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2000-Present

The theme of the 2000 Fair, "Zero In August 10-20, 2000," focused on technology and tradition. Fairgoers responded in record numbers - 978,841 visitors attended.

A $1.3 million Grandstand event gross, a $400,000 line-up of entertainment offered free with gate admission and the innovative focus on high-tech development figured significantly in the Fair's success. Two Grandstand shows were sell-outs, including Christina Aguilera plus 70s rock duo Styx and REO Speedwagon. Truck and Tractor Pulling drew nearly 6000 fans. More than 9400 people took in two nights of PRCA Rodeo, including a Thursday night performance by Sawyer Brown, filling in for the ailing Chris LeDoux.

The 2001 Fair lived up to its theme - "It's a Winner" - with wonderful weather, a renovated Varied Industries Building, Bob Dylan in the Grandstand plus live sharks and comedy cowboys. A record-breaking turnout of 985,780 visitors to the 2001 Iowa State Fair.

Phase One of the Varied Industries Building renovation and the repaving of the Grand Concourse helped draw in crowds. Legendary performer Bob Dylan was a Grandstand sell-out. The Live Shark Encounter featured six live sharks in a 9000-gallon tank with a diver swimming free. A hilarious comedy wild west show continually played to standing-room-only audiences. Other attractions included a record number of State Fair Queen candidates (96), a record number of six-horse draft hitches (19), an $883,000 Grandstand gross, a record $145,100 Sale of 4-H/FFA Champions, a new Fiesta night reaching out to Latino Fairgoers, Duffy Lyon's butter sculpture of John Wayne, plus the Farmall Promenade Square Dancing Tractors.

A quickly extinguished fire, gutting longtime Fair eating establishment Master Jack's, failed to dampen the crowds. Gary Slater took over as Fair manager after Marion Lucas retired.

Great weather, the largest final day turnout in Fair history, a $1.6 million Grandstand gross, a visit from President Bush, plus live alligators and the 135-ft. tall Adrenaline Drop all helped the 2002 Fair live up to its billing as "The Big One". (The theme was the first in a three-year campaign toward the Fair's Sesquicentennial in 2004.) Final attendance tallied 1,008,174 - marking the first time attendance topped the million mark.

More than 90,000 visitors - the largest number ever - were tallied on Extreme Sunday, the Fair's eleventh and final day, after the Fair geared up to bring more people out for its finale. A separate marketing campaign promoted several attractions including a free concert by the Village People, four thrilling sessions of freestyle motorcycle stunts, half price admission, free parking for carloads of five or more, expanded exhibit hours, and several other appealing incentives.

Additional factors in the Fair's success included a $1.6 million Grandstand gross (including a sellout for Kenny Chesney and 8000-plus seats each sold for Toby Keith, REO Speedwagon and Styx, plus Alicia Keys). Huge free stage attractions included Juice Newton, The Association, and Hotel California's Salute to the Eagles. Fairgoers lined up to see Duffy Lyon's butter tribute to Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. Kachunga and the Alligator attracted record-breaking crowds during three daily shows. Two thrill rides on Expo Hill, the free-falling Adrenaline Drop and the 60-mph Skyscraper, grossed $161,000. The Fair's new mascot, a giant blue ribbon named Fairfield, made his debut. Attendance again topped one million in 2003. More than 1,012,000 Fairgoers experience the "One in a Million" Fair. Visiting Democratic presidential candidates attracted crowds of Fairgoers as well as national media including MSNBC, the Washington Post, ABC News, Tokyo's largest newspaper and many other news organizations. Nearly 84,000 visitors - one of the largest counts ever - were tallied on Extreme Sunday.

The Sale of Champions set a new record of $157,500 with eight livestock selling prices hitting new highs. A $1.6 million Grandstand gross, including a sellout for Kenny Chesney, also factored in to the Fair's success. In addition, 9000-plus seats were sold for Alan Jackson and more than 8000 for the Grand Outlaw National Tractor and Truck Pull. Huge free stage draws ranged from Vocal Trash and Riders in the Sky to Rhonda Vincent and Hairball.

