(Des Moines, IA) -- Heavy rain and lightening on the opening day of the Iowa State Fair led to the suspension of all outdoor activities earlier today. However, all outdoor events are resuming now that the storms have moved out of the area.
Meteorologist Rod Donavon told WHO the Des Moines Metro received 2-to-3 inches of rain as of 10:00 am and 50 lightening strikes were counted during a five to ten minute period this morning.
The fair was kicked off Wednesday night by the State Fair Parade in Downtown Des Moines. There is a lot of anticipation about this year's event from organizers. State Fair Board President Curtis Claeys tells WHO Radio News the youth of Iowa really love to come to the state fair.
"The Grandstand is, of course, a great draw, but food is still the number one draw at the state fair, " said Claeys. He adds ticket sales for the Grandstand are up. He also points to the a new area that features picnic tables and nearby food trucks that he expects to be popular.
"It's a great area. Added bathrooms, we can always use more bathrooms and more seating. There will be three (food) vendors on that site."
The Iowa State Fair runs from today (Thursday) through August 17th and attracts more than a million visitors each year.