by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — When asked what’s been missing recently, most people in America’s Prairie would likely think about the current drought and say “rain,” but the people of Kahoka, Mo., might also think about another kind of drought and say “harness racing.”

Bucking a trend that has seen the number of county fairs offering harness racing dwindle from 240 to 217 since 2005, the Clark County Fair will be the site of a 10-race card this coming Sunday, July 18.

It marks the first time that racing has been conducted at the fair since 2005.

“They told us that crowds had been down, and that they missed some of the folks who would come out to see the races,” Roger Roland said. He is a Grinnell, Iowa-based owner who will start several horses at Kahoka on Sunday.

Post time for the 10 races that will bring relief for those who have missed the sport in recent years will be at 1:30 p.m. (CDT).