled by 30 or more people.

Can you come help us make some balls so we can throw?

[Kirah Mayhew] Wedging is getting all of the air bubbles out before you ball the clay.

[Carrina Johnson] I'm working on trying to perfect the pots to make sure they don't have any flaws.

In case some of this comes off and is spread there, I got to clean it up and make sure it's not there.

And then if there's any dents or stuff protruding from it, then I gotta fix that up and make it look even, nice.

[Kirah] I like throwing.

Cause I like being able to control the clay.

[Amelia Vermeer] It seems simple to just throw the same thing, but I almost kind of feel like sometimes the clay has its own mind and it just wants to do something completely different.

Like this one.

This pot that I just threw took me 20 minutes because it kept wanting to flail out.

[Kirah] I haven't made a good one yet.

I'm still practicing, trying to make a good one.

But I've gotten really close.

[Dara] Yeah, it does take a lot of skill.

It is not easy at all.

We have beginners, intermediates, advanced in master throwers.

So students do get quite a lot of experience and skills in our program.

[Robin] What really made it neat is, one, it raises money for the Blue Ribbon Foundation to do building renovations here on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

But then it's also a professional experience for the kids at Central Academy.

[Dara] The money that we make, the students make, from the state fair project is money that they get to say what gets purchased.

So things from another table, really fancy tools that they drool over.

Most importantly, they learn from this program how to fail and how to problem solve, how to work within a community.

There's lots of beautiful aspects of learning that come out of this studio.

[Travis Graven] The Budweiser Clydesdales turn heads wherever they go, and that's certainly true at this year's fair, where they tour the fairgrounds every day at 5:00 p.m.

But these Clydesdales embody perfection, and the preparation to get them ready for public viewing starts hours before.

(Music) [Brady Janssen] That all starts at 7:00 in the morning.

All the horses will get fed their hay and grain and watered, and then they go out for some exercise.

About an hour walk every morning.

And then they'll start the grooming process.

They'll get all their white feathers.

The hair on their feet is called feathers.

And so they'll get that wash every day that they see people.

And then we'll groom them.

We'll cuff off the dust and actually vacuum dust off of them and get them nice and presentable.

About an hour and a half before we start our parade, we'll start braiding their manes, putting a braid into their manes, putting roses in, and really kind of classing them up a bit.

And then they come to the truck here.

This is what we call our harness truck.

So the wagon rides in here and the harness for the 8 horses.

And it's all leather and brass.

So every day that brass needs to be polished.

And that'll take 2 people about 4 hours.

We've been traveling the country since 1933 just promoting the beer and the beauty and how majestic the Clydesdale is.

We are actually the West Coast Pitch.

We have 3 traveling teams, and we all travel about 300 plus days a year.

So we've been everywhere this year, from LA to Phoenix to North Dakota.

And right here at the Iowa State Fair.

It's probably one of the most rewarding things - is seeing the reaction from children or all the way up to people that have been watching our famous Super Bowl ads since the 80s.

All these guys are at least 18 hands or shoulders, which is 6 foot.

They average about 2000 pounds apiece.

They eat about 30 to 40 pounds of hay, 10 quarts of grain, and about 30 gallons of water per day.

And you can't describe how big they actually are.

But with that, you also can't describe how gentle they are.

The Clydesdale as a whole is a very docile breed.

And so they're very well natured in that way.

I grew up in Iowa, so I grew up coming to the state fair.

And so to be back, especially since we do most of our traveling out west, it really hits home.

And it makes all that hard work that we put in early in the day, worth it towards the end.

The reactions that we get out of people, they are either looking straight up at the horses or they have their phone out taking pictures and really capturing the moment.

And that really makes everything that we do worth it.

And all the early mornings and late nights of caring for these guys all comes together.

(Music) [Woman 6] It takes about two to three minutes to get fully ready.

If you're really good at it.

The very first piece you start with is a pair of suspenders.

Clip those on first, and then there's a nice jacket.

It's a blue and yellow jacket.

And then you put on the glove.

They're really nice and long, and then you put on the ribbon part and then the very last piece is the head.

[Producer] What are the duties and responsibilities of the Iowa State Fair mascots?

[Abigail Edwards] Lots of walking and waving and saying hi to kids and giving them hugs.

Lots of high fives.

It's just having a lot of fun.

Bringing smiles to the fairgoers and representing the fair.

[Chloe LeFleur] Waving at people, high fiving, just looking cute, taking pictures.

You do a lot of pictures, don't you?

There's five scheduled strolls throughout the day.

[Abigail] A lot of mornings we start at the fun forest, hanging out with the kids and getting them all settled in at the kids club.

It's a lot of walking.

Going on strolls every hour.

[Chloe] The majority of people will be smiling and happy.

But on occasion we do get some kids that are really shy or that are scared.

Sometimes they cry and sometimes actually, it's the parents that are more excited to see Rosetta and Fairfield more than the actual kids.

[Producer] What's the best part about being the mascot?

[Chloe] The little kids.

Making them happy and smile.

Likes to make them smile.

[Abigail] Giving hugs to the kids and seeing them smile.

[Chloe] It brings a lot of joy.

And when people are taking photos with Rosetta and Fairfield, a lot of times they're smiling underneath the mask, even though they don't necessarily have to, but it just makes them happy because so many people are smiling.

[Abigail] It's just great to bring so much joy to the people of the fair.

I think when a lot of people think of the Iowa State Fair, they do picture the mascots.

It's a pretty special job.

[Chloe] It's almost like a break from reality.

Just seeing the smiles is really just what pays for for it.

[Abigail] It's really exciting because it's just such a big part of the fair and to be able to participate in that is just a wonderful feeling.

[Paul] Well my friends, we've come to the end of another hour of fair highlights, but there is so much more.

We have three more nights of coverage for you.

But if you can't wait until tomorrow night ... You can check out our website, our YouTube channel, and the PBS app.

And, you can follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts to get another dose of state fair fun.

There are several ways you can engage with us about our beloved state fair...anytime, and anywhere.

Of course, we'll be back tomorrow night and we're really going to heat things up!

We're going to learn about hot glass.

We'll taste some hot sauce.

And we'll be blown away by some hot engines.

So thanks for joining us as we take you on a journey through the great Iowa State Fair.

It's an honor to be your guide.

Until tomorrow night, I'm Paul Yeager,and like Bill likes to say - have fun at the fair!