Talk:Iowa State Fair/GA1

GA review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Nominator: ActuallyElite (talk · contribs) 16:15, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

Reviewer: Zzz plant (talk · contribs) 20:08, 8 February 2026 (UTC)

Hi ActuallyElite, unfortunately after reviewing this article against the GA criteria, I am going to close this nomination as a quick fail. My primary concern is criterion 2d, copyright compliance. Here are some examples of text overlap that I am concerned may represent close paraphrasing, which I noticed on a routine Earwig check:

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Source:Machinery Hall, or the building known today as the Varied Industries Building, opened for the 1911 fair. It covers roughly five acres worth of land and cost $75,000 to build. It was intended to showcase wares from Iowa companies that would be particularlyinteresting (and perhaps profitable) to farm families.

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Article:In 1911, Machinery Hall, opened. It covers roughly 5 acres (2.0 ha) worth of land and cost $75,000 to build. It's intended to showcase wares from Iowa companies that would be particularly interesting to farm families.

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Source:Iowa Falls native Bill Riley created the Iowa State Fair Talent Search in 1959. Riley hosted talent shows across the state, where local winners would go on to compete at the Iowa State Fair. Riley hosted daily talent shows at the Fair through 1996 and became known as "Mr. Iowa State Fair." Upon his retirement, this stage was renamed in his honor.

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Article:Bill Riley created the Iowa State Fair Talent Search in 1959. Riley hosted talent shows across the state, where local winners would go on to compete at the Fair. The stage was renamed to his name in 1996.

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Source:In 1973, a group of Meskwaki singers and dancers performed nine out of the ten days of the fair after protesting for the chance to do so. In a 4-3 decision, the Iowa State Fair board granted the Meskwaki contingent not only the opportunity to share their talents but agreed to pay up to 20 performers $125 plus fair admission costs each day beginning August 19 through August 26.

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Article:In 1973, a group of Meskwaki singers and dancers performed nine out of the ten days of the fair after protesting for the chance to do so. In a 4-3 decision, the Iowa State Fair board granted the Meskwaki the opportunity to perform.

While I definitely recognize there are only so many ways to say certain types of basic information, multiple instances of overlap from one source do give me pause.

Besides that, the article has significant prose issues, including grammar problems and non-encyclopedic tone. For example "the State Fair is known for its many different and wild dishes" sounds more like text from a travel book than an encyclopedia. Additionally, "With over a million visitors, it is one of the largest and best-known state fairs in the United States." from the lede should appear in the body with a strong reliable source. I also think you may need to reduce the reliance of the article on sources affiliated with the fair - you have some great ones here like Rasmussen 2015 and analytical pieces from reliable news outlets. I'd also recommend removing self-published references, like the Medium blog post for a historical claim.

Note that I did not evaluate the article exhaustively in complete detail, but I wanted to provide some specific feedback of what I noticed to help you prepare for a re-nomination. I'd be very happy to see this promoted eventually - it seems like a fascinating piece of Iowa history/culture - but for now, I think the article's development is best done outside the GA review spotlight. Best, Zzz plant (talk) 20:08, 8 February 2026 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.