MISSOURI STATE ARCHIVES
Ticket to the Past:
The First 25 Years of the Missouri State Fair

Guided Discussion Questions

1. How many of you have attended the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia?

2. What types of things did you see while you were there?

3. How do you think the Fair has changed in the past one hundred years? What different types of competitions or exhibits might you see now that you didn’t see in the first 25 years of the Fair?

4. What good things happened in our state because of the creation of the Missouri State Fair?

5. Can you think of reasons why people still go to the Fair every year?

6. Note to teachers: At the turn of the century, Missouri was experiencing a “farm crisis,” which saw young farmers struggling to understand modern farming techniques. For this reason, many farmers were unable to make a living, and they began to leave their farms and move toward the cities. Missouri legislators needed to find a way to educate these farmers about agricultural advances, while simultaneously entertaining them. Discuss this with your students. You may want to ask them: Why do you think the theme “Profitable Fun For All Who Come” was suitable for the State Fair?