GASCONADE COUNTY — Rain and severe weather took a toll on attendance at the 2026 Gasconade County Fair, but fair board members say community volunteers and improved communication helped keep the four-day event moving despite difficult conditions.

Gasconade County Fair Board Secretary Cheryl Schlottach said attendance was noticeably lower this year after weather affected multiple days of the fair.

“Not terribly good,” Schlottach said when asked about attendance.

“We had two rain out days and no entertainment in the lower field. So, attendance, I’m sure, was very poor,” Schlottach said.

The fair does not have a system that provides an exact attendance count, Schlottach said, so organizers rely largely on estimates.

“We don’t really have a way to count attendance,” she said. “So, you know, we just estimate, but it was certainly down this year.”

Schlottach estimated approximately 3,600 preseason tickets were sold, although final ticket numbers were not yet available.

Weather created problems beyond attendance. Severe conditions Friday night caused flooding in the campground and forced fair organizers to make changes and cancellations as conditions developed.

Schlottach said the fair’s Facebook page became an important tool for keeping visitors informed.

“We had someone that took care of our Facebook page and they did a great job of trying to get last-minute information out there on Facebook,” Schlottach said. “So, you know, when we had to cancel, and if we were going to have our upper stage entertainment, which we were lucky we at least had that.”

She said the ability to quickly update the public was particularly valuable during Friday night’s severe weather and campground flooding.

“It was good to have Facebook access to get information out to people,” Schlottach said.

Despite the difficult year, Schlottach said the fair board itself remains largely consistent from year to year. While the fair has a new board president, she clarified that he is not new to the organization and had already served on the board for years before taking the leadership position.

“Most of the fair board are seasoned fair board members,” Schlottach said.

Board members serve three-year terms, with elections held each year as terms come up. Schlottach said many existing members seek another term, meaning turnover generally remains limited.

“A lot of times the majority of the board members run again,” she said, estimating there may be five or fewer new members on the board in a typical year.

Schlottach also credited the volunteers who help make the fair possible each year.

“We just appreciate all the volunteers because it’s all run by volunteer help and we couldn’t do it without all of the volunteers in the community supporting that effort,” she said.

Planning for next year’s fair continues, but Schlottach said it is far too early to know what entertainment will be scheduled. Organizers hope to announce entertainment earlier than in previous years, although those decisions have traditionally not been finalized until two or three months before the fair.

“I know people always want to know what next year will be and what the entertainment will be,” Schlottach said. “We’re hoping to have that out sooner than we’ve had in the past, but it’s usually not out until sometimes two or three months before the fair.”

While weather made this year particularly challenging, Schlottach said organizers remain committed to continuing the fair. That effort is also important following the addition of a new building at the fairgrounds.

“We hope we can continue the tradition because we have a big building, a big fabulous new building that we built, and it was a great addition this year to our fair,” Schlottach said. “And now we have to finish paying for it. So we hope we can continue the tradition to help pay for it.”