As the summer comes to an end, so too does the Moniteau County Fair.
Fair goers said "goodbye" on Saturday after a week of rides, games and special events. With the carnival's return, the circus' debut and a whole host of activities available to attendees, it looks to be a return to form for the Moniteau County Fair.
Fair Board President Travis Peck said he and his fellow board members are very pleased with this year's event. The past couple of years proved to be difficult for the fair as it dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the lack of a carnival in 2021. However, with many of those issues behind it, the fair board made sure to open with a sight familiar to previous fairgoers.
"There's nothing like walking or pulling in the gates and seeing the carnival there, especially after last year not having it," Peck said. "(Kenny's Funland) was a great group to work with, and we really enjoyed having him. It just kind of helps complete the fair scene and it helps everybody when the carnival's there."
As attendees entered the fairgrounds, one of the very first things they would see was the Ferris wheel for this year's event. A sign of the fun activities locals have come to know over the years.
This might also be the first year for a new tradition to be established at the fair. The Los Moralitos Circus arrived in town to offer two nightly shows to fairgoers and their families. Peck said many people seemed to enjoy the entertainment Los Moralitos provided. Its presence gave an additional appeal to the event.
"We got a lot of compliments on (the circus). People just really enjoyed it. Myself, the board, my kids and everybody I've talked to in the community that went to it," Peck said. "Yes, that is something that we will look at in the future to do again. It's going to be a board decision to say how soon or anything like that. But it was a very nice addition to the Fair this year."
Peck explained the fair board is pleased with the event for 2022. Although this year's turnout remained about the same as previous fairs, it proved there are many people still interested in experiencing what the Moniteau County Fair has to offer, he said. However, the board recognized this can be improved.
"The turnouts were good. For the most part, we had had a good week. The fair board talked on Sunday and we were pleased with how things went. But we've got things to improve on for next year," Peck said. "There's some things that we need to work on to try to get better participation for some events so the crowds will keep coming."
Peck said he always enjoys seeing the community come together to support the Moniteau County Fair. This year mark's the fair's 156th-annual edition and with further attention, there will be many more to celebrate in the years to come.
"I'd just like to thank (the community) again, for coming out and supporting everything that we had at the fair this year, for supporting the board and for supporting the people that volunteer to help put it on," Peck said. "We're going to start (planning) next month for next year and we look forward to hearing any input from anyone, positive or negative. We'll see what we can do and make next year even better."
Preston Newcomb, left, Audrey Bexten, middle, and Bo Newcomb ride the Fun Slide on Saturday (Aug. 6, 2022,) at the Moniteau County Fair on the Moniteau County Fairgrounds in California, Missouri. Carnival rides were on site throughout the week. (Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller)