Plymouth County Fair

“The best 5 days of Summer” are happening right now at the Plymouth County Fair in Le Mars, Iowa! The first Plymouth County Fair occurred on September 8^th-10^th, 1941, making this the 78^th annual tradition.

I took my 13-year-old step daughter and her best friend with me on Wednesday morning, and here is what we saw and did on the fair grounds.

Price of admission

First off, let’s go over gate admission prices:

• $20.00 wrist band
  Good for all 5 days
• $10.00 daily admission per person per day
  Children under 5 years and under are Free
• $40.00 car pass
  Good for all 5 days
  ***gets 4 adults in all 5 days
  ***any additional persons pay $10.00

So, paying $30.00, we all got in, parked the car and started walking around. It was perfect weather for this outdoor event.

goats, sheep and cows, oh my!

Starting off in the livestock section, we saw goats, cattle and sheep. Maybe we didn’t mingle long enough, but I didn’t see any pigs, chickens or rabbits. It might have been in the next building over.

face painting and crafts

Once we came out the other end of barn, we went right into the “Hall of ‘15”, a commercial exhibit building opened for the 2015 fair and contains local vendors and booths. We saw woodworking, handmade soaps and crafts, cake decorators, and homemade pastries.

Of course, the girls got their faces painted! I opted out of getting mine done, since I still had to work that night, and didn’t want my skin to possibly react. Plus, it would not look professional walking around with smeared lines all over my face after sweating all afternoon. I did however get “tattoos” on my arms that I proudly displayed during my restaurant shift all night!

carnival! and kid zones

We saw food vendors, local business owners selling their products in outdoor tents, and even a carnival. However, they were still setting up the rides when we arrived, no whirling and tumbling today. Maybe next year.

We saw numerous kid-friendly activities. There’s a Lego House, Bungee jumping, turn-of-the-century classroom, and sand art!

off to the round barn!

This hundred-year-old round barn is host to different events each year. Last year was “100 Barns”, this year the focus is on the dairy industry. On display, was a butter sculpture! In addition, were multiple exhibits depicting the process of dairy production, life on a farm, and how the manufacturing of dairy has helped build and mold our community.

pioneer village

Pioneer village is a conglomerate of several 100-year-old buildings donated by local residents and business owners, and moved to the fair grounds in order to preserve their importance.

Repurposed to serve event-goers, each building has a plaque outside depicting the year it was built, its function and history, its original location, and when it was moved.

An elevated board walk connects all businesses, and each building is air-conditioned. The center courtyard has outdoor seating, with every bench being dedicated or donated by various citizens and businesses.

my thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed this fair a lot more than I thought I would. The Plymouth County Fair is one of the largest in Iowa, and has approximately 450 members in its 4-H program, ranking 3^rd in the state for enrollment.

Arriving at 11:30am, we spent two hours visiting with friends we recognized who were also enjoying the day’s activities, browsing the collection of vendors, eating lunch and picking up cute trinkets.

I did forget to browse the collection of tractors, and we missed the petting zoo! Ah! Next year it is.

already planning for next year

Being on a ridiculously tight schedule, we were not able to return and watch an outdoor concert in the Pioneer Village or a Demo Derby in the Grandstand. This will also have to be on the bucket list for upcoming visits.

With it only being half an hour’s drive from Sioux City, I hope you’re able to plan a day in Le Mars, Iowa. The weather has been perfect for this outdoor event, so get out an enjoy the weekend!