Choose Iowa at the 2026 Iowa State Fair
Choose Iowa Favorite Fair Food Contest
The Choose Iowa Fair Food Contest makes eating local easy by highlighting fair food menu items made using ingredients sourced from Iowa! Fairgoers will be invited to vote for their favorite fair food featuring Iowa ingredients during the Iowa State Fair until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19. The food stand with the winning Choose Iowa Favorite Fair Food will be recognized on August 21 when the Iowa State Fair’s Best New Food is announced. A new map showing all the food locations featuring Iowa ingredients is available below, on the Iowa State Fair website and official Fair mobile app.
Entries in the Choose Iowa Favorite Fair Food Contest
- Applishus: Sweet Granny's Apple Delight Sundae
- The Bacon Box: Grinder Bacon Ball
- Barksdale's State Fair Cookies: Milk
- Beattie's Melon Patch: Watermelon fruit-melon cup
- Biscuit Bar: The Regular Biscuit
- Carl's Gizmos: Gizmo Sandwich
- Cattlemen's Beef Quarters: Rib-Eye Steak Sandwich
- Chuckie's Famous Breaded Pork Tenderloins: Chuckie's Pork Tenderloin
- Cluck'n Coop: Jalapeño Popper Egg Salad
- The Corn Stand: Mexican Corn in a Cup
- The Dairy Goodness Barn: Red, White & Moo Shake
- Dairy Zone: This Little Piggy Tornado
- Destination Grille: Pork Parm Gnocchi
- Duke's Poutine: Duke's Quebec Style Poutine
- Fresh American Lamb - Iowa Sheep Industry Association: All Iowa Lamb Burger
- Hagars Hoagies: Chopped Italian Ham Hoagie
- HoQ: HoQ Crunchy Lamb Wrap
- Iowa Craft Beer Tent: Yield of Dreams corn lager
- Iowa Honey Producers Association: Honey Lemonade
- Iowa Pork Tent: Hawaiian Hog
- Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association: Cinnamon Crunch Apple Taco
- Iowa Wine Growers Association: Award Winners Wine Flight
- Kinnear's Steak and Pork Tips: Steak Tip or Pork Tip Dinner
- Nitro Ice Cream: Nitro Cup Ice Cream
- The Nut Farm: Caramel Cheesecake Roasted Pecans
- Old West Roadhouse BBQ: Wafflelicious BBQ Pulled Pork Cheddar Corn Bread
- Over the Top: Sweet Americana
- Pioneer Wagon: Scotch Egg
- Poboy: Voodoo Fries
- Smokey's Grill: All-Beef Hot Dog
- The Snack Box: Ham Salad Sandwich
- Winn and Sara's Kitchen: All-American Scrambled Egg Roll
- Wonder Bars (west side of Riley Stage): Wonder Bars
- Zag's Popcorn: Bacon Popcorn
The Kitchen: Choose Iowa Presents...
In The Kitchen, Choose Iowa is curating the 1 p.m. presentation every day featuring Iowa grown and raised ingredients. Choose Iowa members will present cooking demonstrations and food presentations daily at 1 p.m. in The Kitchen inside the Maytag Family Theatre Building - located on the Grand Concourse between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) building and the Barksdale Cookies building. Find details about each cooking demo event on the Choose Iowa Facebook page.
Thursday, August 13, 2026 – Chef Andrea Love and Pleasant Grove Homestead presenting 'Meal Prepping with Chicken: Making the Most of the Whole Bird'
Friday, August 14, 2026 – Fresh Wheatgrass Girl presenting 'Drink your Greens! Berry Fresh Smoothie Secrets'
Saturday, August 15, 2026 – Kayley Zanker and Emma Martin presenting 'Home Grown Bites: Granola Bites with Iowa Ingredients'
Sunday, August 16, 2026 – Chef Jacob Shroder presenting 'So You Think You Know Corn?'
Monday, August 17, 2026 – Chef Andrea Love and Midland Co. Presenting 'Shrimp and Grits: An Iowa Twist on a Southern Classic'
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 – Fort Dodge Farmers Market presenting 'The All Iowa Meal'
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 – The Good Butcher and Chef Grant Gillon presenting 'Pork to Plate'
Thursday, August 20, 2026 – Tom Keinert presenting 'Learn to Cook with Iowa Ingredients' featuring ingredients from Fieldside Mercantile and The Holton Homestead
Friday, August 21, 2026 – West River Meats and H & D Tallow presenting 'Liquid Gold: Cooking with Beef Tallow'
Saturday, August 22, 2026 – The Pie Lady presenting 'Old-Fashioned Iowa Apple Pie'
Sunday, August 23, 2026 – Home Kneads presenting 'Farm-to-Table Sourdough Pizza'
Choose Iowa Day at the Blue Ribbon Kids' Club
Choose Iowa will be at Kids’ Club on Friday, August 14 at 10 a.m. Get ready to meet our farmer, Karri Rose of Rose Farm and learn what she does each day. There will even be a fun farm-related activity! Kids' Club meets at the Fun Forest Stage, southeast of the Agriculture Building.
Coloring Calendar Awards Ceremony
Some of the most talented student artists in Iowa will be honored for their artwork’s inclusion in the Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar in a ceremony to be held Tuesday, August 18 at 10 a.m. on the stage in the Agriculture Building. If you are looking to pick up your own calendar copy, stop by the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s booth in the Agriculture Building while quantities last.
Choose Iowa in the Agriculture Building
When you stop in the Agriculture Building to see the world-famous butter cow or to get your egg on a stick, look for the Choose Iowa banners in the center of the building. Fairgoers can visit a photo booth and get a free “Picture Yourself in Iowa Agriculture” photo after selecting from numerous fun ag backgrounds. There will also be information banners about Iowa agriculture with fun facts about commodities and products produced in Iowa. Fairgoers can also pick up a free commemorative Choose Iowa cup and a free Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar while supplies last.
Choose Iowa on Tap
Try out the this year's Yield of Dreams corn lager at the Iowa Craft Beer Tent featuring corn from Iowa corn growers. The beer represents a partnership between Choose Iowa, Iowa Corn, the Iowa Brewers Guild, Confluence Brewing Company, and Confluence Distribution.
Iowa State Fair Farmers Market
Located near Gate 15, the Iowa State Fair Farmers Market will be open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. August 13-22, 2026. Fairgoers (and campers!) can shop for locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut flowers, jerky, handmade soaps and more. Choose Iowa Members Crossroads Beef and Midland Co. Seafood will be set up daily.