Missouri State Fair

The Missouri State Fair is the state fair for the state of Missouri, which has operated since 1901 in Sedalia, Missouri. 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).

Missouri State Fairgrounds Historic District
2011 Missouri State Fair - Ferris Wheel at Sunset
Missouri State Fair is located in Missouri
Missouri State Fair
Missouri State Fair is located in the United States
Missouri State Fair
LocationRoughly bounded by US 65, Co. Rd. Y, Clarendon Rd. and the Missouri--Kansas--Texas RR tracks, Sedalia, Missouri
Coordinates38°41′40″N 93°15′23″W
Area215 acres (87 ha)
Built byBast, Thomas W.; Et al.
Architectural styleArt Deco, Mission/spanish Revival, Romanesque
NRHP reference No.91000853[1]
Added to NRHPJune 28, 1991
Auto daredevil show at the Missouri State Fair, 1960s

In 2015, the Missouri State Fair had an attendance of about 350,000 people.[2] 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 to establish a state fair. In 1899, a resolution for the fair was introduced by C.E. Clark.

The 2005 Missouri State Fair

The state considered locating the fair in Centralia, Chillicothe, Marshall, Mexico, 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 150 acres (0.61 km2), 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 in Jefferson City, Missouri, 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 24 acres (97,000 m2) of tents, each for rent by exhibitors.

Odessa Ice Cream was the official ice cream at the Missouri State Fair in the 1930s.[3]: 9 

The fairgrounds was struck by an F2 tornado on August 21, 1952. There was considerable damage along its path, with one person killed and 13 others injured.[4][5]

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 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 in 1991.[1] 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, Mission Revival, and Romanesque Revival architecture. They include several red brick exposition halls and animal barns, concrete drinking fountains constructed by Works Progress Administration, and concession buildings.[6]

The only cancellations were from 1917 to 1918, and 1942 to 1945. In 2020, a youth fair was held as officials cancelled other events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.[7]

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.[8]

"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."[8]

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.[8]

2010 Events

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

Pepsi Grandstand Concerts and Events

2011 Events

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

2011 Missouri State Fair Skyline

Pepsi Grandstand Concerts and Events

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. http://www.missourinet.com/2016/08/27/2016-missouri-state-fair-includes-two-record-attendance-days/ record
  3. Cydney E. Millstein (June 1996). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Odessa Ice Cream Company Building" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 1, 2017. (includes 8 photographs from 1996)
  4. "Climatological Data: National summary". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Data and Information Service, National Climatic Center. 1952. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  5. "Missouri Event Report: F2 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  6. Roger Maserang and Steven E. Mitchell (April 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Missouri State Fairgrounds Historic District" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved February 1, 2017. (includes 71 photographs from 1990)
  7. "Attendance at 2009 State Fair Increases As Missourians Respond to Affordability" Archived 2009-12-17 at the Wayback Machine, Press Release, 6 Oct 2009, Missouri State Fair, accessed 23 Dec 2009
  8. "Missouri State Fair Receives International Recognition", 10 Dec 2009, Press Release, Missouri State Fair, accessed 23 Dec 2009
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