Month: May 2018

Ohio State Fair Youth Arts Exhibition and Creative Arts Competitions – Accepting Entries!

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Help us spread the word to Ohio youth about the arts competitions and exhibition opportunities offered in Creative and Youth Arts at the Ohio State Fair this summer!  Unless otherwise stated on the competition pages, youth ages 11 and up can enter Creative Arts competitions.

Use the direct links below for all  Youth Arts Exhibition and Creative Arts competition information and entry details.

Competition Highlights Include:

Youth Arts Exhibition Highlights

  • Win a $1,000 Blick Art Materials Shopping Spree for Your School’s Art Department – The school or home school affiliation with the most students entered will win this award.  Shopping Spree can be in-store or by catalog (dickblick.com).
  • All Youth Artists Featured in the Exhibition – In addition to being considered for awards, all youth will receive a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Trio Card; good for 3 scoops of ice cream.
  • Nationwide Children’s People’s Choice Awards – One award in each division.
  • A Bareclay Studios Ceramics Class will be awarded in each division – Recognizing outstanding ceramics work.
  • Youth Artists Selected to Receive the Governor’s Award of Excellence in the 2018 Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition – Receive free entry for up to 10 pieces of work in the 2018 Ohio State Fair Youth Arts Exhibition.
  • Ohio Arts Council Awards– Middle School and High School artists receive Blick Art Materials gift card awards.
  • New Mary Dorrian Memorial Awards – One youth in each division will receive this award.
  • First Lady’s Spotlight Award – Ohio’s First Lady, Karen Kasich, will choose three pieces of artwork for this award.
  • Deadline is June 20, 2018.

Creative Arts Competition Highlights

Arts, Crafts and Fashion

  • New form required for Fashion & Sewing Arts competition.
  • Miniature Model Shipbuilding class now accepting plastic and wood models.
  • Photography competition now accepting unlimited entries!
  • Woodworking competition now offering over $1,000 in awards.
  • New Cork Art class offered in Other Crafting Art competition.
  • Fair Phone Photo Day on-site competition only $5/entry.
  • Loom Weaving competition now offering 3 classes
  • Quilt competition now offering new Modern Quilt class.
  • Check Out our Daily, Hands-on Art Activities.
  • Deadline is June 20, 2018

 Culinary & Baking

  • New Heirloom Cake Recipe is “Applesauce Cake”
  • Baked Pies competition offers Increased award dollars and new Hodgson Mill flour requirement.
  • Cakes and Cookies/Pastries competitions have new Domino brown sugar requirement.
  • Aramark “Chopped Cook-Off” featuring shortened time periods for both competition rounds.
  • Egg-stra, Egg-stra competition offers increased award dollars and new classes.
  • New Farm to Table competition – Enter your best cold salad recipe. 
  • Crazy Cake Decorating competition – First 10 entries delivered receive one Fair admission ticket.
  • Professional/Advanced Cake Decorating – Novelty Cake class is back.
  • Deadline is June 20, 2018

    These Live Culinary Competitions are open to any Ohioan who enjoys cooking & baking!

    If you miss the deadline, you can still enter these competitions day of the event for $60/competition (cash only).

    Professionals & Amateur Chefs Encouraged to Enter!

  • Aramark Chopped Cook-Off                                       Saturday, August 4
  • Egg-citing and Devilishly Good                                  Saturday, July 28
  • Grilling Competition                                                    Saturday, July 28
  • Ohio Wines Grown Here                                             Friday, August 3
  • Chili Cook-Off                                                               Sunday, July 29
  • Family Heirloom Recipe Competition                     Sunday, July 29

For more info, contact: Sandy Libertini, Ohio State Fair Arts Director at 614-579-5743 or s.libertini@expo.ohio.gov

www.ohiostatefair.com

Ohio State Fair dates:

07/25/18 – 08/05/18

 

2018 Rabbit Bowl

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Attention members taking a rabbit project – would you like to test your skill at answering questions from the rabbit resource, ARBA Standards of Perfection and the ARBA Official Guide Book: Raising Better Rabbits & Cavies? Well then, the Ohio State Fair 4-H Rabbit Quiz Bowl Contest may just be the contest for you.

