Iowa

Who needs a babysitter? Here’s 5 things to do with kids at the Iowa State Fair

Published

2 years ago

August 8, 2024

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Who needs a babysitter? Here’s 5 things to do with kids at the Iowa State Fair

End your kids’ summer with a visit to the Iowa State Fair and create memorable moments that will last a lifetime.

The Iowa State Fair offers a number of attractions for kids, many of which are free. So after you grab your fried treat, here are five different activities to bring your kids to at the fair this year.

Baby Animals

Introduce your babies to baby animals at the Iowa State Fair. Not only is this an adorable experience but it also makes for great photo opportunities. Children can watch baby chicks hatch, baby ducks slide or goats play in new playpens. The baby animal exhibit is located south of the Little Hands on the Farm area. Kids can also pet cattle, horses, pigs and sheep at the Hands On Barn Experience.

More: Ever heard of the Husband Calling Contest? Here are 5 bizarre Iowa State Fair contests

Kids in the Kitchen

Get your kids in the kitchen making healthy farm-fresh recipes at the Kids Can Cook area. Children ages 5 to 17 can work on their chef skills and learn about cleanliness, food handling and preparation. The kid’s kitchen is located in the east room at Maytag Family Theaters.

More: What’s the new Iowa State Fair logo? It’s not the one on social media

Free entertainment for kids

The fair doesn’t just have concerts for adults, there also is entertainment for kids at the Fun Forest Stage. Performances include interactive music with The Dollipops and a children’s magic show by The Chipper Experience. Kidz Bop will perform at the fair at 6 p.m. Aug. 18. Tickets are $20.

Pick a vegetable

Take your kids to The Garden where they can learn how vegetables grow. They can become a producer and harvest veggies that are then given to the Iowa Food Bank. The spaces are loaded with garden beds where the little ones can get their hands dirty. Children also can learn about sustainability at a special composting exhibit. The Garden is located north of Little Hands on the Farm.

Thrill parks

What’s a trip to the fair without enjoying some of the carnival rides? There are a number of kid-friendly rides for the whole family to do together.

Perhaps the most well-known ride for children is the giant slide, which parents can ride with their kids. Your screams might sound louder because there are microphones strung over the slide to amplify the sound. The giant slide is $3 per person and is located near Ruan Plaza.

Avoid walking around the fair and instead enjoy a ride with your child on the sky glider while seeing all the fair attractions. Riders taller than 48 inches can ride alone. It is $6 one way and $9 round trip. The sky glider runs east from Pioneer Hall to the entrance of the Thrill Ville and west from Gate 10 to Rock Island Avenue.

How much is a ticket to the Iowa State Fair? Where can I buy one?

You can buy tickets on the Iowa State Fair website.

Ticket prices at the gate and online during the fair are:

Adult (ages 12 and up): $16
Child (ages 6-11): $10
Under 5: Free

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

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Iowa

Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years

Published

1 hour ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Illini rip Big Ten rival Iowa to reach Final Four for first time in 21 years

HOUSTON — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes 71-59 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis.

The much taller Illini (28-8) outrebounded Iowa 38-21 in the South Region final. David Mirkovic led the way with 12 rebounds.

Coach Brad Underwood’s emphasis on recruiting in Eastern Europe has paid off in this tournament. Tomislav Ivisic of Croatia, who stands 7-foot-1, and his 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir have shined in March.

Andrej Stojakovic, who was born in Greece but whose father is Serbian three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, scored 17 points for third-seeded Illinois.

His famous father watched proudly as his son punched his ticket to the Final Four, and Wagler’s parents — who met when they played basketball at a junior college in Kansas — cheered wildly throughout for their son, who was named MVP of the region.

Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points for the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes (24-13), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round as part of an impressive run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, a four-time Division II national champion at Northwest Missouri State.

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Iowa

Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State

Published

13 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Rick Barnes reacts to Tennessee’s win over Iowa State

No. 6 seed Tennessee (25-11) defeated No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-8), 76-62, on Friday in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

The Vols advanced to their third consecutive Elite Eight under 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes.

“One, very humbled by it,” Barnes said. “Certainly proud of our basketball team. They worked really hard. Defensively, I thought we knew we would have to have a great effort defensively. Certainly Iowa State, outstanding. T.J. (Otzelberger), outstanding program, coach.

“This time of year is always tough when you lose a key guy like they did, and that’s part of the tournament. That’s the tough part about it, but just really proud of our guys and the effort they made and against a team that they play as hard as any team we played all year. The start of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that all year, and we were able to withstand it. Again, just really proud of the effort from our entire team. Everybody had a hand in us winning this game.”

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Iowa

Tennessee basketball vs Iowa State Sweet 16 tipoff time changed for later start

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee basketball vs Iowa State Sweet 16 tipoff time changed for later start

CHICAGO − Tennessee basketball’s Men’s NCAA Tournament game against Iowa State will start a little later than planned.

The Sweet 16 game between the No. 6 Vols (24-11) and No. 2 Cyclones (29-7) will now tipoff at 10:25 p.m. ET at the United Center on TBS.

The game was originally scheduled for 10:10 p.m. before the 15-minute delay. There is also the standard 30-minute break in between tournament games. Tennessee and Iowa State won’t begin until 30 minutes after the end of No. 1 Michigan (33-3) and No. 4 Alabama (29-5).

Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson status

Iowa State’s star forward Joshua Jefferson is questionable against Tennessee basketball according to the NCAA player availability report released at 6:32 p.m.

Jefferson sprained his ankle in the opening minutes of Iowa State’s first-round game against Tennessee State. He sat for the remainder of the game and missed the Cyclones’ win over Kentucky on March 22. Iowa State didn’t need the All-Big 12 forward as it generated 20 Wildcat turnovers in its 19-point victory.

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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