JASPER COUNTY FAIR 2024
Trucks for
FRIDAY, JULY 19
8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Arrival of Horse & Tack
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Grounds open for Livestock Tack Set Up
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Beef, Dairy, Swine, Sheep, Llama, Goats allowed on the grounds
1 p.m. Clothing Event Judging (Closed to Public)
Youth Exhibit Building
4:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies
4:30 p.m. 4-H/FFA Dog Show (check-in 4) Pavilion
5 p.m. 4-H/FFA Cat Show (check in 4:30)
Small Animal Barn
5 p.m. Open Class Entries Accepted until 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, JULY 20
Inflatables
7 a.m. Arrival of all species allowed on the grounds – follow Livestock Schedule for specific species time they must arrive by
8 to 11:30 a.m. Open Class Entries Accepted Open Class Building
9 a.m. 4-H/FFA Horse show Horse Arena
9 a.m. Baby Review Pavilion
11 a.m. Open Class Building closed for judging
Noon Fun Pet Show Pavilion
12 to 6 p.m. 4-H/FFA Youth Building Open to Public Youth Building
1 to 2:30 p.m. Sheep Weigh-in Scalehouse
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Goat Weigh-in Scalehouse
2 p.m. 3 on 3 Tournament Basketball Court
4 p.m. Friendship Livestock Show (check in at 3 p.m.) Pavilion
5 to 6 p.m. Beef Weigh-in (Breeding ID to follow) Scalehouse
6:30 to 8 p.m. Open Class Building Open
7 p.m. Rodeo
SUNDAY, JULY 21
7:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
10:30
10:30
3 p.m. Barnyard Battles Pavilion
5 p.m. Free Supper Big Tent
7 p.m. Hypnotist
8
MONDAY, JULY 22
CHILDREN’S DAY
Inflatables
8 a.m. 4-H/FFA Sheep Show Pavilion
Little People/Little Lamb Open Show following Breeding & Market Classes
9 a.m. Exhibit Buildings Open
10 a.m. Kids Corner (County Council)
Reading with Marcus McIntosh Youth Building
1 p.m. Goat Show Pavilion
5 p.m. Buildings Close
6:30 p.m. Parade Downtown Colfax
8 p.m. Exhibit Buildings Open
8:30 p.m. JCF Fundraising Auction Pavilion
10 p.m. Exhibit Buildings Close
TUESDAY,
7:30 a.m. 4-H/FFA Swine Show Pavilion
Little Squealers to following Swine Show
9 a.m. Exhibit Buildings Open
10 to Noon Kids Corner (County Council) Food Court 1 to 3 p.m. Livestock Skillathon Pavilion
5 p.m. Amazing Race Food Court Shelterhouse
6 p.m. Key Coop Exhibitor’s Supper Big Tent
6 p.m. Horseshoe Tournament
7 p.m. Clothing Event Show and Awards Youth Building
8 p.m. Exhibit Buildings Close
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24
8 a.m. 4-H/FFA Market Beef Show Pavilion
4-H/FFA Breeding Beef Show will be 30 min. after conclusion of Market Beef
9 a.m. Exhibit Buildings Open
9 a.m. 4-H/FFA Rabbit Show Small Animal Building
Open Rabbit Show following Small Animal Building
10 a.m. Kids Corner (County Council) Food Court
1:30 p.m. Livestock Judging Contest Pavilion
3 p.m. (approx.) Dodgeball Pavilion
3 p.m. 4-H Bottle Calf Interviews Youth Building
3:30 p.m. Farm Bureau Watermelon Feed
4:30 p.m. Supreme Showmanship Meeting Fair Office
5:30 p.m. State Fair Meeting Youth Building
(Exhibits, Clothing Event, Comm.)
6 p.m. 4-H Bucket/Bottle Calf Show Pavilion
Open Bucket/Bottle Calf Show to follow
8 p.m. Exhibit Buildings Close
8:30 p.m. (appox.) Big Jer’s Movie Night Pavilion
9 to 11 p.m. Teen Dance South Property
THURSDAY, JULY 25
9 a.m. Supreme Showmanship Pavilion
11 a.m. Exhibit Building Open
11:30 a.m. ALL EXHIBITS RELEASED
4:30 p.m. Landus Sale Supper Pavilion
5:30 p.m. 4-H/FFA Bucket of Junk & Livestock Auction Pavilion
BIGGER & BETTER RODEO
Jasper County Fair expands to holding a full rodeo with more events, more seating and shuttle accommodations to support higher turnout
It was always the intention that one day the Jasper County Fair Rodeo would grow into a full rodeo with more events for competitors, more action the audience and more seating to accommodate the increased attendance. Well, it looks like this is the year, and the fair board is going all out.
