September 14, 2023

The Butler County Fair is coming back with new locations and attractions, from escape rooms to ... donkey races? The steeds of Dairyland Donkey Ball Company will carry riders to victory in five races at the Poplar Bluff Motorsports Park at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Ten donkeys will compete in each race and trophies will be awarded to the winner and runner up of the championship race. The Butler County Fair Board is still seeking riders and sponsors for the event...

The Butler County Fair is coming back with new locations and attractions, from escape rooms to ... donkey races?

The steeds of Dairyland Donkey Ball Company will carry riders to victory in five races at the Poplar Bluff Motorsports Park at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Ten donkeys will compete in each race and trophies will be awarded to the winner and runner up of the championship race. The Butler County Fair Board is still seeking riders and sponsors for the event.

“We’ve been reaching out to the police department, the fire department, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. I know we’ve reached out to some council members and reached out to some city officials, county officials. We’re on the process to try to reach out to even some of the county commissioners to see who we can get that will make it interesting,” said board secretary Corretta Bishop.

The board also contacted county high schools for potential school-versus-school races.

Racing is open to anyone 16 years and older. More information and sign up forms are available at bcfair.org.

Other attractions include a rodeo, trade fair, truck and tractor pull and midway games.

“Jeremy Roth, the owner of Poplar Bluff Motorsports Park has been instrumental and helpful in helping us organize this event and letting us utilize the park for the fair,” explained Bishop.

The board and its community partners are united in a single goal: rebuild the Butler County Fair.

“Yes, it did falter,” Bishop said. “But the whole thing is we’re trying to build it up, and each year it’s going to be a growing process. We want to get it back to where it used to be. So we’re trying to find new things, exciting things.”

Fair board President Chris Waite added the board is eager for feedback on what works at this year’s fair and what else can be featured in the future.

“We want comments and we want suggestions, suggestions. But we want it to be on the positive side,” she said.

General admission for grandstand events is $10 for most children and adults, beginning at 5 p.m. Children 5 and under get free admission.

Black River Coliseum will host the remaining fair competitions and events, such as the Animal Welfare Alliance Puppy Parade. Dog owners can enter their pooches online for the Sept. 30 competition. All proceeds benefit the AWA, which will be present with several adoptable canines.

Youth and adults are also invited to enter fair exhibits at the Coliseum. Entries in home economics, fine arts, horticulture and field and forage crops will be accepted Sept. 28-29 and displayed Sept. 19-20. Prize ribbons will be awarded in each category, and grand prize ribbons will be presented in nine major categories for youth and adults.

Categories encompass a wide variety of creations and products, including but not limited to baking, flower arranging, crafts, photography, garden produce, field crops, painting and quilting.

Families can move from exhibitions to excitement on Saturday, Sept. 30, by visiting the Poplar Bluff Motorsports Park.

“The Kids Zone will have a mobile escape room, the library is sponsoring that. We’ll have bounce houses. We’ll have a petting zoo from Cock-a-Doodle-Moo,” Bishop said.

For the $5 admission price, kids will enjoy rock painting, balloon art, Hot Wheels races and more.

More information, sponsorship opportunities and entry forms are available online through the Butler County Fair Board Facebook page, at bcfair.org and by calling 573-708-7088.

A previous version of this article stated the fair would have carnival rides. It will actually have midway games. The correction was made at 10:33 a.m. Sept. 15.

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