As the crowd watches, a monster truck revs its engine.
The truck - plastered in red, yellow and blue puzzle piece decals - drives toward a dirt ramp.
As it crests the ramp, flies into the air and lands on the other side, the crowd cheers.
You might not realize there was anything special about this monster truck at first glance - until you notice it's not quite as monstrous as usual.
That's because the driver is 9 years old.
Although he may not be old enough to get a driver's license, Kayden Hutchcraft performs for crowds all over the country as part of Lil Monster Trucks - and he has for several years.
On Tuesday night, the Jefferson City Jaycees Cole County Fair was host to the group, which is made up of young monster truck drivers that travel the country performing miniaturized monster truck shows including races, tricks, jumps and more.
Tuesday night's show also included 15-year-old Ally Plewniak, 15-year-old Olivia Hummel, 17-year-old Kaleb Hustedde and 18-year-old JC Sherman.
The drivers competed in two rounds - a race and a freestyle portion. Two at a time, the trucks raced around a small dirt arena at the fairgrounds.
Bully Warrior, driven by Hustedde, took home the racing prize.
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Elfin' Around Argenta
The Argenta district was all abuzz with a festive group hopping from one pub to another. Beginning at Ump's and ending at Cregeen's, the crew stayed at each place just long enough to enjoy the special drink offered at each location. A portion of the proceeds will help Argenta Community Development Corporation keep low income families warm this winter.
Then, the freestyle portion began, where the drivers took turns driving off ramps and showing off with big jumps.
First up was Kayden, the group's youngest driver. On his first big jump, he landed hard and was put out of commission. The medical crew on standby was called out, but he walked away with a just sore back.
Despite the early end to his run, the crowd voted Puzzle Master the winner of the freestyle competition.
The sport may seem dangerous, but Plewinak said it's safer than it looks. The children wear helmets, neck braces and firesuits, just like the professionals. They also have five-point harnesses.
"I can't even move when I'm in (the truck), so when I flip over, I'm still in the same spot," Plewinak said.
Blake and Michelle Hutchcraft formed the group around eight years ago when their son, Kaleb Hustedde, wanted to get into motorsports.
"I didn't really want to do dirt bikes, because he wrestled," Michelle Hutchcraft said. "So he ended up finding a mini monster truck and from there we just started acquiring more trucks and then built a business."
The trucks and children have changed over the years, but right now, the group has six trucks - Bully Warrior, Puzzle Master, Masher, Dixie Chic, American Girl and Ram-bunctious.
Each of the trucks has a special message. Bully Warrior promotes anti-bullying, while Puzzle Master is an Autism awareness truck. After his freestyle run at each show, Bully Warrior hands out a shield from the back of his truck to a child in the crowd.
Plewniak, who drives American Girl, said she likes that the trucks have meaning.
"My message is 'Be your own kind of beautiful,' so be confident in yourself and don't be afraid to stand out," Plewniak said.
She's been driving with Lil Monster Trucks for seven years, since she was 8 years old. The now 15-year-old is the daughter of the group's founders, and her brothers drive, too.
"There's a really big adrenaline rush when we first start shows, and I find racing really fun because I get to compete, especially against my brothers, cause we're all really competitive," Plewniak said.
Michelle Hutchcraft said being able to share a message is part of what led them to make the group bigger than just one driver.
"Running one truck was fun, but we mostly did intermission shows for big trucks," Hutchcraft said. "So we wanted something where we could kind of do put on our own shows and have our own messages and make it all about kids."