There’s only one place where you can find; a cow,Michael Jackson and Shawn Johnson carved out of  butter. Only one place where you can find over 50 different food items on a stick. Only one place where you can find national musical acts and only one place where you can find a Charmin sponsored bathroom. That place, is the Iowa State Fair, and it’s almost here.

This year’s fair kicks off on August 11th and runs until the 21st.

As always, there’s something new and exciting  added to the state fair and we’ve decided to talk about a few of them.

One  improvement the state fair has made this year is the ability to print off your advance purchase tickets from home. When you buy your tickets from the Iowa State Fair website, you can simply print them off and bring them to the gate. Plus, all advance ticket purchases get you half-off DART’s park and ride system for the fair.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the butter cow. To celebrate this the fair released 100 tribute cows to various organizations in Iowa. The organizations were able to to decorate and paint the cows, which will be on display throughout the fair.

For most visitors, the highlight of the fair is the food! This year is no exception, some of the new additions to the state fair menu include:fried butter on a stick, peanut butter and jelly on a stick and red velvet funnel cake… on a stick. Of course, the state fair staples like cheese curds,turkey legs and cookie cups will still be available.

For the beer enthusiasts out there, the state fair now has an Iowa Craft Beer tent. The tent will feature 16 Iowa breweries with 36 beers on tap, including Iowa made root beer.

If you’re looking to be part of another record (remember the year they did the largest group of people eating corn dogs?) you have another chance. This year, the fair wants to set a record for the most people participating in a “stop,drop and roll” drill. This will be going on on the 21st at 2pm.

Once again, the fair has also provided a great lineup of musical acts, both in the grandstand and on the free stages.

Def Leppard, Train & Maroon 5, Janet Jackson, and Lynard Skynard with the Doobie Brothers are just some of the grandstand acts that still have tickets available.

This year’s free entertainers include; The Nadas, Leslie Hall, Ying Yang Twins, and Brother Trucker, just to name a few.

Of course the fair still has all its usual attractions that we know and love; Varied Industries Building, giant hogs, giant bulls, the giant slide and people watching galore.

So, as you trek out to Pleasant Hill for the fair, make sure you visit your favorites, but also check out some of the new things going on!

Looking for ways to keep your kids AND yourself cool during the dog days of summer? We are too, and today we’ve picked our top 3 places to cool off this week.

Today until Friday, take your family to the Blank Park Zoo to cool off with “Safari Splash”. Every day from noon to 4 pm, kids of all ages  can head to the zoo’s SplashPad to play around and cool off. The SplashPad has wading pools, a wild palm tree sprinkler, mini Slip N’ Slides and a large inflatable slip n’ slide! Kids can also get some education in, and see how, some of the animals keep cool when its so hot. All activities are free with regular zoo admission and of course free for zoo members. Keep in mind swimsuits are encouraged.

If the zoo isn’t your thing, then Adventureland’s new water park Adventure Bay is another great way to keep your kids cool with Iowa’s largest lazy river, lots of fun waterslides, and a wave pool. Kokomo Kove in Adventure Bay is the PERFECT place for the younger ones, with mini-slides, lots of water spray toys and even a giant splash bucket!! Adventure Bay is included in Adventureland Park admission.

If you prefer the lake to the pool, Gray’s Lake is another great place to take your family. With beaches, paddle boat rentals and a concession stand, Gray’s Lake offers a great place for you to rest in the shade or in the water, and best of all, park admission is FREE!

So if you’re tired of being cooped up inside and want your kids to run around without overheating, take them to one of these places, and enjoy some cool time off for yourself.

Interested in RAGBRAI and want to stay in the know on what’s going on?

Well we’ve scoured Twitter for the best ways to stay informed, and have come up with a few people and key words that you should follow to stay in the know.

@RAGBRAICVILLE @RAGBRAIBoone @Grn_RAGBRAI @BikeAltoona @Dav_Ragbrai are the official Twitter handles for the overnight host cities of Coralville, Boone, Grinnell and Altoona, and Davenport respectively. Follow these to stay informed on what events are going as riders roll into their respective cities.

@TJRAGBRAI TJ is the director of all of RAGBRAI. Be sure follow him throughout the week for a behind the scenes glimpse.

@RAGBRAI_IOWA the “official” Twitter handle for RAGBRAI. Follow them to keep up with the official news of what’s going on with RAGBRAI.

@3dudaks @SimpsonRagbrai Just 2 of the many teams that will be riding during the week. Follow them to get just a few perspectives on what life is like on the two-wheeled road.

RAGBRAI iPhone App If you’re on RAGBRAI and want to see where your friends are, or if you’re at home and want to see how folks are doing out there then this app is for you. With events, course info and participant info, this app lets you know exactly what’s going on.

Des M0ines Register Of course the Des Moines Register will have daily updates available for you as well on how the ride is going.

So whether you’re missing out this year and want to feel like part of the fun. Or you’re riding and want to know how other people are doing. Then follow the people we suggested, or download the app and you’ll be set to take on open Iowa road.