A combination of great weather, live music, motorsports events and the Budweiser Clydesdales meant there was something for everyone at the 80th annual Jefferson County Fair, organizers said.
The July 23-26 event attracted more than 20,000 people across all four days, fair co-chairman Randy Starkey said.
“It’s been phenomenal, one of the absolute best we’ve ever had,” Starkey said of the fair, which was held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
“Friday with the temperature being like it was even though we had some rain during the day. With the rain, it was really good.”
Starkey said the fair drew people from as far as Arkansas and Iowa.
He also said there was record attendance for events such as headliner Chris Janson’s July 24 performance on the Buchheit Main Stage.
“(The concert) was great; the whole hillside was full all the way to the top,” he said. “Our new VIP seating and approach was very well received. We had premium VIP seating and then regular VIP seating, and we put separate restrooms and stuff for those. It really has been a great overall turnout.”
Cover-band Southern Gypsi opened for Janson and later performed at the RWZ Pavilion on July 24.
“Southern Gypsi is new to us this year. They were here for the rodeo, and we liked them so much and the fans liked them so much we had them back,” Starkey said. “A lot of people stayed around and listened to them.”
Country rock sextet Borderline performed at the RWZ Pavilion on July 25.
“Borderline has been a staple for us here; we’ve had them every year for I don’t even know how long. Our fans love them,” Starkey said. “There was a crowd of people at the RWZ when they quit playing at (1 a.m.).”
Other live performers at the fair included Crossroads, Russ Wellington and Cody Goggins, Scottie Kemp, Scott Logan, Bobby & Ben Duo and Better Class of Losers.
Events included ATV racing, a truck and tractor pull, and a demolition derby. The fair also offered carnival rides, vendor booths, children’s events and more. Pig races were held each day.
The Jefferson County Livestock Show Association’s show and auction also returned to the fair this year. The market show was held July 25 at the barns on the fairgrounds. The auction featured cattle, hogs, goats and sheep.
Starkey said the Budweiser Clydesdales being onsite also drew extra traffic to the fairgrounds.
“They only come back every five years if we’re lucky,” he said.
Fairgoers’ thoughts
Velma Williams, 68, of De Soto came to the fair with her grandchildren Summer Rulo and Esme Rulo.
Williams, originally from Hillsboro, said she loves going to the fair and has been attending since she was 16.
“It’s the best place. There’s a friendly atmosphere, and Hillsboro is a friendly town,” she said.
Matt Sifrit, of De Soto came to the fair with his family including his children Scarlette, 10, and Bodhi, 8.
Sifrit, who said this was his family’s second time coming to the fair, said his favorite part about going is seeing his children have fun outside.
“They’ve been so excited to come, Bodhi wants to be in the motorcross event, and Scarlette is looking forward to getting a goldfish,” he said.
Chaz Seitz of the Festus area and Alayna Rowley of Arnold went to the fair for a date night.
Seitz said this was his second time going to the fair and thought it would be a good date spot for the couple.
Rowley said this was her first time at the fair.
Seitz said his favorite part of the event is the selection of food from local vendors, while Rowley said she was excited to see the animals and to enjoy the atmosphere.
The musical headliner’s performance drew an audience from his hometown of Perryville, Missouri.
Bonnie Bowling, Janson’s grandmother, said she was there to support her grandson, and she was accompanied by friends Barb Hagan and Mary Roth.
Hagan said she and Roth knew Janson from the time he was in middle school while the two women worked at the Perry County School District.
Roth currently works as an administrative assistant in the district’s central office; Hagan is a former Board of Education secretary.
“It’s neat to see that (Chris) did it on his own, went to Nashville and did what he had to do,” Roth said.
All three women have seen Janson perform live several times, including last month at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
“He’s just a very good entertainer all the way around,” Roth said.
Bowling said her favorite songs from her grandson are “Done” and “Good Vibes.”
Hagan and Roth also listed “Buy Me a Boat” as another favorite song.
Community investment
Starkey said the Hillsboro Community Civic Club, the organizer of the fair, uses money collected during the fair to improve the fairgrounds and make donations to other community organizations.
“We’re not-for-profit; we’re all volunteers,” he said. “We’re just here for the community and to make this facility better. Each year, we have a little project that we have in mind, and then we do the scholarships and our hall is used by various nonprofit organizations. It all works out really well.”
On Sunday, Starkey said he did not have exact totals on how much money was collected during the fair.
Organizers are already getting ready to focus on next year’s fair.
Starkey said the 2027 Jefferson County Fair will likely be scheduled for the third week in July.
“As soon as this is over and the dust settles, we’ll start looking at our concert for next year, we’ll start looking at what we might want to do different as far as arena events and drawing more crowds and maybe what we need to do to expand on those,” he said.
