Iowa Centennial State Fair Caravan Trip

The 2019 Iowa State Fair will celebrate the 165th anniversary of the Fair. Looking back, our great State Fair started in Fairfield, IA in 1854. In 1954, many Iowans celebrated the centennial of the Fair with a horse caravan consisting of 509 people, 471 horses and 40 covered wagons traveling from Fairfield, IA to the Fairgrounds in Des Moines officially opening the Fair. The trip was a four-day event and covered 114 miles. The occasion was so monumental that President Dwight D. Eisenhower and former President Herbert Hoover visited as well. A 20-foot time capsule, called the Centurlon, was created to mark the occasion. The collection inside will give Fairgoers in 2054 a good look at Iowa life a century ago. I am looking forward to the opening of this time capsule in 35 years!

My grandma Jackie (Paul) Henchal and her father Wendell Paul were part of this trip as their family made it part of their vacation that summer. My great-grandmother kept an excellent scrapbook that recorded this event complete with photo evidence! The group traveled rain or shine and it is noted that it was either pouring down rain or steaming hot on the excursion.

As the group entered the Fairgrounds a crowd of an estimated 20,500 people were gathered in the grandstand to watch the grand parade of the big Iowa Centennial State Fair Caravan trip! The total estimated attendance at the Fair that Saturday was 85,000.

As the Iowa State Fair moves forward and introduces new competitions, events, and foods each year it is important to remember the rich history behind our Fair by celebrating traditions, monuments, and events that continue to make our Fair so special.

The Iowa Centennial State Fair Caravan trip is one of my #FairFavorites as a story told by my grandma each year. Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2019 Iowa State Fair, August 8-18.

- Gabrielle Gerke (PR Intern)