Something for everyone at the Floyd County Fair

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Two years ago, there was a tornado. Last year, there was COVID.

This year, there’s going to be a fair. From live music to a demolition derby, from livestock shows to a petting zoo to a butter-sculpting contest — the fair will go on.

“There’s going to be something for everyone to enjoy going on at all times,” said Amy Staudt, Floyd County Fair Board president. “There will be so many activities going on throughout the day, every day.”

The Floyd County Fair is scheduled to run from July 13-18, and although the rebuilding from the EF-1 tornado that smashed through the fairgrounds on Memorial Day of 2019 and took down several buildings is not quite complete, Staudt said the fair board will make do.

“We are finally to the point where the fairgrounds are in place where we can start working and adding on to what we have for activities and entertainment,” Staudt said.

A picnic shelter has been erected that sits on the site where the old brick building was, a Little Hands on the Farm building now sits where the old storage shed was. That building also includes two new restrooms with showers.

To replace the dairy building that was destroyed by the tornado, an addition was built to the cattle/swine building.

The final piece of the fairground puzzle will be a new assembly hall, which will be a 104-by-60-foot structure. That building will stand where the old 4-H food stand was, and will branch out into the courtyard area. The building will cover the purposes used for the old food stand building as well as the old brick building.

That building was intended to be finished in time for the fair this summer, but slow material deliveries due to COVID put the building construction behind schedule. The building — and the sidewalks and landscaping around it — should be completed in the fall.

“Next year, we’ll have this last building, and we’ll have more room for entertainment and vendors,” Staudt said.

Grandstand events this year will be Figure 8 races on Thursday, Tuff Trucks on Friday and the Demolition Derby on Saturday — with fireworks to end the evening Saturday night.

The Tuff Trucks are something new this year.

Other new features at the fair include Hillbilly the Rodeo Clown, a sand volleyball day and a butter sculpting contest. Up to 10 pounds of butter can be used, it’s free to enter, and there will be cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

“You know, the State Fair always has the butter sculpting area, and we decided to bring it back and have a contest with it,” Staudt said. ‘We hope some people jump in, and your entries will be on display all week.”

There will be a refrigerated building for the entries.

As always, there will also be contests for cookies, bars and pies this year.

Musical entertainment Friday night will feature the band County Line Drive. Saturday, musical entertainment will be provided by the 70s and 80s tribute band The Hype, with opening act the local group PV and the Phantoms. Local favorite Jesse Allen will be the musical entertainment on Thursday evening. The concerts will all be freewill donation admission.

“We really think we have a strong lineup this year,” Staudt said. “We have something for everyone.”

Of course, the whole point of the fair is to also show off all the hard work put forth by area youth, with livestock shows and other 4H and FFA events going on throughout the week, Staudt said.

“We also have a lot of daily entertainment that is free, paid for by our sponsors,” she added. “There’s going to be a lot of things to do every day.”

Staudt said that includes axe throwing, face painting, a photo booth, an illusion show, a hypnosis show, Bingo, polka bands — “something for all ages.”

Daily entertainment will include Eric Michaels Magic & Illusions, Rondini’s Magic of the Mind Hypnosis Show, a Bean Bag Tournament hosted by FFA and an All-Star Stunt Dogs Show, where the stunt dogs are all retired rescue dogs.

There will also be a petting zoo and several interactive exhibits for kids of all ages, such as a paintball turkey shoot.

There will be no carnival in the midway this year. Instead there will be activities for both kids and adults.

“We just don’t know that the carnival draws out as many people as our entertainment does,” Staudt said. “It has seemed to us in the past that people are looking more for family activities than they are for a carnival.”

For more information on how to enter the events, a schedule of events, or just information on the fair in general, go to the website at floydcountyfair.org.

FLOYD COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE 2021

TUESDAY, JULY 13

• Noon – Agronomy comments.
• Noon – Judging for all non-livestock exhibits in the Youth Enrichment Center.
• 7:30 p.m. – Little Miss Floyd and Mr. Floyd Contest, Hall of Fame, Share the Fun, Extemporaneous Speaking and 4H Fashion Show.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14

• 7 a.m.-6 p.m. – Barn open and swine check-in.
• 8 a.m.-8 p.m. – Food stand opens.
• 8 a.m. – Pet and Dog Show.
• 9 a.m.-9 p.m. – Exhibits open to the public in Youth Enrichment Center.
• 2 p.m. – Horse Show.
• 5-9 p.m. – Miller’s Petting Zoo.
• 5-9 p.m. – Little Hands Farm Exhibit.
• 5-9 p.m. – DJ and beverage garden in the Midway, DJ TB Continued.
• 5-10 p.m. – 14 and up co-ed sand volleyball, Midway area, $60 per team with payouts to top 4 teams.
• 6 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 6-7 p.m. – Sheep and meat goat weigh-ins.
• 6-8 p.m. – Free pony rides.
• 7 p.m. – Beef weigh-ins.
• 8 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.

