Missouri State Fair means fun to many, business to some

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Adam Graven came all the way from Texas for Thursday's opening of the Missouri State Fair.

He didn't come for the funnel cakes or carnival rides or the Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show. He came to make money -- as much as $75,000 annually -- if people take a liking to the Angus bull he calls "Homer."

For most of the 360,000 people expected to attend the 101st edition of the fair, it's all about fun. But behind the scenes, it's all about business.

The Missouri State Fair puts on one of the largest Angus cattle shows in the nation, behind only the adult and youth national championships. Yet the goal isn't necessarily to win Missouri's grand champion prize as much as it is to get noticed -- and to take notice of others.

"Everybody likes to win, but the most insignificant person to me at the show is the judge, because I don't need him to make my mating decisions," said Graven, a professional cow fitter, whose job it is to get cattle ready for show and sale.

Looking for buyers

On Thursday, he was sitting on a collapsable camping chair in a barn with a backside view of "Homer" -- the Bentonville, Ark.-based bull officially named Jac's Forefront 2202.

Graven, of Katy, Texas, and others bought the bull this spring for $7,500. They are hoping the fair will put them in touch with breeders willing to pay as much as $5,000 each for a batch of semen. Graven figures "Homer" could artificially inseminate as many as 3,000 cows a year, translating to a cool $75,000 for the owners.

State Fair officials say there's good reason for Graven's high hopes.

"The tradition has been that if you come to Missouri and you have the grand champion (Angus) bull at the State Fair, it's almost a certain that bull is going to be the all-American" at a national contest, said the fair's livestock superintendent David Dick, who wears a hat proclaiming "Beef, it's what's for dinner."

Yet most fairgoers simply stroll through the livestock stalls, unable to tell a grand champion from a chump except by their prize ribbons.

Part of the reason is that, over the years, the fair has come to be as much about food and games and concerts as about agricultural contests.

This year, for example, the State Fair is seeking to tap into the "extreme sports" craze, featuring for the first time a show dubbed Xtreme Air, in which performers jump from an 85 foot perch onto an inflatable cushion.

The Extreme Canines Stunt Dog Show, put on by a crew from Stockton, Calif., basically is a fancy name for dogs jumping, twisting and catching flying discs.

Jack McMurteree, who has been coming to the fair for 45 years, said his border collie Ringo could do some of the same things as "Soaring Sierra" or "Super Sonic" -- just not quite as well. But McMurteree, who has been coming to the State Fair for about 45 years, thought the dog stunts were a welcome addition.

"Any time they get something like that, that's a lot more fun than watching people" perform tricks, said McMurteree, wearing a cowboy hat, boots and a belt buckle with a color picture of a horse.

While the Angus cattle competitors may have some of the higher stakes, the fair rewards all of its contest winners in some form or fashion.

The Thies family from Glasgow, for example, recorded 48 top three finishes in the vegetable show, sweeping the blue, red and white ribbons in categories such as okra, eggplant and butternut squash. The hundreds of dollars in winnings should easily cover their fees for entering the judging.

But "this is just kind of the fun part," said Jim Thies, whose family's 5-acre garden has helped put his two daughters through college.

Although the fair officially opened Thursday, the vegetables actually were judged Wednesday. The opening evening also was to feature a parade, a concert by country group Sawyer Brown and a fireworks display.

Gov. Bob Holden was given the duty of pronouncing the fair officially open.

"A visit to the fair is like coming home again," Holden said in prepared remarks. "That's because there's something for everyone here."

------

On the Net

State Fair: www.mostatefair.com

WANT TO GO?

If you go to the Missouri State Fair, here are a few good things to know:

Days: The State Fair runs from Thursday through Aug. 17

Hours: Gates open from 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; exhibits from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; midway rides and games, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, noon-1 a.m. on weekdays.

Admission: $7 for adults; $6 for seniors age 60 and older; children 12 and younger free.

Parking: Free for most spots; $5 for a limited number of close spots; $13 daily for camping.

Location: U.S. 65 in Sedalia, slightly south of the intersection with U.S. 50.

Advice: "Come on a weekday, come early, bring coolers in the car with drinks for children, bring lots of sunscreen and don't miss anything," according to Sharon Parksdale, 61, of Kansas City, who has attended the fair many of the past 40 years or so.