History of the Louisa County Fair

On  Dec. 24, 1891, a group of interested Louisa County residents held a meeting to discuss the development of a county fair. The group, led by O. P. Wilcox,  chose the name Columbus Junction Agricultural Society and set the dates Sept. 10 to 14, 1892, for first county fair.  

The group leased 80 acres of land east of Columbus Junction. The first lease was for five years at $6 an acre.  The ground was leveled and a one-mile race track was constructed. The track was once believed to be the fastest and finest tracks in the state of Iowa. Between the hog, cattle, horse shows and the races more than 9,000 people attended the first Louisa County Fair. 

In 1900, the amphitheater was completed. It was built to hold 3,000 people. Highlights of the early fairs were horse races, baseball games, band concerts, acrobats, clowns and displays of buggies and wagons. Floral Hall was a big attraction with hundreds of articles displayed. The Dining Hall also drew big crowds.

The race track was shortened to a half mile in 1913. Fireworks were added to the festivities. A merry-go-round and Ferris wheel were big crowd pleasers.

In 1923, the fair was not financially successful and lost money. No fair was held in 1924. For the next few years, the fair lost money or barely broke even.

The name of the fair association was changed to the Louisa County Fair Board.

A new amphitheater was built at a cost  of $6,000. It could hold 2,000 people.

In 1936, the first fair queen contest was held with Jocelyn McRoberts (later Jocelyn Pedersen) winning the title.

High winds in 1941 damaged several buildings on the grounds. A new cattle barn and race barn were constructed and improvements were made to Floral Hall, the amphitheater and hog barns.

A new sign designating the Louisa County Fairgrounds was erected along Iowa Highway 92 at the entrance.

Stock car races first held in 1950.

A new 4-H barn was constructed in 1953.

Dances were first held every night at 9 p.m. in 1966.

Bleacher-type seats to hold 300 people were added in 1967 and additional lights were  added to the race track.

Horseracing as a consistent event ended in 1969.

In 1979 new contests, Cook Out King and motorcycle races began.

Fair Board members began volunteering their time to operate a food stand at the car races. The income enabled them to wipe out their debts and make major improvements at the Fairground.

In 1989 a new "Variety Theater" building was built over the dance floor and a mortgage burning was held.

Flood water had to be pumped out of the Fairgrounds and track area four times during the summer of 1982.

Gov. Terry Branstad arrived at the 1985 Fair with officials from Iowa Beef Packing  (IBP) announcing IBP's intentions to open a new meat packing facility at the former Rath Packing Co., north of Columbus Junction. Also in 1985, the Fair Board hired a race promoter, after several years of going into debt. The amount of debt at that time was more than $30,000. With the new agreement, the Fair Board operated the food stand at the races. The Fair Board has since been able to wipe out its debts and make further improvements to the grounds.

At the 1989 Fair, the Board held a mortgage burning ceremony.  

On June 18, 1990, five to six feet of water flooded the entire Fair Grounds from the nearby Iowa River.  After the water was pumped out, a generous supply of debris and mud was left. Damage included display cases in Floral Hall, various equipment, the secretary’s office and the food stand. Board members and families cleaned up the buildings and grounds and the car races were held on July 3. The secretary's office was replaced in 1991 in time for the July Fair activities.

Another flood hit in 1993. When the grounds were cleaned up, it started to rain just before the fair was to open.  4-H judging was moved to Wapello, and other fair activities were cancelled.

In more recent years, an addition was added to the show ring. Ceiling fans were added and seating was expanded for the spectators due to an increase in the number of livestock exhibits.

The Louisa County Fair Board has had four members inducted into the Association of Iowa Fairs Hall of Fame: Harry Duncan, F. D. Smylie, Jim Rutt and Elmer Thomas.  Jim Rutt was also named Fairman of the Year. The Louisa County Fair Board was awarded the Blue Ribbon Centennial Fair Award in 1992.  Six board members have served on the Iowa State Fair Board: Bill Weaver, R. S. Johnston, Harry Duncan, Thomas Huston, Jim Rutt and Robert Schlutz.

The above information was compiled by Cathy Arola.