Missouri Sate Fair - Friday through Sunday

Friday morning we all slept in as we had been up so late the night before.  Since there was no power at the fairgrounds we were grateful for the cooler temperatures and light breeze.  We heard that Perkins restaurant still had power so decided to head there mid morning for brunch.  We and everyone else in Sedalia!  :)  Again, I was impressed with how well they handled the crowds and was reminded that every worker there had likely also been impacted by the storm.  Jonathan even remarked later that 'Sedalia sure is a friendly town'.  He truly hit on something... everywhere we went people were helpful and friendly in the midst of that stress.  Very nice.

We drove around a little looking at some of the storm damage in the town then returned to the camper to await word about the fair.  Amazingly, they reopened at 3:00 pm.  I still don't know how they managed that feat, but we happily went in and watched the Pony Pull going on in Mathewson Center.  Jackson walked around the fairgrounds taking photos of damage and we all noted how well vendors and exhibitors were pulling together to help each other out.  Several vendor tents were destroyed and folks were sharing their tents and offering assistance to each other.

tree down in Sedalia

the tented tops of these horse barns are completely gone

the Touchstone Energy Stage tent was destroyed, but the shows went on...

The Show Me Tent collapsed to the ground - where I had spent much of the previous day during the bluegrass festival.

In the horse barns we began hearing stories about how everyone came together prior to the storm to move all the animals into stronger barns and shelter.  In fact, the Roby Hitch from Rockwell City, IA had just pulled in to the barns about 10 minutes before that storm hit!  All the draft horse folks dropped what they were doing and got them completely unloaded and safely in the barns before the storm.

Speaking of the camaraderie of draft horse folks, we witnessed several more expressions of good will that I appreciated.  For instance, at one point during the competition it was announced that there would be a brief delay while one team unhitched their horse and loaned their wagon to another team to allow them to show in the following class.  In yet another example, the team from New Mexico was having a LOT of trouble with all the water on ground following the storm.  Their horses had never been around water and were really spooked by it.  The young woman driving the team was having a terrible time (and honestly, I think was in over her head a bit...) but for the final competition of the six horse hitches she rode into the arena with a competitor sitting next to her in the drivers seat.  He had climbed on to help her with her confidence (and to ensure safety) and rode with her the entire class.  I think that is pretty classy behavior and it just goes to show one of the reasons the draft horse competitions are our very favorite horse competitions at the fair.  Bravo to all involved!!

competitors sharing the driver's seat

Now, back to the daily events.  :)  Friday night was the first Draft Horse Hitch competition and we were SO glad the fair had been able to reopen and allow this to go on.  Draft horse hitches are truly the highlight of the fair for our whole family.  It is a sight to see and I would encourage all of you to try to attend one year, just to see the hitches!  It takes remarkable skill to handle those big draft horses and the 6 horse hitch is the pinnacle.  Imagine holding 6 tons of power in your hands... that is what it is like to hold the reins to 6 huge draft horses pulling a wagon.  It takes a tremendous amount of skill and control and is a beautiful thing to observe.  I do have video (that I will post later) but you really have to see it in person to get a true feel for it.

Draft horse cart class

Ride a draft bareback class (again, Jackson took this photo of the... horse?)    :)

Maneuvering the 6 horse hitches around the arena

Unicorn hitch - team of 2 in back with 1 out front

Unbelievably, Friday night (Saturday morning) we were AGAIN evacuated from the campground due to a large storm heading our way.  This storm took down power lines and small out buildings in the Kansas City area, but thankfully weakened and just put down heavy rain in Sedalia.  A few hours were spent back at the Mathewson Center but then we were allowed to go back to the camper - and no damage was done.

3:00 a.m. at the Mathewson Center for our 2nd evacuation

Saturday, I have to say, we were all pretty knocked out from the exhaustion of the 2 nights of interrupted sleep so we took it kind of easy.  But nothing could keep us away from the Mathewson Center Saturday evening for the Show Me Classic - the biggie of draft horse hitch competitions!  It was a great night and ended on a high note when Daddy rode out of the arena as a passenger on the 2nd place 6 horse hitch team, the Roby Belgians from Iowa.  (the fair queen rode out with the winner, Terra Cotta!)  :)

Daddy riding out with the Roby hitch

And speaking of the winner, I want to tell you a little bit about the Terra Cotta hitch.  This team is owned (and often shown) by Gayle Wilkins.  In fact, last year she was at the fair and drove in the 2 horse cart hitch herself.  Her big hulking Percherons are decked out in pink harness and the drivers all wear pink shirts.  At first this can seem a bit out of place... huge draft horses in pink??  But Gayle Wilkins is a two time breast cancer survivor and her horses and wagon are in pink for a very good reason.  This year, Gayle was unable to be at the fair, and I believe she may have just completed treatment for that second bout with breast cancer.  But, her team was there and they drove in honor of her.  They even won the grand finale of the competition - the 6 horse hitch in the Show Me Classic!

Terra Cotta hitch (with the MO State Fair queen)

Terra Cotta hitch doing a demonstration in the arena

Sunday morning I awoke somewhat sad to know that we were entering the last day of the fair.  This year I really could have stayed longer.  But we got up and onto the fairgrounds fairly early and hit all the places we hadn't yet made it to (or made it to often enough!)  Priorities each year include Truck's Diner for their huge tenderloins, The Pork Place for a pork burger or their pulled pork sandwich, Gerkin Dairy Center for their yummy ice cream (I like the flavor burst Mocha Cappuccino!), the Ag building for more Elk sticks (less fat and grease than beef sticks), the fair foundation booth for t-shirts, the Agri-Missouri Market for home-grown, Missouri based food products, and a final ride around the fairgrounds on the tram.  We packed it all in and even managed to get to the Mathewson Center in time for the final draft horse show that afternoon.

Tenderloin at Truck's Diner

Pulled pork sandwich at the Pork Place

Jonathan enjoying a pork burger

Jonathan contemplating 'The Thinker' butter cow at the Gerkin Dairy Center....  :)

Ahhhh..... my flavor burst Mocha Cappuccino ice cream!

I love purchasing food items at the Agri-Missouri Market each year.

the fairgrounds tram

Another highlight for Jonathan was getting to drive Grandpa's golf cart around the campground.  He did a great job and was pretty happy about the whole thing.  (I won't even get into the whole plan he has for taking a golf cart, his horse and his dog and heading to Mexico to start a revolution... that would take an entire post!!!  But, his story surely kept me and Jim entertained during the fair!!)

What a great Grandpa!

Finally, it was time to go take down the awning and get the camper in order to hitch up and head for home.  As we headed out we said good-bye to our beloved Missouri State Fair - until next year!

You can see all the photos from our fair time by clicking here.