The Producers Telling the Iowa State Fair’s Story

[Emily Kestel, Producer ] Jeremy says within the documentary that, you already know, a very long time in the past the honest stopped being an occasion and simply began being a part of Iowans lives. I believe that each Iowan has a state honest story. And so all of us simply come to the honest yearly for 11 days and simply expertise this one occasion.

This is an enormous supply of delight. And, you already know, individuals are exhibiting off their best they usually’re consuming meals that they won’t eat the remainder of the 12 months. It’s a really particular place and occasion for Iowans.

[Kelsey Kremer, Producer ] I believe the concept of doing an Iowa State Fair documentary that was not a historical past documentary was one thing that Emily and I have been each enthusiastic about and getting to essentially present a human facet of additionally preparing for the honest. You know, it’s a more difficult approach to make a documentary, to spend time with individuals and inform their story because it unfolds and to and to search out that.

And so I’m actually grateful to the those who we function as a result of they have been very open with us and gave us quite a lot of time and allow us to spend quite a lot of time with them throughout a really busy time for them. And you already know, that’s what makes this documentary good and that’s what makes a great story as a result of these individuals have been so open and keen to spend time with us.

[Emily] Behind the Blue Ribbon form of was born out of this concept to showcase the honest in a method that our viewers have not essentially seen earlier than and actually get into the extra of the everyday experiences of individuals on the honest.

[Kelsey] Emily and I, in addition to producing, shot like 99% of this documentary. And so we actually like understood one another by way of how we movie. And I felt like we have been actually capable of work collectively nicely, you already know, like within the butter cooler whereas they’re engaged on the butter cow. We have been capable of form of shoot that I believe in a fairly seamless method as a result of we each have the same background.

[Emily] So one of many coolest components about filming that is that Kelsey and I have been capable of get entry to components of the fairgrounds that most individuals most likely do not even take into consideration or ever get to enter or see. So we received to go contained in the Campbell’s warehouse, we received to go contained in the corn canine stand, we received to go contained in the boardroom on the admin constructing.

You know, we received to go within the butter cooler, clearly we received to be at Jeremy’s home when he was leaving within the morning. So we received to go to the farm of Big Joe, who’s an enormous boar, and simply to form of present individuals a facet of the honest. That that they had by no means seen earlier than.

[Kelsey] I believe lots of people are accustomed to issues like the massive boar contest or, you already know, meals is de facto necessary. Lots of people come to the honest and eat a corn canine, however they perhaps do not understand how a lot it takes to make these issues occur. And so I hope when individuals watch the documentary, they’ll come away having a larger appreciation for what it takes to place all of this on and to place the state honest on.

[Emily] As a journalist, I at all times attempt to present individuals a facet of the world that they’ve by no means seen earlier than. And I hope that when individuals watch this documentary, they see components of the honest that perhaps they hadn’t thought of or skilled and even seen. So that once they come to the honest this 12 months or subsequent 12 months, any 12 months following, they are often, “oh yeah, I know what it’s like being in the inside of a corn dog stand.”

Or, “I know what it’s like being on the fairgrounds in the morning at 4am,” seeing all of the hogs getting loaded to the barns, the place they only have a larger appreciation of how that is actually a 24/7 operation.

[Kelsey] The state honest is, I imply, it is the largest, one of many greatest celebrations that we’ve got in our state. And it truly is a celebration of, of many alternative elements of our state. I believe the honest is one thing that each single individual may discover one thing to do or take part in in the event that they wished.

And so I believe that’s form of the magic of the honest is that it actually may be for all Iowans.