Southern Iowa Fair Wraps Up For 2019

Barrel racing took place early on at the Southern Iowa Fair. (photo by Ginger Allsup/Oskaloosa News)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Southern Iowa Fair has wrapped up for 2019, and Erica Antolik with the Southern Iowa Fair said they’ve had a great week.

Antolik said one of the highlights was the Caleb Hammond Memorial Race on Tuesday night.

The race was a way to honor and keep the memory of Caleb Hammond alive.

Hammond passed away on September 10, 2018, and captured the hearts of not only those locally, but around the country and the world.

Hammond had his final wish come true on the Southern Iowa Speedway when he got behind the wheel of a stock car and competed with other racers.

Another of those wishes was for racing stickers, and the racing world responded, sending boxes of not only stickers but other memorabilia.

Caleb Hammond’s mother Holly Kempf (right) shared a special moment with a race fan during the Caleb Hammond Memorial Race on Tuesday night.

His family shared some of that extra memorabilia with those in attendance on Tuesday night.

Antolik was excited about country music group Lonestar, and their performance. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did her best to disrupt the concert, but the group, in an almost unheard-of move, stayed overnight so they could perform in the Pavillion on Sunday evening.

Despite the oppressive heat, Antolik said the number of people attending the fair was up, “and our barns were full.”

4-H and FFA participants had much to be proud of during the fair. (photo by Ginger Allsup/Oskaloosa News)

Looking towards the future, Antolik hopes to keep getting bigger and better each year. “As this week gets over, we’ll start planning for next year already.”

Hannah Koellner is the Southern Iowa Fair Queen for 2019, and she’s planning to attend William Penn University in the fall.

She’s been busy all week doing livestock judging, handing out awards and being present for all the shows during the week.

She expected to be very involved with the fair when she decided to run for the queen, “but I didn’t realize what all came with it. It is a huge honor.”

The opportunity to meet so many young people at events like the cookie decorating contest, pigtail contest, and more is something she “loves.”

The Bill Riley Talent Search showcased some of the talents from around the area. (photo by Ginger Allsup/Oskaloosa News)

The cooking decorating contest is one of Koellner’s favorites because she loves to bake and to be creative. “So I made my own cookie of the Southern Iowa Fair.”

“I want to be an elementary teacher, especially kindergarten would be cool. So I love it,” added Koellner. “I’m very excited to be around the kids.”

As the fair winds down, Koellner says she could “do this every week” in regards to being so active with the fair. “I do think I need a little more sleep at night. It’s been honestly a true honor and a great opportunity. I’ve loved every minute of it.”

“I’m very excited to represent Mahaska County at the state level,” says Koellner of her opportunity to compete for the Iowa State Fair Queen in August.

Koellner admits to being “a little nervous, but more excited” of the opportunity. “It’s a little nerve-racking, but all I can do is be myself. I’ll just give it my best shot.”

The Iowa State Fair runs from August 8 through the 18th of 2019.

Posted by on Jul 21 2019. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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