This year's Ozark Ham and Turkey Festival will bring a new event to the Moniteau County Fairgrounds.
Members of the California Area Chamber of Commerce are setting up vendors, events and other activities for this year's festival in September. However, one new attraction is a rodeo presented by Amped Up Rodeo Productions.
Chamber Vice President and Ozark Ham and Turkey Festival Chair Becki Collier told the Democrat that Chamber member and Ozark Ham and Turkey Festival Fairgrounds Chair Tyler Clenin is working closely with the company to set everything up for the evening.
"That'll be a new addition to the festival, just to kind of continue on with the family-friendly atmosphere," Collier said. "We'll have that (event) that evening to help with the fundraising of the event which goes to our scholarship fund, where we get to give that money back to our youth in our community. But the rodeo we're bringing in Amped Up Rodeo Productions is so super well-known rodeo company and has tons of amazing sponsors that are helping us put the event on. So, we're really excited about having events strung throughout the day and across."
She said the rodeo will be at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16, rain or shine. The three activities presented by Amped Up Rodeo planned for the festival are bull riding, mutton busting for children and barrel races.
Other events for the day include the Chamber's Annual Car Show (also set up by Clenin), 5K Walk Run, Ms. Curly and Mr. Gobbler Pageant, and more. Collier said educational exhibits presented by the National Guard and Missouri Highway Patrol to benefit the community will be there as well. She said the Chamber is also working with younger community members to set up the FFA Barnyard and musical performances from California Kids and the California High School's Sounds of Joy.
Collier also told the Democrat more than 60 vendor spots are taken. With a few months away from the event, additional spots are open for other vendors.
"As we, just as citizens of the community, go out and about on our weekends to do things we're constantly thinking about, 'Well, what can we do to make the festival better? Who can we bring in that will bring more people to our community? Because it's all about fundraising for the scholarship committee, but it also is about bringing people into our community and seeing what great things we have to offer here," Collier said.