This Weekend
Madison County Fair
July 17th – 21st
The Madison County Fair is in full swing now through Sunday. There is no charge for admission and plenty of free entertainment throughout the day to keep you busy without breaking the bank. Impact Pro Wrestling will be performing daily in the free entertainment lawn near the Varied Industries Building. You can also find Mr. Nick’s Balloon Animal Creations, face painting, and the Little Farmer Barn petting zoo in the same area. And, of course, there will be a variety of livestock from local 4-H and FFA exhibitors and livestock shows throughout the week. The Gotcha Games Carnival opens at 5 p.m. daily. On Sunday you can attend Cowboy Church and watch the Farm Bureau Cook-Out Contest.
The Bill Riley Talent show is TONIGHT at 5:30 pm. If you can, go out and support these talented youngsters who are trying to make their way on to the stage at the State Fair.
All motor arena or grandstand night show admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 5-12, and children under Preschool are free.
For more information and a full schedule of events please visit the Madison County Fair Website. You can also like them on Facebook (Madison County Fair, Iowa) or follow them on Twitter (@MadCtyIAFair) or Instagram (@madctyfairia) to stay up-to-date.
Grand Stand Events
Rough Stock Rodeo
Thursday • 7/18 • 8:00 pm
Friday • 7/19 • 8:00 pm
Circle Track Mud Runs
Saturday • 7/20 • 7:00 pm
Mud Bog
Sunday • 7/20 • 6:00pm
Watermelon Feed at the Fair
Friday • 7/19 • 1:30 pm
Midwest Heritage Bank
Midwest Heritage Bank will be at the North Show Ring at the Fair on Friday, July 19th, at 1:30 helping fair-goers cool down and stay hydrated with a slice of watermelon. It’s ‘first come, first served’ so get there before it’s gone.
Madison County Fair Horseshoes
Sunday • 7/21 • Warmup 8:30 – 9:30, pitching at 10:00am
Test your horse-shoe pitching skills against the pros on Sunday at the fair (or maybe you are one of the pros?!) This horse-shoe pitching event is sanctioned by the Iowa Hawkeye Horseshoe Pitchers Association. The fee to participate is $10 and divisions are determined by ringer percentages. Those who are not members of IHHPA will compete in an open division. If you have questions, contact Chris Jordan (515) 669-3085.
Electric Bike Raffle
Tickets on sale during the Fair in the Jackson Building
Drawing on July 22nd at 6:00pm
The Winterset Art Center is getting into the cycling spirit! They’re raffling a Prodeco-Tech Phantom X3 E-bike. It’s fun to ride, lightweight, (weighing in just under 60 pounds), and is powered with a 11.6 Ah battery, which allows travel distances of up to 30 miles on a single charge. Raffle tickets will be available at the Madison County Fair, in the Jackson building and can also be purchased online at: https://tinyurl.com/WACbikeraffle. The drawing will be on Sunday, July 22nd, at 6:00pm so get your tickets quick for a chance to win this cool bike.
Playing at the Iowa Theater
*Special Showings During RAGBRAI*
Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody’s slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo discuss the old days, they soon start to realize that they’re worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy. G / 1 hr, 40 min
During RAGBRAI, the Iowa will be showing John Wayne’s The Quiet Man (lots of bicycle scenes!) at 5:00 pm, and Field of Dreams (an Iowa Classic!) at 8:00 pm. Tickets on Monday during RAGBRAI are $10.
Junior Police and Fire Academy
Registration Ends Friday, July 19th
Academy is on July 31st and August 1st • 8:00 am – Noon
If you’re quick you can still get your 4th – 6th grade kiddo registered for the Junior Police & Fire Academy. This is a super-cool opportunity for kids to learn about police and fire training and related topics and is presented by officers of the Winterset Police Depart and Winterset Fire Department. Cadets will experience activities including: physical agility training, fingerprinting, evidence collection, a K-9 demonstration, fire safety, fire fighting techniques and equipment and other activities. Cadets will receive a Winterset Junior Police Academy t-shirt. The fee is $20 and registration happens through the Winterset Parks & Recreation Department.
Live Music | Western Outlaws
Saturday • 7/20 • Food at 5:30, Music at 7:00
Winterset Cidery
Hear the Western Outlaws, a classic country & rock band, at the Winterset Cidery this Saturday evening at 7:00pm. A food truck will start serving at 5:30 and the hard cider will be flowing from 1:00 – 10:00 pm. There is a $5 cover for this event.
Sunday Wine Down | Robert Deitch
Sunday • 7/21 • 2:00 – 4:00pm
Covered Bridges Winery
According to the folks at Covered Bridges Winery, Robert Deitch is “one of those rare talented songwriters, who happens to have a “holds-his-own-with-the-best-of-them” singing voice.” His music has been described as “vivid storytelling” delivered in a “powerful blend of country, soul and blues,” and you’re invited to hear him on Sunday afternoon. There is no cover for this event; if you like what you hear, show your appreciation with the tip jar.
Coming Soon
Play in a Day (x2)
Tuesday • July 30th • 9:00 – Noon for grades PreK – 3rd
Wednesday • July 31st • 11:00am – 5:00pm for 4th – 7th grades
The Winterset Stage
The Winterset Stage is offering two more chances for your young dramatists to get on stage this summer—Play in a Day, Jr., on Tuesday, July 30th, and Play in a Day, Sr., on Wednesday, July 31st. In these workshops, young actors will work together to produce a short play from beginning to end that they can perform for their families. There’s a place for all youngsters whether they’re seasoned actors or have never set foot on a stage. Register online with the Winterset Stage or give them a call at 515-462-5156.
