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State fair gears up

By Bob Watson
bwatson@newstribune.com

Published: Sunday, August 9, 2009 11:30 AM CDT

Entertainment, education, contests and good weather. Those may be the key ingredients to a successful State Fair -- Missouri's annual agricultural showcase begins in Sedalia at noon Thursday.

"We're all about promoting agriculture -- it's the No. 1 industry in the state," said State Fair Director Mark Wolfe. "Anything that has to do with ag, and agrelated products, in Missouri is, probably, going to be exhibited somewhere at the Fair."

Every year, Wolfe noted, he and his counterparts in other states seek to find new ways to promote their fairs.

Missouri's theme this year is "MOre Fun Than Ever."

In the education area, Wolfe said, "We have a three-day Science Focus (on) Aug. 20, 21 and 22."

One "fun" thing organizers are spotlighting is an effort to set a world record for creating Mentos soda fountains -- a quickly rising stream of soda from a 2-liter bottle, created by dropping Mentos candy into the bottle.

About 2 p.m. on Aug. 22, Jason Lindsey of the TV show "Hooked on Science" -- who once held that record -- will work with people of all ages to "set off 2,500 of them all at once," Wolfe said. "The current world record is 19-hundred and something."

The Pepsi and the Mentos will be provided, as will a poncho so participants can try to keep dry during the soda showers.

A new area this year is the "Rural Lifestyles Showcase," Wolfe said, noting 76 million Americans "want that more laid-back lifestyle and little slower pace" that's found outside the urban areas.

Many of those may be retired -- or soon-to-retire -- people seeking education on gardening for food and other tips not necessarily needed in their previous lives, so the fair is providing that information through examples, displays and professional speakers.

"Some of these things you could see at the fair, anyway," Wolfe said. "We're just putting a lot more emphasis on that this year."

As in past years, Missouri's and Iowa's fairs are running at the same time.

"It actually is a little bit helpful," Wolfe said, "because -- for instance, just with the grandstand entertainment shows, a lot of the acts that are playing at our fair are also playing (nearby states), and they can produce mini-tours, which lowers their costs."

Big name entertainment always is a draw, and this year's line-up includes Heart, Kansas, the Country Gold All-Stars (including the Gatlin Brothers, Leroy Van Dyke, Helen Cornelius, Moe Bandy and Gene Watson) and Brooks and Dunn.

"I think all fairs struggle with entertainment costs, because it's very expensive," Wolfe said. "Even really big state fairs, like Iowa, put a lot on the line, and spend a lot of money on concerts."

Since most fairs have outdoor stages, he noted, "there's a lot of risk" from rainy weather.

"If they show up, and are ready to perform -- and we have weather that forbids that -- they get paid," Wolfe explained. "But entertainers know, coming to outdoor venues, that they're probably going to be pressed pretty hard to stay there and try to put the show on.

"We don't just let them get up and walk off because it sprinkles a little bit."

In a tight economy, Wolfe said, even more people may be interested in attending the State Fair "because we're affordable. That's something that we touted last year (and) most of our advertising and marketing was geared toward the 'affordable family fun.'

"And we kept the same prices that we had last year ... We felt that this was not the time" to raise them -- even though "there's a lot of temptation for some folks, with the economy like it is, to raise fees."

Admission again is $8 for adults -- children younger than 12 are free, and so is the parking.

"There's approximately $300,000 worth of free entertainment, spread out all over the fairgrounds," Wolfe noted. "And if you're into agriculture -- which is what our fair is about -- just the ag shows, the events with 4-H and FFA, most folks would not have enough time in one day to see everyathing that's there."


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State fair gears up

By Bob Watsonbwatson@newstribune.com

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By Bob Watson
bwatson@newstribune.com