The 119th Missouri State Fair begins this Thursday, August 12, in Sedalia. Many are looking forward to the deals on gate admission and at participating concessions and vendors. The Fair’s Opening Day, sponsored by Visit Missouri, offers $4.00 gate admission for fairgoers 13 years and older, $2.00 admission for ages 6-12, and free admission for kids 5 and under. Select concessions stands, and vendors will have 2 for $4.00 specials.
“Our Missouri Celebration” will kick off with the Opening Day Ceremony as the first official State Fair Event, beginning at 11 a.m. on the south side of the Agriculture Building. The Marshall Municipal Band will perform. Special guests will include youth representing the Boys and Girls Club of West Central Missouri, who will spend the remainder of their day at the Fair enjoying entertainment, fair foods, carnival rides, and more.
The 2021 Missouri State Fair Queen Pageant and Coronation will take place at 1 p.m. in the Mathewson Exhibition Center, followed by the Opening Day Parade later in the evening at 6 p.m. Parade entries will include antique and classic cars, farm vehicles, the Smith-Cotton Marching Band, and various Fair-themed entries.
The Fair is proud to honor active-duty military and veterans at the Military Flag Retreat ceremony, sponsored by Capital Materials, Retrieving Freedom, and Starline Brass. The ceremony on opening day, honoring Donald Barbour of Sedalia, will be held at 5 p.m. with a flag-lowering and presentation at the flagpole by the Centennial Ticket Booth.
Free entertainment for all ages offered on Opening Day range from live music on the Budweiser and Ditzfeld Stages to entertainment acts on the Touchstone Energy and Kids Stages, as well as various performances across the grounds. Additional activities include the Farm Toy Show from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall and Cowboy Mounted Shooting, sponsored by Starline Brass, at 6:30 p.m. in the Mathewson Exhibition Center.
Trace Adkins with Dusty Slay will start the 2021 concert series in the State Fair Grandstand, presented by CFM Insurance, at 7:30 p.m. In the State Fair Arena, the MRCA Show-Me State Stampede and Rodeo, presented by Area RAM dealers, kicks off at 7 p.m. Tickets for the State Fair Grandstand and Arena can be purchased at the Fair’s Box Office, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 9-11 and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Aug. 12-22.
