Since 1896, when Mississippi Gov. Anselm Joseph McLaurin of Brandon traveled by train from Jackson to Newton and then closed the distance to the fairgrounds by horse and buggy, every politician who held that office has attended at least one session of the historic campground fair.
McLaurin’s decision to appear at the fledgling event – then a three-day
affair held in August – seemed a wise choice even though shortly after
taking office that year, the new governor had been forced to call a
special legislative session to raise ad valorem
taxes because the state treasury he inherited was in great measure
empty.
In 1900, McLaurin was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until
he died in 1909. He was the great-great-grandfather of Academy
Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams. From McLaurin to
present Gov. Tate Reeves, 65 Mississippi governors have
spoken at Neshoba. While there are other notable political whistlestops
around the state like the Jacinto Courthouse, the Neshoba County Fair
has remained Mississippi’s premier political stump.
In modern times, Fair rules offer political speaking opportunities for
state, district and Neshoba County/local candidates and public
officials. U.S. presidential candidates have spoken there over the
years, including Ronald Reagan, Michael Dukakis, Jack Kemp
and John Glenn. Donald Trump Jr. spoke there in 2016 on behalf of his
father, as did Neil Bush in 1988 on behalf of his father.
When the Neshoba County Fair Association announced its intention to move
the institution’s dates from the traditional last week of July back to
the final week in June, there was quite the “disturbance in the force”
for native Neshoba Countians and longtime
patrons of the event.
The Neshoba Democrat reported: “The 2026 Neshoba County Fair is moving
to June to accommodate the early start of school, (fair officials)
announced on Facebook late last week. The 2026 Fair is scheduled to take
place from June 19 to June 26, according to officials.”
The Neshoba County Fair closed during World War II shortly after
celebrating the 50th fair. With the outbreak of COVID, the 2020 session
of the fair was cancelled.
The change was made to accommodate the adoption of the so-called
“modified calendar” by the local public school systems. The new schedule
calls for earlier school starts and resulted in many families in other
school districts around the state missing the 2024
Fair.
Fair Association president C. Scott Bounds said the decision “was
reached after a lot of deliberation about the impact on attendance” and
with full knowledge that the change will affect the fair’s longstanding
status as the last major political event before
the state’s August primary elections.
For example, this year’s Neshoba County Fair held political speaking on
July 30-31 last week. The August special primaries were scheduled for
Tuesday, Aug. 5 with Democrats voting in four special legislative
elections and Republicans voting in three special
legislative races.
But in statewide general election years, the new schedule will be
impactful at Neshoba. Bounds said to address those concerns, the fair
board will “work hard to put together innovative programming that will
create even more opportunities for our patrons to
be involved in the electoral process.”
Will the change from July to June reduce the influence of the Neshoba
speaking lineup? Unlikely. For generations, the Neshoba County Fair has
served as the lively annual hub of politics, community, and culture — a
place where tradition mixes with the urgency
of the present.
Beneath the shade of the Founder’s Square Pavilion and among the
brightly painted cabins, families gather each summer to celebrate,
debate, and mark the passage of another year in their lives. The Fair’s
unique blend of homespun charm and political theater
has elevated it far beyond a local gathering; it has become a pivotal
moment on the state’s calendar, drawing crowds, candidates, and
commentators from across the nation. So it will continue to do in 2026.
Smartphones, social media, and air-conditioning were far greater
existential threats to a more than century-old campground fair built on
porch-sitting, earnest conversation, and engagement in simple things
like cakewalks than a change of schedule will be.
14 comments:
Would make more sense to move it to April when it's not 112 degrees. The Seer-Sucker season would just be arriving.
As a native Neshoba Countian, I'm anxious to see how many people other than Sid really give a shit.
Agree with 8:18.
These narcissist politicians think we care about them and their attendance far more than we do. Not surprised at all.
I am a native Neshoba Countian and I like the idea of the move because my wife is a teacher and has not been able to attend the last two years. I thank the fair board for their hard work and consideration that they put into this decision.
June is better than July. I doubt anyone believes speaking at the fair impacts voting decisions at all. It’s a different world.
I’m looking at going and staying with Sid this year for his house party. I’m certain he’ll welcome a regular Merkin such as muhself.
Move it to April so there can be crawfish boils for the entire event.
YEAR ROUND SCHOOL SUCKS!
Let the kids have an actual summer and their parents work instead of finding childcare all the time.
The point of year round school is year round childcare for parents.
Salter is always the political elitist. The notion that all statewide political success goes through Neshoba County is total folly. The flag may have changed but Sid Salter has not.
What else would be affected if it was changed to June instead of August? Air-conditioning did not exist when the fair started.
If we are being completely honest, the sound system sucks so bad you can't really hear the politicians. The crowd isn't responsive.
Cult.
We intend to rent out 100 rooms in the casino and bring a new audience to the fair to enjoy the art and experience. There will be approximately 300 attendees from local churches in Jackson and Greenville. They will look to put up a booth and demonstrate their musical prowess throughout the event and even sell their merchandise to the crowd. This should be fun.
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