In late summer, one of the most celebrated and cultural signifcant events in the United States comes to Des Moines, the Iowa State Fair. In 2004 a record was set with over 1,000,000 people visiting the fair grounds, not all of them just to see the infamous Butter Cow, or the Double Ferris Wheel. The fair has also been listed as second only to Las Vegas as a summer destination spot by USA Weekend magazine.
The Iowa Cubs baseball team of the Pacific Coast League, the Class AAA affiliate of the major-league Chicago Cubs. They play their home games at Principal Park, downtown Des Moines. Also, The Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League play at 95KGGO Arena, just on the outskirts of the city. The Buccaneers have many alumni currently playing in the National Hockey League, and are always a dominant force in their division. The Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League play downtown at the Wells Fargo Arena, they are the farm team for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.
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