FAIR WEEK MEANS FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

The week of the annual SEMO District Fair has arrived, and this year's fair again promises to offer something for everyone.

The fair's 136th edition, which got under way Sunday in Arena Park, will attract tens of thousands of people before it wraps up on Saturday. They'll come from throughout the region to see and enjoy the many attractions and to exhibit their crafts, crops, food and livestock.

Fair week offers the opportunity for city and country dwellers to come together in a relaxed and fun setting. That, after all, was the main purpose this and other fairs were established, and the SEMO District Fair continues to carry out that role each year.

The fair is for families because it offers such a wide assortment of wholesome entertainment. Children particularly are attracted to the fun of the rides on the midway, and many moms and dads will get on a ride or two, spurring memories of the fun they had at earlier fairs.

If the midway isn't for you, other attractions are sure to grab your attention. One can spend hours just strolling the fairgrounds and visiting the many exhibition tents, where young and old exhibitors alike hope to carry home blue ribbons for everything from breads, pies, cakes, jams, and canned goods to outstanding livestock and bountiful farm crops produced in this agricultural region. And who can turn down all of those tasty foods, many of which we associate only with the fair? They are available, it seems, at every turn?

The SEMO District Fair Board does a good job of bringing it all together, and we commend board members and the hundreds of other fair supporters and volunteers who strive to make each fair better. A decision a few years back to bring top-name country entertainment to the fair has proved to be a good one. The performers attract many people who might not otherwise go to the fair and see what they have been missing.

A parade from Capaha Park to Arena Park was added a few years ago, and it is a popular event. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. today, and officially opens this year's fair.

To those who wouldn't miss a single edition of the SEMO District Fair, we hope this year's fair is your most enjoyable ever. To those who haven't experienced the enjoyment of the fair, we urge you to go. You'll see why it has become a tradition in Southeast Missouri.