Fair announces parade winners

August 14, 2009 11:51 AM

Opening Day at the Missouri State Fair was well attended with the annual parade boasting over 150 entries in categories from floats to classic cars. Many participants walked away with first place winnings of $100 cash and second place finishers earning $50.

The antique and classic car category featured cars and trucks from as far back as the 1920's. First place went to Missouri Electric Cooperative with their 1938 Dodge two ton line truck and a 1946 Dodge, while Andy Anderson's 1962 Ford convertible received second place.

The farm vehicle category was very popular and the Sedalia Sunrise Optimist tractor cruise took first place and second place was the Greater Kansas City Two Cylinder Club.

The Boys and Girls Club of West Central Missouri had a particularly unique entry in the float category and received first place while second place went to Economic Development of Sedalia and Pettis County.

The theme category demonstrated the most creativity. First Community Bank received first place and Missouri Dream Girls USA received second place.

It was a hot day for the horse entries but the sun didn't stop participants from taking them through the parade route. First place in the horse category went to the Muddy Creek 4-H Saddle Club and the Missouri Mule Team took home second place.

First place in the marching band category was Smith-Cotton Tiger Pride Marching Band and second place was the Southern Stone County Fire District Honor Guard.

The winner of judge's choice is considered the all-around best entry of the parade and is judged based upon best use of theme, appearance, ingenuity and over-all appeal. The Boys and Girls Club of West Central Missouri entry was first place while the League of American Wheelmen followed close behind with second place.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO SEE THE ACTUAL NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: http://www.sedaliademocrat.com/articles/place-18450-fair-parade.html

(I AM SOOOO PROUD OF ALL OF THE QUEENS WHO WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE ALL OF THE PROPS FOR THE BALLWIN DAYS PARADE THAT WERE ALSO USED AT THIS PARADE, AND I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF ALL OF THE QUEENS WHO MADE THE MISSOURI STATE FAIR PARADE SUCH AS SUCCESS!!!! THIS IS THE FIRST FLOAT AWARD FOR MISSOURI DREAM GIRLS USA!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!)

Is Miss Nebraska an Entrepreneur?

Sue Drakeford's production company hosts its own pageants and teaches others to gain the confidence and skills to compete

By Vivek Wadhwa

Sue Drakeford

When Sue Drakeford became the first African-American to represent Nebraska at the Miss USA Pageant in 2001, she saw a great business opportunity. She would start a production company that would host its own pageants and teach others like her gain the confidence and skills to compete in the real world. The company would provide an alternative to the "cold-blooded cutthroat world of modeling and beauty pageants" that she endured. So Sue completed her MBA and started her venture?all while working full-time at a regional bank. Her company, Drakeford Productions, is now two years old and employs seven. It doesn't produce anything (except beauty queens) and isn't really innovating under the traditional definition of business innovation espoused at business schools.

Is Drakeford an entrepreneur? Management guru Peter Drucker wouldn't have called her one. He wrote: "Not every new small business is entrepreneurial or represents entrepreneurship," and more bluntly said: "Entrepreneurs innovate. Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship." But Drakeford strongly disagrees. She says: "Yes, I am an entrepreneur. I own my own small business. But more importantly, I constantly think of new ways to make more money".

For the research report Anatomy of an Entrepreneur, my team and I surveyed 549 successful company founders in high-growth industries to try to better understand the background and motivation of American entrepreneurs. The group we surveyed were clearly the hard-core entrepreneurs who fit within Drucker's definition. But I was surprised at the debates that ensued online about what constitutes an "entrepreneur." Many argued that independent business owners were different animals than entrepreneurs. Others, like immigration attorney Murali Baysham, argued they were one and the same. Both, he wrote, ".create something that didn't exist before." In a follow-up e-mail, Baysham asked if I had passed judgment. He warned: "If you decide that I'm not an entrepreneur, I might decide that the daily stress of growing and running a business, financial risks involved, and all the other headaches that come with creating something out of nothing is just not worth it. Maybe I'll close up and go work for someone, where I can earn a steady and high salary and go home at 5 p.m."

To read the rest of the story, go to: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2009/sb20090915_826314.htm

DailyJournalOnline �� News �� Local �� Little Miss Farmington

Little Miss Farmington

Published: Thursday, February 04, 2010
Updated: Thursday, February 4, 2010 2:21 PM CST

Sophia Chloe Rokan was recently awarded the title of Little Miss Farmington for Royal Dream Productions �C Missouri Dream Girls U.S.A., and U.S.A. Productions, Inc., producers of the nationally recognized Dream Girls U.S.A. Pageant Program.

Sophia is the daughter of Brian and Shari Rokan of Farmington. Her grandparents are Paul and Diane Greer of Doe Run and Jerry and Norma Rokan of Bonne Terre.

Sophia will enjoy a fun year of making appearances and being involved in her community. - Submitted photo

Find this story at: http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/articles/2010/02/04/farmington/doc4b6b21689f194204262828.txt