Iowa small town fairs to enjoy in early fall

This article explores six of the most captivating Iowa small-town fairs that come alive in early autumn, offering everything from steam-powered nostalgia to free pancake feasts, artisan markets, and frontier history brought to life.

Travelers will uncover why each fair stands out, whether it’s the record-setting pancake brunch in Centerville or the historic displays in Kalona, while still sharing a warm, welcoming small-town vibe.

These uniquely authentic events not only entertain but also invite visitors to engage with local traditions and community pride in ways that surprise and delight. Let’s get to it.

Clay County Fair (Spencer)

The Clay County Fair in Spencer takes over nine days every early September, from September 6 to 14 in 2025. It transforms the town into what locals proudly call “the world’s greatest county fair”. Thrilling carnival rides, livestock shows, blue-ribbon competitions, and nonstop entertainment in one vibrant small-town setting.

It’s not just fun, it’s massive, drawing well over 300,000 visitors annually and serving as Iowa’s largest county fair. The biggest agricultural exposition in North America, yet despite its scale, it still feels rooted in community hospitality and local tradition.

The fairgrounds buzz with energy from morning to evening as carnival rides spin overhead. While fair-food aromas drift through the crowd, drawing visitors of all ages into classic rides, family games, and livestock viewing areas that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see.

In recent years, organizers have kept things fresh with high-energy “Tons of Foam” parties, roaming jugglers, interactive science shows, and sea-lion splash performances. All included with regular admission and unexpected in a county fair setting.

Disclaimer: This photo is for representation only and does not depict the actual place.

Pella Fall Festival / Wyatt Earp Day (Pella)

The Pella Fall Festival spotlights local Dutch heritage and front-porch autumn charm. This celebration has evolved into Wyatt Earp Day in late September at the Historical Village. Inviting travelers into a playful mash-up of Old West history, artisan crafts, historic demonstrations, and community storytelling.

Visitors may arrive expecting crafts and displays, but then find themselves stepping into Wyatt Earp’s former home. Encountering reenactments of frontier lawman life creates a vivid curiosity that pulls them deeper into Pella’s cultural layers.

Here, folks find petal-lined brick streets and windmill-dotted scenery mingled with live demonstrations of blacksmithing, quilt-making, and Dutch oven cooking. It keeps both history buffs and casual fairgoers engaged with their hands and their eyes.

Kalona Fall Festival (Kalona)

Kalona Fall Festival, held on the last weekend of September at the Kalona Historical Village. It blends home-made foods, live entertainment, pioneer-style tours, and quilt exhibits inside a mellow rural setting that both soothes and invites discovery.

Visitors are drawn in by the aroma of scratch-made pies or kettle corn, and once inside the historic buildings. They wander through early-settlement cabins, listen to folk music on the green, and chat with quilters over wooden porch benches in ways. It feels both relaxed and deeply rooted in local traditions.

What makes Kalona click is the contrast between its gentle rhythm and surprising creativity. Travelers may expect simple craft booths, but encounter lively bluegrass sets, children’s folk-dance lessons, and demonstrations of traditional farming tools. They unfold organically through the village green.

Rather than being overwhelmed, visitors often discover a sense of timelessness, where crafts feel meaningful, food tastes of generations, and conversations emerge naturally with artisans proud to share their stories. It’s the kind of laid-back festival that draws travelers forward one small discovery at a time.

Pancake Day Festival

Centerville’s Pancake Day Festival is a beloved tradition held on the last Saturday in September at Courthouse Square. There, local businesses serve free pancakes, a kiddie parade, and a double-loop main parade march alongside a beauty pageant contest. There is live entertainment in an atmosphere dripping with hometown pride and whimsical energy.

Visitors come expecting a small breakfast fair, but stay for confetti, kids in costume, vintage floats, and stories from former governors to entertainers. They’ve marched this route over the decades, creating a festival that feels grand, even when it’s local.

The best part is how that grandness feels grounded. Travelers grab their plates from volunteers in aprons. Watch young bands play on lawn chairs, and cheer as floats pass by with honking horns and homemade signs. All under the September sun or under shimmering streetlights if the event stretches into the evening.

Midwest Old Threshers Reunion

Mount Pleasant’s Midwest Old Threshers Reunion starts at the end of August and spills into early September. It turns the town into a living museum packed with steam-powered tractors, antique machinery, living-history exhibits, musical performances, and craft shows. A fairground atmosphere that thrills history-lovers and casual visitors alike.

Travelers expecting a quaint fair are often stunned when they hear steam whistles. Watch massive engines chug-along, and witness demonstrators splitting rails, threshing grain, and reviving forgotten rural techniques all in one immersive experience.

Each day unfolds like a chapter in a living-history novel, and crowds gather under tarps to hear banjo music. Kids marvel at old steam tractors, and artisans carve barn-wood signs as kettle corn pops nearby, creating a sensory-rich tableau that feels both educational and electric.

Beaverdale Fall Festival

Beaverdale Fall Festival takes place in mid-September in the tree-lined streets of Des Moines’s Beaverdale neighborhood. It radiates a small-town block-party feel with live music, a dog parade, neighborhood vendors, carnival games, and festive energy. It feels both easygoing and hard to resist.

Visitors wandering in off the city beat are instantly sidetracked by colorful craft booths, pint-sized parade floats, and local bands. Everyone-knows-you smiles that together create a surprising sense of intimacy in a city setting.

What keeps people reading, or rather lingering, is how the festival blends local creativity, think repurposed porch finials turned signposts and bake-sale tables decorated by kids. Live music piped through speakers perched in pop-up porches, making each street corner feel more charming than the last.

Disclaimer: This photo is for representation only and does not depict the actual place.

TL;DR

• Clay County Fair (Spencer): Gigantic nine-day county fair with carnival rides, sea-lion shows, foam parties, themed days, and genuine small-town energy.
• Pella Fall Festival / Wyatt Earp Day (Pella): Artisans, historic reenactments, Wyatt Earp’s legacy, and hands-on frontier history in a charming Dutch-heritage fair.
• Kalona Fall Festival (Kalona): Relaxed rural charm with pioneer displays, live folk music, crafts, and homemade treats that build curiosity one smile at a time.
• Beaverdale Fall Festival (Des Moines): Urban block-party vibe in a neighborhood setting with crafts, dog parades, live music, and authentic local connections.
• Midwest Old Threshers Reunion (Mount Pleasant): Living-history fair with steam engines, antique farm machinery, folk tunes, and nostalgic rural life brought vividly to life.
• Pancake Day Festival (Centerville): Free pancakes, double-loop parades, beauty-queen contests, and a Guinness record layered with hometown pride and tradition.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.