Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation

The 2024 Iowa State Fair was a record-breaker! Delicious food, outstanding entertainment and fun competitions combined with perfect weather - created major success!

Let’s recap the first 3 days: https://www.blueribbonfoundation.org/news-and-notes/blue-ribbon-blog/2024/09/04/2024-iowa-state-fair-recap-august-8-9-10

The online Iowa State Fair Store is open! Profits from the store directly benefit the Blue Ribbon Foundation's goal of raising funds to help preserve and improve the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds. Thank you for shopping and supporting our mission!

https://secure2.convio.net/bluerf/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1241&VIEW_HOMEPAGE=true&FOLDER=0&TYPE=&NAME=

Today is the day - Woodcarvers' Auction!

Fairgoers have enjoyed the thrill of watching Gary Keenan, T.J. Jenkins and and Clint Henik use chainsaws to carve masterpieces out of wood at the Iowa State Fair. This is your opportunity to take one of these unique carvings home. The Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation hosts the Woodcarvers' Auction as a hybrid with some items sold in person and other items sold online.

In Person Live Auction:
Today, August 18 at 3:30 PM
Penningroth Media Center, John & Emily Putney Family Cattle Barn

Online Auction:
Closes today, August 18 at 5:30 PM
Online Auction: https://e.givesmart.com/events/Db0/

All proceeds benefit the Blue Ribbon Foundation's mission of improving the historic Fairgrounds.

Congratulations to Jan and Kurt Dallmeyer of Wellman on winning the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s 7-night luxury villa vacation in the Turks & Caicos!

It’s day 10 of the 2024 Iowa State Fair and we are excited to recognize another Iowan of the Day!! Today’s recipient is Kendall Pals of Algona! Congratulations Kendall!

Congratulations to Elaine Graham Estes of Des Moines, today’s Iowan of the Day recipient! We are so glad to honor you!

The Iowan of the Day winner today is Rodd Holtkamp of Primghar! Congratulations Rodd and thank you for all you do for Iowa!

Don’t miss out on your chance to vacation in a luxurious villa in the Turks & Caicos!

For $100, you’ll support Fairgrounds renovations and be in the raffle for this 7-day stay. The deadline to enter is Thursday, August 15 at 2:00 pm (CT).

The drawing will be held on the Anne & Bill Riley Stage at noon on Saturday, August 17. The villa accommodates 14 guests and comes with a Jeep to use plus seven glass-bottomed kayaks for exploring the brilliant blue Caribbean waters. Airfare is not included.

Buy Your Ticket Here:

Home | Blue Island Villa Raffle Purchase raffle tickets for your chance to win a vacation to Blue Island Villa located in Turks and Caicos!

It’s Day 7 of the 2024 Iowa State Fair, and we are excited to celebrate another Iowan of the Day! Today’s recipient is Tate Giesemann of Bellevue!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to buy this year's pottery crock! Not only do you have a collectible that can be used year-round, but you will also support the Central Academy Potters at Des Moines Public Schools and the renovations on the Fairgrounds. They can be purchased for $45. To order, you can call our office at 515-262-3111 Ext 371 or find them in our four Blue Ribbon Foundation merchandise booths listed below:

Robert & Sheri Avis Horner Service Center
John & Emily Putney Family Cattle Barn – central foyer
John Deere Agriculture Building – main floor east
Jacobson Hall Museum gift shop

Today’s Iowan of the Day recipient is Crystal James of Ottumwa! We are so excited to get to honor her today!

Congratulations to John Klein of Treynor!! John is today’s Iowan of the Day winner at the 2024 Iowa State Fair!

Don't miss out on the Iowa State Fair Painting Classes! Have fun painting and get a step-by-step tutorial to create your own masterpiece.

You can still register on the link below:

https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/des-moines-urbandale/calendar/

Win a Luxury 7- Night Vacation in Turks & Caicos!

The Blue Ribbon Foundation is selling 500 raffle tickets for $100 each. There are still tickets available: www.blueribbonraffle.com

It’s day 4 of the 2024 Iowa State Fair and today’s Iowan of the Day winner is Nelson Klavitter of Dubuque!!

The Iowan of the Day winner today is Roxanne Cogil of Jamaica! We are so glad to be able to recognize her at the 2024 Iowa State Fair! Congratulations Roxanne!!

