Last Day for Advisors to make Junior Fair Entries – Friday, August 31st!

Thank you to those advisors that have turned in their Junior Fair Entries.  As of Wednesday, August 29th we were at approximately 50 % of the clubs turning entries into the Senior Fair O.  Remember – you have until 4:00 p.m. on Friday August 31st to get your entries to the Senior Fair Office. This is this Friday and earlier than in past years!  The Senior Fair Office has to process the entries and then they come to our office for the actual entry into the program that provides superintendents with the information they need for their shows. The earlier you get your entries in, the earlier we can get them processed. Advisors are the only people who can turn in entries into the Senior Fair Office on behalf of the 4-H Club/FFA Chapter.

Best wishes Ellen!

We would like to send a heartfelt, BEST WISHES, to Ellen Shaw who will be retiring from the OSU Extension Office in Fairfield County on August 31, 2018. Thank you Ellen for your time, service, and so much more that you have given to 4-H families, volunteers, and the general public who have walked through our doors or called us by phone! Enjoy your retirement and we will miss you here at the office!

Nominate Person/Business for the Friend of the Junior Fair Award!

Friend of Fairfield County Junior Fair Award – Download application here: 2018 Friend of Fairfield County Junior Fair Award

Agricultural education students / FFA members and teachers, 4-H members and advisors, Junior and Senior Fair volunteers, and Fairfield County community members are encouraged to nominate a person in the community that has had a strong influence in agriculture and has contributed to the lives of Junior Fair members and the Fairfield County Junior Fair.

Nominees will be invited to the Junior Fair Panorama at the Fairfield County Fair on Sunday, October 7th, 2018 beginning at 7:00 p.m. The award will be presented that evening.

Application due September 7th, 2018 to the Fairfield County OSU Extension Office – 831 College Avenue, Suite D, Lancaster, Ohio 43130.

Previous Friend of the Junior Fair Award Winners

Year           Name of Recipient

2017             Sue Suttles

2016             Dave Benson

2015             Phil Miller

2014             Linda Landis

2013             Diana Sines

2012             Judy Schurtz

2011             Tim Turner

2010             Cheryl Majors

2009             Greg Coulter

2008             Janet Downs

2007             Joel Spires (1st year for award)

4-H Livestock Project Book Competitions

Exhibitor project record books will be judged as part of the Premier Exhibitor Contests for each livestock species (this is required for consideration in any species’ Premier Exhibitor Contest).

However, you do not need to be participating in the Premier Exhibitor Contest to turn in a book and be considered for the Project Book Competition (separate awards will be awarded!).

There will also be a tiebreaker question that youth who are participating in the 4-H Project Book Competition need to answer when they drop off their book at each species’ weigh-in. Project books MUST be turned in at fair weigh-in/check-in and will be judged during fair week. Awards will be presented for each species’ competition at their respective shows.

Please Remember to THANK YOUR SPONSORS!

We need to make sure our sponsors receive thanks and appreciation for supporting Fairfield County’s youth. This would include applying for the Bertha Wilson Scholarship, receiving awards at Summerfest, as well as receiving awards at the Fairfield County Junior Fair.

Please make sure if you are receiving awards (or have received awards already this year), to write a thank you note to your sponsor for these awards. Several people took lots of time making sure there was an address label for your particular sponsor on the back of rosettes/ribbons and attached to trophies.

Please note that we often lose sponsors because they do not receive a note of appreciation and thanks from our youth members receiving the awards that they have sponsored. If a member is not sure of their sponsor for an award received at Summerfest or the Fair, please contact the Extension Office and we will help you get the information you need.

We also strongly encourage youth to share information about their project, award(s) received, and perhaps a picture! Sponsors really enjoy reading this information.

4-H Booths and 4-H Display Barn – Fair Information

The 4-H Display Barn will house ALL still projects. Clubs who submitted a booth request by September 7th will receive a letter from our office with the location of your booth and other fair details in a couple weeks. If your club has a booth, all still projects will go in the club’s booth.

Gardening/Crop Projects will be brought to the 4-H Display Barn during set-up times and will be displayed together in a central location in the AgMazing AgriCenter (Ed Sands Building). Please check with the 4-H Display Barn staff present to complete an exhibit card.

There will be a special area in the 4-H Display Barn for all State Fair Clothing Participants – so these projects will not be displayed in the club’s booth.

If your club is not having a booth, there will be a special area in the 4-H Display Barn for your member’s projects to be displayed. A reminder that in order for a member to receive a premium for their project, it MUST BE DISPLAYED the entire week of the fair! 

As a reminder, there is not a them for the 4-H Display Barn this year – it’s your club’s choice! Please note, no straw is permitted in the displays including bales! The use of feathers is also prohibited from 4-H Display Barn displays.

4-H Display Barn Setup will be Friday, October 5th from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 6th from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. 4-H Display Barn Tear Down is Sunday, October 14th from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ONLY – no early removals!

4-H Display Barn Guards/Volunteers NEEDED for Fair Week!

To help cut down on vandalism or theft in the 4-H Display Barn at the fair, we ask that all clubs with booths (and even if your club doesn’t have a booth), to have adults volunteer to serve as 4-H Display Barn Guards. Shifts available are for a 2-hour period each day of the fair. Ideally, we would like to have 2-3 people volunteer in teach time slot. Volunteers can be parents, advisors, or older 4-H members who are age 16 or older.

4-H Display Barn Guards watch the area and answer visitors’ questions. They provide information about 4-H to 4-H Display Barn visitors and ensure the safety of the exhibits. At the start of the shift, we ask volunteers to please sign-in at the Volunteer Station at the Broad Street (New Door) entrance area. This year, the Garage Door will be kept shut to help with the dust on the projects. 4-H Display Barn Guards will find badges to wear to identify themselves to the public. 4-H Display Barn Guards are welcome to sit at the station, but we ask that 4-H Display Barn Guards please be sure to make several trips around the building to make sure things are in place. Please be sure no one removes any exhibits AND there is absolutely NO SMOKING in the building (this is a big one) – please help remind visitors of this rule.

Thanks in advance! It’s important to protect the hard work of our young 4-H members while on display during the fair.