We took a short road trip to the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia this morning. The fair closes on Sunday.
Eastbound to the fair on 50 Highway:
Publicity photos at the fair entrance:
Judging, we think:
In the Home Economics Building:
Pie!:
Rabbits! There’s a building filled with rabbits during the second week of the fair:
Fast food, sometimes on a stick:
The republican tent:
We didn’t look to closely, but there didn’t appear to be a shrine to the former guy.
The Libertarians. I always expect their tent to be located in the middle of field somewhere since they’re usually not too keen on spending money on public infrastructure:
The Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair took place this morning in Sedalia. This annual event is usually a “must attend” function for Missouri legislators, statewide office holders, members of Congress, and candidates. Usually.
Whatever your view of corporate agriculture, the event does have a reputation of sorts for the ideological political tendencies of those attending. It would be unfair to describe it as monolithic.
There are always displays of yard signs and a gauntlet of t-shirt bedecked volunteers passing out campaign stickers at the entrance to the morning’s festivities.
It’s an opportunity for us to replenish our “b roll” of file photos of Missouri politicians with newer images. The problem is that the members of the General Assembly come by so thick and fast we can’t keep up. But we do get a few photos.
Former news reader and current republican nominee for the 4th Congressional District, Mark Alford.
That’s a big hat.
Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (r).
Members of the Genral Assembly do show up.
Hardy Billington (r).
In all our years of coverage this is, perhaps, my fovorite photo of Denny Hoskins (r):
Denny Hoskins (r).
Still, we’ll get the image. A 400 mm lens does help:
Democrats do show up, too. U.S. Senate nominee Trudy Busch Valentine waded into the crowd:
Trudy Busch Valentine, the Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Retail politics.
One of the Erics (r) showed up:
Eric Schmitt (r).
Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick (r).
The now annual shrine to Donald Trump, situated near the entrance to the breakfast. One of the shrine denizens tried to hand my a flyer inside the event. I brushed him off.
“Make America Eat Again”
Seriously.
Update:
Ironically, we inadvertently left out Governor Mike Parson (r).
The Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair took place this morning in Sedalia. This annual event is usually a “must attend” function for Missouri legislators, statewide office holders, and members of Congress. Usually.
There are always displays of yard signs and a gauntlet of t-shirt bedecked volunteers passing out campaign stickers at the entrance to the morning’s festivities.
It’s an opportunity for us to replenish our “b roll” of file photos of Missouri politicians with newer images. The problem is that the members of the General Assembly come by so thick and fast we can’t keep up. But we do get a few photos.
The annual Trump cult shrine.
Billy Long’s (r) campaign bus and Billy Long made an appearance.
The Missouri State Fair Queen, Rosie Lenz:
The cult of the lost cause:
Representative Rick Francis (r):
Flying above the annual Trump cult shrine:
MAGA “Bullshit” flag [top].
Representative Billy Long (r).
Representative Willard Haley (r):
Billy Long (r).
Masks anyone?
Missouri Attorney General and amateur medical expert Eric Schmitt (r).
Representative Vicky Hartzler(r):
New file photos!
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (r):
Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (r):
Representative Jason Smith (r), sporting a January 6, 2021 sedition look:
In case you’re wondering – in over an hour standing at the entrance with a camera and a 400 mm lens to help me keep my distance I counted only four individuals, including me, out of the many attending who were wearing masks.
The early morning Governor’s Ham Breakfast in the second week of the State Fair in Sedalia is the largest annual one day gathering of ostrich skin boots, tailored jeans, and silver decorated leather belts in the State of Missouri.
We’re talking menswear.
It’s an opportunity for us to photograph and (rarely, if ever) talk to a number of Missouri politicians, all in one place at the same time.
This year a number of office holders either skipped the event or managed to avoid the entrance gauntlet. Others made their way through it.
Governor Mike Parson (r).
Right wingnut swag.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (r).
A journalist:
Eli Yokley – Morning Consult.
On a break of sorts, though he hasn’t stopped tweeting. We knew Eli way back when…
State Auditor and recently announced gubernatorial candidate Nicole Galloway (D):
State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D).
After covering the breakfast under the tent for 1000 people we ventured on to the State Fair grounds.
An encounter on the main drag:
A blue ribbon in the Home Economics Building:
Getting ready to judge pies:
Judging rabbits in the Poultry/Rabbit Building. Poultry during the first week of the fair, rabbits during the second week:
Various political parties have tents on the main drag promoting their candidates and ideology.
The folks at the Democratic Party tent have noted a consistent number of people this year passing by calling out and yelling “Socialists!” (among other things) at them. Yeah, sure, everyone’s a rabid capitalist until their party leader imposes tariffs to engage in a trade war and then has Congress bail out agricultural interests. We didn’t ask the occupants of the Republican tent if people were consistently yelling “Fascists!” at them. We probably should have.
We noted at yesterday morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair that a number of republican candidates and office holders (along with some campaign’s supporters) were outfitted in informal campaign wear. Not so much for the Democratic Party candidates and office holders we ran into.
This candidate was just making sure everyone knows where he stands:
This morning we attended the largest annual single gathering of politicians in Missouri, outside of the General Assembly, at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast on the grounds of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition – potential political opponents for statewide and legislative office milling around and greeting each other, breakfast attendees, and the media.
It’s also an opportunity for us to get photographs of a number of public officials and political candidates in one place. Some of those results:
Attorney General Chris Koster (D), a (probable) candidate for Governor in 2016.
