Tri-County Fair – Fun in Pulaski County Missouri

Is there anything that says hometown America like a County Fair?  Keith and I were honored to attend the 2018 Tri-County Fair held in Shady Dell Park in Richland, Missouri.  This was a hosted trip, and the mission for the fair is “Promoting wholesome entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.”

The fair took place June 27-30, 2018 and had everything from a Queen pageant, to a livestock show, home economics display to a car show.  We showed up for the tail end of the show but got a chance to see some very cool things that make the Midwest the Midwest and small towns the place to be in the summertime!

FFA and stalking!

We showed up on Saturday and found out that there was an FFA tractor in town that had been completed under the direction of the local AG teacher Shane Kardosz  who also happens to be the Tri-County Fair Board President.  When Keith and I heard tractor and FFA and Farmall, we were hooked.  I knew there was a Red Power story and we were on it!  One of his students named Parker helped us track him and his family down at a local eatery.  Poor Shane was kind enough to let us  interrupt his meal and allow us to interview him about the very cool 1951 Super C that his 2017 FFA kids completed. The students that participated in the restoration were Ethan Adams, Jacob Blank, Dillon Zeigenbein, Logan Lugena and Tyler Bolan.  It was a beautiful job!

Thank you Kardosz family for sharing the story with us!

Home Economics Treasures!

Back at the fair, I met up with Sherry Boden, a teacher who had just retired.  Sherry was volunteering in the Home Economics Building and she was willing to be a guinea pig and allowed me to do a video interview with her.  She shared all the wonderful items that were on display.  There were several divisions that were judged from food to quilts, home and garden and art and photography. There was even the cutest baby contest and how in the world you would ever judge that is beyond me!  Sherry was a pro under pressure. While my voice cracked, she was grace on camera and Keith panned the camera to take in all the lovely items.  I admit to being totally partial to a beautiful wooden dough bowl that if I could have snuck it out without being arrested I would have taken it home!

Livestock sale!

Shane had told us that the Tri-County Fair had an awesome Livestock Sale bringing in a huge crowd.  The fair booklet states that in 2017 that sales totaled $145,866.10.  Our sight-seeing in Waynesville took a bit more time than anticipated so we ran later than we thought and arrived at the sale just as it wrapped up.  I was able to speak though with Doug Smith, the Livestock Chairman to get a brief overview of this year’s 2018 Tri-County Fair Livestock sale.  “We have kids show their animals, then they sell them at the end of the week,” Doug said.  “Buyers come and animals are sold the last day of the fair.  We had 91 animals sell today.”

There were steers, lambs and hogs.  Participants can bring three different species, but only sell two.  While little ones as small as two to three can walk and show, the ages that sold varied between five and 18.  Doug said he has been doing this for 18 years!  It was fun watching the animals and the kids wrap up their livestock showing.  It was hot, hot, hot though so everyone was in a hurry to load and roll.

Car Show Beauties

While the evening entertainment was to be a horse show, the afternoon draw was a bevy of beautiful cars.  There were all different makes and models and the heat didn’t stop the crowd from gathering to enjoy the offerings.

I missed the Sleeper Lawn Tractor Pull and the Greased Pig Contest, but I think I got a pretty good snap shot of the fun to be had at the Tri-County Fair!

I’ll be back in the area to cover and enjoy fun at Cow Days, I’ll see you then! This trip was hosted and coordinated by Pulaski County USA, Tourism Bureau & Visitors Center.