It was the summer of 1968, and George Ricks and his high school buddies loaded up a 1957 Ford pickup with hogs and embarked on the 165-mile trek to the Missouri State Fair.

When they rolled into Sedalia, they were overwhelmed. With its then population of nearly 23,000, the west-central Missouri city was a lot larger than their small hometown of Eolia, which had only 320 residents.

“It was our first time at the fair, and we were a little scared,” George recalls. “We never left the Swine Barn. But what we found was it was a nice place with nice people.”

That one year ignited a passion for the hog industry, exhibiting livestock and the state fair.

Today, the third generation of this Pike County farm family still makes the drive from the same small town to the same large city every August to attend the Missouri State Fair.

Making fair memories

In 56 years, George has only missed two years of this popular summer showcase for agriculture.

In 1969, he won champion Hampshire barrow. “Out of six,” he quips. “It was a lot different than today.”

A few years later, in 1973, he earned reserve grand champion Hampshire boar honors. “That one was purchased for $1,500 and sent to Japan,” George adds. “At that time, that was a lot of money.”

The fair holds more than just memories of victories for George. After marrying his wife, Cindy, and with their children Tyler and Heidi joining 4-H and FFA, their involvement deepened. By 2001, the family earned reserve champion Hampshire gilt and champion boar in 2005, alongside showmanship honors.

The state fair left a lasting impact on Tyler and Heidi, inspiring them to carry on the tradition. Now, they support 4-H, FFA and livestock activities with their own families.

A safe place to learn

The Missouri State Fair provides quality family time, but it also instills life lessons.

“We want to teach our kids responsibility,” Heidi (Ricks) Adams explains. “There is something to taking care of an animal. It requires a lot of time and effort.”

Inside the show ring, there are opportunities for personal growth. The entire Ricks family focuses on “how to” win or lose.

“We want them to learn the right way to take successes and even failures,” Heidi adds. “Both should be humbly.”

Next generation takes on fair

Today, the oldest cousin models those attributes — responsibility, showmanship and humbleness — to younger cousins.

“Nevaeh is a great showman,” Heidi says of her niece. “She’s taught my kids not only inside the ring, but also outside of it, whether washing or leading up to the ring. She is their support.”

Nevaeh Ricks, a recent Clopton High School graduate and former Clopton FFA chapter vice president, says some of her best memories growing up are with her siblings and cousins doing chores or at the Missouri State Fair.

Her younger brother, Kayden Hubbard, is now in the show ring. For him, the Missouri State Fair provides a chance to show pigs and be with family. Still, he admits the best times are eating the fair food and riding carnival rides.

“It is great to see them enjoy this as much as I did when I was younger,” Nevaeh adds. “I learned a lot over the years.”

Looking back, she recognizes the significant responsibility involved in raising and showing hogs. “Now, it's helping me for the future, to take on even bigger tasks,” she says.

Pass on passion for hogs

Grant Adams, Heidi’s son, fell in love with the Missouri State Fair, much like his grandpa, after just his first year showing pigs. How much?

“He went to school after it and was asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” Heidi recalls. “He said, ‘A state fair worker.’ He wanted to be the director of the Missouri State Fair!”

This will be Grant’s third year in the Swine Barn. “I like making friends there,” he says. Many are from across the entire state.

His older sister, Ava, is transitioning from learning from her cousin, Nevaeh, to now helping the next generation in the barn and show ring.

“It is fun being with friends and showing our animals and helping others show,” she adds.

Keep coming back for more

Heidi believes the state fair brings families closer together.

“It gets kids off their tablets and phones for a short time to interact with livestock, other exhibitors and just get a sense of the ag community,” she says.

As for George and Cindy, there is no better place in the summer than the Missouri State Fair.

“People are still really friendly,” George says. “You can sit down at a table, start talking to people that you've never met before and have a good conversation. And that's really important anymore. I don't know if we do enough communicating. But I think it's really important that when you can go someplace, and you feel safe, and you have a good feeling when you leave.”