Although the dates have come and gone there is still more fair to come.
A much anticipated event, the tractor pull, is yet to come. Organizers postponed it after heavy rain early in the week. It will now occur Friday. There will be no charge for admission.
As the summer comes to an end and families prepare to send their children back to school, the Moniteau County Fair mostly closed out the season with a series of games, rides, events and food.
Things kicked off on Aug. 5 with the Moniteau County Fair parade in California and the Moniteau County Cattlemen's Association "Steak Night" Dinner in Centennial Hall at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds. The following week featured art shows; an outdoor service hosted by the California Ministerial Alliance; breeding shows for swine, beef, goats and sheep; Kenny's Funland Carnival; Double B Roughstock Rodeo; a junior ham auction; a four-wheeler rodeo; a demolition derby and more.
Unfortunately, the fair did have to cancel the Mid-Missouri Truck and Tractor Pulling Association (MMTTPA) sanction pull on Aug. 7 due to an unsafe track. According to Moniteau County Fair Board President Travis Peck, it rained earlier that morning, causing several spots on the track to remain wet. Guests voiced their disappointment with the cancellation on social media outlets such as Facebook. However, the MMTTPA sanction pull has been scheduled for Aug. 18 to make up for the canceled show. No admission will be charged.
Although bad weather may have gotten things off to a rainy start, Peck told the Democrat the fairgrounds were well attended throughout the week.
"We were very pleased with the crowd and the support that we got from the community. And, glad that we feel like we had another successful week," Peck said. "Compared to last year's, our gate attendance was pretty similar. For a couple of nights, it was down by just a little bit, but then for another couple of nights, it was up just a little bit. So I mean, all in all, I'd say it was very average and well rounded attendance here."
"We had a different circus up in the Sappington Arena. It was well attended and we got some good feedback from that. And, you know, we had a few more nights of the cornhole boards, which is a very popular sport right now," Peck added. "We got a lot of good positive feedback for what we did have."
Space Adventures was the new circus at the fair this year. It replaced the Los Moralitos Circus that appeared at the Moniteau County Fair in 2022. The appearance of a circus at each fair looks to be a new feature the fair board wants to keep up with to make things fresh for attendees.
"We work year-round to put this fair on and we really appreciate all the support from people coming out and enjoying the fair with us," Peck said.