Today’s Iowan of the Day at the 2024 Iowa State Fair is Pat Burch of Norwalk! We are so excited to be able to recognize her!!

Congratulations to our first Iowan of the Day winner of the 2024 Iowa State Fair, Marilyn Sokol of Belle Plaine!

The Iowa State Fair is less than a week away! Check out our latest blog post to learn all about what's going on and where you can find us!

https://www.blueribbonfoundation.org/news-and-notes/blue-ribbon-blog/2024/08/02/find-us-2024-iowa-state-fair

The BRF is getting ready to catch the Fair Fever! Thanks again to JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fairgrounds for a delicious lunch yesterday. The Fairgrounds are buzzing with excitement as we’re less than a week away from Fair time!

Looking for a fun indoor activity during the Fair? Check out the painting classes being offered this year by “Painting with a Twist”. For more information, read today's blog at https://www.blueribbonfoundation.org/news-and-notes/blue-ribbon-blog/2024/07/26/make-picture-perfect-memories-fair or visit https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/des-moines-urbandale/calendar/

We'd like to say another huge thank you for a successful 2024 Corndog Kickoff! We had a blast and we hope you did too.

A special thank you to Dellen Burk-Flores, who captured these wonderful photos and many more.

It wouldn't have been possible without the help of our dedicated volunteers, the generosity of our donors, and of course the delicious food from State Fair vendors!

We hope to see you again next year at the 2025 Corndog Kickoff. Now who's ready for the Fair??

Dreaming of a tropical getaway? In need of some vitamin-'sea'? Enter the Vacation Raffle for a chance to win a luxury vacation in Turks & Caicos! Learn more in today's blog: https://www.blueribbonfoundation.org/news-and-notes/blue-ribbon-blog/2024/07/19/lucky-getaway
Or visit: https://www.blueribbonraffle.com/

The Blue Ribbon Foundation is excited to announce that the 2024 Corndog Kickoff Benefit Auction and Fair Food Grazing Party raised a total of $766,684 toward the renovation and preservation of the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds! More than 2,000 Iowa State Fair lovers enjoyed Fair food samples, Sky Glider rides, fireworks and more! Guests participated in several fun raffles and games while 31 live auction and 283 silent auction items were sold.

The Foundation is extremely grateful for the generous support which will enhance millions of Fairgoers’ experiences for years to come. Thank you to the patrons, concessionaires, auction contributors, and the 100+ volunteers that made the event a success.

If you want to remember all the fun you had, click on the link below to find your 2024 Corndog Kickoff Photos:
www.corndogkickoffphotos.com

Today's the Day - the final pieces of the Corndog Kickoff are coming together! The Silent Auction is open for bidding online now at https://e.givesmart.com/events/CuI/
We can't wait to see you tonight in the Varied Industries Building!

This package and many others are now up to preview leading up to the 2024 Corndog Kickoff!

Check them out by clicking the link below:
https://corndog2024.givesmart.com

Bidding for the Silent Auction portion opens tomorrow at 10 AM and closes Saturday at 8:30 PM. The Live Auction portion starts at 8 PM on Saturday with doors open at 6:30 to enjoy some fair food beforehand!

Setup for the Kickoff is coming along! In three short days, the Varied Industries building will be packed with Fair lovers and delicious Fair food. Don’t miss out on the party; tickets are available for $125 up until the event begins.

Corndog Kickoff prep is underway! Do not miss your chance to join us this Saturday!

Tickets include a complimentary photo, food and drink, fireworks, Sky Glider rides and more! They can be purchased at the door of the Varied Industries building or in advance here: https://secure2.convio.net/bluerf/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20073a?df_id=1608&mfc_pref=T&1608.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=4151A5A347A41C40BDAFCDD8F4E89A8A

Tickets sales at the door start at 5:30 pm on the night of the event. Doors for general entry open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $125. See you there!

The summer newsletter will highlight current renovations, some new merchandise, donations, and more. They will be mailed this week. Check out today’s blog post for a look back at some newsletter highlights from the past few decades… https://www.blueribbonfoundation.org/news-and-notes/blue-ribbon-blog/2024/07/08/foundation-newsletters-now-and-then