(SEDALIA, Mo.) – The deadline for entering 4-H and FFA livestock contests at this year’s Missouri State Fair is Wednesday, July 1. This is also the deadline for open shows for beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, llamas, mules, poultry, rabbits, sheep and swine, according to a news release.
“The State Fair provides an excellent opportunity to participate in, and observe, quality livestock shows and competitive exhibits,” said Fair Director Mark Wolfe in a written statement. “It is the ideal place to show off the hard work of Missourians to raise, create, grow and build their best.”
Entry forms for Missouri State Fair Queen contestants are due by July 15, while entries in the Missouri Junior 50 art competitions are due July 20. Bakers wanting to enter recipes in the First Lady’s Pie Contest have until July 31 to submit their entry forms.
Most entries in Home Economics must be submitted by July 20. Varieties of new contests are available this year, including the “Show Off” Your Fresh Vegetable Salad Contest and the Gluten Free Pizza Contest, sponsored by A-1 Rotary Well Drilling.
A new photography show is being offered this year in the Floriculture Department. Four divisions will be offered including Single Bloom, Multi Bloom, Landscape and Insect Photography. Entries for this show must be submitted by Aug. 12.
A complete list of entry deadlines, competition rules, entry forms and online entry are available in the Online Premium Guide on the Fair’s website.
Exhibitors under age 13 will be admitted free to the 11-day Fair again this year, while exhibitors age 13 and over will be able to purchase up to 40 single-day exhibitor admission tickets for $5. The discounted exhibitor tickets are available to order from the Fair Business Office at the time of competition entry through Aug. 12. These tickets will not be available at the gate and they do not include exhibitor parking.
Reserved campsites are available for livestock exhibitors, commercial vendors and people with disabilities, and will open Sunday, Aug. 9.  The public campground does not accept reservations and opens by 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6.
The 113th Missouri State Fair, themed “Show Offs Welcome!”, is set for Aug. 13-23 in Sedalia. For more information about concerts, events and other Fair activities, visit www.mostatefair.com, follow the Fair on Facebook and Twitter, or call 1-800-422-FAIR (3247).