Believe it or not, it is time for the Iowa State Fair.

What may well be the grandest of our nation’s state agricultural festivities – the Iowa State Fair – will begin Wednesday and run through Aug. 21.

Iowans gathered in Fairfield for the first state fair in 1854 – just eight years after achieving statehood. That fair boasted an attendance of about 8,000. In the early years the fair’s venue changed frequently. It wasn’t until 1879 that Des Moines became its home. It took up residence at the present site in 1886.

The more than 160 years that have elapsed since the State Fair began have witnessed many changes, but agriculture was then and remains today, central to the state’s economic life.

In the 21st century, the Iowa State Fair continues to celebrate agriculture, but also highlights in exhibits and through entertainment countless other aspects of contemporary American life.

For many 4-H’ers and FFA members from all across Iowa who have worked hard throughout the year on assorted projects, the Iowa State Fair represents the final and most prestigious stage of exhibition and competition.

The more than 1 million people expected to visit the Iowa State Fairgrounds will not only be amused and entertained, but also will have ample opportunities for educational enrichment.

The 2022 Iowa State fair will have so much to offer that no preview can fully capture the variety. But among its features will be:

• One of the planet’s grandest livestock shows

• What organizers tout as the country’s largest state fair foods department, about 900 classes

• Iowa’s largest art show

• Literally hundreds of competitive events and contests

• Well in excess of 600 exhibitors and concessionaires

• Grandstand entertainment that covers an immense range of tastes

The facilities are spread across 400 acres and include 160 acres of campgrounds. Some of the fair buildings are examples of classic, exposition-style architecture dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mix of fully modern structures with venues that recall earlier times gives the State Fair both a charm and a functionality that are truly remarkable. Visits to many of its locales are a mutigenerational family tradition. Fun coupled with nostalgia are very much the order of the day for countless visitors.

If you haven’t already made plans to head to the fair, there’s just enough time to reconsider.

People travel from all over the nation and journey from many foreign lands to partake of the extraordinary experience that is the Iowa State Fair. Don’t miss out on a world-class event in your own backyard.