DES MOINES, Iowa — It is something one may see when walking down the fairgrounds, but maybe don't think about it right away on the Iowa State Fair itinerary.
There are a lot of moving parts, but a piano on wheels is something most don't see every day.
The Strolling Piano moves up and down the fairgrounds, and it is something everyone stops to see.
"The favorite ones are when people circle around me, we get in a big circle and they're all singing along, they all participate and everything and just having a blast. Dancing, singing, having a good time. That's really what it's all about, that's why I keep coming back and doing that," said piano player Jim Ripp.
Ripp plays at the fairgrounds everyday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and he is able to play just about anything. From Elton John to Taylor Swift, there is a little something for everyone.
The Strolling Piano takes numerous song requests and always invites people to join in singing and dancing.
"Definitely just building the connection with the guy, even though I've never met him, and just getting him taking my requests and playing the music and being able to play it on the spot for sure," a Strolling Piano fan said.
Each set The Strolling Piano plays is 45 minutes, and people are always stopping to take pictures and videos.
"Just the interaction itself, like his performance, how he gets the audience around overall just great music itself, that's all I think," a Strolling Piano Fan said.
The biggest question of all is, how does The Strolling Piano operate?
Well, that is a company secret - they like to keep people guessing.
"The secret sauce in this whole strolling piano thing, I will say I'm at a level of thinking process that's much much higher than when I have to play just a normal show," Ripp said.
There are many theories about how it is operated, ranging from the foot pedals to cameras hidden and people behind the scenes working it.
For now, though, the mystery of The Strolling Piano remains unsolved.
Catch Ripp and his piano on wheels every day at the fairgrounds, through the end of the Iowa State Fair.