The 57th Annual Laurie Hillbilly Fair is scheduled Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19 at the Laurie Park. I heared tell this year’s theme is the celebration of America’s birthday and just when you reckon the fun is over, gear-heads git one more reason to put on their best coveralls and head over to the Hillbilly Fair Car Show on Sunday, September 20.
America’s 250th Anniversary
Dress in your best patriotic hillbilly duds and come on out and celebrate Americas 250th in pure Hillbilly style! On July 4, 2026, our nation commemorated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. July 4th may have passed, but the celebration continues!
Come Hungry – Leave Plumb Full
There’ll be a mess of craft and food vendors scattered around the fairgrounds with enough goodies to tempt just about anybody. And we ain’t talkin’ about fancy small vittles that leave you wondering where supper went. Fairgoers can sink their teeth into barbecue from a barbeque contest, tacos, ribeye finer than a box of snuff, snitzel, typical fair food, and plenty of other grub. It’s the kind of eatin’ folks have been hankerin’ for all year. You might want to wear your stretchy britches.
When you’re too full to eat another bite, you can tap your toes instead. Live music will be played on two stages, and the beer garden will be open throughout the fair.
Friday: Crownin’ Some Genuine Hillbillies
The gates swing open at 4 p.m. Friday, with the official opening ceremony at 5 p.m. Then at 5:30 p.m., it’s time to find out who has enough hillbilly gumption to become this year’s hillbilly royalty - Mr. and Mrs. Hillbilly. Adventurous couples are encouraged to wear their finest hillbilly getups and join the competition. The winning couple gets the honor of being Hillbilly King and Queen for a day and ride in Saturday’s parade.
At 6 p.m., Ponch Burhart takes the main stage and starts singin’ right nicely, giving folks a chance to settle in and enjoy a Friday evening at the fair.
Saturday: Here Comes the Parade!
Saturday gets goin’ bright and early, with the gates opening at 9 a.m. At 10 a.m., the Laurie Hillbilly Fair Parade comes ramblin’ yonder north on Highway 5, starting at Central Bank and ending at the Laurie Park. Parade participants line up at Central Bank beginning at 9 a.m. and parade awards will be presented at 11 a.m. on the main stage following the parade.
Then it’s time to get back to some good ole’ pickin’ and grinnin’ ya’all haven’t heard in a coon’s age. Mitch Shields will perform from noon to 2 p.m. on the main stage. Keith Wells takes over the Small Stage from 3 to 5 p.m. Ozark Drive will close out Saturday night from 6 to 9 p.m. on the main stage.
And if you reckon you can sing better than Cousin Earl after three shots of whiskey, here’s your chance to prove it. New this year: Hillbilly Karaoke from 5 to 7 p.m. on the small stage. Whether you sound like a Grand Ole Opry star or a bullfrog caught in a screen door, it ought to be a hoot.
Bring Them Youngins!
Saturday’s activities include the Thornridge Exotic Petting Zoo, a Bubbletastic Foam Party and inflatable bounce houses for the youngins’ West Lake Christian Church will also host the Hillbilly Hustle featuring an obstacle relay, tug o’ war, and more from 10 a.m. to noon. It’s free to play and there are prizes to win. Town & Country Supermarket will take a turn entertaining the kids with fun and games from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the main stage.
Lil Pea Pickers Contest
Then dress yer youngins’ in his’n and her’n finest Sunday-go-to-meetin’ britches because the Children’s Contests begin at 1 p.m. at the small stage. Trophies and ribbons will be awarded.
You can enter Corn Hole Tournaments on Saturday. We will find out who knows the Lake better than the back of their hand in the Lake of the Ozarks Trivia Contest, sponsored by the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau, at 2:30 p.m. on the main stage with prizes up for grabs. And keep yer eyeballs peeled for the Versailles Cheerleaders as they will hold a 50/50 duck race every hour. You can git a chance to win 50 and the cheerleaders git the other 50.
Sunday: Shine Up That Hillbilly Hot Rod
If two days of hillbilly shenanigans ain’t enough, there’s more fun Sunday. The Hillbilly Car Show rolls into Laurie Park Sept. 20. Check-in begins at noon at the park office, with the show starting at 1 p.m. Judging begins at 1:30 p.m., and awards will be presented at 4 p.m. on the small stage.
The Hillbilly Fair Has Been Re-Hillbillitated
Now, here’s where this tale gets interesting. The Laurie Hillbilly Fair has been a one-of-a-kind fixture on the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks for 57 years. Then somebody got an idea in 2024 to change the name to The Laurie Fair, hoping a more modern moniker might attract a younger, more sophisticated crowd. Well, that dog didn’t hunt. The locals weren’t havin’ it. Turns out folks liked their Hillbilly Fair just the way it was. The new name fell flatter than a fritter, and it wasn’t long before everybody figured out there was no sense fixin’ something that hadn’t been broke in the first place.
So the Laurie Hillbilly Fair came back. You might say it got re-hillbillitated. Former Laurie Parks and Events Coordinator Susaan Huff has been involved with the Laurie Hillbilly Fair for nearly 40 years and she said she was happy to see the old name return. For Huff, the fair is a end-of-the-season party. “They are doing a great job this year getting more vendors and good bands,” Huff added. “I want to thank all the volunteers over the years that helped build the fairgrounds and who have helped to make the fair what it is today,” she said. And maybe that explains why, after 57 years, the Hillbilly Fair keeps on keepin’ on.
It ain’t about being fancy. It’s about neighbors gathering with neighbors, youngins running around the park, music drifting across the fairgrounds, the smell of barbecue in the air and everybody having one last big shindig before summer disappears over the hill. So grab yer kinfolk, polish up the good overalls and point the wagon toward Laurie. There’s pickin’ to be picked, grinnin’ to be grinned and a whole heap of hillbilly fun waiting at the park.
Parking is $5 per vehicle, and shuttles will be available to transport attendees from the parking area to the fair. For additional information, parade entries, contest registration or Hillbilly Car Show pre-registration, call Laurie Events Coordinator David Shipp at 573-207-7818.
And don’t dilly-dally — 57 years of hillbilly tradition is fixin’ to get rowdy.
