On the Street

Flock of Shriners

The city of Branson is hosting the 2003 Central States Shrine Association Convention Sept. 3-7, when about 12,000 people Shriners and their families will visit the city. According to Keith Frazier, director general of Springfield's Abou Ben Adhem Temple, and coordinator of the convention, attendance at this year's convention is expected to be the highest in history.

When Branson held the event in 1998, more than 10,000 people attended. The event includes a traditional Shrine parade, which will be held 8 a.m.-noon Sept. 6, starting at the Grand Palace and traveling west on Highway 76 to White Water.

Street Machine Nationals

The 15th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Fall Street Machine Nationals will be held Sept. 12-14 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. More than 1,700 hot rods, street machines and street trucks are expected for the event, which includes a pro-judged Show-N-Shine competition with more than 40 awards, the Mickey Thomson Burnout Competition and the Miss Street Machine Nationals contest.

Participant entries are being accepted, and participant information is available online at www.familyevents.com. All makes, models and years of street machines, street rods, trucks and sport utility vehicles are eligible. Advance tickets go on sale Aug. 18 at Git-n-Go stores and cost $9 for adults and $6 for children. Two-day passes are $18 and three-day passes are $27. At the gate, adult tickets are $11 and children's tickets are $8.

2003 fair facts

The final attendance count for the 2003 Ozark Empire Fair was 218,583 down from 223,221 in 2002, despite a strong opening day and a record-setting grandstand crowd for the Brad Paisley concert. Severe thunderstorms affected attendance on four days during the fair's run, and the Aug. 2 grandstand event, the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulls, was canceled due to muddy conditions on the pulling track. Still, according to General Manager Marla Calico, the 2003 Ozark Empire Fair was a good one. Spending in the carnival midway area was up by more than 10 percent and several food vendors reported that their sales were improved from 2002.

Slice of Nice

The Southwest Missouri Office on Aging Foundation's ninth annual Fall Classic will be held Sept. 8 at Millwood Golf & Racquet Club. There will be two shotgun starts: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. The entry fee for a four-person team is $600 for the open and senior divisions. Fees include greens fees, cart, goody bag, beverages, lunch and banquet buffet, in addition to three contests. The proceeds will benefit SMOA's Home-Delivered Meals Program. To register, or for sponsorships or other information, call the SMOA office at 417-862-0762.