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.
Laura’s daughter, Marlena, 11, secretly had entered the “Celebrate My Missouri State Fair Mom” essay contest, and a month or so ago was informed she was one of the three finalists in her age group. So Marlena and her father, Greg, let others in on the secret, but kept Laura in the dark.
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