By Jared Curtis

Competitors push hard to finish during the Outhouse Races. For more information about all the events, visit http://www.iowastatefair.org. PHOTO Courtesy of the Iowa STATE Fair

Plenty of events will keep people entertained during the fair

Every year hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Iowa State Fair. The internationally acclaimed fair offers a bevy of entertainment including concerts, livestock shows, exhibitors, competitions and plenty of fried food, usually on a stick. But a big draw to the event is the more than 45 competitions that take place “testing the talent, creativity and sheer zaniness” of fairgoers.

Some of the contests include the accordion contest, ladies nail driving contest, a checkers tournament, Mr. Legs contest, cow chip throwing contest, women’s rubber chicken throw, a fiddler’s challenge and a ladies’ husband calling contest. With so many options, interested competitors have plenty to choose from, but a couple events — the beard growing contest and the outhouse races — offer a little more of the outlandish fun the fair embraces.

“When someone takes part in the fair, it’s an entirely different experience than just walking though the gates,” said Regina Pirtle, superintendent of Pioneer Hall.

9th Annual Outhouse Races — Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 2:30 p.m. in the Grand Concourse.

Although the grandstand hosts most of the racing events, one of the most popular races at the fair takes place on the Grand Concourse —the Outhouse Races.
“We were trying to come up with some new events and I had heard about the outhouse races,” said Darlene Kretzschmar, coordinator for the outhouse races. “After doing some research, I thought they would be a great addition to the fair.”

Teams of four (including one female) must race the outhouse through an obstacle course before crossing the finish line. The outhouse must have a half door, weigh a minimum of 200 pounds and can only run on manpower. The winner of the race receives $300 and a golden toilet seat (second and third place also take home cash and prizes). Prizes are also given for the Best Costume and Best House.

“We encourage everyone to get creative and work hard to create the best house and costumes,” Kretzschmar said.

Fans line the street, which is a main reason the contest continues.

“There are so many fun contests going on, but this one is a little different the people love it,” Kretzschmar said. “I have people specifically ask me what day the race takes place, so it’s become one of the most popular contests and is a lot of fun for both kids and adults.”

Beard Growing Contest — Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 10:30 a.m. Interested participants can register until 10 a.m. the day of the competition.

As the sport of Bearding continues to gain popularity across the nation, the Iowa State Fair has been ahead of the trend, offering a beard-growing contest for more than 20 years. And although the contest usually draws between 20 and 30 bearded brethren, there was a time when they could barely get enough contestants.

“One year we had three people signed up, so I told the staff to go out and find as many men with beards on the fairgrounds that they could and tell them they have to enter,” Pirtle said. “We ended with a big group and they all had a good time. So much so that a lot of the group we pulled off the street has come back every year since.”

Three years ago, the event added some new categories.

“Originally, we had the longest beard,” Pirtle said. “But we added the Best Groomed, Most Unique Beard Design, Most Historic Nature and Best Beard Design with Costume to the event.”

Although a majority of events involve some kind of athletics or talent, the beard growers capitalize on their god-given gift of facial hair.

“Some of the guys grow their beards year round, but we do have a lot of guys who grow specifically for the contest,” Pirtle said. “Not only does the winner get to take home the blue ribbon, but they also have the pride of knowing they can grow a pretty good beard.” CV