Fairgoers lined up to see Duffy Lyon's butter Harley Davidson motorcycle, a salute to the company's 100th anniversary. CBS News' Early Show covered the sculpture's debut on opening day. Dutch Television filmed a half-hour show about the Fair. Maximum Velocity, a bikes, boards and blades stunt show, plus the Rosaire-Zoppe Chimpanzees, and Mr. Stinky Feet (Jim Cosgrove) attracted standing-room only audiences every day.

In the fall of 2003, a new book for travelers titled 1000 Places to See Before You Die, described as "an around-the-world, continent-by-continent listing of places guaranteed to give you the shivers," featured the Iowa State Fair as the only Iowa destination and the only state fair in the country as one of the world's must-see events. The national accolades kept coming. In May 2004, USA Weekend magazine named the Fair the #2 choice for summer fun in America (second only to Las Vegas). In June, Esquire magazine chose the Fair as one of the "15 Superlative Things to Experience Before Labor Day."

The 2004 Fair - celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first Fair in 1854 - was the culmination of three years of planning. Special events including a horse caravan from Fairfield (a trek completed in 1954 as well), a reunion of former Fair Queens and Talent Search champions, plus a torch run from all four corners of the state helped drive a record 1,053,978 visitors to the 2004 Fair, the largest tally to date.

Perfect weather averaging a daily high of 76 degrees helped most food vendors and merchandise concessionaires set sales records. Steer 'N' Stein owner Stan Kranovich said business was tremendous. "I think folks would have eaten boxes if we had deep-fried 'em," he laughed. According to Calvin Campbell of Campbell Concessions, "It was our best year in over 50 years selling corn dogs." Meatballs joined the long list of food items available on a stick.

National media visiting included Bill Geist and a crew from CBS News Sunday Morning, USA Today, the Dallas Morning News, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Country Living Magazine. Monster Nation, which produces television shows for the Discovery Channel, also spent four days on site. ESPN ranked the Fair's debut Outhouse Race among its Top 10 Plays of the Day.

Additional superlatives included 103 State Fair Queen candidates, a new record; one of the top five draft horse shows in the nation; and 10.2 million hits on iowastatefair.org over the 11-day run. The Sale of Champions set a new record of $190,500 with 11 record selling prices. Plus, the Super Bull broke the 1995 record, weighing in at 3,378 lbs. The Fair's 12th cookbook, "Taste the Tradition," sold 80 percent of its 5000-copy print run, the fastest selling Fair cookbook ever.

The 2005 Fair proved it is "America's Favorite Fair" by surpassing the one million mark for the fourth consecutive year with a total attendance of more than 1,005,000.

The 2005 Grandstand line-up featured events ranging from Professional Bull Riding to Garrison Keillor, including two sold-out shows, Keith Urban with Phil Vassar and Brad Paisley/Sara Evans. Grandstand ticket sales grossed $1.68 million with 71,916 purchases. Po' boy sandwiches, french fried sweet potatoes, deep fried hot dogs, and the country's only Red Bull smoothies debuted.

Free entertainment and attractions were wildly popular during the 2005 Fair. There were daily standing room only crowds at Vocal Trash, The Nadas, Flying Fools Dive Show, and Sea Lion Splash. Extreme Sunday's finale with America featured one of the largest crowds ever at the Riley Stage, estimated at nearly 7,000 attendees. In addition, thousands visited Duffy Lyon's butter tribute to Tiger Woods, the Fair's new museum, and the Habitat for Humanity house that was fully constructed on the Fairgrounds in nine days.

In addition to being named to Midwest Living's "30 Things Every Midwestern Should Experience," the 2005 Fair also set a few records: hits to iowastatefair.org nearly doubled to more than 19.1 million during the 11-day run, seven record selling prices were set in the Sale of Champions and more livestock were shown than ever. Open class livestock entries were up more than 8 percent while 4-H livestock increased nearly 10 percent over 2004. Plus, Spread the Word Advertising named the Fair to its Discover America Top 200 Events list for which more than 3000 national events were reviewed for inclusion.