The 2024 Warren County Fair will officially begin with the fair parade and fair queen coronation this Sunday on June 30. 

The following week will be filled with events for the whole family, including the carnival, tractor pulls, pig wrestling, fireworks and the rodeo. 4-H and FFA events will largely begin on July 3 culminating with the livestock auction at 7 p.m. on the Fourth of July. 

While there are plenty of loose ends to be tied up before this year’s events commence, according to County Fair Board members Paul Owenby and Gene Rugh, the county fair is a year-round endeavor. 

“It starts right after the fair,” joked Rugh about fair preparations. 

The fair runs almost exclusively on volunteer efforts and Owenby was proud that it is a community effort that makes it happen every year. 

“It’s the biggest thing I keep preaching on, it is a volunteer base, and we’re always looking for new volunteers,” Owenby said. 

One of the new options at the fair this year will be laser tag, which will be available at the carnival. Owenby said the activity will be set up in a 40 foot by 80 foot area adjacent to the carnival and wristbands for all-day laser tag will be sold for $10. 

The carnival is another aspect of the fair that will be different this year, as the fair board had to scramble to find another contractor after their usual carnival crew were unable to fill the contract due to scheduling conflicts. 

They were able to find a substitute in time and now that carnival is also looking for local workers to fill paid positions during the fair. 

Owenby said he saw county fairs as nearly representative of a bygone era, an opportunity for people to see and experience things that have been ongoing in farming and rural communities for decades. 

He also noted the importance of 4-H and FFA events to the education of youths and for the opportunities that it provides. 

While the fair board works on preparing the fairgrounds for next week’s events, local 4-Hers are busy preparing for their own events. 

Eli Schneiter, 14, is a 4-H member and shows pigs and cows along with his sister Eva, also 14, and his younger brother Henry, 13. 

They and other 4-H participants around the county have been hard at work preparing for the livestock shows at this year’s fair as well as the livestock auction and the opportunity to move on to the State Fair later this summer in Sedalia. 

“There’s a big rush, especially if you’re not prepared,” Eli said. “I think for my steer, I’ve been lucky, he’s pretty calm this year, I feel happy with him.”

He and other 4-Hers have spent months working to build relationships with their animals, building trust, so that when the time comes to show, those animals will remain calm and follow their commands. 

Eli said he hopes that he will be able to continue to work with animals as he grows older. 

The Warren County Fair is fast approaching, and represents not only an opportunity for family fun and outdoor summer activities, but an opportunity for the next generation of farmers to learn the jobs that they will need to do when they reach adulthood.