Carnival in the countryside
Subtitle: the history of the Iowa State Fair
By: by Chris Rasmussen
Series: Iowa and the midwest experience
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Iowa City
Language: eng
Number of pages: 206
ISBN-13: 9781609383572; 9781609383589
Subjects: Social life and customs; Iowa State Fair; Country life; Rural conditions; Agricultural exhibitions; History
Description: More than a century and a half after its founding, the Iowa State Fair is the state's central institution, event, and symbol. During its annual run each August, this fair attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors who make the pilgrimage to the fairground to see the iconic butter cow, to ride the Old Mill, to walk through the livestock barns, and to people-watch. At the same time that they enjoy fried candy bars and roller coasters, Iowans also compete to raise the best corn and zucchinis, to make the best jams and jellies, to rear the finest sheep and goats, the largest cattle and hogs, and the handsomest horses. This tension between entertainment and agriculture goes back all the way to the fair's founding in the mid-1800s, as historian Chris Rasmussen shows in this thought-provoking history.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.