The Mexico Soybean Festival is synonymous with the Brick City, as its history is as much about helping rocket ships as it is being a force of agriculture.

Starting Friday and running through the next day, the annual event will take place once again at Town Square.

Kate Becker, bookkeeper for the Mexico Jaycees, is looking forward to this year’s edition, noting the amount of work the organization had to put in to help get the event off the ground.

“It is Mexico’s only community-based festival,” Becker said. “This is the first year we will be doing wristbands since we are doing a new carnival (which begins Friday).
“We will have two marching bands at the parade (Mexico High School and

Missouri Military Academy) and Janet’s Dance Studio will have a follow car that will play music and they will stop and do a dance in the street. It’s pretty huge. It’s a long parade.”

Food vendors will also be on site during the first evening.

The first day will focus on live musical acts mostly taking the Graf & Sons stage with Meredith Shaw leading things off from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

She will be followed by the Fully Loaded Band (7-8:30 p.m.) and 54 Country House Band (9-11 p.m.) before the beer garden shuts down at 11:30 p.m.

The next day, things get rolling at 8 a.m. with vendor booths open until 4 p.m.

Of course, what is a Soybean Festival without its parade and that will start at 10 a.m.

The beer garden will open at noon and run through 11:30 p.m. between Washington and Jefferson streets and at 1 p.m., the Car Meet (entrance at Corner of East Monroe and North Coal) will begin.

“Our downtown community absolutely loves it because they say it’s their biggest year – even more than Black Friday,” Becker said. “They are very gracious about the fact we close down the street for their parking. When else are you going to get several thousand people at your doorstep?”

A cornhole tournament will take place at the beer garden from 2-4 p.m. and then the music will take off once again.

Cover to Cover (4-6 p.m.), Mercury Son (7-8:30 p.m.) and Mad Hoss Jackson (9-11 p.m.) will highlight the musical entertainment for the festival’s second night before the evening winds down.

Also, there will be carnival rides on site and the Mexico Farmers Market will continue on as normally scheduled.

There will be an Emergency Management Expo located across from City Hall on the north side of Love Street. It will feature all types of Emergency Management vehicles as an educational display.

Busch is now the new beer vendor, according to Becker.

“It’s the only thing our community has that brings us all together,” Becker said.

“Tyronn Lue has been an incredible asset to this community, and he has done things for the community. This is our one downtown festival. With this being the Soybean Festival, it’s that celebratory time after planting, but before harvest.

“It’s a good transition. This community loves to have fun and this is just a great way to fill that fun need.”

More on The Soybean Parade
The Soybean Parade features a wide variety of floats and vehicles from around the Mexico area.

The parade regularly features over 60 entries, ranging from giant farm machinery to small groups of walkers, as well as marching bands, fire trucks, classic cars, and many entries from community organizations and local businesses.

The parade begins at the Mexico High School and ends at the Mexico Square, traveling East on Love Street, turning South on Clark Street, where it proceeds East on Monroe Street around the square, turning South on Jefferson and then exiting at Jackson and Coal.

Lineup begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Mexico High School south parking lot by the gymnasium.

All entries in the parade must submit an application no later than Friday to be registered for the parade. Registration forms are available at the link on this page and at the Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce offices, located at 100 West Jackson Street.