Just 96 miles northeast of Kansas City, you’ll find the friendly confines of Trenton, Missouri. Trenton is a town of roughly 6,000 residents that welcomes over 15,000 guests to their Missouri Day Festival annually during the third week of October. The festival began in 1984 as a celebration to honor the history of the state and to bring together the community. Missouri Day originated in 1915 when the Missouri General Assembly declared the third Wednesday of October officially Missouri Day. This was further ratified by then Governor and Trenton native, Arthur M. Hyde, when he proclaimed the 18th of October, Missouri Day. The current festival was founded in the same spirit as the old celebration of the state’s heritage.
Missouri Day Festival is for all ages and features a wide range of activities, events, entertainment and delicious food. There is a car show with classic, new, and unique cars that will impress any car lover. You’ll find over 150 different vendors selling almost anything you can imagine. A fun and unique aspect of the festival is the Missouri Day Marching Band Festival. Over 50 different high school marching bands match their skills against one another in multiple competition categories. Some of these bands also display their skills in the extremely popular Saturday Morning Parade. All the fun will certainly work up an appetite and you’ll love the selection of delicious food and drinks available. Whether you're looking to celebrate Missouri, or you're just looking for a great family event, Missouri Day festival is for you. We sat down with Christy Palmer from the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce to talk about the festival and the Trenton community.
RAL: Give me the basics about the event.
CP: The Missouri Day Festival was started in October 1984. This is our 31st year hosting the event which falls on the dates of October 16-18, 2015. Festival hours are Friday, from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm; Saturday, from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm; and Sunday, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. This festival is always held the third weekend in October. We estimate between 10,000 and 15,000 attendees at the festival each year. We generally host around 170 different vendors as well. We have all ages attending this event. It is very family-friendly.
RAL: What makes it unique?
CP: If it weren’t for the Marching Band Festival taking place in conjunction with the Missouri Day Festival, we wouldn’t have near the attendance. We are very thankful that the Marching Band Festival began in 1997 and joined our annual celebration.
RAL: What can visitors expect for activities and food options?
CP: There are several things going on throughout the weekend. After shopping and dining at the fairgrounds Friday afternoon, you could enjoy a dance at the North 65 Center Friday night. Saturday morning at 8:15 am, be ready to line up along Main & 9th Streets for the parade (the longest parade in Trenton history, taking over an hour from start to finish). Check out the tractor show at Orscheln Farm & Home after the parade, go have lunch at the fairgrounds, do a little more shopping, and let the kids play! You can also head to the west side of the fairgrounds and try your hand at Atlatl (spear throwing)! On Sunday, be sure to head over to Eastside Park, just south of the stadium, for a car show beginning at 9:00 am, then stroll back to the fairgrounds for a church service, more shopping, food, and fun for the kids.
We have 17+ food vendors serving something for everyone. They are open the same hours as the rest of the festival, but stay open late Saturday night to accommodate the band students and their parents as they continue competitions at the stadium, located immediately south of the fairgrounds. Competitions can continue until 10:00 or 11:00 pm on Saturday night of the festival.
RAL: What can attendees expect for local lodging?
CP: Lodging options in Trenton are locally owned operations. Visitors can choose from Lakeview Motor Lodge on Hwy 6, Country Home Inn on Hwy 65, Peggy’s Mobile Home & RV Park on 17th Street or Crowder State Park west of Trenton on Hwy 146. It is recommended to book your lodging early for the annual event. All lodging is filled during this event. I believe everything in close proximity to the city is booked up in advance for our festival.
RAL: What does the festival mean to the community and does it support and special causes?
CP: This is the largest event of the year for our community. It brings several thousand people to our “neck of the woods” and provides a very large portion of our sales tax revenue as folks spend their money in our community.
Having the extra sales tax revenue provides more monies for our schools, hospitals, roads, etc. However, it is not set up for a specific cause other than promoting our community and area as well as providing entertainment and opportunity.
RAL: Why should people come to the Missouri Day Festival?
CP: We offer something for the entire family here. A trip to Trenton, Missouri, can be fun for dad and mom, as well as kids of all ages. Dad can try his hand (and compete) in the Atlatl tournament, mom can enjoy some shopping time, and the kids have plenty of room to play and participate in activities going on. If one likes watching high school marching bands, they can certainly watch the competitions taking place all day on the Saturday of the festival at the football stadium (bleachers are completely covered in case of inclement weather).
For more information about the festival or Trenton please visit their website.