Northwest Iowa fair on the move after historic flooding

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Mulder of George showed his chickens and ducks during the Lyon County Fair .

“County and state fairs aren’t about winning — they’re all about learning,” Mulder said. “I really enjoy it and I think it's great for the kids to learn and come out here and just learn things from the judge.”

Organizers and participants were also learning how to navigate a new space after flooding heavily damaged the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Rock Rapids a month earlier.

“Just devastated and decimated our fairgrounds, all the way down to our infrastructure,” Lori Rens, secretary of the Lyon County Fair Board, said. “Some buildings were damaged, so we knew it wouldn’t be a safe place to host our fair this year.”

But the fair continued on at the Osceola Fairgrounds in Sibley — about 25 miles away — instead.

“They ran their fair last week, so many of their fair board members and livestock superintendents are staying a second week to help us out,” Rens said. “Words can’t express how appreciative we are that they opened their home to us.”

Ten-year-old Ashlyn Sprock and her older brother, Anderson, of George, prepped their cattle for the beef show at the new location.

“I like showing my animal, and I like seeing other animals getting shown, too,” Ashlyn said. “I think it’s kind of fun.”

Usually, the siblings would spend days at the fair. But due to a new venue, they took part in a “show and go.” This means their animals leave right after judging instead of staying for the full duration.

“You can't really put them in a pen and stay overnight,” Ashlyn added.

Their mother, Amanda Sprock, said the kids were a little upset about the modifications this year.

“The kids are really bummed because they love just to go to the fair and spend every day at the fair from sun up to sun down,” she said. “But they were happy they still got to show their animals. So, we're super thankful that Osceola County let us borrow their fairgrounds.”

Even though things did turn out differently this year, Amanda Sprock praised the fair as a way to give young people a chance to work on a summer project.

“They have to go out every day and wash their cows and walk them and just take care of them, and so it just teaches our kids good responsibility — how to take care of something,” she added. “You can tell when they get into the arena that they've got this confidence that they've worked hard for this animal that they're showing today and that they're just super proud of what they've done.”

The Osceola Fairgrounds hold special meaning for Lori Rens. She grew up in the county and used to show rabbits here. Her children continue the tradition now.

“It’s kind of neat to be back here and think about all the good memories I had as a 4-H-er myself,” Rens said. “The fun part is just hanging out with your friends. You kind of know you have three days where you kind of get that freedom, where mom and dad let you run around the fairground, and so that's missing this year. But we know that things will return to normal next year.”

The Lyon County Fair plans to hold a street dance fundraiser back in Rock Rapids on Friday night to help repair the fairgrounds and racetrack for next year's fair.

“We'll be back better than ever in 2025,” Rens said.