This is a new contest this year, with the primary purpose to provide and opportunity for 4-H members to demonstrate their knowledge of rabbit-related subject matter in a competitive setting where attitudes of friendliness and fairness prevail.  The Rabbit Quiz Bowl Contest is designed to provide an educational experience for both participants and spectators.

Advisor Cindy Swinehart is willing to help get teams ready for the contest, which will be Saturday July 7th at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center.  Cindy may be reached via email at swinehart85@columbus.rr.com or via phone at 740-654-6827

There are opportunities for both Junior (ages 8-13 as of January 1) and Senior (ages 14-18 as of January 1) teams to complete. Teams will be at least 4 members, with a 5th member as an alternate.  The team members must be 4-H members, but are not required to enroll in a 4-H rabbit project. You read that right – they don’t have to be taking a rabbit project!  Each county may send 2 Junior and 2 Senior teams to this contest.  We would love for Fairfield County to be well represented!

The deadline to enter is fast approaching – June 7th.  If you would like more information about the contest, please visit the state website https://ohio4h.org/events/ohio-state-fair-4-h-rabbit-quiz-bowl-contest for details and more information.

Camp Round-up is Thursday, May 24th!

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Do you want more information about the activities that will happen at camp? Want to request being in the same cabin as a friend? Visit the Camp Round Up Thursday May 24th, 2018 at the Ag Center from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. You can also register for camp at this time in addition to meeting counselors that will be camping with you! Please bring your completed camp registration form and bring payment! Camp registrations can be found here.

4-H Camp Registrations: NOW OPEN!

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Fairfield County 4-H Camps are open to current Fairfield County 4-H members and those completing a School Enrichment program in Fairfield County.  

Fairfield County youth attend Junior and Intermediate Camps at Tar Hollow State Park, located in Laurelville, Ohio. Youth sleep in a cabin with at least one youth counselor and up to 6 other youth. Activities at camp include campfire, swimming, canoeing, hiking, fishing, line dancing, crafts, team building activities, water carnivals, games, and lots of fun!  We hold our Junior and Intermediate camps here.  Our Cloverbud Day camp is held at Alley Park near Lancaster.

Continuing from 2017, the Junior and Intermedicate camp fee includes meals, cabin lodging, camp programming fees, health insurance, the camp t-shirt and picture.

Cloverbud Day camp fee includes snacks, lunch, camp programming fees and health insurance.

CAMP DATES FOR 2018!!  (age as of January 1st)

  • Cloverbud (5-8 and Cloverbud members): June 9. Cloverbud Day Camp will be first this year! 
  • Intermediate (11-14 year olds): June 26-29 (staff arrive June 25). 
  • Junior (8-10 year olds): July 7-10 (staff arrive July 6).

Do you want more information about the activities that will happen at camp? Want to request being in the same cabin as a friend? Visit the Camp Round Up Thursday May 24th, 2018 at the Ag Center from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. You can also register for camp at this time in addition to meeting counselors that will be camping with you!

Camp Registration and Cabin Friend Request Form – Completed form and payment of $57.50 due by June 1st for Junior and Intermediate Camp. After June 1st deadline, there will be a late fee in addition to the full camp fee (no scholarships).

For more information, click here.

Countywide Quality Assurance Training #2 (last opportunity!) is Saturday, May 19th!

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If you missed or need to participate in a Quality Assurance Clinic for 2018, members can attend the last upcoming countywide Quality Assurance Clinic to meet the requirement for the year.  This makeup date is:

  • Saturday, May 19, 2018 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds (Rickett’s Hall). Exhibitors must arrive and sign in by 9:30 a.m. to receive credit. No late arrivals will be accepted. Ohio Department of Agriculture requires that all exhibitors attend for at least a full hour of QA training. Our expectation is that you arrive on time and you will not be able to leave early to meet this requirement.