Chauncy Wiggins-Kain, of the Jasper County Fair Board, said in the past it has always been considered a “rough stock rodeo” with bucking broncos, barrel riding and bull riding. Those will still be feature but this year’s full rodeo also includes timed events, steer wrestling and breakaway roping, among other things.
“Which, in theory, should draw in a much larger crowd,” Wiggins-Kain said. “Also, we’ve done mutton busting
in the past and we will now be having a kids boot scramble this year. We will have the Red Rock Riders perform; it’s a horse drill team so they have a routine or patterns that they do.”
Of course, the Ty Carlson Memorial Bull Ride will still be held during the rodeo. The event honors the eponymous rider who grew up in Colfax. At age 19 he was killed in a single-vehicle accident north of town in 2017. The memorial bull ride, organized by his family, is held every year in his name.
Also performing the rodeo is Jordan Beem, an Iowa-based musician. He will also hold a set at the beer garden after the rodeo has concluded. Food vendors and face painting will also be available. To account for the growing crowds at the rodeo, the fair board has doubled
the amount of bleachers at the event.
Parking has always been an issue for the fair and the rodeo. To make things a little easier, the City of Colfax and Colfax-Mingo Community School District have partnered together to have a free shuttle service at Quarry Springs Park to lead folks to the fairgrounds gate. The shuttle runs from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.
In the past, the rodeo had been held on the Friday of the fair. This year it has been moved to Saturday, July 20. Wiggins-Kain said by this time all of the livestock will be available for public viewing, giving visitors time to check out the animals or enjoy some fair food before the big event.
The rodeo will start at 7 p.m. It is the only paid admissions event at the county fair. Adult tickets are $15 and tickets
for kids ages 6-12 are $5.
Kids ages 5 and under can enter free.
Wiggins-Kain said the rodeo helps bring more visibility to the Jasper County Fair and surrounding community. As someone with young children of her own, it is exciting to see kids and families looking forward to the rodeo every year. To her, it reminds her of when Colfax used to host its demo derby.
“Everyone got excited for that, and I kind of want the rodeo to be that exciting thing that everyone looks forward to in the summer,” she said. “It’s right in their backyard and it’s not very expensive. Entertainment has always been a struggle for us at the fair. To me, the rodeo is a big way to bring in outside people.”
— Christopher Braunschweig
Get to know 2024 Jasper County Fair Queen Libbie Keith
Why did you want to try for fair queen?
I wanted to try for fair queen because when I was little I wanted to be just like the big girls... This experience is a little girl’s dream come true.
What did you think of the process?
I think the process is so much fun. Getting to know the girls that compete against you is what makes it so much fun for me. On top of that, I also became more confident in myself and knowing how to present myself. Even if not crowned, you can still take away something out of the experience
What is a fun memory you made?
I had lots of fun during the 4th of July parade. We had to huddle away from the rain and we got to eat some breakfast pizza. Even though it was raining, the princess and I still got to represent Jasper County and see all the little faces smiling and waving at us.
How did you feel when you were crowned?
I was in shock...I still am honestly. It doesn’t seem real to me but I am genuinely so excited for all the amazing things to come and I am glad I get to experience it all!
What are you most looking forward to at the fair?
I would say seeing the fair from a different perspective. Fair has always been my favorite time of the year, so getting the opportunity to see it from a different angle will be interesting but I’m excited for everything that will be thrown my way!
How will it be different having this additional responsibility?
I think I will get to experience more than what I would normally since I will have to be at most, if not all of the shows which I am very excited for! I will get the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone during the fair.
How was being queen been so far?
It has been amazing. Words can not describe how grateful I am for this opportunity. Seeing children and even adults smile and wave to me in parades is such a surreal feeling. I was almost brought to tears over how grateful I was to be in this position. It is incredible.