Two More Camps with Madison County Conservation
Water Rocks • July 24-26 • 9:00am – Noon • Ages 9-12
Night Owls • July 30 – August 1 • 7:00 – 10:00pm • Ages 8-12
The Madison County Conservation Board also has two more opportunities for your kids to get out in the wild and learn about nature. Register at www.mycountyparks.com
Motorcoach Trip to the International Quilt Museum
Friday • 8/2 • Departing at 7:00am from the Iowa Quilt Museum
We consider the Iowa Quilt Museum to be a great quilt destination, but just a few hours to the west in Lincoln, Nebraska, you can find an even bigger one—the International Quilt Museum! If you’re looking for a fun quilty experience, join IQM director (and Winterset Citizen blogger) Megan Barrett on a motorcoach trip on Friday, August 2nd, to visit the International Quilt Museum and do some shopping along the way. While at the museum (a part of UNL), you can see the following exhibits: ‘Collecting & Recollecting,’ ‘SAQA 30th Anniversary,’ ‘150 Years of Red and White,’ ‘Kathy Caraccio: Quilt Series,’ ‘Liz Axford: Overlay,’ and ‘Whimsy’ without having to worry about the driving. You’ll be treated to a guided tour through some of the exhibits and others can be self-explored. The tour will also include a behind-the-scenes tour of the storage and preservation rooms of the IQSCM.
The price of the tour is $100 per person ($90 for IQM Members) and includes: comfortable transportation, admission to the museum plus a behind-the-scenes tour, lunch and snacks, trips to two quilt shops (sorry, no allowance provided!) and quality time spent in the company of like-minded quilters. A portion of your registration cost also helps support the Iowa Quilt Museum enabling them to continue providing top-notch exhibits and programming and drawing visitors to Winterset from across the country.
The tour will depart from the Iowa Quilt Museum at 7:00 am and return at approximately 9:00 pm. Sign up through the Iowa Quilt Museum website or call the museum at 515-462-5988. Time is running short so get signed up soon if you’d like to join the fun!
Canonball Pump & Run
Saturday • August 3rd • 7:00am
Sponsored by the Winterset Rotary Club
This Winterset tradition is a unique athletic event—participants are required to bench press their body weight (or a % of) as many times as possible, then run a mile or a 5K. Each successful repetition of the bench press earns competitors 15 seconds off their mile or 5K finish time. The winner of each age division will be the fastest time after deductions are figured in, thus demonstrating both endurance and strength. Proceeds from this event go to the Winterset Rotary Scholarship Fund Youth Exchange & the Winterset School Activity Fund. Contact Roger Queck to get registered. You can find him at Pro Team Insurance on the square.
And Finally…
RAGBRAI is MONDAY!!
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months (!), about 15,000 cyclists will roll into town on Monday! You can expect to see the first riders around 10:00 am with the bulk of them arriving between Noon and 4:00. Head to Jefferson St. and cheer them on as they near the ‘Finish Line!’
There WILL be some road closures and no-parking areas. You can find a map of all of that at (and more!) at the Winterset RAGBRAI website.
The downtown square (and a block or two surrounding) will be closed starting at 5:00pm on Sunday evening and will stay closed through the early morning hours on Tuesday.
If you’re a commuter, you’ll want to reconsider your route for Tuesday morning—avoid northbound Hwy 169 and the Cumming Road.
We were pretty excited to welcome the “Mummies” for the evening concert but due to a car accident injury for one of their members, they’ve had to cancel several appearances including this one. HOWEVER, the amazing Jennifer Frease and several other wonderful RAGBRAI organizers have secured us another Top-Notch band for the night—Elton & Billy: The Tribute.
EVERYONE is invited to the party on Monday where you can catch not just one, but FOUR awesome bands in action. The stage will be located on the southwest corner and the square and here’s the schedule:
3:45 – 5:00 PM: David Watson
5:00 – 6:00 PM: Left is West
6:15 – 6:30 PM: American Legion 100th Anniversary Celebration
6:30 – 7:00 PM: Rhubarb Rumble: NPR vs RAGBRAI
7:30 – 9:00 PM: IV Play
9:30 – 11:00 PM: Elton & Billy – The Tribute
Thank you for reading The Winterset Citizen. All community announcements are provided at no charge, courtesy of the following sponsors:
American State Bank
Anchored Walls
Angel Wings & CT
Ben Franklin
Blanchard Family Dentistry
Covered Bridge Realty
Farmers & Merchants State Bank
Farm Bureau FS, Scot Clark
Homefront Real Estate
The Iowa Theater
Johnson Insurance
John Wayne Birthplace Museum
Lowe Chiropractic Clinic
Madhaüs Gallery
Madison County Health Care System
Madison County Historical Society
McGowen Hurst Clark Smith
Medicap Pharmacy
Midwest Heritage Bank
Montross Pharmacy
Pine Creek Ltd.
State Farm, Charlotte Speer
Union State Bank
Winterset Ballet & Dance Studio
Winterset Cidery
Winterset Optimist Club
Winterset Parks & Recreation Department
Subscribe to The Winterset Citizen
