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The 70th annual Ozark Empire Fair will begin on Friday, July 27 at the Missouri Entertainment and Event Center in Springfield. KSMU's Greg Leuthen has a full preview of this year's fair.
If you're looking to see livestock, truck and tractor pulls, and other traditional fair events, then this year's fair will not disappoint. But you don't have to be interested in these traditional activities to enjoy the 70th annual Ozark Empire Fair.
Pat Lloyd, General Manager of the Fair, says that the Kids Zone will be back, and featured activities such as laser tag and the bungee competition will be available for teens and young adults.
Lloyd describes some of the other new features at this year's fair.
The Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build offers fairgoers an opportunity to watch as volunteers construct a 2 bedroom house in about a week. The new home will then be relocated and donated to a family once the fair concludes on August 5th.
Along with the new Blues Bash, the fair also has a full lineup of concerts. Lloyd says that you have the opportunity to purchase reserved seats, but all the events offer free seats as well.
The concert series features country artists Craig Morgan and John Michael Montgomery as well as bands Kutless and Saliva.
There will also be performances by Big Smith, M-Dock, and the Skinny Improv. There are other free events throughout the 10 day fair such as free carnival ride day on August 1st .
Competitive exhibits will be on display all week as many local residents will be competing for the honor of having the best livestock, pie, and strongest tractor. But Lloyd says that this year there will be some new competitions that will allow the younger fairgoers to compete as well.
The fair has activities everyday from July 27th through August 5th. For more information on season passes, concert dates, competitions, and other activities, go to ozarkempirefair.com