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DES MOINES, Iowa — One of the Iowa State Fair’s most recognizable pork traditions is getting a patriotic twist this August as the Iowa Pork Producers Association celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with the 1776 Pork Chop Salute – A Taste of America 250.
On Sunday, August 16, the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) will give away 1,776 Pork Chops on a Stick™ to Iowa State Fair visitors, combining an iconic fair food with a celebration of America’s semiquincentennial.
The giveaway begins at 11 a.m. inside the Pork Tent. Fairgoers should enter the building from the north side near the Animal Learning Center. Pork chops will be limited to one per customer and distributed while supplies last.
The 1,776 pork chops are a nod to the year the United States declared its independence while also recognizing the generations of Iowa farm families who have helped feed Americans and support rural communities.
“The Pork Chop on a Stick™ has become one of the most iconic traditions at the Iowa State Fair, so it’s only fitting that we use it to help celebrate America’s 250th anniversary,” said Dave Moody, a Story County pig farmer and longtime Pork Tent Committee member.
Moody said the giveaway is also an opportunity to thank fairgoers and recognize the farmers who raise pork throughout Iowa.
“This is our way of thanking fairgoers while celebrating the farmers who raise high-quality pork every day,” Moody said. “There’s nothing better than sharing a great Iowa pork chop, and I think the 1,776 people who receive one will remember this as a fun part of their State Fair experience.”
A New Flavor for an Iowa State Fair Favorite
The 1776 Pork Chop Salute isn’t the only change coming to this year’s Pork Chop on a Stick™.
For the 2026 Iowa State Fair, every Pork Chop on a Stick™ will be smoked over applewood, adding natural hardwood smoke flavor to the classic Iowa pork offering. IPPA says the change brings the product back to authentic barbecue traditions while continuing its focus on serving premium Iowa pork.
Fairgoers who miss the August 16 giveaway will still have plenty of opportunities to purchase a Pork Chop on a Stick™ throughout the fair.
IPPA’s popular Chop Shops will operate in two locations this year. One remains next to the Pork Tent on the east end of the Grand Concourse.
The second is moving to a new, higher-profile location. The former lower Chop Shop near the Swine Barn will now be located next to Barksdale’s State Fair Cookies, southwest of the Grandstand along the Grand Avenue Concourse.
“We are sad to be further away from our exhibitors in the livestock barns, but we are excited to be able to offer our delicious pork products to more fairgoers with this new location,” said Hope Brecht, consumer outreach director for the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Limited-Edition America 250 Souvenir Cups
The patriotic celebration will also extend to the Pork Tent beginning August 13.
IPPA will offer a limited-edition America 250 pork-themed souvenir cup, available free with the first 6,500 drink purchases at the Pork Tent.
Between the commemorative cups, applewood-smoked pork chops and the giveaway of 1,776 Pork Chops on a Stick™, Iowa pork producers will have a visible role in celebrating America’s 250th anniversary at one of the state’s largest annual events.
The 2026 Iowa State Fair runs August 13–23 in Des Moines, with the Iowa Pork Producers Association welcoming fairgoers throughout the 11-day event.
For Iowa pig farmers, the celebration connects two long-standing traditions: raising pork to feed families across the country and serving it to generations of fairgoers at the Iowa State Fair.
