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The five-day Fair kicks off Wednesday, Aug. 5, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 9.
The musical headliners are country music star Jo Dee Messina Thursday night and rising country artist Steve Holy Friday evening.
On Saturday, the lineup switches to rock with the Steve Miller Band - expected to draw the largest crowds. Closing out the Fair will be country music star and Missouri native Sarah Evans Sunday night.
Jones told The Missourian the board is "very excited" about the Main Stage shows, but admits it wasn't easy lining up the acts.
"It was very challenging. We had bands locked in and then one group backed out and that left us scrambling," she said. "But from the early response we're getting, people seem to be really excited about the shows and what we really like is that the entire lineup is very family friendly."
The Steve Miller Band, which has been performing for decades has wide appeal, Jones noted, including a a younger audience thanks to the popular music video game Guitar Hero.
"Sarah Evans and Jo Dee Messina also are very established artists and Steve Holy has a new single out so I think they will all draw good crowds," she said.
An action-packed lineup also is planned for the motor sports arena, which will feature bull riding, truck pulls and mini-rod and garden tractor pulls, tractor pulls and motocross and microsprint racing. New bleachers also will be erected in the motor sports arena.
The annual queen contest will take place opening night. Twenty-five girls will compete for the title.
For the second year, the Fair will offer a military tribute - this time for Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. Last year, World War II veterans were honored.
New Activities
A new exhibit this year will be Elephant Encounter, an educational show featuring Asian and African elephants. The program features Cora, a 50-year-old Asian elephant, and Shannon, a 22-year-old African.
Also new will be a switch from draft beer to canned beer only, which Jones said will allow for better inventory control and quicker waiting lines.
Several new events and activities are planned, including a mother-daughter look-alike contest, outhouse races and Boogie Bodies, which is a large green screen fairgoers can sing and dance in front of and even purchase DVDs of themselves performing.
The dodge ball and tennis tournaments are returning after successful debuts last year, Jones said, as well as Wii bowling.
A Good Buy
Jones said season passes to the Fair will remain at $40 for adults and $25 for children.
"It's a great buy and in this economy I think people are looking for things they can do at home. I don't know anywhere else you can go and get five days of entertainment, exhibits, rides and so much more for this price," she said. "Your ticket pays for everything except food and drink."
Jones said the Fair will use an e-tix system this year. All tickets will have a bar code on them which will be scanned for entry.
The new system will allow Fair officials to better track crowds, she said, providing valuable information not only for future planning, but also for same-day issues, such as safety if more security is needed due to larger than expected crowds.
Season passes and daily tickets can be purchased online at the Fair Web site.
The Fair will again kick off with the annual run/walk and parade the weekend before.
Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are still available. For more information, people may contact Fair Coordinator Jennifer Giesike, 636-239-2715, extension 104.
This year's theme is "Where Friends Meet" which Jones said sums up what the Fair is all about - meeting old friends and new.
"For 80 years people have been attending this entertainment, family event and I felt it was befitting," she said of the theme.
"The Fair is the highlight for young and old to come together and rekindle, to mingle with current friends and to hopefully meet many new ones along the way," she said.
For Jones, the Fair also is a family affair. Her husband Dennis served as chairman 10 years ago and her father, Don Hillermann, and uncle, Bernie Hillermann, also served as chairmen.
