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    Iowa's County Fairs - The culture of America's heartland

    Seven-year-old Kaylin Helms is pictured before leading her cow into the kiddie dairy competition during the Great Jones County Fair and Food Fest in Monticello, Iowa, USA, 17 July 2013. Every summer, each of Iowa's 99 counties throws its own fair. Provincial and patriotic, with beauty pageants and demolition derbies, polka dances and daredevil shows, these rural exhibitions reflect the traditional values, and the countrified culture, of America's Heartland. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

    Iowa's County Fairs - The culture of America's heartland

    Every summer, each of Iowa’s 99 counties

    throws its own fair. Provincial and patriotic, with beauty pageants and

    demolition derbies, polka dances and daredevil shows, these rural

    exhibitions reflect the traditional values, and the countrified culture,

    of America's Heartland. Though sparsely attended compared to the

    better-known Iowa State Fair, these small-town gatherings are a source

    of pride for many Iowans. The fairs run from June through early

    September.
    Photographer, Jim Lo Scalzo (EPA) shares a look.