Auto daredevil show at the Missouri State Fair

The Missouri State Fair is the state fair for the state of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, which has operated since 1901 in

Sedalia, Missouri Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...

. It includes daily concerts, exhibits and competitions of animals, homemade crafts, shows, and many food/lemonade stands, and it only lasts 11 days. Its most famous event is the mule show, which has run since its inception. The fairgrounds are located at 2503 W 16th Street on the southwest side of the city at the intersection of West 16th Street (State Highway Y) and South Limit Avenue ( U.S. Highway 65). In 2015, the Missouri State Fair had an attendance of about 350,000 people. It has won numerous first-place and other awards at the annual conference of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), especially for its promotion of agricultural exhibitors.

History

In 1897, N. H. Gentry of Sedalia persuaded the Missouri Swine Breeders Association to request the Missouri

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

to establish a state fair. In 1899 a resolution for the fair was introduced by C.E. Clark. At the Fair in Sedalia

The state considered locating the fair in Centralia, Chillicothe, Marshall,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, Moberly and Sedalia. Cities made offers on the amounts of land they would commit to the fair. After ten ballots, Sedalia received the majority vote; it had bid , the most land of any city to be devoted to the fairgrounds. The Van Riper family, who had set land aside for the location of the

Missouri State Capitol The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the cit ...

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...

, also donated the site in Sedalia. The first Missouri State Fair was held September 9–13 in 1901. One of the most distinctive aspects of the early fairs was the "white city": the of tents, each for rent by exhibitors. Odessa Ice Cream was the official ice cream at the Missouri State Fair in the 1930s. (includes 8 photographs from 1996) The fairgrounds was struck by an F2 tornado on August 21, 1952. There was considerable damage along its path, with one person being killed and 13 others being injured. The Missouri State Fairgrounds are now used year-round and generate revenue in every season, for more than 350 days out of the available 365. The fairgrounds hosted the

Ozark Music Festival The Ozark Music Festival was held on July 19–21, 1974 on the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Missouri. It is estimated that anywhere from 160,000 to 350,000 were in attendance at the three day festival. The event was marked by mismanagement as ...

July 19–21, 1974, with an estimated crowd of 350,000 people. Off-season usage includes music concerts, camper rallies, livestock shows, organized athletic leagues and tournaments, auto races, craft shows, and youth rallies. The Missouri State Fairgrounds Historic District was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1991. It encompasses 47 contributing buildings, 5 contributing sites, 7 contributing structures, and 7 contributing objects. The district developed between 1901 and 1941, and includes representative examples of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

, and Romanesque Revival architecture. They include several red brick exposition halls and animal barns, concrete drinking fountains constructed by

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

, and concession buildings. (includes 71 photographs from 1990) The only cancellations were from 1917 to 1918, and 1942 to 1945. In 2020, a youth fair will be held as officials cancelled others caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

2009

In 2009, the Missouri State Fair celebrated its 107th year. Attendance increased nearly 8 percent, for a total of 337,851 during the fair's run. The mild summer encouraged high attendance, and families also liked the fair's affordability as a joint event they could enjoy."Attendance at 2009 State Fair Increases As Missourians Respond to Affordability"
, Press Release, 6 Oct 2009, Missouri State Fair, accessed 23 Dec 2009 At the end of the year, fair organizers were honored with first-place and other awards at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). Missouri State Fair Director Mark Wolfe was pleased with the fair's recognition. First place awards included one for "Overall Program for Competitive Agricultural Exhibitors", an overview of the Fair's entire agricultural program including number of entries, promotional materials and the overall quality of the program.
10 Dec 2009, Press Release, Missouri State Fair, accessed 23 Dec 2009 "This category is among one of the highest honors a fair can receive," said Wolfe. "I am extremely proud to have placed 1st for our continued dedication to showcase agriculture, which is the premise of the Missouri State Fair." Another first place win was received for the category of "Fair and Sponsor Joint Exhibit Program". The Fair partnered with Monsanto Corporation in the first annual 4-H Show-Me Robots exhibit.

2010 Events

The 2010 Missouri State Fair was held August 12–22.

