Patrons should prepare for five days of bright lights at the Miller County Fair. This year’s theme of “Carnival Lights and Country Nights” features contests, rides and a new ATV rodeo event.
The fair kicks off with a parade at 6 p.m. July 23 leaving from the Eldon High School “C” building. Organizer Marsha Snow said there is still time for entries.
Parade line up is 5 p.m. in the high school gym parking lot. Floats, businesses, clowns and others will follow the route downtown from Second and Pine streets, heading north on Pine Street, hitting Mill Street, Maple Street and Business 54 before heading back to Pine. The theme this year is, “Home Grown Fun at The Miller County Fair.”
Although the parade is small, she said it’s a good chance for county residents to see businesses they may not be familiar with.
Other events that week will be at the Miller County Fairgrounds on East 8th Street.
Terry Wood, vice president of the fair board, said the members are testing out the ATV rodeo in place of a typical rodeo, which wasn’t bringing in much money.
“We’ve had a rodeo the past three years but we were looking to do something different,” Wood said.
Seeing everyone get together makes putting the event together worth it, he added.
Admission to the fair is free. Main events including the ATV rodeo, demolition derby and compact figure 8 race are $10 per person. Youth ages 6-12 are $2, and under 5 enter free.
“We have a lot of different shows,” Wood said. “I think everybody needs to enjoy fairs.”
Carnival rides and games will be presented from 6-10:30 p.m. by Fun Time Show. Armbands for unlimited riding are $20 in advanced at 401 E. North St. and 415 S. Maple St. On site, tickets are $25.
Livestock shows will be each night at the show arena. Categories include bottle calf, hog, beef, sheep, goat, rabbit and poultry. A livestock auction will conclude the series at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Individuals interested in the Little Royalty, Miss Miller County Queen and Miss Miller County Teen Scholarship may register online or contact Laura Barry at 573-286-2930 and Juillet Beard-Zumdome at 816-898-1729.