Clay County Fair

Some familiar people/groups who have visited or performed at Clay County Fair are: Former President George W. Bush, Sen. John Kerry, former Vice President Al Gore, Bob Hope, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Johnny Cash, Tim McGraw, John Michael Montgomery, Kenny Rogers, Lee Ann Womack, Martina McBride, REO Speedwagon, The Righteous Brothers, Plus One, Clay Aiken, ZZ Top, LeAnn Rimes, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Chris LeDoux, Styx, Vanilla Ice, Jeff Foxworthy, Bryan White, Lee Greenwood, Bill Cosby, Red Skelton, Jim Nabors, Lonestar, Grand Funk Railroad, Garth Brooks, Survivor, Trisha Yearwood, Bill Engvall, Heart and Foreigner.

With completion of the Clay County Regional Events Center inside the fairground walls, new opportunities have opened.

In order to host high-quality auto racing events, the fair deemed it necessary to construct a completely new racetrack.

It was converted to a 3/8 mile clay track, with increased corner banking to adjust for the higher speeds of auto racing.

In 2013 the Clay County Fair Association partnered with Iowa Lakes Community College to break the Guinness World Record for Largest Science Experiment.

To achieve the record, Iowa Lakes Community College and the Clay County Fair had to get at least 750 people in the Grandstand and participating in a half-hour science lesson and experiment.

The first experiment, according to Mark Zabawa, associate professor of chemistry and biology at ILCC's Emmetsburg campus, included mixing potassium iodide and hydrogen peroxide with detergent to create a foam resembling "elephant toothpaste."

After weeks of exploring various options, it became clear that it was simply impossible to maintain social distancing and protect the health and safety of fairgoers, staff, volunteers, 4-H/FFA youth, exhibitors, vendors, sponsors and entertainers during the nine-day event.