Annual Mule Festival Just Around the Corner
-A celebration of the Mule; where all events are performed by Mules (and their owners)
MULE FESTIVAL 31TH ANNUAL WEEKEND
The Clark Co. Mule Festival has finally achieved its 31st anniversary. It will be held on September 16, 17, and 18, 2016. This event is held at the Clark Co. Fairgrounds outside of Kahoka, Missouri, located in the northeast corner of Missouri. On this week every year, this community event will entertain us with mule shows, crafts, flea markets, coloring contest by our area children, trail ride, and a rodeo. This event, brought to you by the non-for-profit Mule Festival committee is held to bring enjoyment to people of all ages, bring commerce to our community, and give our state animal lovers a chance to show off their mules. Food and camping is available. The main gate is a cost of $5.00 per person for a commemorative button or band (10 years and under are free) for a weekend of entertainment. All mules and horses must have Coggins and State Health papers( if they come from out of state) every time the equine enters the gate whether trailered or ridden! So come join this unique opportunity for a fun time! There will also be a 31st annual information booklet sold at the gate with lots of Mule Festival trivia. This was made up by the Mule Festival committee and Hometown Journal. Be sure to get one. This year’s Mule Festival will open on Friday, September 16th with the vendors opening at 8:00 a.m. as well as the Festival office. A Fish Fry will be held at supper time, 4p.m. to 7:00 p.m., by the Clark Co. Scholarship Fund in the 4-H Pavilion near the entrance to the fairgrounds which is right inside the gate. Help support them. The Friday night entertainment will start at 5:30 p.m. with the Kahoka Boy Scouts giving a presentation of the U.S. Flag. The Mule Polo event is held in front of the grandstand. Anyone wishing to participate and be on a team should sign up at 5:00 p.m. under the announcer stand. For more information contact Becki Kreuger. Also on Friday night, Mule Polo will be followed by team penning and roping. For more information contact Mike Wright. All mules MUST have a current Coggins test and current health papers, if out of state. Saturday and Sunday will begin with a trail ride, meeting at the north end of the infield and leaving at 7:00 a.m. These rides are open to horses and mules, but all must have current Coggins test every time to enter the fairgrounds and 30 day health papers if out of state. Expect anywhere up to 100 mules and horses to be there. It is a 2 to 3 hour ride south of fairgrounds. Ralph and Mary Ann Plenge are in charge and may be contacted for more information. The Mule Show on Saturday will begin about 10:00 a.m. At this time the Clark County High School Marching Band of Kahoka, Mo. will open the festivities by performing several songs. The flag presentation will follow along with the Grand Entry of mule and wagons. The band will play the national anthem. The Mule Show will start on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with our Grand Entry. Events in the shows are held at random. Some of the events are Back-to-Back, Dumb Waiter, Dotty Pardon race, tack on a trailer, panty hose race, musical tires, monkey in the tree, coon hunter race, pick up race, mule jumps, and maybe a surprise event. Some Sunday events are the costume contest, halter class, mule pull at noon, and an arena race at the end of the day. Linda Chockley will be back to entertain the crowds as our clown, Myrtle Mae. She has done this for many years, so give her a kiss. There is no entry fee for participants. Participants must register under the announce stand for a number and contestant prize drawing. Hand made trophies and ribbons are awarded. For more information, contact Mike Schantz or Becki Krueger. Church services will be held on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. by the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys. Service is held in the grand stand. During the day, Saturday there will be a 50/50 drawing sold by the Festival committee members. The ticket winners will be drawn during the rodeo. Winners must be present to win. There will be a new event, the Camper Prize Drawing. Winner will be chosen from a randomly chosen camper registration . Drawing will be held at the main office building on Friday, September 16, 2016. Need not be present to win. The 2nd annual Camper Cook-off will be held on Thursday, September 15, 2016. All registered campers are invited to participate in the chili or stew categories. All entries must be prepared on a grill or campfire. Register at the main office building by noon on Thursday. All entries must be turned in to main office by 6:00 p.m. sharp. Judging will take place at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Becki Krueger or Kathy Williams. A prize will be awarded for each category. A free contestant prize drawing will be held on Saturday to thank our many riders who come every year to provide us with laughter and memories. Prizes are donated by local and national businesses that support the Festival. For more information on the drawing or you would like to donate, contact Mary Rhodes. The rodeo is our most popular event. It is held on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. Seating is on a first come first serve accommodations. This year again, the Festival Committee is selling the box seats in the grandstand for use the entire week-end. To purchase one of these box seats contact Laurie Hamner. There will be the presentation of U.S. and State Flags carried by riders on mules. This will be followed a balloon release for the MIA and MOW by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary to commemorate Nation MIA an POW week . Some rodeo events will be bulls- 16 and over, steer buck out, bareback mule riding, Steer Dogging, Women’s barrel racing, barrel racing for girls age 15 and under, break away roping, wild cow catch, and team