On the street

The Great Jones County Fair

Nicole

I interviewed a woman in Washington, D.C., a couple of weeks ago, and she made small talk by asking me how I planned to spend the upcoming weekend. I told her I was going camping at a park near my house. Her response was, "Oh. We don't have places like that around here." That's sad, I thought. She's missing out. Well, I bet she doesn't get many chances to hit county fairs, either. And she's missing out there, too.

Fairs are a summer staple for Iowans, and I had the good fortune of being sent to the Great Jones County Fair & Food Fest for work this week. If you haven't been to the Great Jones County Fair, you're probably wondering what makes it so great. That's what I aimed to discover when I milled around at the fair and stayed to hear Brad Paisley last night. (The concert, by the way, was great. Check out my review in Saturday's paper.)

The fair won my heart because it took me back to my country roots. I grew up on a farm near Hudson, a small town in Black Hawk County, but I've been a so-called city slicker since I moved to Iowa City for college in 1999 and took this job at the paper. It's not like I live in Chicago or New York now, but my life now is definitely a far cry from the days of riding along with Dad in the combine, washing the gravel dust off my car every week and spending more time outdoors than in. I found myself thinking back to those days when I saw a slew of pickups in the parking lot, smelled the livestock, heard the country music and watched families have old-fashioned fun at the midway rides and games.

I also found the fair to be great for people watching. You see teens on dates, good ol' boys in the beer tent and wide-eyed kids darting from ride to ride. There are thrill-seekers who can't wait to strap on bungee cords and feel their stomachs drop, and there are reserved types who'd rather snack on footlong corn dogs or tenderloins twice the size of a bun while watching other people fall from the sky.

But I have to say it's the music that impressed me most about this "Great" fair.  It's pretty darn cool that Jones County brought in country stars like Paisley and Montgomery Gentry this year. They had Rascal Flatts last year. It's not just the big names that wow me, but the fitting venue. A grand stand, bleachers on a dirt track, stars overhead, midway lights in the background and fireworks just complete the country concert experience.

Read Monday's Gazette to find out what other young adults liked about the fair.

The fair runs through Sunday, July 23. Visit www.greatjonescountyfair.com/ if you want to go.

Tune in next week, when Carly will be checking in with RAGBRAI riders in Coralville. Her last name is Weber now - she just got married - so be sure to congratulate her.

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