WE HAVE HOGS.
WE HAVE PUREBREDS.
WE HAVE CROSSBREDS AND WE'LL BE PICKING AN OVERALL WORLD BARROW
CHAMPION.
WE ARE TRULY SHOWCASING IOWA QUALITY PORK AT THIS EVENT.
LET'S GET TO THE SHOW RING.
THERE'S OUR GRAND CHAMPION.
LET'S MEET THE WINNER -- TO SAY THAT MARK PEARSON LOVED THE FAIR
WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
HE LIVED AND BREATHED THE ANNUAL GATHERING FROM SUN UP TO SUNDOWN
FOR ITS ENTIRE RUN.
MARK FIRST APPEARED ON IOWA PUBLIC TELEVISION'S FAIR
COVERAGE IN THE EARLY '80S AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE GOVERNOR'S
CHARITY STEER SHOW.
WE BRAVED THE HEAT.
IT'S A GREAT EVENT.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING AT IT NEXT YEAR, AND I HOPE I'M
LEADING ONE OF THESE BIG, WIDE STEERS.
HE WON THE EVENT THREE TIMES.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU, DUSTY.
MARK WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT AGRICULTURE AND YOUTH
INVOLVEMENT IN THE SAME, AND NOWHERE DID THOSE THINGS MESH
TOGETHER BETTER THAN AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR.
WHEN MARK JOINED OUR NIGHTLY SHOW'S TEAM OF REPORTERS, HE WAS
GIVEN ASSIGNMENTS THAT INCLUDED EVERYTHING FROM ARM WRESTLING TO
SINGING.
AND HE WAS OFTEN SEEN PARTICIPATING IN EVENTS OUTSIDE
HIS NORMAL BROADCAST DUTIES.
AFTER TWELVE YEARS OF REPORTING FROM THE FIELD, MARK WAS HANDED
THE HOST BATON FOR IOWA PUBLIC TELEVISION'S NIGHTLY COVERAGE IN
1997 AND RAN WITH IT FOR FIFTEEN YEARS.
GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO FAIR '97.
WE'RE GLAD YOU COULD BE WITH US.
BUT DESPITE THE DEMANDS OF HIS HOSTING DUTIES, HE COULD STILL
BE SEEN AND HEARD MAKING THE OCCASIONAL REPORT FROM THE
FAIRGROUNDS.
SOME OF MARK'S OTHER PERSONAL INTERESTS WERE HIGHLIGHTED
THROUGH IOWA PUBLIC TELEVISION'S FAIR COVERAGE.
ONE OF THE REASONS I LIKED THE STORY IS I COLLECT OLD JOHN
DEERE TRACTORS.
AND MARK'S JOHN DEERE 70 WAS DRIVEN IN THE 2012 IOWA STATE
FAIR PARADE BY HIS SON, MIKE.
AS ONE FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE NOTICED, MOVING ACROSS THE STATE
FAIRGROUNDS WITH MARK WAS LIKE TRAVELING WITH ELVIS.
IT WAS AS IF EVERYONE KNEW HIM, AND MARK DID HIS BEST TO VISIT
WITH EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO CAME UP TO SAY HELLO.
I ALWAYS CARRY A MICROPHONE.
I'M A PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTER.
TO HONOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO BROADCASTING, AGRICULTURE, AND
THE IOWA STATE FAIR, A PLAQUE HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE LEGACY
TERRACE ON THE GRAND CONCOURSE.
MARK'S ENTHUSIASM, HUMOR, AND WIT WILL TRULY BE MISSED, BUT WE
WILL CARRY HIS MESSAGE FORWARD.
UNTIL NEXT YEAR, I'M MARK PEARSON.
HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
I'M MARK PEARSON REMINDING YOU THAT THERE'S NOT MUCH TIME LEFT,
BUT JUST ENOUGH TO HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
UNTIL NEXT TIME, I'M MARK PEARSON OFFERING THOSE IMMORTAL
WORDS, HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
UNTIL THEN, I'M MARK PEARSON REMINDING YOU, HAVE FUN AT THE
FAIR.
UNTIL THEN, I'M MARK PEARSON.
AND REMEMBER, HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
THANKS FOR HAVING FUN AT THE FAIR.
THANKING YOU FOR REMEMBERING TO HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT THE GREAT IOWA STATE FAIR.
IN THE MEANTIME, HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
I'M MARK PEARSON REMINDING ALL OF YOU TO HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
REMINDING YOU TO HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
AND REMEMBER, HAVE FUN AT THE FAIR.
I'M MARK PEARSON.
THANKS FOR WATCHING.
AND I HOPE YOU HAD FUN AT THE FAIR.