Pepsi Grandstand Concerts and Events

* August 12 –

Eli Young Band Eli Young Band is an American country music band composed of members who met while students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas: Mike Eli (lead vocals, guitar), James Young (guitar), Jon Jones (bass guitar), and Chris Thompson (dru ...

and

Candy Coburn Candy Coburn is an American national performing country music artist who has shared the stage with many notable artists, including Brooks and Dunn, Kellie Pickler, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Gary Allan, Josh Turner, Lad ...

* August 13 – Shinedown (rain-out) and Chevelle * August 14 – Montgomery Gentry and

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* August 15 – Katharine McPhee with Bomshel * August 16 – Truck &Tractor Pull * August 17 – Lucas Oil Non-Winged Sprint Bandits / MAMS / ULMA * August 18 – Country Gold Tour with

Leroy Van Dyke Leroy Frank Van Dyke (born October 4, 1929) is an American country music and honky-tonk singer and guitarist, best known for his hits " The Auctioneer" (1956) and " Walk on By" (1961). Biography Van Dyke was born in Mora, Missouri. He lived ...

, Helen Cornelius, Moe Bandy,

Jimmy Fortune Jimmy Fortune (born March 11, 1955) is an American country music singer from Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune sang tenor for The Statler Brothers for 21 years, and wrote the song " Elizabeth" for the group. After The Statler Brothers retired, he ...

, Gene Watson, The Gatlin Brothers,

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and Narvel Felts * August 19 –

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael A ...

and The Grass Roots * August 20 –

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

and Band Perry * August 21 –

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

and

Colbie Caillat Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic ...

* August 22 – MLRA / NCRA Late Model Challenge

2011 Events

The 2011 Missouri State Fair was held August 11–21. Themed "It's a Show-Me Thing!" 2011_Missouri_State_Fair

Pepsi Grandstand Concerts and Events

* August 11 – Jerrod Niemann and

* August 12 –

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

(cancellation due to illness) and Doobie Brothers (performed a longer set) * August 13 –

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 album, '' My Ki ...

with

Thompson Square Thompson Square is an American country music duo composed of husband and wife Keifer and Shawna Thompson, both of whom alternate as vocalists. They signed to Stoney Creek Records, a sister label of Broken Bow Records, in 2010. The duo has relea ...

and Chris Young (singer) * August 14 – Military Appreciation Day with Country Gold Tour featuring

with his band The Auctioneers,

Jim Ed Brown James Edward Brown (April 1, 1934 – June 11, 2015) was an American country singer-songwriter who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of the Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed by ...

, Helen Cornelius,

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Jeannie Kendall Jeannie may refer to: * Jeannie (given name) Jeannie is a feminine name and a petform of Jeanne, a variant form of ''Jechonan'' (יוחנן). It is ultimately originated from the Hebrew masculine name (יְהוֹחָנָן) ''Jehohanan'' or (יו ...

, Eddy Raven,

Joe Stampley Joe Stampley (born June 6, 1943) is an American country music singer. He had success as the lead singer of a rock group, in a country duo with Moe Bandy and as a solo performer. Stampley has released over 20 albums and more than 60 singles in ...

and Moe Bandy * August 15 – Championship Truck &Tractor Pull * August 16 – Monster Truck Show * August 17 – Bluegrass Festival throughout the day featuring Missouri's own Rhonda Vincent and the Rage * August 18 – Kenny Wayne Shepherd with Trampled Under Foot * August 19 –

Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country singer, songwriter, and television personality. He began his music career writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before signing with Capitol Nashville in 2007. ...

and

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* August 20 – Carnival of Madness Tour featuring Canadian rock band Theory of a Deadman, along with rockers Alter Bridge, Adelitas Way and Emphatic * August 21 – Auto Racing

References

External links

Missouri State Fair
Official Website
MissouriNet
News Outlet {{Authority control State fairs Missouri culture Sedalia, Missouri August events Tourist attractions in Pettis County, Missouri Festivals in Missouri Festivals established in 1901 Fairs in Missouri Works Progress Administration in Missouri Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Romanesque Revival architecture in Missouri Mission Revival architecture in Missouri Art Deco architecture in Missouri Buildings and structures in Pettis County, Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Pettis County, Missouri

History

2009

2010 Events

Pepsi Grandstand Concerts and Events

2011 Events

Pepsi Grandstand Concerts and Events

See also

References

External links