Gates

o Gate 4- The 450-acre Fairgrounds and Campgrounds are listed on the

National Registry of Historic Places.
o Gate 5- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair where sixty thousand people
watched Captain F.F. Frakes purposely crash an airplane into a house on
Thrill Day in 1937. Frakes narrowly escaped being arrested for his daring
feat.
o Gate 6-Welcome to the Iowa State Fair where, at the first plowing contest
in 1857, the fastest time to plow acre of land was 48 minutes.
o Gate 8- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair where, in 1854, first-place ribbons
were red, second-place was white and third-place was blue.
o Gate 7- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair where Amelia Earhart saw her
first airplane in 1908. She was reportedly unimpressed.
o Gate 9- The first Iowa State Fair was held in Fairfield, Iowa, in 1854, 20
years before the westward movement.
o Gate 10-Welcome to the Iowa State Fair where the telegraph was used for
the first time at the in 1909 to get messages from one side of the
Fairgrounds to the other.
o Gate 11- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair, the only Fair listed in the New
York Times best-selling travel book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die.
o Gate 13- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair, the single largest event in the
state of Iowa.
o Gate 14- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair, which was named one of the
Top 30 Things Every Midwesterner Should Experience by Midwest
Living magazine.
o Gate 15- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair, which was the inspiration for
Phil Stongs novel State Fair, three motion pictures and a Rodgers and
Hammerstein Broadway musical.
o Gate 16- Welcome to the Iowa State Fair where the first refreshment
stands appeared in 1862.
Grandstand
o The first staged head-on locomotive collision at the Grandstand happened
in 1896 and again in 1922 and 1932. Placement: West turnstile area,
visible when entering the grandstand.
o The 1892 Fair featured a parachute jump by a man and a dog.
Placement: East turnstile area, visible when entering the grandstand.
Maytag Family Theaters
o Originally built as a live TV studio, the Maytag Family Theaters (originally
the Family Center) were constructed in 1956. Placement: Front entrance
of building, away from door, in front of the brick flower bed.
Varied Industries
o Originally called Machinery Hall, the 5.5 acre Varied Industries Building
was constructed in 1911. Placement: In front of Northern (main)
entrance.
Elwell Family Food Center
o The Elwell Family Food Center is home to the largest food department of
any state fair with 226 divisions, 883 classes and over $77,000 in
premiums. Placement: North Eastern doors.
Swine Barn
o The Swine Barn was built in 1907 and 1936 and covers four acres. It is
home to the Big Boar. Placement: West (main) Entrance.
Outdoor Arena
o The Outdoor Area was relocated to its current location in 2008 to make
room for the Jacobson Exhibition Center. Placement: East side, south
east entrance.
o In 1916, the lawns of the Fairgrounds were mowed using 300 sheep.
Placement: East side, north east entrance.
o
Youth Inn
o Construction on the Youth Inn began in 1939 as a Works Progress
Administration project and is an outstanding example of art deco design.
Placement: In front of building, near stairs going up to the porch.
Putney Family Cattle Barn
o The Putney Family Cattle Barn was constructed in two stages, one in
1914 and the other in 1920, and houses 1,600 head. It is home to the
Super Bull, the states heaviest bull. Placement: Near main doors on
west side.
Jacobson
o The Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center was built in 2007 as part of a
$20 million multiphase project. Placement: Near main doors on west
side.
Bud Light Stage
o The 1894 Fairs entertainment featured the champion rifle and revolver
shot of the world, Lillian Cooly, who shot a ball through a lemon placed on
her sidekicks head. Placement: Adjacent to stage.
Thrill Zone
o Special thrill events capped the 1902-1908 Fairs including high-diving
horses, wire-walking, feats of marksmanship, battle re-enactments, and
historical plays and pageants. Placement: Highly visible area, not sure
what this area will look like in new location.
Administration Building
o The Administration Building was built in 1908 and was renovated in time
for the 1997 Fair. Placement: North (main) entrance, in front of one of
the columns.
Midway
o The Fairs first amusement ride was a circular swing in 1864. Todays
Midway features 40 rides for kids and adults. Placement: Main (South)
entrance to midway, under/around large Belle City signage.
Ye Old Mill
o Renovations were made to Ye Old Mill in 1996 as a part of a $4 million
Fairgrounds improvement project. It is one of only two such attractions
remaining in the country. Placement: Near ticket booth, close to the
street corner.
Machinery Grounds
o At the 1858 plowing competition, first-place went to the slowest plower
because the judges believed it was more important to plow well than plow
fast. Placement: Entrance on the south side, transition from street
to machinery grounds.
o The first ever television show in Iowa was at the Iowa State Fairs
machinery and farm equipment show in 1932. Placement: Entrance on
the west side, transition from street in front of Elwell to machinery
grounds.
Ag Building
o Six hundred electric lights were installed in the Agriculture Building (then
known as Agriculture Hall) in 1891. Placement: Back (East) entrance,
on ramp near building.
o The first Butter Cow was sculpted in 1911 by J.K. Daniels and has
continued every year since then. Placement: Main Entrance, near
globe.
o In 1924, one of the largest gladiolus flower shows ever was held at the
Iowa State Fair featuring 500,000 blooms. Placement: SW entrance, on
Rock Island, near Discovery Garden.
Knapp Stage
