Time is running out to catch the rides, fried food and farm animals in Southaven. The Mid-South Fair final weekend gets underway tonight at the Landers Center, and the fair closes for the year on Sunday, Oct. 11. The fair opened Oct. 1 and drew an early crowd this week for a free admission day timed for DeSoto County Schools’ fall break.
Mid-South Fair Final Weekend Hours
Thursday, Oct. 8: 4 to 10 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9: 4 to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 10: 1 to 11 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11: 1 to 10 p.m. (final day)
Ticket Prices
General admission: $13 online, $15 at the gate
Children 5 to 12 and seniors 60 and older: $8 online, $10 at the gate
Buying online ahead of time saves $2 per ticket. Tickets and details are available at landerscenter.com/mid-south-fair.
What’s New at This Year’s Fair
Alongside the midway rides, the fair added a few new features this year, according to the DeSoto Times-Tribune:
A biergarten with big-screen TVs and beer on tap
A grizzly bear encounter and a sloth
Souvenir cups
Kong Tower, one of the newest rides, with a 90-foot free fall
Fair favorites are back too, including pig races, a petting zoo with goats, llamas, Highland cattle and a camel, and classic fair food such as corn dogs, funnel cakes, fresh lemonade and fried Oreos.
“With this being fall break for all the kids, we wanted everybody to be able to come out and enjoy the fair,” Alison Mitchell, DeSoto County’s director of tourism, told the newspaper about the free admission day. She said turnout has been strong this year and she expects the fair to keep growing. The fair draws tens of thousands of visitors each year from Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas.
Weather Note for Saturday
Thursday and Friday nights look warm and dry, but the remnants of Hurricane Isaias are expected to bring heavy rain and wind gusts up to 40 mph to DeSoto County on Saturday, and a Flood Watch is in effect from 1 a.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. Fairgoers planning a Saturday visit should check the Landers Center’s website and social media for any schedule changes. Rain is expected to clear out by around midday Sunday, ahead of the fair’s final evening.