penning. Registration books will open at 2:00 p.m. under the announce stand until 4:00 p.m. A number of clowns will be available for entertainment and the safety of the riders. Contestants will be limited to the availability of the livestock. Contestants 17 and under must have parental consent. Those 18 and over must have a picture ID. 100% payback will be awarded to the winners. Entries are open to the public at a fee. For more information contact Mike Schantz. Another main attraction of the Mule Festival is the crafts. These open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 8:00 a.m. till evening in the big craft barn. About 25 businesses will be there to display and sell a variety of items. Some of the booths sell plastic and canvas, quilts, rugs, wood crafts, metal art, baskets, ceramics, wildlife pictures, mule drawings, home made jewelry, homemade soap, and other various hand made articles. There are lots of neat things to buy! For more information call Sandi Hopp and Tina Sedore who are in charge of vendors. Outside vendors at the Mule Festival carry a variety of items such as new and used tack, t-shirts, sweatshirts, rodeo hats, flea market items, radio/stereos, decals, belts, health products, Watkin products, knives, yard ornaments, antiques, jewelry, horse shoe gifts, personalized signs, hot tub vendor, custom leather making, and a horse trailer sales. Also not-for-profit organizations will have booths to raise money for their good works. About 40 vendors will be available. Many different kinds of food will be served at about 15 different food booths. A full breakfast will be served on Saturday and Sunday starting at 6:00 a.m. at the Rescue Squad shelter. Other kinds of food are honey, candies, tenderloins, fries, shaved ice, corn dogs, funnel cake, kettle corn, tocos, walking tocos, desserts, plate lunch meals, char-broiled rib-eye sandwiches, chicken breast sandwiches, home made ice cream, hamburgers, mini donuts, pork rinds, strawberry short cake, and many other good things. A variety of pop, coffee, tea, and other drinks will go along with you meal. The Mule Festival will have a quilt raffle of a hand made queen size quilt called a Colorado log cabin. This can viewed in the office where the tickets will be sold. You need not be present to win the quilt or money. New this year will be a raffle of a $1,000.00. If you need more information contact Wendell and Alice Smith. Winners of the quilt and $1,000.00 drawing will be announced on Sunday afternoon. A Mule coloring contest for the area Clark Co. elementary children of Blackhawk and Running Fox Schools will be held prior to the festival. This year’s design will be colored by the kids and be displayed in the office the week of the festival. They will be judged that week. Ribbons will be awarded. For more information contact Kathy Williams. On Wednesday, some of the area pre-school children will be bussed out to the fairgrounds to ride in wagons around the fairgrounds and pet the mules. Some will be served lunch. On Thursday several of the wagons and teams will be visiting the Clark Co. Nursing Home to visit with the residents in the afternoon. A children’s fun contest will held on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the 4-H arena in the infield. Look for it, it is fun to watch! The Festival has many kinds of souvenirs to be sold at the main office. A new design is offered on the hats, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and the souvenir commemorative buttons. Mule Festival Cook books will be offered. This is a cookbook with a lot of recipes from area people. It is very colorful and interesting. For more information contact Doris Courtney. Also at the main office will be a historical booth containing memorabilia of past Mule Festivals. Articles and pictures, as well as, past T-shirts, hats, buttons, flyers, and trophies will be there to see. If you have any Mule Festival memorabilia you would like to display contact Debbie Logsdon. Camping is available on the grounds and a fee will be collected at the front gate as you come in before parking for electrical or primitive. Camping fees will start the first day you park on your spot and is a first come, first serve bases. Campers may start setting up on the Sunday before, September 14, 2016 at noon. No roping off. You may also need to bring an extra electrical cord. No water or sewer hook-ups. Please bring a fire ring. Electricity will be on, as you enter. If you need more information, contact Kathy Williams or Mary Rhodes. There will be a sewer clean out truck during the weekend for a fee, contact the gate or office. The infield race track area is reserved for livestock and their owners. Some stalls are for rent, for more information call Becki Kreuger. Debbie and Bill Conger group and the members of the Randy McDaniel Relay for Life team will be selling buttons and books at the front gate on the weekend. The Future Farmers of America students will help with day time parking. Night time parking and transport will be provided. Parking will be down the drag strip and in the field west of fairgrounds. The Kahoka Middle School will help with trash pick-up. Handicap port-a-potties will be available as well as other potties scattered over the grounds. Handicap parking is available if ask for. No mules or horses are allowed on vendor alley and not allowed outside the grounds after dark. Horses and mules must have Coggins papers every time they enter the gate. There is a quiet time after midnight. No ATV’s will be allowed except for official Mule Festival vehicles and authorized handicap carts which must have official permission and a sticker upon arrival. This year looks to be the best one ever with calls from all over the mid-west. For more information check out our web site at http://clarkcountymulefestival.com Hope to see you there to make some new friends, meet old friends, new memories, and have a good time! Happy trails. 
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