We wanted to find out why you love the Iowa State Fair, but we're also pretty busy, so we asked that you keep it short — six words, to be exact. And dozens of you responded with your teeny, tiny "Why I love the State Fair" essays. Our five essay winners each won two tickets to the fair. According to the word cloud we created from all the entries, the Iowa State Fair is for people-watching, eating foods on sticks, and, of course, mullets. We've included the other entries, as well.
The winners:
"Watching people watching you watch them." — David Walleser, Des Moines
"Chubby mullet spandex on a stick." — Sean Conlin, Boone
"Fair is great, beer is good." — Mike Mescher, Ankeny
"Bobo the clown: You're going down." — Abby Harvey, West Des Moines
"Deep-fried years of traditional goodness." — Cindi Abbas, Pleasant Hill
The rest:
"You name it, on a stick." — Andy Goergen, Des Moines
"Food on a stick. Nuff said." — Janet Glasman, East side
"The Iowa State Fair it's Heaven." — Christian Ucles, West Des Moines
"Showing animals how to drink beer." — Chris Simonis
"Gigantic swine, greasy mullets, gorged bellies." — Kayla Craig, Drake area
"Celebrating Iowa cowchip love corndog obsession." — Ginny Ray
"People-watching with friends and food!" — Courtney Tompkins, Urbandale
"Anything that comes on a stick." — Adam Prose, Ottumwa
"Ole' Fashioned Family Fun Good Time!" — Jeni Kolsrud, Waukon
"Fun Friends family food animals — fairific!" — Jennifer Bremer, Redfield
"Stick food grazing while people gazing." — Konni Cawiezell, Roosevelt
"The pork chop on a stick!" — Judy Riley, western Iowa
"Iowa celebratory fried food music fest." — Justin Woods, Ankeny
"Everything on a stick — Yum!" — Sara Harvey, Milwaukee, Wisc.
"Everything comes on a stick! Delicious!" — Gabriel Glynn, Ankeny
"Corn dogs lemonade wonder bars tenderloin." — Mike Martin, Newton
"Watching people eat foods on sticks." — Jenipher Lynn Sutherland, Ingersoll area
"Tradition food fun music freebies people-watching." — Kevin Teale, Altoona
"Food old friends fun free music." — Philip Norton, Bloomfield
"Enjoying the smells of tasty food." — Regina Porter, Waterloo
"My deep fried and battered heaven!" — Tara Aguilar, Urbandale
"People watching in all its glory." — Danielle Bascom, Drake area
"Iowa with its best foot forward." — Dan Winter, Marshalltown
"Iowan obesity always at its finest." — Tim Laielli, West Des Moines
"Wife-beater mullet wearing people watching." — John VanGilder, West Des Moines
"A great place to people watch!" — James Best, Clive
"I love to eat fair food!" — Kathy Best, Clive
"History is the Iowa Fiddler's Contest" — Jimmy C. Clark, Mason City
"From Vegas never been win win." — Diana McCormick, Las Vegas
"Turkey Legs + Giant Slide = Hot Fun." — Kari Long, Beaverdale
"People, fun, food on a stick!" — Bobbi Zenor, Beaverdale
"Fair of fairs fountain of youth." — Kristen Moore, Appanoose County
"People people people people people fun." — Laurie Carnahan, Ames
"I love the view and the food." — C. LaVern Imboden, Urbandale
"Camping, eating, contests, shows, people watching." — Deana Wright, Colfax
"Hot sweaty mullets on a stick." — Corey Morris, Ankeny
"Ingenuity abounds, satiating treats, fun-filled rollicking." — Cathy Pearson, Johnston
"Best of Iowa in one place." — Tyler Kalina, west side (grew up on east side)
"Generations of family fun, fabulous food" — Kathy Krafka, Montezuma, Ia.
"Tapping into Stockman's big bull sessions." — Ed Harkema, New Sharon, Ia.
"Beer corndogs people say more please!" — Sarah Guhl, east side
"Hot yummy sumptuous cultivating luminous animal." — Tanya Campbell
"Deep-fried pineapple on a stick." — Amanda Riordan, Beaverdale
"Family tradition, camping, food and fun." — Stacy McEntaffer, Sioux City
"Grandstand Bill Riley Iowa Entertainment Extravaganza!" — Erin Milnes, Clive
"Cussing beer cussing beer cussing cigarette." — Tonda Brown, Pleasant Hill
"Best fair I never been to." — Cathy Jayjack, east side/Council Bluffs
"Makes me feel like a kid." — Nancy Johnson, Clive
"Sky Glider Fiddle Contest Lemonade Pork." — Jennifer Erickson, Clive
"Mullets not meant to be ironic." — Shae Coffman, Johnston
"Food smells people watching laughter varieties." — Linda Dorr, Guthrie Center, Ia.
"Even better than the Minnesota State Fair!" — Mark Chandler, east side
"Unbelievably short shorts distract loving husbands." — Patrick Snyder
"Something for everyone, young and old." — Jeri Thomson, Altoona
"You get to live the dream." — Daniel Makarewicz, Davenport
"People, sticks. The farm/city mix." — Todd Kirke, Ingersoll area
"Barnyard circus deep fried golden brown." — Corey Johnson, Ames
