Aug 11; Opening Weekend Highlights

Attendees entering and exiting the fair gates

Come Grow Your Traditions at the 2023 Missouri State Fair

Opening Day of the 2023 Missouri State Fair is here and we are ramping up for a lot more to come!

Friday, Aug. 11 is Missouri Department of Conservation Day. The Conservation Building is serving nature and you with fish aquaria and other exhibits and the Xplore Zone. Fairgoers can visit the Conservation Building for live animal exhibits all day and the invasive carp fish fry demonstration at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Additional highlights for Saturday, Aug. 11 include:

  • Livestock shows for beef cattle, draft mules, poultry, sheep and swine and competitive exhibit contests for floriculture, dairy products, home economics and barbecue contest.
  • Activities all across the grounds include the Farm Toy Show in the Assembly Hall, cooking demonstrations in the Home Economics Building and Mo-Ag Theatre/Mizzou Central, fire demos at the State Fair Firehouse, sponsored by Ditzfeld Transfer, Inc., Wine 101 Class and more.
  • The Biggest and Best Bell Bottom Contest will take place at 6 p.m. on the Touchstone Energy Stage.
  • Qualifying rounds for Cowboy Mounted Shooting will start at 2:30 p.m. in the Mathewson Exhibition Center with the Starline Showcase Shootout starting at 6 p.m.
  • The Budweiser Stage presents Clay Clear Band and Soul Root, and the day is full of grounds entertainment on the free stages and strolling the grounds including Mr. Stinky Feet and the Chicago Honey Bear Dancers on the Kids Stage, The Strolling Piano and more.
  • The Military Flag Retreat Ceremony, sponsored by Capital Materials, Starline Brass, and Retrieving Freedom, will honor John Hall, of Lone Jack, at 5:30 p.m. by the flagpole located in front of the Historic Administration Building.
  • The evening’s entertainment will include the MRCA Show-Me State Rodeo in the State Fair Arena. Tickets for the rodeo are available for purchase, while supplies last.
  • Lainey Wilson and Jackson Dean will perform to a sold out crowd in the State Fair Grandstand, presented by CFM Insurance, starting at 7:30 p.m. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early.

Find a full schedule of events scheduled for Friday, Aug. 11 on the Fair’s website.

Law Enforcement/Firefighter Appreciation Day on Saturday, Aug. 12 offers free admission for law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, with appropriate I.D., and $1 admission for immediate family members. Be sure to stop by the MoDOT Highway Gardens to visit with the Missouri Highway Patrol’s Otto the Talking Car, a 1931 Model A Ford Roadster, who has been a State Fair icon since his first appearance at the Fair in 1969.

Next to Otto is the State Fair Firehouse, home of the Missouri State Fair Fire Department. The men and women of the fire department are all volunteers who provide fire and medical response during the State Fair each year. They are the only fully operational fire department in the United States that operates for only 11 days a year. They will be offering a sprinkler demonstration in front of the State Fair Grandstand at 10 a.m. this day and the MO CARES exhibit will be on display at the firehouse from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Additional highlights for Saturday, Aug. 12 include:

  • Livestock shows for beef cattle, poultry, mules, sheep, and swine and competitive exhibit contests for floriculture, home economics and horseshoes.
  • Activities all across the grounds include 4-H Family and Clover Kid Day in the 4-H Building, Farm Toy Show in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall, MEC Building “People from our Pages,” Show Me Wares and Eat Smart on the Go Cooking Demos in the Mo-Ag Theatre/Mizzou Central, Wine 101 Class and more.
  • The Budweiser Stage presents Cedar Creek and Honky-Tonk Dream, and the day is full of grounds entertainment on the free stages and strolling the grounds.
  • The Military Flag Retreat Ceremony, sponsored by Capital Materials, Starline Brass, and Retrieving Freedom, will honor Danny Knox of Archie, MO, at 5:30 p.m. by the flagpole located in front of the Historic Administration Building.
  • The evening’s entertainment will include the final night of the MRCA Show-Me State Rodeo in the State Fair Arena and 3 Doors Down Away from the Sun Anniversary Tour with Candlebox in the State Fair Grandstand, presented by CFM Insurance. Tickets for both the rodeo and the concert available for purchase, while supplies last.

Find a full schedule of events scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12 on the Fair’s website.

Sunday, Aug. 13 the Fair will salute our heroes and honor our military with Military Appreciation Day, sponsored by GoNetspeed. A Military Resource Fair will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. just west of the Mathewson Exhibition Center and a Military Appreciation Ceremony will take place inside the Mathewson Exhibition Center at 2 p.m.

Additional highlights for Sunday, Aug. 13 include:

  • Livestock shows for beef cattle, poultry, donkeys, sheep, and swine and competitive exhibit contests for floriculture, home economics, horseshoes and the new flavored bacon contest.
  • Activities all across the grounds include youth demos and expressive arts in the 4-H Building, Show-Me STEM Day in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall, Conservation Building demos, Let’s Talk Livestock, sponsored by Tractor Supply Co., artists-in-residence in the Fine Arts Building and more.
  • The Budweiser Stage presents the Supermatics, and the day is full of grounds entertainment on the free stages and strolling the grounds.
  • The Military Flag Retreat Ceremony, sponsored by Capital Materials, Starline Brass, and Retrieving Freedom, will honor Brad Pickel of Waynesville, MO, at 5:30 p.m. by the flagpole located in front of the Historic Administration Building.
  • The Missouri State Fair Shoot Out Truck and Tractor Pull will roar through the State Fair Grandstand, presented by CFM Insurance at noon and 6 p.m. and the Final Round of the MSF Motocross Series will take place in the State Fair Arena starting at 7 p.m. Tickets for both the tractor pull and the motocross are available for purchase, while supplies last.

Find a full schedule of events scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 13 on the Fair’s website.

The Missouri State Fair is just getting started! Come make traditions, say THANK YOU to our amazing heroes and have some fun! The Missouri State Fair, themed, “Where Traditions Grow,” is Aug. 10-20 in Sedalia.