The roar of pops grew louder as Gene Eldringhoff prepared a large cup of sugar to toss into his industrial grade "popper" on Saturday morning.
"It's good for the metabolism," Eldringhoff, owner of Elderwood Kettle Korn, said as he laughed and doused a batch of his kettle corn with sugar and salt.
Eldringhoff gave out approximately 120 pounds of complimentary kettle corn to visitors who attended Harvest Fest held by Gov. Jay Nixon and First Lady Georganne Nixon at the Governor's Mansion.
After almost 20 years in the kettle corn business and seven years popping at Harvest Fest, Eldringhoff and the friends who help him know popcorn well.
"It's kind of a family affair," Eldringhoff said. "I buy their lunch and we buy a beverage or two."
With a constant line out the gate, Harvest Fest featured complimentary food, drinks, pumpkin painting and tours of the mansion. The Conservation Federation of Missouri even showcased two Mexico, Missouri, turkeys.
Hundreds also turned out for the 15th annual Jefferson City Multicultural Fair that went on at the same time across the street.
The fair featured booths from the MO Blues Association, Jefferson City Muslim Community, Central Missouri Master Gardeners and dozens of others.
The Master Gardeners offered an assortment of free plants to event goers.
"We offer the free plants to them so that we can share with them what the Master Gardeners do in the community," Steve Stacey, Chairman of the demonstration gardens, said. "We have about eight different projects around town that we maintain and work gardens for."
Venders at the fair sold multicultural foods and fair trade goods from around the world. Argentinian and Jamaican dishes were among the foods offered.
"I make it all," Trudy Ferguson, owner of The Homemade Cottage, said as she gestured to the three tables packed with homemade candies and pastries and bushels of homegrown produce from her garden.
Ferguson was among the many vendors who came out to represent their international or local culture at Saturday's event.