The first fair was held in 1916.  Season tickets were $3.75.  They were good as entry into the fair grounds grandstand or box seats and to admit vehicles.

History of the NWMO Fair

The people of Bethany and all of Harrison County often expressed the need for an old time county fair.  No so much a place with just races and entertainment but a combination of pleasure and education.  Some place where the resource of Harrison County could be displayed, where stockmen would have the opportunity of showing their horses, mules, cattle, swine, poultry and sheep and also a place where fruits vegetables and flowers could be shown.  The homemaker could compete with her breads, cakes, candies, sewing and all work of domestic origin.

In 1915 there was an active Bethany Commercial Club.  Their motto was "We Do."  The desire for a county fair was presented to them and in less than a year they had $20,000 raised by subscriptions and the association formed and incorporated under the laws of Missouri.  There was 309 stock holders.

At this time the Commercial Club turned the management over to a board of directors their work of staging a fair and the first catalogue was put out for Sept. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 1916.  More than $10,000 was offered  this year in premiums, purses and attractions.  Forty acres of land was acquired for the first fairgrounds near the former Burlington  railroad depot and thus what is known as the NWMO Fair was born!

In 1918 five more acres of land was added and fifty feet was added to the grandstand and several more boxes.  The agriculture building had 5,000 square feet, stalls for 120 head of stock 65 pens for hogs and 70 stalls for horses  The original grandstand and bleachers held a capacity of 5,000.

In 1921 several more acres were added which included a large brick building, the Webster school.  This building house the Liberal arts flowers, fruits and grain.  In the early years of the fair the floral culture division would fill an entire room.

For the first several years of the fair a great many families made the fair a vacation.  They would bring tents and camping equipment and spend the entire time.  Part of the grounds looked like a regular tent city.  Others would meet friends for community dinners and supers or just families would spread their lunches under the many shade trees.  Going to the fair meant new clothes.  For most of the people it was a very dressed up occasion.  There were three millinery stores in Bethany and a new hat and shoes and gloves were almost a must for women attending the fair.  For many years the midway carnivals, shows and all the attractions came in by train.  One of the highlights of the fair /td>the adults as well as the children was going to the depot to see the train unload.  Many local men with their teams were employed to help haul the wagons and other equipment.  There was no such thing a a hard surface road and if it was a rainy time it was quite exciting to see six or eight horses or mules on some of the wagons.

The fair was widely known for their excellent programs.  The great name bands were always a drawing card.  Such of bands of the early fairs included as Sousa's, Karl King's Marine Band, Chicago Cadet band and others.

Horse racing was the afternoon program for several years.  By 1925 a few car races for the last day was started.  Later the stock car races and the demolition derby were added.  The early fairs also featured greyhound races, whippet races and one year there was even an ostrich race which created quite an exciting time for the local riders that were used.  Some of the riders soon found out that an ostrich can kick like a mule.

There was a time in the 1930's when the fair was not held.  May 1st 1934 the CC camp came to Bethany under the command of Lieutenant W.B. Webb.  The government rented or leased the fairgrounds for this camp.  Several buildings were erected to house the men and materials.  The camp was closed in 1939.  In 1940 the Sutton Construction Company of Bethany build a new all steel grandstand and the fair resumed.  But after the 1941 fair it closed until after the war.

In 1946 the fair reopened and has been continuous since that time.  The fair time has always been near the first of September and usually running over the Labor Day weekend.  The season tickets for the first fairs were $3.75 and transferable could all be used up in one day.  They were good as entry into the fairgrounds, grandstand or box seats, or to admit vehicles.  The first fair was known as the Harrison County Fair, then in 1921 the North Missouri District Fair and in 1926 the Northwest Missouri State Fair.

City Hall
206 N. 16th St.
Bethany, MO 64424

(660) 425-3511
Fax: (660) 425-7889
E-mail: TStone@grm.net