The Missouri State Fair is the reason most outsiders end up in Sedalia. Held over eleven days in mid-August, it draws around 350,000 visitors for livestock judging, tractor pulls, a midway, demolition derbies, and a concert series that has ranged from country headliners to Snoop Dogg. The 396-acre grounds south-west of downtown were laid out in 1901 and retain a clutch of original wooden exhibition buildings along with the half-mile dirt oval of the State Fair Speedway.
Outside fair week the grounds host horse shows, gun shows, livestock sales and the occasional rodeo — worth checking the calendar before you arrive, as the entire town pivots around whatever is running at the fairgrounds. Parking is free on most non-fair days and you can wander the grounds and see the historic buildings.