Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

I thought I would post on the past climatology of the Iowa State Fair… I was on the Des Moines NWS site last nite and came across this report. It’s a very good read… I think that the average temp will be in the high 70’s this year…

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

Cook This! is Iowa 4-H’s Culinary Challenge. Read my post from yesterday to see how my team did.

Photos from Senior Cook This!

Photos from Intermediate Cook This!

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

Today I’m competing in the Iowa 4-H Cook This! Culinary Challenge. Come see me cook! I will post updates tonight about how I did!

We are planning on cooking a stir fry with some meat and sweet & sour sauce. For a dessert, we are making ice cream and including an iowa grown fruit, another fruit, and cherries. Also we are going to be making a fruit sauce to put over the chosen fruit.

I’ll take some photos and post them up later tonight along with my updates!

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So we didn’t get 1st…. nor 2nd…. nor 3rd… but we got 4th (aka 4th place)!!!! 🙂

We knew we weren’t going to win, but we were the team that had the most fun! 🙂

Photos will be up soonish!

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

On Friday and Saturday, we hosted the Iowa 4-H Bratney Robotics Challenge. The challenge has 2 parts, a Lego NxT Robotics challenge & a Junk Drawer Challenge. The NxT challenge is kind of like FIRST Lego League, but easier, since the teams are only given 2 hours to design, build, and program their Lego robots and design and build their junk drawer robots. Photos will be up soon and I’ll link to them once they are up. Here’s a nice article that was written on the Robotics Challenge that appeared in the Des Moines Register! It also appeared on the front page this morning (2 days later!)

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

So on my way back up to the hill tonight from the Iowa 4-H Council Reunion, I stopped by the Bill Riley Stage for the Queen Coronation. I knew at least 8 or 9 of the queens that were 4-H’ers and State Council Members.

Here’s also a link to the Register Article… What I got from that is that she’s blue and gold and I’m green and white… We’ll never mix. Now that I’m over that we won’t be friends, all I gotta say is that 4-H is where it’s at, and those FFA people have it easy 😛 lol

Anyway, congrats to her (even though she’s blue and gold)… Also, A council alum (11-12) also got awarded a Governor’s ISF State Fair Scholarship along with another 4-Her! WOOO!!!

Check here tomorrow for a post on Tonight’s 4-H Council reunion.

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

So I couldn’t think of much else to feature today, but this AWESOME 4-H Coffee Table I found on entry day. I already knew about it, since it was my friends and she tweeted about it, but none the less, it’s pretty darn cool! And the things she included in it were pretty darn cool.

The “H” that touched me the most was Health. For health, she did cancer ribbons for a really good friend of hers who has died of cancer, and her dad who is currently battling terminal cancer. If you read my previous posts in my archive, I’ve talked a lot about how cancer has influenced me.

Even though the judge gave her a Red, I still think she deserved a Blue.

Stay tuned later this week for some more of my favorite 4-H projects, including one from a girl who has spent the past year at home from school because she’s been fighting cancer, and still currently is.

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

So the results are in…. All 3 of my photos were exhibited… of those 3, I had 1 that got an honorable mention (which receives an awesome certificate and a ribbon!), not first place, but still, pretty darn good! Here are the statistics of open class this year followed by my photos!

Adult Color Division: 2153 Entered, 377 Exhibited (18%), 64 Ribbons (17%)

Adult Black & White Division: 469 Entered, 126 Exhibited (27%), 34 Ribbons (27%)

Youth Division (Black & White OR Color): 383 Entered, 109 Exhibited (28%), 30 Ribbons (28%)

Special Division (Youth AND Adult) (Black & White OR Color): 927 Entered, 243 Exhibited (26%), 52 Ribbons (21%)

Total for ALL Divisions: 3932 Entered, 855 Exhibited (22%), 180 Ribbons (21%)

Fair Life, is a featured series I’m writing on the 2012 Iowa State Fair. I’m going to try to post something different each day I’m at the fair that features some behind-the-scenes looks at different aspects of the state fair along with factual information.

We have been working VERY hard the past 3 days to get the 4-H building ready for you to come visit and enjoy all of the Iowa 4-H projects and excitement! The building got a bit of a facelift this year. Check out our new entrance on the West side of the building! If you are looking to come to the 4-H building, we open at 9am, so you still have a bit of time to wait before the doors open.

Here is a behind the scenes look at how the 3 days of pre-fair played out…

Day 1 (Monday): Move in day!
Today we moved EVERYTHING into the 4-H Building that we use during the county fair. We literally “move” the Extension 4-H Office from Ames to Des Moines for the next 2 weeks.

Day 2 (Tuesday): Judging day!
Today all the static exhibits were brought in by their respective counties and judged by MANY judges! This is where the projects get their ribbons and awards.

Day 3 (Wednesday): Finishing touches day!
Today we finished judging and dusted the dust off all the exhibits and swept the floor the final time before all of you came in to see the projects!