After a slight drop in turnout at last year’s East Perry County Community Fair in Altenburg, this year saw a rebound of attendance to the record highs of the last few years, thanks to cooler temperatures.
Board member Fred Eggers, who has worked with the fair since the early 80s, was happy with the entire weekend and deemed it another successful year.
“We were blessed with great weather after all the oppressive heat that we have experienced lately,” he said. “There were only a couple of brief showers during the event, and we are grateful for the rain that we are receiving this week.
“Based on what we know about concession sales and the number of vehicles in our parking lots, our attendance was up slightly from last year and about the same as in 2022 and 2023. The past five years have been the best in the many years of our fair.”
And what about the big three events held at the fair this year?
“Our three major spectator events, the Mule Jumping Competition and our 4X4 Truck Pull and Hot Rod Tractor Pull, all packed our arena seating to capacity. The events were all greatly enhanced by the recently installed stadium sound system.”
MULE JUMPING RESULTS
The Mule Jumping Competition drew 13 entries this year, with some exciting finishes and near-record leaps.
■ Class 1 – Mules less than 47 inches tall: Waffles, owned and handled by Clay Mantz, cleared 30 inches for first place.
■ Class 2 – Mules 47 to 52 inches tall: Sugar, owned and handled by Cody Hadler, soared 60 inches to win, just two inches shy of the fair record. Pedro, owned and handled by Rev. Richie Dement of Lesterville, followed with a 56-inch jump.
■ Class 3 – Mules more than 52 inches tall: Hiney, owned by Paul Ruehling and handled by Dustin Aden, tied with Polly, owned by Ruehling and handled by Katelyn Aden, at 46 inches.
■ Class 4 – Open Class: Pedro (Dement) and Sugar (Hadler) shared the top spot at 56 inches.
Luke Ponder of Altenburg served as superintendent of the Mule Jump, with sponsorship provided by Century Casino of Cape Girardeau and Coors Light through Kohlfeld Distributing of Cape Girardeau.
4X4 TRUCK PULL RESULTS
The 4X4 Truck Pull drew 74 official hooks to the Heaven Bound Sled, owned and operated by Larry Montgomery of Windsor, Ill. The pull was overseen by Chairman Cody Schremp, with assistance from Andy Hadler, Dennis Lappe, and Landon Weber. Track preparation was handled by Cody Evans and Blake Luckey, with support from the River Hills Antique Tractor Club. Class winners included:
■ Factory Stock Gas 6,500 lbs. – 1st Glen Sellers, Sainte Genevieve; 2nd Garrett Moll, Scott City; 3rd Ivan Smallen, Fredericktown. ■ Street Stock Gas 6,500 lbs. – 1st Braxton Joggerst, Sainte Genevieve; 2nd John Cannon, Jerseyville, Ill.; 3rd Mark Tesson, Fredericktown.
■ Modified Gas 6,200 lbs. – 1st Doug Thoele, Teutoplis, Ill.; 2nd Ryan Murray, DeSoto; 3rd Lynn Carlton, Jackson.
■ Factory Stock Diesel 8,500 lbs. – 1st Drew Leuckel, Perryville; 2nd Cale Moore, Waterloo, Ill.; 3rd Alex Plunkett, Perryville.
■ Super Street Diesel 8,500 lbs. – 1st Clay Roth, Uniontown; 2nd Cody Mayfield, Jackson; 3rd Devon Allen, Jackson.
■ Modified Street Diesel 8,500 lbs. – 1st Luke Elder, Chaffin Bridge, Ill.; 2nd Cody Mayfield, Jackson; 3rd Hunter Smith, Cape Girardeau.
■ Factory Stock Gas 7,000 lbs. – 1st Garrett Moll, Scott City; 2nd Glen Sellers, Sainte Genevieve; 3rd Adam Seabaugh, Sainte Genevieve.
■ Street Stock Gas 7,000 lbs. – 1st Carter Joggerst, Sainte Genevieve; 2nd Mark Tesson, Fredericktown; 3rd Michael Blake, Ill.
■ Modified Gas 6,500 lbs. – 1st Ryan Murray, DeSoto.
■ Factory Stock Diesel 9,500 lbs. – 1st Jared Cook, Patton; 2nd Cale Moore, Waterloo, Ill.; 3rd Bryant Jones, Perryville.
■ Super Street Diesel 9,500 lbs. – 1st Devon Allen, Jackson; 2nd Jesse Haertling, Old Appleton; 3rd Clay Roth, Uniontown.
■ Modified Street Diesel 9,500 lbs. – 1st Luke Elder, Chaffin Bridge, Ill.; 2nd Hunter Smith, Cape Girardeau; 3rd Austin Gribler, Jackson.
TRACTOR PULL RESULTS
The Hot Rod Tractor Pull, another fan favorite, also drew a strong crowd.
■ Factory Stock Gas 6,500 lbs. – 1st Glen Sellers, Sainte Genevieve; 2nd Garrett Moll, Scott City; 3rd Ivan Smallen, Fredericktown.
■ Street Stock Gas 6,500 lbs. – 1st Braxton Joggerst, Sainte Genevieve; 2nd John Cannon, Jerseyville, Ill.; 3rd Mark Tesson, Fredericktown.
■ Modified Gas 6,200 lbs. – 1st Doug Thoele, Teutoplis, Ill.; 2nd Ryan Murray, DeSoto; 3rd Lynn Carlton, Jackson.
■ Factory Stock Diesel 8,500 lbs. – 1st Drew Leuckel, Perryville; 2nd Cale Moore, Waterloo, Ill.; 3rd Alex Plunkett, Perryville.
■ Super Street Diesel 8,500 lbs. – 1st Clay Roth, Uniontown; 2nd Cody Mayfield, Jackson; 3rd Devon Allen, Jackson.
■ Modified Street Diesel 8,500 lbs. – 1st Luke Elder, Chaffin Bridge, Ill.; 2nd Cody Mayfield, Jackson; 3rd Hunter Smith, Cape Girardeau.
■ Factory Stock Gas 7,000 lbs. – 1st Garrett Moll, Scott City; 2nd Glen Sellers, Sainte Genevieve; 3rd Adam Seabaugh, Sainte Genevieve.
■ Street Stock Gas 7,000 lbs. – 1st Carter Joggerst, Sainte Genevieve; 2nd Mark Tesson, Fredericktown; 3rd Michael Blake, Ill.
■ Modified Gas 6,500 lbs. – 1st Ryan Murray, DeSoto.
■ Factory Stock Diesel 9,500 lbs. – 1st Jared Cook, Patton; 2nd Cale Moore, Waterloo, Ill.; 3rd Bryant Jones, Perryville.
■ Super Street Diesel 9,500 lbs. – 1st Devon Allen, Jackson; 2nd Jesse Haertling, Old Appleton; 3rd Clay Roth, Uniontown.
■ Modified Street Diesel 9,500 lbs. – 1st Luke Elder, Chaffin Bridge, Ill.; 2nd Hunter Smith, Cape Girardeau; 3rd Austin Gribler, Jackson.
