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<p>Cheri Rutter, of Columbia, entered her velvet rhapsody cupcakes made with Serenity Valley Winery Velvet Rhapsody Wine in the wine dessert category.</p>

Missouri cooks bring top of the crop recipes to the fair

After a week of 12-hour days getting the displays ready in the Home Economics building for the Missouri State Fair, new superintendent Lynne Beasley said things are running smoothly for her and her assistants.

Updated: September 05

Recent Headlines

Tuesday 08/14/2012

Leroy Van Dyke not slowing down

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Spotlight

To sit across a table and chat with Pettis County native Leroy Van Dyke, you’d have no idea you were talking to a classic country music legend.

Satnan: Graffiti a no-go in ‘MO 50’ mural

Updated: August 29, 2012 - 1:27 pm

Linda Hoover never intended to cause any problems. She just wanted to add some fun and visual excitement to her mural, which is in process on the side of the Fine Arts Building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Fiddling siblings to cap off bluegrass day, perform with Country Gold Tour

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Alabama once sang, “If you’re gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band.” The Quebe Sisters Band has taken that to heart, and then some. All three sisters — Grace, 26, Sophia, 24, and Hulda, 21 — play the fiddle in this Western swing group.

Fair Watch for Aug. 14

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The Loehrig German Band was entertaining the crowd that built up at 4 p.m. inside the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall. The Missouri Travel Council marked its 50th anniversary with a sampling of Missouri wines and craft beers, and the line formed early. Missouri wineries, O’Fallon Brewery, Schlafly Beer and County Distributing offered samples, along with big cookies. Cookies and beer? That redefines “afternoon snack.” — Bob Satnan

Missouri State Fair collects cans to fight hunger

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Visitors to the Agriculture Building may have noticed a construction project near the best-in-show hams.

Emcee Missy Mays takes over for event creator Thom Fuller in Missouri State Fair Idol’s 7th season

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The Missouri State Fair Idol competition will really kick into gear today with the first of four days of semifinals. Through six days of preliminaries, the event — in its seventh year — has proven it can survive beyond the involvement of creator and emcee Thom Fuller, who retired after last year’s competition.

McMullen: You just can’t pass up the Globe of Thunder

Updated: August 29, 2012 - 1:28 pm

“Don’t try this at home, kids,” urged Michelangelo Nock, the host of the Nerveless Nocks show and the owner of a particularly great name.

Canned food donations good for admission discount on Tuesday

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Fairgoers can receive up to half-off admission on Tuesday if they bring canned food items for the second annual Missouri Farmers Care Food Drive.

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Monday 08/13/2012

Fair Watch for Aug. 13

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Dear Petunia, it’s OK you didn’t win the mini-mule jumping contest on Saturday. I still believe in you, even if you flat out refused to jump the bar. You’ll get them next year! — Emily Jarrett

Paul Revere happy to break free of Branson for state fair grandstand concert

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Paul Revere wants to make one thing perfectly clear: Having a good time is what matters most.

GOP, Dem fair booths abuzz over Romney VP pick

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Although they differed as to their reasons, Republican and Democratic visitors to the Missouri State Fair on Monday agreed: Paul Ryan was a good choice to round out the Mitt Romney ticket in the 2012 presidential election.

Satnan: Holberts are the fair’s voices from above

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

No matter where you are on the Missouri State Fairgrounds, you can’t escape Katy and Kevin Holbert.

Guild members get shear enjoyment from lost art of wool spinning

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Next to the sheep pavilion Monday, a group of women were laughing together, trading stories about their grandchildren. Around them sheep were being sheared and led to the exhibition arena, “baa-ing” all the way, but the women didn’t pay much attention to them.

Sunday 08/12/2012

Satnan: These mothers are Fair Moms

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Laura Long showed up at the Beef House at 5:30 p.m. Saturday for a planned family meal. To her surprise, what was planned was more than a meal and the results were far more fulfilling than any steak.

Fair announces parade winners

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Sonic Drive-In and the Chamois High School Pirate Pride Marching Band were among the first-place winners in the Missouri State Fair’s annual Opening Day Parade.

Youth at fair learn science goes beyond lab, classroom

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The exhibitors at the Agriculture-Science Street Fair had many lessons for the fairgoers crowded under the Show-Me tent on Saturday — What does a light wave have in common with Jolly Rancher candy? Can you make a robot from a toothbrush? What happens after a daisy is dipped in liquid nitrogen? — but the most important takeaway was this: Science is all around us, a part of our everyday lives.

Saturday 08/11/2012

Fairwatch for Aug. 11

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The "Let's Go Fishing" game on the midway has a barrel full of Detroit Tigers balloon bats for prizes. Mix-up in shipping? Perhaps the Michigan State Fair is stuck with a batch of Missouri Tigers stuff. — John Hansen

Satnan: Queen competition was tied up in knots

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Lynn Reid has been involved with the Missouri State Fair Queen Competition for years, and she’s never seen anything like what happened Friday in the long minutes before Emily Wood captured the crown.

