SEMO FAIR RAPIDLY APPROACHES

Twenty-six soldiers spent Friday building a bridge at Arena Park, an annual signal that the SEMO District Fair is about to start.

The fair runs Sept. 8 to 13 at the Cape Girardeau park.

Army National Guardsmen with the 1140th Engineering Battalion assemble the M2 Bailey bridge each year as a training exercise. The 80-foot span allows foot traffic across the creek during the fair.

Without the Bailey Bridge, pedestrians would walk along the narrow and busy Rodney Street bridge.

"This helps us and helps the community. That's what the National Guard is all about," said Lt. Robert Burlbaugh.

The National Guard has assembled the bridge for the past six years at the fairgrounds.

"It's a really nice addition for the fair," said Pete Poe of the fair board. "We are in the final stages of preparation for the fair, but the hard work starts Labor Day weekend."

About a hundred volunteers and members of the SEMO District Fair Association will work Saturday, Sunday and Monday to set up fences, clean barns, run cables, paint and prepare for the start of the fair.

Volunteers and new members of the fair association are welcome, Poe said.

Ticket sales for grandstand entertainers have been strong, Poe said.

"It's a real race between Friday and Saturday night, but all the nights are going strong," he said.

The bridge on the fairgrounds will be used for foot traffic, but it is designed to carry military vehicles, including large trucks and tanks.

In a wartime situation, the engineers would set up the bridge in a few hours to help keep soldiers moving forward. It is transported on trucks in hundreds of pieces.

"It's a lot like putting a puzzle together," said Tom Staggs of Sikeston, a member of the 1140th battalion.

The pieces, however, are very heavy. Eight men are needed to lift the I-beam cross supports into place. Each beam weighs about 800 pounds.

When assembled, the bridge is pushed along rollers into the desired location.

Staggs has served in the National Guard for 16 years and has helped put together the Bailey bridge at Arena Park before. "It's good training for us," he said. "And it helps out."

The bridge will be taken down after the fair.