I want to thank my parents for pushing me to be the best version of myself and always believing in me. I would have never been able to accomplish all of this without both of you. I love you guys!
Doyle and Karna Ver Ploeg share a long history with county fair
Grand marshals of the Jasper County Fair Parade say the fair is a place where kids grow up
Doyle and Karna Ver Ploeg, of Lynnville, have been attending the Jasper County Fair longer than they have been married. They’ve been married 51 years, but their first introduction to the county fair started when they were both kids in 4-H in the 1960s. Doyle showed hogs while Karna participated in girls club activities.
Of course even after they stopped competing in the fair they found themselves participating in other ways. Up until last year, Doyle had been serving on the fair board since the late 2000s. Karna served as a 4-H leader and extension council. Whether directly or indirectly, they’ve been intrinsically involved in the county fair.
So it comes as no surprise to find out they were both chosen as this year’s grand marshals in the Jasper County Fair Parade. The couple took the news like the
humble champs they are. It is an honor to be recognized like this, Karna said, and to be celebrated for their longtime dedication to the fair.
“We’ve been connected to the fair a long time,” Karna said.
Doyle said, “We were both in 4-H in ’63 and ’64. Then we got married and our kids were in 4-H. And then I got on the fair board in 2008. So I was on the fair board for, what, 15 years? I was a beef superintendent. I was on the buildings and grounds committee.”
Obviously, both Doyle and Karna were born and raised in Jasper County, just south of Sully. When they think about the county fair, they think of the family atmosphere that is created within all the programs. Karna said it truly does feel like a big family, and it is where a lot of kids grow up around.
“We’ve seen kids this little,” Doyle said, holding his hand a few feet off the ground before extending it higher. “Then they grow up to be this ‘little.’”
Karna added, “Then all of a sudden they’re seniors graduating high school.”
“And then their kids are coming to the fair.”
Eventually some may even become board members or superintendents for the county fair. It’s a cycle the Ver Ploegs are all too familiar with. Like so many others, they see the value the fair brings to youth in the area. Doyle said the fair subtly helps kids later in life by instilling leadership and communication skills.
Responsibility is probably the most learned skill kids encounter at the county fair. It takes a lot of work to raise and show livestock, Doyle said. While the number of farms and farm kids have dwindled since
the time Doyle and Karna showed at the fair, it has changed in ways to make it more accessible to all families.
For the Ver Ploegs, it feels good knowing they have a county fair that adapts so well and still maintains its traditions. It’s still helping kids and it’s still providing an enriching and entertaining experience for all Jasper County families. That may be why the Ver Ploegs have stayed involved for so long.
“I think it’s all about the kids, I really do,” Karna said. “If we don’t do it and help them, who will?”
Doyle added, “And it’s fun to work with the other people, I think. You ask yourself sometimes, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I mean it’s 90 degrees out there or more with the 90 percent humidity. ‘What are we doing here?’ But, I don’t know, it’s just fun!”
— Christopher Braunschweig
Fundraising for the fair one brick at a time
Engraved bricks available for purchase to be placed on the Jasper County Fair grounds
Jasper County Fair participants, families, 4H Clubs, FFA Chapters and more now have an opportunity to permanently leave their mark on the grounds. The Jasper County Fair Building Development Campaign gives people and businesses a chance to purchase a personalized brick to help fund projects at the fair.
“We are launching a ‘Brick Campaign’ to raise money for the Jasper Count Fair,” the committee said. “We are so excited about this project and can’t wait for you to see the new building at the 2024 Jasper County Fair.”
The bricks, which can have multiple lines of text and a clip art picture for varying prices, will be placed by the new hoop/tend building currently under
construction on the south portion of the grounds.
There are two way to order: Fill out the form on page 15 and mail it to the Jasper County Fair at PO Box 31, Colfax, IA 50054 or go to www.fundraisingbrick.com/jasper/ and complete the information online.
Order forms will also be available at the Jasper County Extension Office and during the fair. For additional information, contact jaspercountyfair50@ gmail.com
“Our ‘Brick Campaign’ will be available to purchase through Dec. 31, think Christmas present,” the committee said. “Don’t delay, though, get your brick purchased today.”
— Jamee A. Pierson
