The 2014 Mississippi Valley Fair began on Tuesday, July 29 at the Fairgrounds in west Davenport.
In the late morning hours, crews put the finishing touches on the food stands to get everything set up for the day. There are some new events for people to enjoy this year. There's a new alligator show, dog show, and a monkey race. The vendors believe those attractions will help make the event fun again this year.
"We're extremely excited," Wisconsin Cheese Vendor Duane Hickman said. "The weather's perfect. The people here have always been real good about eating the fried cheese, and we're looking for big crowds. I understand that ticket sales are up, and that's great so, we're looking forward to a good fair."
Tuesday, the pony show starts at noon, and the open breeding beef show starts at 1:30 p.m. The Eli Young Band hits the grand stand at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The fair runs through Sunday, August 3, 2014.