By Sam Parsons

The Southern Iowa Fair begins today in Oskaloosa.

The annual fair will be held in its usual location at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds with events scheduled for Monday through Saturday. Today, the fair officially opens at 4pm, at which point all livestock and exhibitors will have been checked in, although there are a few activities before then.

Many of the attractions that have entertained visitors in years’ past are back this year: 4-H and FFA shows are all over the schedule from today through Friday. The Southern Iowa Fair Queen Contest is scheduled for this evening at 6pm. Jack Pot Barrel Races are happening tonight at 7pm. On Tuesday night, visitors can watch a show from comedy ventriloquist Kevin Horner. The 2025 Caleb Hammond Memorial Race is scheduled for Wednesday night at the Southern Iowa Speedway, which will be broadcast on KBOE. Thursday night will feature Sprint Invaders with Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. Friday night’s main entertainment will be the Josh Ross concert. And on Saturday morning, the Mahaska Chamber will be hosting their next Mahaska Mixer, which will be their Buyers Breakfast, from 6:30-8:00am. That will be followed by the livestock auction.

You can find the full schedule for this week at the Southern Iowa Fair online at southerniowafair.com.