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Behind The Scenes Of The Iowa State Fair

The Iowa State Fair opened last Thursday and hundreds of thousands of visitors have already passed through the gates to see what this year's fair has to offer. 

For this special Iowa State Fair hour of Talk of Iowa, our host Charity Nebbe visited the fairgrounds the day before it opened. She talks to the fierce competitors of the popular jams, jellies and fruit butter competitions, then introduces a mother-son baking duo who have been competing in the baking contests for the last four years.

Finally she talks with members of an Escaramuza team, Amazonas del Bajio or the women of Bajio, a group of women and girls who perform in traditional Mexican dresses on high-stepping and even dancing horses. The Mexican-Iowan cowgirls celebrate their culture through music and precision horseback performances and participated in the Iowa State Fair Parade on August 7th.   

Guest include:

  • Karen McKillgan, superintendent of foods at the Iowa State Fair.
  • Diana Barker and Aaron Barker, mother and son competitive bakers.
  • Gloria Martinez, Maria Martinez, Itza Contreras, and Vanessa Molina, members of the Escaramuza team, Amazonas del Bajio.