For more than 150 years, the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Iowa State Fair have served as a source of great nostalgia for several generations of Iowans.

But, because of the nature of the beast, the fair struggles each year to find a vibrant mix of attractions and entertainment that appeal both to those who savor the old and to those who relish the new.

“Every year it’s a challenge because 50 percent of those coming to the fair want to see something new and the rest of the people want to see the same thing they saw last year and loved,” Iowa State Fair General Manager Gary Slater said.

So when it comes time to address the structural needs of the fairgrounds’ century-old buildings, discussions often center on stabilizing brick walls and retrofitting buildings with air conditioning rather than tearing down old buildings and replacing them with modern structures.

“We’d be tarred and feathered if we changed the look of this whole area to be so modern that people didn’t recognize it,” Slater said. “I think Iowans are proud of their state fair and the traditions and architecture that are here because so many fairgrounds aren’t like that. They’re all asphalt with new metal buildings and no trees and it just doesn’t give you the flavor that the Iowa State Fair does.”

In the early 1990s, fair management did away with plans to demolish the Varied Industries Building and replace it with an $18 million modern convention-center-type structure. Instead, the fair spent $12 million to renovate the existing building, “and everyone loved that so much better,” Slater said. Yes, there are some support beams in the middle of the building’s interior, “but the character is still there and I think people absolutely love it.”

Perhaps drawing upon the successful outcome of that project, fair management is in the midst of a decades-long effort to renovate and restore several of the fairgrounds’ historic buildings. In the past 12 years, more than $64 million has been spent on renovations, and several other planned renovation efforts are projected to cost more than $15 million. But many of these projects have to be carried out using “baby steps,” Slater said, as donors contribute funds and the Iowa Legislature allocates money for needed improvement efforts.

“We asked (the Legislature) for $5 million for $15 million worth of projects and they gave us $1 million,” he said. “So we’re happy. We got some and not none.”

The $1 million allocated in the Legislature’s 2006 budget has been earmarked for ongoing renovations of the fairgrounds’ Swine Barn, which was built in 1907. This is the third legislative allocation for the project – $700,000 was given for 2004, $750,000 in 2005 – but it still will not bring the $6 million project even halfway to completion. To date, crews have replaced about 500 of the barn’s 1,500 stalls. New electrical service and lighting is also being installed.

“You have to take baby steps in all areas, but the good part about it is progress is being made,” Slater said.

The biggest addition for the 2006 Iowa State Fair, titled “Only at the Fair,” will be a new $850,000 entertainment stage in Heritage Village, which was funded entirely through private contributions. The stage, which will seat about 3,500 people, will be the new site for country music performances. “It’s every bit as big as our grandstand,” Slater said.

The fair management’s long-term wish list also includes renovations to the Youth Inn ($2.24 million), Cultural Center ($2.91 million) and the Sheep Barn ($3.34 million).

In addition, a master plan for the fairgrounds’ southwest quadrant, finalized in November 2004, calls for the creation of a boulevard that runs through the fairgrounds under the path of the Skyglider. Slater said current plans call for a tree-lined boulevard with concessions on both sides of a paved walkway.

Included in the master plan is the acquisition of several parcels of land, some of which have already been purchased, in a four-square-block area from East 30th to East 32nd streets and from Walnut Street to Dean Avenue. When all of that land is deeded to the fair, construction will begin on a new park-and-ride drop-off point for fairgoers, and the southwest entrance, Gate 10, will be reconfigured and a new restroom facility will be added.

But Slater said that master plan will have to take a back seat to renovation work. “You’re not keeping something from falling down with the master plan,” he said. “You’re just making it nicer for everybody to move around.”

The eventual success of all of these projects is contingent upon the success of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, established 12 years ago to generate private donations and state funding for the $11 million grandstand renovation and $12 million Varied Industries Building renovation. The foundation has also funded millions of dollars in improvement work at the Cattle Barn, Administration Building, Pavilion, Grandfather’s Barn, Pioneer Hall and the Agriculture Building and street work along Grand Avenue. A $1 million fair museum, which opened in 2005, was funded entirely through private contributions.

Renovation and capital improvement projects are paid for through the Iowa State Fair’s operating budget, which is reimbursed by the Blue Ribbon Foundation for projects that have been budgeted and approved.

“If the money’s not there, we’re not going to do it,” Slater said.

In fiscal 2005, foundation revenues were more than $2.3 million, a 3.5 percent increase from the prior year, and included grants and contributions of $1.1 million and $750,000 state appropriation, according to a state audit report released April 18. The foundation provided capital contributions of $1.56 million to the Iowa State Fair from contributions and legislative appropriations.

A decline in attendance of 49,000 from 2004 contributed to a $582,000 drop in operating income for the year ended Oct. 31, according to the audit. Revenues declined 4 percent to $14.16 million.

“We’d love to grow every year, but it just doesn’t happen,” Slater said.

And the bar was set high for 2005. In 2004, the Iowa State Fair celebrated its 150th anniversary and, with the help of ideal weather, drew record crowds. Last year, rain and an early return to school for some students were the likely contributors to a slide in attendance; though 2005 still marked the fifth straight year in which attendance hit the 1 million mark.

This year, due to rising operating costs, the Iowa State Fair has increased admission prices for the first time since 2001. Advance tickets will increase to $6 from $5 and gate admission will increase to $10 from $8. With those higher admission prices and an expected increase in some budgeted disbursements, “the Fair Authority’s fund balance is expected to moderately increase by the close of 2006,” the audit report said.

“We raised our prices so we can continue to balance the budget and still renovate things and offer people what we think is a wonderful area of entertainment,” Slater said. “Rather than decreasing advertising or decreasing free entertainment, we chose to raise prices and continue offering what we hope to be as good a fair as we can do.”