Iowa State Fair 2026 Wrap-Up, New School Year Rollout | The Catholic Morning Show - 08/24/2026

Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell open a new week on the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, with Mass today at 7:15 a.m. at Saint Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines (105.5 FM). Catholic therapist Justin Derry joins the show to unpack the psychological benefits of confession — from grounding ourselves in the objective reality of God's mercy to using the sacrament as a model for reconciling our own relationships. Justin previews his talk at the second annual Mercy and Forgiveness men's retreat, open to any adult man, Saturday, September 19 at Saint Anthony Church in Hospers, beginning at 6:15 a.m. with the rosary, morning prayer, and Mass, followed by talks, adoration, confession, and lunch. More information and registration at Lumen Media. Alexia Baker recaps eleven days at the Iowa State Fair, where she tried a slice of the nearly 80 new foods and drinks on offer for her "Where's Alexia" series, sharing behind-the-scenes looks at vendors like The Depot's dirty sodas and Campbell's corn dogs. Her top three: the Cajun Cluck and Chaos sandwich, the affogato at the Biscuit Bar, and the peanut butter and jelly corn dog. Catch the full video series and follow along at @iacatholicradio on Instagram and TikTok, and Iowa Catholic Radio on Facebook. Also in this episode: a look back at Saturday's record-breaking single-day fair attendance of 30,654 people, with final 2026 totals expected to fall just short of 2024's all-time record of 1,182,682 fairgoers; first-day-of-school well-wishes for students across the Des Moines metro (Saint Luke the Evangelist in Ankeny starts Wednesday); and a lighthearted look at a San Diego man dressed as Darth Vader making the rounds at city council meetings to mock surveillance "flock camera" technology. Listen live weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio, or catch up anytime at IowaCatholicRadio.com. #CatholicMorningShow #IowaCatholicRadio #Confession #MercyAndForgiveness #CatholicTherapy #IowaStateFair #WheresAlexia #SaintBartholomew #CatholicPodcast #BackToSchool   Credits: Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Ayden Pugh, Alexia Baker, and Brady Grimm. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Catholic Morning Show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode — and if this one was worth your time, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. It takes ten seconds and it's the single best way to help more people find the show. 🎧 LISTEN LIVE Catch The Catholic Morning Show live, weekday mornings on Iowa Catholic Radio. Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.