THURSDAY, JULY 15

• 8 a.m. – Sheep and Meat Goat Show.
• 8 a.m. – Rabbit check In.
• 9 a.m.-9 p.m. – Exhibits open to the public in Youth Enrichment Center.
• Noon-6 p.m. – Iowa Corn Mobile Educational Trailer with air conditioning.
• Noon-8 p.m. – Miller’s Petting Zoo.
• 1-8 p.m. – Little Hands on the Farm Interactive Exhibit.
• 1 p.m. – McBingo.
• 1 p.m. – McPrize Wheel-in the Community Center w/Food Stand.
• 2 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 3 p.m. – Bean Bag Tournament hosted by CCFFA.
• 4 p.m. – Eric Michaels Magic and Illusions.
• 4 p.m. – Rabbit Show.
• 4 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 6 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 7 p.m. – Figure 8 races.
• 7 p.m. – Jesse Allen.

FRIDAY, JULY 16

• 7 a.m.-9:30 a.m. – Free pancake breakfast in Youth Enrichment Center.
• 8 a.m. – All Bucket Bottle and Beef Show.
• 9 a.m.-9 p.m. – Exhibits open to the public in Youth Enrichment Center.
• Noon-8 p.m. – Miller’s Petting Zoo.
• 1-8 p.m. – Little Hands on the Farm Interactive Exhibit.
• 1 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 1:30 p.m. – Timed horse events.
• 2 p.m. – Ribbon cutting for Community Center, The Little Hands on the Farm, The Wedding Barn, Picnic Shelter and Livestock Addition, all donors invited to join.
• 2 p.m. – Kid’s Pedal Pull.
• 2-4 p.m. – Free pony rides.
• 2-6 p.m. – Face painting by The Little Hands Barn.
• 2:30 p.m. – The Bombastic Bubble Show.
• 3-7 p.m. – Conservation Station.
• 3 p.m. – Eric Michaels Magic and Illusions.
• 3 p.m. – Floyd County Fair Livestock Judging Contest, in show arena.
• 4 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 5 p.m. – Rondini’s Magic of the Mind Hypnosis Show, Community Center.
• 5-10 p.m. – Hurling Hatchet Mobile Trailer.
• 6 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 6-8 p.m. – Free pony rides.
• 7 p.m. – Grandstand: Tuff Trucks.
• 8 p.m.-midnight – County Line Drive Band, beverage garden and food trucks in Midway, admission is freewill donation.

SATURDAY, JULY 17

• 7:30 a.m. – Market/Derby Swine Show.
• 9 a.m.-9 p.m. – Exhibits open to public in Youth Enrichment Center.
• 10 a.m. – Halter Classes for the Draft Pony Show.
• 10 a.m. – Sand Volleyball Tournament.
• 11 a.m.-8 p.m. – Little Hands on the Farm Interactive exhibit.
• 11 a.m.-8 p.m. – Miller’s Petting Zoo.
• 11 a.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 1-3 p.m. – Marc Frana One Man Band-In the foods stand.
• 1 p.m. – Hitch Classes for the Draft Pony Show.
• 2 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 2-4 p.m. – Free pony rides.
• 2-6 p.m. – Face painting, Little Hands Barn.
• 2-6 p.m. – Photo booth.
• 2 p.m. – The Bombastic Bubble Show.
• 3 p.m. – Poultry Show.
• 3 p.m. – Eric Michaels Magic and Illusions.
• 4 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 5 p.m. – Rondini’s Magic of the Mind Hypnosis Show.
• 5-8 p.m. – Ag Mobile Learning Lab.
• 6 p.m. – All-Star Stunt Dogs Show.
• 6-8 p.m. – Free pony rides.
• 6:30-8 p.m. – PV and the Phantoms.
• 7 p.m. – Grandstand: Demo Derby and Power Wheels Derby.
• 8:30 p.m. – Watermelon Eating Contest, grandstand intermission.
• 8:30-11:30 p.m. – The HYPE Band, beverage garden and food trucks in Midway, admission is freewill donation.
• 10 p.m. – Firework Finale.

SUNDAY, JULY 18

• 6 a.m. – Beef Auction weigh-in.
• 9 a.m. – Release of exhibit halls, non-auction exhibits, open show exhibits and business expo.
• 9 a.m. – Open Show Horse Games, Horse Arena.
• 1 p.m. – Annual Fair Society meeting, the Community Center and food stand.
• 3 p.m. – Livestock Auction, Show Arena.
• 3 p.m. – Free Ice cream.