Friday 08/10/2012

Houstonia artist Linda Hoover adds some ‘then’ and ‘wow’ to the Fine Arts Building to lure visitors to the 2nd floor

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Spotlight

Linda Hoover is accustomed to having an enthusiastic audience for her art: She’s a caricature artist, plus her work helps get Northwest High School fans fired up before sporting events. Her painting of a Mustang adorns the side of a bus barn next to the Hughesville football field and another horse seems to burst through the brick wall of the gymnasium.

38 Special feels young again on stage

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

38 Special plans to rock its audience into the night on Saturday at the Missouri State Fair. For more than three decades, the band has been true to its roots, playing Southern rock and roll.

Former cover artist Jason Cassidy breaks out with original songs

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

For Houston-area country singer Jason Cassidy, a substantial knowledge of music history is a mixed blessing when it comes to songwriting.

Fair Watch for Aug. 10

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The Larry the Cable Guy look-alike contest will be later in the fair. But if there was a Travis McMullen (Democrat columnist) look-alike contest, I’d say Harry Clark, guitarist for the bluegrass band The Roys, would have a good shot at winning. — John Hansen

Thursday 08/09/2012

Lutheran ministries to sponsor service at fair

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The Missouri District of Lutheran Hour Ministries will sponsor a church service at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at the Touchstone Stage, next to the Beef House, on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Tours offer education, history of fairground buildings

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Fairgoers have an opportunity to mix some history and education in with their fun during this year’s Missouri State Fair.

Satnan: Give fairgoers an inch and they’ll take a yard(stick)

Updated: August 29, 2012 - 1:32 pm

The only way to measure up Thursday on the Missouri State Fairgrounds was to have a yardstick.

Weather hot topic as Nixon opens fair

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Despite cooler temperatures, the heat and drought weren’t too far from Gov. Jay Nixon’s mind as he spoke during the Missouri State Fair’s opening ceremonies Thursday.

Fair Watch for Aug. 9

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

One of the first events of the day was the auctioneer contest in the Mathewson Exhibition Center. Contestants worked to sell hand tools, commemorative Budweiser steins and farm toys to a crowd of 50 or so on the arena floor. One thing is sure — they all were giving Leroy Van Dyke a run for his money, including Jesse Garber, a 10-year old from Lincoln who came up from the audience to make a sale. — Bob Satnan

Wednesday 08/08/2012

Missouri’s elite art on display at ‘MO 50’

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Sometimes folks overlook the second floor of the Fine Arts Building when browsing during the Missouri State Fair, but that wasn’t an issue on Wednesday night as a packed house was on hand for the “MO 50” reception.

Covered arena annex for fairgrounds set to begin

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

A year ago, MFA Oil Company provided the seed money for a covered arena annex for the Coliseum on the Missouri State Fairgrounds. On Aug. 16, ground will be broken to plant that seed.

Tuesday 08/07/2012

Fair forecast? Now that's cool

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The hot weather that has scalded mid-Missouri for most of the summer is taking a vacation — just in time for the start of the 110th Missouri State Fair.

See a Missouri State Fair concert with Travis McMullen

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Would you like to go to a Missouri State Fair concert with Democrat columnist Travis McMullen and be featured in his commentary on the experience?

Monday 08/06/2012

Nace Brothers welcome new bass player in time for Missouri State Fair

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Spotlight

The worst thing to happen to the Nace Brothers Band in a while quickly turned into the best thing to happen to them in a while. In May, bass player and fiddler Tim Williams retired after 31 years with the band, but on June 1, Paul Greenlease was on the bass and providing the other three members — lead singer and drummer David Nace, guitarist Jimmy Nace and keyboardist T.J. Erhardt — with fresh inspiration.

Sunday 08/05/2012

Missouri State Fair Foundation to host dinner

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

The Missouri State Fair Foundation’s sixth annual Building the Future Dinner and Auction is set for Wednesday at the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Friday 08/03/2012

Missouri State Fair officials gear up for opening day

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

When talking about the Missouri State Fair, the weather is always a hot topic.

Wednesday 08/01/2012

Drivers revving up for Aug. 19 races at Missouri State Fair

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Drivers at Missouri State Fair Speedway will be racing for more than a state fair championship on Aug. 19.

Tuesday 07/31/2012

SVAA, Mid-Missouri Artists will be artists in residence at Fine Arts Building

Updated: August 15, 2012 - 9:51 am

Members of the Sedalia Visual Art Association and Mid-Missouri Artists will be the Artists in Residence at the Fine Arts Building throughout the Missouri State Fair.