09/28/2026
🎡🎠🎟️ WE HAVE SOME BIG, BIG NEWS!!! 🎟️🎠🎡
As many of you know, one thing our fair has been missing the last several years is a CARNIVAL.
And believe us… we know. 😅 We’ve heard you. We’ve read the comments. We’ve gotten the messages. And behind the scenes, we have been trying!
Back in 2019, we had a carnival booked and paid a $20,000 deposit. Unfortunately, they never showed. We were promised they would return the following year… but once again, they did not show, and we never received our $20,000 back.
Then COVID hit, and the carnival industry changed tremendously. Many carnival companies closed or went out of business, and with so many Iowa fairs taking place during the same few weeks in July, finding a nice, reliable and trustworthy carnival became extremely difficult.
Every year we sent emails.
Every year we made phone calls.
Every year we checked again.
And every year… ZERO luck.
Through all of that, we have been EXTREMELY blessed to have John with Lazer Alley right here in Oskaloosa! ❤️ He has graciously helped fill our midway with inflatables. So many of our fair families have loved them, and they have helped create a fun, affordable, family-friendly atmosphere at our fair!
But our fair families also know something very important…
💚 The Southern Iowa Fair has ALWAYS been about so much more than rides.
It’s about the months of hard work, dedication and memories made by our 4-H, FFA and Open Class exhibitors. It’s about livestock barns, ribbons, friendships, families, traditions and kids proudly showing what they have worked so hard to accomplish.
Sometimes people outside the "fair world" see a fair and immediately think “CARNIVAL!” 🎡
And while that isn’t WHY we do what we do…
We’ll admit it…
YES — we’ve always thought adding a carnival back to our fair would be pretty darn awesome! 😉
After years of searching, we finally told ourselves…
👉 If it’s meant to happen, it will happen.
WELL…
🎉🎉🎉 THE TIME HAS COME!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks to Smiths Concessions for helping make the connection, we are beyond THRILLED to announce that there will be a VERY NICE CARNIVAL at our 175th Southern Iowa Fair! 🎡🎠🎟️🎢
Gary, the owner of Sam’s Amusements, was gracious enough to meet with some of our Fair Board members at the Iowa State Fair. After talking everything through, Gary and his wife have agreed to give the Southern Iowa Fair a TRY!
And you guys…
WE. ARE. ECSTATIC. 🤩🤩🤩
But this is where WE NEED YOU!
Everyone who has asked…
Everyone who has commented…
Everyone who has said, “We wish the fair had a carnival again!”
👉 WE NEED YOU HERE IN 2027!
We need you riding the rides.
We need you bringing your kids & grandkids.
We need you filling the midway.
We need you supporting the carnival.
Because the reality is simple…
If the carnival is supported, they’ll have a reason to come back. If it isn’t, they may not return in 2028.
So Oskaloosa and the surrounding communities…
LET’S SHOW THEM HOW BADLY WE WANT A CARNIVAL BACK AT THE SOUTHERN IOWA FAIR! 🙌🎡
Let’s pack the midway.
Let’s make memories.
Let’s support our exhibitors.
Let’s celebrate 175 YEARS of the Southern Iowa Fair in a BIG way!
👀 Want a sneak peek at some of the rides and attractions Sam’s Amusements has to offer?
Check them out here:
https://samsamusements.com/rides
🎡 SAM’S AMUSEMENTS
📍 Southern Iowa Fair — Oskaloosa, Iowa
📅 July 12–17, 2027 (Rides will open on July 13)
🎉 Celebrating 175 YEARS — 1852–2027
THE CARNIVAL IS COMING BACK TO OSKALOOSA!!! 🎠🎟️🎡
SHARE, SHARE, SHARE and help us spread the news!!! ❤️
