Headknocking at the Iowa State Fair

Live music is as much a part of the Iowa State Fair as the big boar, the butter cow and food on a stick. And rightfully so.  

Iowans love their music, and all kinds. The concert organizers at the Iowa State Fair realize this and continue to bring a wide array of musical talent to the fair. Of course, music is art, and not everyone appreciates the same forms.  

My mother loved country music, or “country western” music, as she called it. As such, I took her to see a number of concerts at the Iowa State Fair over the years, including George Jones, Alan Jackson and Faith Hill. 

Carrying on the country trend, my wife and I also saw Clint Black and Wynona. We also rocked on with 38 Special, Zac Brown Band and Def Leppard. And, of course, we have seen Hairball more times than we can count.  

I veered out of my musical interests a few times over the years, too, and regrettably even saw Kenny G and Pentatonix.  

I don’t yet have tickets to see Foreigner in the grandstand this year, but I have not given up. As a pre-teenager, I made a copy of the band’s self-titled debut album from my brother’s 8-track via my General Electric cassette recorder. After countless playbacks, I learned the words to their hit singles “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice” and “Long, Long Way from Home,” as well as lesser-known songs including “Headknocker” and “Starrider.” Be sure to check out our cover story on the bands playing at the Iowa State Fair this year, including an interview with Foreigner keyboardist Michael Bluestein.

Ultimate place for lunch

As part of our annual Ultimate Food Challenge series, we decided to ask each of you where your favorite lunch spots are. So, with this issue, we kick off this contest with a big list of places that serve lunch in central Iowa. As with past contests, you vote for your favorites, and the list pares down. Check out the Ultimate Food Challenge story for details.  

Credit card fees 

If you own or operate a small business, you know the frustration of paying credit card fees, and you may wonder how to address these to keep your profits intact. In this month’s business feature, we interviewed several small business owners, and they shared how they are dealing with the fees.  

As always, I thank you for reading.