County Fair to Begin Sunday
By Marlana Smith
The 2026 Shelby County Fair will be held July 5-11, 2026, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds, located on Highway 15 north of Shelbina.
Fair activities begin Sunday, July 5, with 4-H building check-in from 3 to 4 p.m. FFA exhibits may be checked in from 5 to 6 p.m., and 4-H and FFA ham check-in also will be held that evening.
Monday’s schedule includes poultry and rabbit check-in at 7:30 a.m., followed by the Clover Kid Small Animal Show at 8 a.m. The Poultry Show and Rabbit Show will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the rabbit show to follow the poultry show. Cattle must be in place at 4 p.m. and weighed by 5 p.m. The Bucket Calf Show, followed by the Junior Cattle Show, will begin at 6 p.m.
Also on Monday, the Little Mr./Miss contest will be held at 6 p.m. To enter, individuals must be a resident of Shelby County or in Shelby County School District. Haley Ridgely may be contacted at 660-676-6204 for more information. The Queen Contest will begin at 7 p.m., with the 4-H Fashion Revue at intermission. Sam Gowin may be contacted at 660-676-3812 for queen contest information.
On Tuesday, July 7, sheep must be in place at 4 p.m., with the Sheep Show scheduled for 5 p.m.
Wednesday’s events include goats in place at 8 a.m. and the Goat Show will begin at 9 a.m. Baby Show registration is from 5 to 5:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Talent Show is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
Swine must be in place from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, July 9. The Junior Swine Show will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Market Livestock Sale at 7 p.m. 4-H and FFA exhibits also will be released that evening.
Friday, July 10, will feature Family Fun Night from 6 to 10 p.m. This event is free. The Rollerdogs Band will perform from 7 to 9 p.m., with a DJ following.
The fair will conclude Saturday, July 11, with demolition derby heats at 3 p.m. in the grandstands. The demolition derby main event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $15, and children ages 6 and younger will be admitted free. A DJ will perform in the beer garden after the derby.
For more information, contact Matt Barnhard at 573-406-9273 or Glenn Eagan at 573-819-4312.
The schedule can be viewed on page 3.
Photographs from the fair will be published in the July 15 edition and on the Herald’s Facebook page.
