More folks flocked to the fair in 2023

This year's SEMO District Fair boasted the highest attendance in three years.

Darrell Aufdenberg, president of the Board of Directors for the fair, said he didn't have exact numbers yet, but was confident in his estimation that attendance was up by 10%. Fair admissions totaled 82,887 in 2022 and 80,637 in 2021.

"We had a good fair, a successful fair," Aufdenberg said. "The weather was great. Attendance was good, I mean it was just a good, good fair this year."

Aufdenberg said over the eight days of the fair there were around 35 vendors selling food and souvenirs, 15 carnival rides and more than 100 volunteers taking tickets and getting people safely in an out of the parking lots.

"We probably had close to 800 head of livestock -- cattle, sheep, horses and swine." Aufdenberg said. "We had more than 400 head of poultry and then Guinea pigs and rabbits and things. We probably had 200 of them."