Bill Riley On The Air And At The Iowa State Fair

Many know Bill Riley as Mr. Iowa State Fair, the voice of the Drake Relays or the force behind the Bill Riley Talent Search. He wore all of those hats, along with countless more. An Iowan through and through, Bill worked tirelessly on behalf of the state's outdoor spaces and young people, raising money for bike trails and the Des Moines Children's Zoo, later known as the Blank Park Zoo. In the last years of his life, he collected these memories from a career stretching back to the debut of television in the Hawkeye State.

Many know Bill Riley as Mr. Iowa State Fair, the voice of the Drake Relays or the force behind the Bill Riley Talent Search. He wore all of those hats, along with countless more. An Iowan through and through, Bill worked tirelessly on behalf of the state s outdoor spaces and young people, raising money for bike trails and the Des Moines Children s Zoo, later known as the Blank Park Zoo. In the last years of his life, he collected these memories from a career stretching back to the debut of television in the Hawkeye State."

More than 190 vintage postcards provide glimpses of the historic fair from the 1890s through the mid-1950s. The quintessential event has an attendance topping 1 million each year.