Ozark Empire Fairgrounds & Event Center

It’s not the Iowa State Fair, or even the Del Mar Fair, but it’s still a fun time for the whole family. Full of exhibits, rides, food, and entertainment. Worth it to make a day of it.

First the bad. The parking is beyond terrible, it is a nightmare. Expect to walk a long way or get blocked in or park far away only to be gouged to park on someone’s lawn.
Also, do Not expect to get good deals at these shows. It does not matter if it’s a gun and knife show or a camper show or a carnival. You can purchase goods and services at stores and other outlets much cheaper when you are able to negotiate with a business on your terms.
As for carnivals, anyone with any working brain knows that carnie’s are there to extract as much of your money as possible in the short amount of time they have you as a part of their captive audience.
Now for the good. If you like campers or guns and knives you can go to these shows and see so many variations it can give you a good idea about what you’re in the market for so that when you do go to buy something you have a good idea about what all you want and how much you are willing to pay for it.
My last experience here was at a gun and knife show. I like pocket knives. It was worth the price of addition for me to go around and see the different types and models so that later when I was at a knife store I had a good idea of what I wanted and purchased one for much less than I would have payed at the fair grounds.
Last but not least are the carnivals. They are dirty and expensive and a lot of fun every once in a while. I go to one about every 5 – 10 years. When I was younger I went a lot more.
What is the point of working hard all the time if you don’t go have some fun once in a while and blow off some steam?
These fair grounds are not kept up very well. They are dirty, especially the restrooms or port-​a-​pots. With that in mind, some times you just need to go have some fun.

The parking lot is in terrible need of repair. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many potholes.
The buildings at the Fairgrounds are in pretty good shape. I’ve been for several events, but if its an outdoor event, I tend to stay away. You’re just one pothole away from a terribly twisted ankle.