Kingdom Days

Kingdom Days

Last weekend in June

This annual festival in Fulton, Missouri, was based on a Civil War confrontation between a Union general and the local militia. On July 28, 1861, there was a battle near Calwood that left 19 dead and 76 wounded. In an effort to spare Callaway County any further bloodshed, Colonel Jefferson Jones sent a letter to General John B. Henderson, commander of the Union military forces in northeastern Missouri. Jones requested that the county be left alone to conduct its own business and to control its own destiny. Henderson, perhaps fearing stiff resistance, agreed to the truce and signed the treaty that designated Callaway County a "kingdom," separate from both the U.S. and the Confederacy. No shots were fired, no one was injured, and the disagreements between the two military units were settled peacefully.
This event was only one of the historic reenactments that took place during the Kingdom Days festival. Others were more humorous, such as the "shotgun" Civil War-era wedding in 1991. Other events have included a parade, bed races, a "baby derby" in which babies up to 18 months old crawl 10 feet to the finish line, a hot air balloon rally, and a pig-kissing contest.

CONTACTS:
Kingdom of Callaway Chamber of Commerce
409 Court St.
Fulton, MO 65251
800-257-3554 or 573-642-3055; fax: 573-642-5182
www.callawaychamber.com

Celebration days:
2011: Jun 25; Jun 26
2012: Jun 30; Jul 1
2013: Jun 29; Jun 30
2014: Jun 28; Jun 29
2015: Jun 27; Jun 28