As people prepare for the 2018 Warren County Fair, they may be wondering about how and when it got its start.The Warren County Historical Society has records that date efforts to start the Fair to 1859. Its purpose was to create interest in the production of better quality livestock, farm products, floriculture and home economics and provide summer entertainment for people of all ages.The County Agriculture Society was formed in 1859, which led to talk about organizing a fair. In its early years, the event was plagued by starts and stops and moves.Fairgrounds were first identified west of Warrenton, in the Westerly Hills area. Shortly after the first buildings went up, they were destroyed by fire in 1860. The event was delayed eight years after the fire and held between Wright City and Troy.After 1868, the Fair may have stopped and started. Records show it was held in 1871. No records prove fairs were held between then and 1907.Fair in Wright CityAs the 20th century began, the Fair moved to Wright City for September events from 1907 to 1910. The September 1909 Warren County Fair brochure announced, “Warren County Fair holds its third fair in the “Queen City” of the county, Wright City.Horse racing was part of the Fair in Wright City.The four fairs in Wright City were followed by popular street fairs held in Warrenton in the fall for several years.With the onset of World War I the Fair was canceled.During that time, Arthur Polster of Sacramento, Calif., recalled being at the Warren County Fair with his family. He said that he and his mother missed the “accommodation train” that ran between Wright City and Warrenton to the Fair. Folks could take the 7:30 a.m. train and return on the 12:20 p.m. train that stopped in Truesdale.The Warren County Historical Society has records for these events and then there is a long absence in record keeping. Fair history picks up again in 1950.Moves to WarrentonIn 1950, the Fair moved to the old Central Wesleyan College campus (now the east end of the Orscheln-Kroger shopping center), the college athletic field (now the Khoury League ball park) and the Old Gym.Later Fairs were held on the ballfield for rides and entertainment. Exhibits were held in the gym. The sponsor, the Chamber of Commerce, sold $10 certificates that were later turned into memberships.The Warren County Fair in Warrenton was featured in an August 1950 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ida Mae Turner and John Bernhardt were first- and third-place winners in the healthiest baby contest. Janice Hummel and Carole Schulze were winners in the pet/cat show.A tractor pull, rodeo and a mammoth fireworks display were features in 1951.In 1952 the most unusual Fair guest was a five-legged calf owned by Walter Buxton and exhibited by the Hi-Neighbors 4-H Club, which later became the Big Creek 4-H Club.Catalogs from the Fair in those days include ads from local businesses like the Blue Moon Café, Lohman’s Variety Store, Mutert Motor Co., McGee Motors, Douglas Wyatt Sealtest, Carps Department Store, Warrenton Cleaners (which offered “free mothproofing”) and an A&W Root Beer Stand.An earlier ad for F.W. Nieburg promoted its air-conditioned funeral home and dual line of home furniture and appliances.An advisory committee for the Fair was put in place in the 1950s. It was set up with George Bolm as general chairman. Bolm later became the first chairman of the board of directors for the Warren County Fair Association.The early board of directors were Bolm, Lawrence Meine, Wilbert Hackmann, Marvin Stickrod, Wesley Schulze, S. W. Joost, Vernon Preul, Frank H. Hollmann and Ray Determan.In 1953, the Warren County Fair Association purchased the old Central Wesleyan College Athletic Field for Fair use. A year later the Baptist Church purchased two lots from the Warren County Fair Association.1958 to present dayBernard Twiehaus was superintendent in 1958, the year of the first parade and first queen contest. In 1966, Connie Leek was the Fair queen. (The Historical Society is in need of information about the women crowned from 1958 to 1965.)In 2013 and 2014, Warren County Fair Queens Ashley Bauer and Hannah Keene also were crowned Missouri State Fair Queens.A 4-H horse show was featured in 1959.The baby beef auction started in 1960. That auction now includes all the various livestock entered in the Fair and is still one of the highlights of today’s Fair.Many prize-winning animals have been sold at the auction to individuals and business firms.Even though the parade began in 1958, it did not have a theme until 1967, when the Lions Club began sponsoring the parade. The first theme was Nursery Rhymes.The Warren County Fair Association purchased its current, 35-acre site in November of 1970. The previous site, the old Central Wesleyan College campus, was sold to the city of Warrenton and became a park.With the larger venue at 615 Fairgrounds Road, a permanent exhibit building was constructed, as were cattle barns, a food stand and restrooms.The main stage was added too, allowing the Fair to bring in bigger-name entertainment such as Barbara Fairchild, Scott Air Force Band, T. Graham Brown and Tammy Wynette.The Warren County Fair continues to be a highlight of the summer. Each year 12,000 to 15,000 people visit the Fair. Its purpose, 159 years after its conception, is still the same.This story was provided by the Warren County Historical Society, which is funded by donations and run by volunteers. The museum is located at 102 W. Walton in Warrenton, and is open from 10 to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.For more information, to attend an event or to make a donation, call 636-456-3820 or email museum@warrencountymohistory.com. Online, visit warrencountymohistory.com or https://www.facebook.com/warrencountyhistoricalsocietyShare your Warren County Fair photos with the Historical Society and Museum. The Historical Society would like to complete a photo library of all the Warren County Fair queens, and create an archive of photos and other artifacts that illustrate how the Fair has developed through the years. Those who are interested should call or stop by the museum.

The Warren County Fair in Wright City. This 1911 picture shows how harness racing was a part of the event. 

Submitted photo

This 1907 photo is from the first year the Warren County Fair was held in Wright City. 

Submitted photo