It turns out any plans to cancel the traditional Governor’s Ham Breakfast at this year’s Missouri State Fair was just some hogwash.
The State Fair has started confirming events that will be held during the August gathering in Sedalia. Special events, such as the Opening Day parade and ceremony and the Homegrown Singer Contest will be featured at the fair as well as the Governor’s Ham Breakfast.
The 68th annual morning meal with elected officials and other agricultural leaders is slated for Aug. 20 at 8 a.m.
A bevy of other events, including the senior dance, grandstand concerts, and the exceptional rodeo, has been canceled, however.
The butter cow will also not be on display at this year’s State Fair. Last year’s dairy sculpture was made of more than 800 pounds of unsalted butter by Reeds Springs potter Tracey Adams.
Questions about if the State Fair would go on — or what an altered event would look like — have abounded as the state continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Mike Parson had promised at least “some version” of the fair would occur, noting it has only been canceled one time — during World War II.
“As an [agriculture] governor, somebody who comes from the farm, I don’t want it to be the second time on my watch that it’s canceled,” Parson told reporters in June.
The State Fair is scheduled for Aug. 13-23. Its rabbit shows have also been canceled due to a highly contagious disease, found in other parts of the U.S., that can be deadly for small mammals.
Nearly 22,000 Missourians have tested positive for coronavirus since March, and more than 1,000 have died. In Pettis County, 120 people have tested positive as of Wednesday.
For more on the status of the State Fair’s events, check out the website here.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For up-to-date information on coronavirus, check with the CDC and DHSS.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
