Siouxland Families

Every month I bring you the best things to do in Sioux City and Siouxland, from storytimes and crafts to music festivals, streaming concerts, and holidays from silly to serious. This month, some of the highlights include the Woodbury County Fair , back-to-school, and tons of summer fun! You might also be interested in my post about Siouxland Splash Pads  and about Homeschooling in Siouxland .  I hope these event listings help inspire you to go make some happy memories with your family this month! Sun 8/1 Plymouth County Fair 2pm: Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon presented by the Sioux City Community Theater Mon 8/2 National Coloring Book Day Tues 8/3 Weds 8/4 National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day Woodbury County Fair Dakota Thurston County Fair 8am to 1pm: Sioux City Farmer's Market, in the lot west of the Tyson Events Center Thurs 8/5 FREE admission for kids to the Woodbury County Fair Dakota Thurston County Fair 3-7pm: Vermillion Area Farmers Market at the Clay County Fairgrounds, mor

 The Sioux City Railroad Museum recently announced an exciting new project with the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist , and it includes some fun opportunities for tweens, teens, and adults! Here's the full story: Announcement Event The first important thing to know about this program is that there is a kick-off event with info about the project happening at the Sioux City Railroad Museum on Thursday, July 22nd at 10am. The event will have general information about the project as well as information specifically for volunteers, a meet & greet time with several archaeologists, and opportunities for the media to interview museum representatives and archaeologists about the project. So if you are definitely interested, plan to attend that! But now, a bit more background:  A little history The Sioux City Railroad Museum is on a property that once served as the 10th largest railyard in the US and was home to the workshops for the Milwaukee Railroad. Recent research uncovered inf

Today is National Ice Cream Day! Yum! National Ice Cream Day was established by President Ronald Reagan as the 3rd Sunday in July in 1984 with these words: Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan,  President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities . I'm on board with that! So without further ado, here are some of the best local places in Siouxland to get ice cream: Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor LeMars Iowa Le Mars is the HQ of Wells ice cream and the city has the nickname of "Ice Cream Capital."  Their old fashioned ice cream parlor serves up tons of the same great Wells and Blue Bunny treats you can buy in store, plus some parlor exclusives! The parlor underwent a major renovation, then re-opened in mid-summer 2019. It is cuter than ever, with a gift shop

The Woodbury County Fair offers dozens of fun competitions for participants of all ages, but if you're new to entering county fair events, it can be a little confusing to figure out how to get in on the fun. I've entered competitions at the fair myself several years now, and talked to Woodbury County Extension/4H to get more details, and here is what I found out: Choosing your events The Fairbook available on the Woodbury County Fair website lists all of the fun events and competitions There are 3 main types: 4H Events -you have to be a member of 4H to participate in these events. They usually require a long time commitment ahead of the fair, such as raising animals! You can find more info on signing up for 4H in Woodbury County here  if your children would like to enter those events in the future Ope.n Class Events - anyone can enter these events as long as they meet the age and residency requirements. To enter, competitors must purchases an exhibitor pass , br

Fourth of July falls on a Sunday in 2021 and there is lots of patriotic fun happening. Here's where you can catch fireworks and celebrate the USA this year: 

*Updated for 2021* From the funnel cake and pork tenderloins, to adorable live animals, sack races, monster truck races, talent shows, and professional live music, to the glory and defeat from entering competitions, county fairs are one of the best parts of late summer around Siouxland!   If you live in Sioux City, our county fair, the Woodbury County will be August 4th through 8th, 2021 in Moville, Iowa. You can find more info in my Woodbury County Fair post.  But there are tons of great fairs in the area, and while some restrict competition entries to residents of their own county, all of them are fun to attend no matter where you live!  Here's the scoop on as many other nearby fairs as I could find details for, divided by state and then put in alphabetical order. This post will be updated frequently throughout the summer as more details become available. If you are affiliated with a county fair and have info to share, please e-mail me so I can include it! Iowa Bu