o In 2006, the Susan Knapp Amphitheater hosted one of the largest free
stage crowds with more than 10,000 attendees at the Raven-Symon
concert. Placement: In front of stage.
Campgrounds
o The Iowa State Fair boasts 160 acres of campgrounds and 2,300 spaces.
Placement: Along fence line on the campgrounds side of gate 5.
o A modern shower facility was build at the Campgrounds in 1931 after
much demand from campers. Placement: In front of large, new shower.
o In 1890, a fence was built around the Campgrounds to prevent campers
from getting trampled by surprise horse stampedes. Placement: In front
of the dome/campgrounds office.
Deets Museum
o Opened in 1982 and fully restored in 2007, the Ralph H. Deets Historical
Museum occupies the former Polk County Headquarters Building, built in
1882. Placement: On south side in front of the white fence, next to
the brick pillar.
Pioneer Hall
o Pioneer Hall was constructed in 1886 for the first Fair held in its present
location. Placement: In front of West entrance. Or should we say
South, just off the skyglider?
Horseshoe Courts
o The National Horseshoe Pitching Tournament was hosted at the Iowa
State Fair in 1922 and lasted several days. Placement: Along fence line,
at entrance to courts.
Grandfathers Barn
o Grandfathers Barn was part of the original farmstead purchased from
Calvin Thornton in 1884. It has never been moved from its original
location. Placement: At entrance to ramp on west side. Do we want to
reference the Thornton farmstead? Past issues with the house?
Fairview Stage
o The Fairview stage was built in 1982 and hosted one of its largest crowds
in 2010 during the Vanilla Ice and Tone-Loc concert. Placement: In front
of stage.
Pella Plaza
o Pella Plaza was created in 1996 when 99 county flags were installed to
celebrate the states sesquicentennial. Placement: Near stairs going up
to the flags, on fun forest side.
Gammon Barn
o After moving here in 1991, the Gammon Barn now serves as a museum
for the Polled Herefords breed. Placement: Near Gammon Barn sign,
south side of the building, facing road.
God Bless America
o Standing at 25 feet tall, the 5,900 pound sculpture God Bless America by
Seward Johnson depicts Grant Woods American Gothic. Placement:
Next to sculpture facing Rock Island Ave.
Discovery Garden
o Originally started by the Mens Gardening Club, today the Iowa State
University Extension Polk County Master Gardeners design and maintain
the garden. Placement: Outside of entrance, Rock Island side.
Sky Glider North
o Almost 100,000 people rode the Sky Glider when it opened at the 1975
Iowa State Fair. Placement: Between ticket booth and fence line,
concourse side.
Stone Map
o Created to celebrate the nations bicentennial in 1976, the Stone Map of
Iowa features a native stone from each of Iowas 99 counties. Placement:
Near stone map (east of Riley Stage).
4-H
o Dedicated at the Iowa Centennial State Fair in 1939, the building was
originally built as the Poultry Industries Building. Today it showcases
hundreds of outstanding 4-H exhibits. Placement: In front of 4-H main
entrance, north side.
DNR
o After three years of construction, the Department of Natural Resources
building finished in 1929 with an Italian Renaissance-inspired design.
Placement: In front of entrance, south side.
Sheep Barn
o The Sheep Barn was designed in three phases: 1915, 1923 and 1939. In
1917 it housed the largest sheep exposition of the time. Placement: In
front of entrance on north side with the terra cotta carving and the
words Sheep Barn on the arch.
Stalling Barn
o Finished in 2008 as a part of the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center
project, the Stalling Barn covers 40,656 square feet of space. Placement:
Near entrance at northwest corner.
Horse Barn
o The most exciting event of the first Iowa State Fair in 1854 was female
equestrianism or, womens horseback riding, which caused such an
uproar that it was repeated a second day. Placement: Main entrance,
east side. Opposite side of the middle door as Horse Haven.
Livestock Pavilion
o The Iowa State Fair hosts one of the worlds largest livestock shows.
Almost 22,000 animals are annually exhibited. Placement:
o The Livestock Pavilion was built in 1902 in less than four months and cost
only $45,000. Placement: Outside of entrance on west side, facing
Rock Island Ave.
Riley Stage
o The forerunner to the annual State Fair Parade was called Seni-om-sed
or Des Moines spelled backward. Placement: In front of Riley stage on
west side.
Little Hands on the Farm
o Started in 2004, Little Hands on the Farm is celebrating its 10
th

anniversary of teaching kids how to farm and earn money. More than
360,000 kids have participated in the past 10 years. Placement: Near
entrance.
Animal Learning Center
o Opening its doors in 2007, the Animal Learning Center was built to
educate Fairgoers about the animal birthing process. More than 3,820
animals have been born since then. Placement: In mulch, next to stairs
leading up to the building on the west side, facing the road.
First Church
o First Church is an exact replica of the first church ever built in Iowa and
was added to Heritage Village in 1967. Placement: Near entrance,
facing grand/other street, Northeast corner.
Country School
o Originally located in Indianola, the Country School was donated to the
Iowa State Fair in 1968 as a tribute to the one-room school houses of
Iowas past. Placement: On ground next to deck/stairs facing Grand
Ave.
Wind Turbine
o The Wind Turbine was installed in 2007 and generates enough electricity
to power the 11-day Fair. Placement: Near base of turbine facing the
covered stage area.
Cultural Center
o The Fairs Photography Salon is celebrating its 75
th
anniversary.
Placement: Near doorway on North east corner (entrance to the old
photography area).
o Built in 1948, the Cultural Center (originally the Girls 4-H Dormitory) has
completed a three-year renovation. Placement: Near door, on front
porch, west side.