Get our free mobile app

Keep this story in mind if any of your summer road trips take you through our neighbors to the south in Iowa and you have to use the bathroom!

Yeah, I'm thinking I might just hold it. I'm guessing you might, too, after seeing this story about how a spider infestation shut down several public restrooms in Iowa this summer. And, mind you, these weren't just any spiders-- they were the venomous black widow spiders!

Yikes. Got the heebie jeebies yet? According to this story from KCCI-TV in Des Moines, an infestation of around two dozen black widow spiders forced conservation and park officials to close a set of public restrooms earlier this summer.

There is some good news in this story, however. The first is that the black widow spider outbreak happened quite a distance from southeast Minnesota, down in Page County, Iowa. It's located a little over 5 hours southwest of Rochester, in the extreme southwest part of the state, not too far from Omaha, Nebraska.

The second piece of good news is that the infestation didn't happen at one of those well-used rest stops along I-80, but was instead confined to a set of restrooms at Pioneer County Park in Shenandoah, Iowa. So unless you're specifically headed there, you're probably not likely to accidentally stumble on the spider-infested potties while on vacation this summer.

Plus, Iowa park officials in the story noted that even though the spiders are venomous, they tend to stay away from people and instead took up residence in a back corner of the building. Thanks to a quick treatment of chemicals, the story said, the problem has been taken care of and the previously-infested restroom is now once again free of black widows (and actually has been for a week or so already.)

Which is good, right? Because even though they weren't likely to attack or bite, seeing one of those black spiders with those familiar red marks on its abdomen crawling along the wall while you're taking care of business isn't on my summer to-do list!

What IS on my to-do list this summer? The Minnesota State Fair, of course... which just announced its new food items for this year. Keep scrolling to check out all 38 new menu items that'll be making their debut later this summer!

Listen to Curt St. John in the Morning
Weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5

Check Out The New Foods at This Year's Minnesota State Fair

These new food offerings will be making their State Fair debut later this summer here in Minnesota!

More From 106.9 KROC-FM