Who needs Quality Assurance?
All exhibitors who take the following projects must attend the required Quality Assurance Clinic during the current year in order to exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair:

  • Beef (Breeding & Market)
  • Dairy Breeding & Dairy Feeders
  • Goats (Angora, Dairy, Meat, Market, Pygmy)
  • Poultry (Breeding & Market)
  • Sheep (Breeding & Market)
  • Swine
  • Rabbits (Breeding & Market—this does not include Pet Rabbits)

How to Meet the Quality Assurance Requirement
When a member attends your club meeting Quality Assurance or one countywide make-up Quality Assurance Clinic, s/he is validated to exhibit at the fair in all species. (So if Chris Clover is taking Beef, Dairy, and Poultry, he only needs to attend one Quality Assurance Clinic.) Exhibitors will be asked to mark all species planned to exhibit at the county fair when signing in at the club meeting or countywide make-up clinic. If members do not attend a club clinic or countywide make-up Quality Assurance Clinic, they will be ineligible to exhibit and show livestock at the Fairfield County Fair.
Additional Quality Assurance Training Options

There are opportunities at different clinics, meetings, & livestock shows around the state offering approved QA training. Examples of these types of sessions that would fulfill an exhibitor’s Quality Assurance requirements are: the Ohio Beef Expo, OSU Junior Swine Day, Bi-State Youth Poultry Clinic and other counties countywide Quality Assurance clinics. For a list of approved QA Training events throughout the state, contact the OSU Extension Office. If a club member chooses to attend one of these types of sessions, they need to provide the OSU Extension Office with proof of attendance by June 30th, 2018 so accurate records will be available for verification if necessary.

Quality Assurance Deadlines: Fairfield County 4-H and FFA Junior Fair Exhibitors MUST complete Quality Assurance by June 30, 2018 to meet the QA requirement for the 2018 Fairfield County Junior Fair. Additionally, if any exhibitor plans to exhibit at the Ohio State Fair, please note that there is a NEW ODA Rule change that states you must completed Quality Assurance 45 days prior to exhibition. Therefore, please be mindful of the dates of the Ohio State Fair and the time you complete your QA.

Fairfield County Earth Camp – Seeking Campers and Volunteers!

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Here is some information about the upcoming Earth Camp program which is sponsored by the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Recycling Program, Fairfield County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Fairfield County Parks.

They are currently in need of 12-15 students grades 9 and up to volunteer for the 3 day camp. This year it will be hosted at Smeck Historical Farm and Park on Basil Road in Baltimore. Attached is a flyer with more information (for campers: Earth Camp Flyer) as well as a flyer about volunteer information: Earth Camp Flyer Volunteers Needed. We will do a short training for the camp volunteers and paperwork for background checks for any students that are 18 and over. Feel free to pass this along to anyone you think would be interested, thank you so much!

For more information, contact Chad Reed with Recycling & Litter Prevention – Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency via phone: 740.205.8007. Thanks

Attention Sheep Exhibitors: Ohio Cheviot Breeders Starter Flock Award

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The Ohio Cheviot Breeders Association (OCBA) is seeking applicants for the Jim Cluff Memorial Starter Flock Award. The OCBA started the contest in 1994 to award a starter flock to an Ohio youth up to 17 years of age. The purpose of the award is to introduce the youth to the enjoyment of raising and owning a purebred Cheviot sheep, as well as encouraging the growth of new Cheviot breeders in Ohio. The contest winner will receive the following: a one-year membership in the Ohio Cheviot Breeders Association, one bred ewe the first year, one ram the second year and in the third year the youth will donate a lamb to continue the award. The application deadline is September 30, 2018. For an application and contest rules, please contact Bob Hunter at rpkjhunter@msn.com or 614-483-3202.

Ohio State Fair Livestock Judging Contest Information

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Ohio State Fair Livestock Judging Contest Friday, July 27, 2018 in the Voinovich Livestock Center Show Arena: An opportunity for youth to develop and practice livestock judging skills in both breeding and market classes of beef, goats, sheep, and swine. FFA members must be 4-H members in order to participate. Registration is due Friday, July 13, 2018. For more information, including the rules, go to ohio4h.org/events/livestock-judging-contest or contact Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.