Grand Kicking Time at the 37th Annual Clark County Mule Festival!

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 The Clark Co. Mule Festival will soon begin on September 14, 15, and 16, 2023. This is our 37th annual event. It is held at the Clark County Fairgrounds on Business Route EE or 23130 East Main St., just 1 mile east out of Kahoka, Mo. Kahoka is in the northeast corner of Missouri. The main gate admission will be $5.00 per person for a commemorative button or wrist band for the whole week. The button or wrist band must be on the person for the entire weekend! Children under 10 get in free. The front gate will be open all day and evening though out the week before. Also, the box seats in the grandstand are being sold now. There are still some left. Contact Lori Hamner for more information. All other seating is first come first serve. People from all over the United States come to our mule and craft show. 

For more information contact Mike Schantz, Mary Rhodes, Ashley Justice, Sandie Hopp, Candice Yoder, or Debbie Logsdon, our officers. Or you may go to our web page at http:// clarkcountymulefestival. com Check out the video there. Also check us out on Facebook. 

This weekend features our state animal, the mule. Wednesday, September 13th will have a mule and wagons parade starting at the fairgrounds at 1 p.m. They will be going to the Clark Co. Nursing Home around 2p.m. and back. 

Thursday will have some mule games at 4 p.m.. 

Friday will begin with mule games at 10 A.M, mule jumps at 3 P.M., Boy Scout flag presentation at 6:45 p.m., and mule sorting, roping, and goats at 7 P.M. King and Queen contest held also. 

Saturday will begin at 10 A.M. and will have an all day mule event show beginning with the Clark Co. Marching band and grand entry. The precision mule pull will be at noon, and mule jumps at 3 p.m. An evening Rodeo will be held at 7:00 P.M. Entertainment will be following the rodeo in front of the grand stand. 

The festival has area crafts, flea markets, tack vendors, and food that will open at 10 a.m. om Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. There will be a coloring contest for area children, the pictures to be delivered to area elementary schools. They will be displayed at the souvenir office during the week. There will be raffles for $ 500.00 and a queen size quilt (Pickle Dish with western prints) for sale thru the week. They are also available before the festival from any mule festival member. Winners will be announced at the rodeo. Need not be present to win. 

The week begins with campers from all over the Midwest coming in to set up on the fairground electrical sites. No water hookups. There will be staging for camping on Friday, September 8, 2023 at 2 p.m., at the fairgrounds parking lot. ABSOLUTLY NO EARLY BIRDS! Someone will be there to help everyone find a spot. Campsites are not available until noon on Sunday, September 10, 2023. There are no reservations made in advance. Parking spots are first come first serve. Those campers with mules or horses will be parked on the infield. Just electricity and no water at sites. Might bring long electrical extension cord. And sewer dump is by request only. Handicap parking and bathrooms are available. A new bathroom has been built at the fairgrounds, open to the public. Handicap carts must be checked in at front gate. No ATV’s unless mule festival approved. Fire rings must be used for camp fires. Clean up site after use. All equine must have current Coggins papers and out of state health papers, if applicable, when entering the front gate. All Equine leaving the fairgrounds must have papers to re-enter fairgrounds for any reason with the animal. Cell phone picture of Coggins test may be used matching description of animal. 

There will be a camper (open camp fire) cook-off on Thursday, September 14th for all registered campers. See camper packets for rules. Categories will be cooking with a dutch oven over a fire and consist of chili and stew. There will be a free week of camping at the 2024 festival for the category winners. There will be a registered camper only drawing at 5:00 p.m. on Friday . Offering a Blackstone portable grill. And look for the golden mule shoe for a prize each day ( Sunday before festival thru Saturday) the week before of the Mule Festival. Prizes awarded. 

Thursday morning the souvenir office will open selling souvenirs, displaying the coloring contest, raffles, and festival history memorabilia. Some food vendors will also be open with some crafts, and flea markets. 

Friday all vendors will open at 10 p.m. including the office selling t-shirts and souveniors. A fish fry meal will be held on September 15th, Friday night, at 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the cook shack formally the resque squad building. Breakfast and lunch will also be served Friday and Saturday at that building. 

Vendors open at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. The mule show starts in front of the grandstand at 10:00 a.m. with our high school band preforming This is followed by the mule grand entry. Competition is open to everyone with a mule. Winners are awarded handmade trophies and ribbons. Registration is under the announcer stand before the show. The following mule show is a series of timed events for mules such as musical carpets., pantyhose race, monkey in a tree, back- to-back race, mule jumps, mule team events, and more. The precision mule pull will be held at noon. Mule jumps at 3 P.M. These events vary from year to year, so you never know what will be next. The mule Rodeo will start Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. with all the exciting thrills of any rodeo. So, come early to get the best seats! Also, this year there will be entertainment in front of the grandstand after the rodeo. . 

During the mule show on Saturday, there will be a prize give away for all show contestants featuring items given by area businesses that support the mule festival. Sign up will be under the announcer stand with registered contestant sign up on Saturday. Drawings will begin at 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1pm, and end at 2pm. 

Sunday Cowboy Church service will be held at 8:00 a.m. in 

the grand stand by the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys. No Sunday events! 

This year’s Mule Festival is one of America’s best downhome entertainment and should be more fun than ever. We hope you can make it over to enjoy Missouri’s state animal and have a good time. Happy trails!