It is never too early to start thinking about your 2025 Market Rabbit project. If you are planning to take Market Rabbits to the Lawrence County Fair, please be sure to read this handout along with our Lawrence County Junior Fair Livestock Rules. Click each below for full information:

• Lawrence County Market Rabbit Information 
• Lawrence County Junior Fair Rules 

The ARBA.net website has breeder contacts and Jackson County has provided this list of breeders on their website: Jackson County Breeder List 

Our Committees are working to compile a list of our own, if you or someone you know is interested in being on a breeder list for our youth to contact, please visit: Lawrence County Breeder Contact Survey. Once we have compiled a list, we will house it at go.osu.edu/lawrencecountyjrfair

Please note, this is not advertisement for the businesses but just an effort to provide resources to our youth struggling to find animals for their 4-H and FFA projects.

I know it’s cold and snowy out this week, but it’s so exciting to see 4-H Club Meeting invites starting to pop up for the new year! With that, I know there are lots of things our 4-H volunteers, families, and even us as staff are trying to keep up with to make sure our families are informed the best we can! Here is our January newsletter with some reminders and some new information!

2025 4-H Online Enrollment

Don’t wait until the last minute to get enrolled. Enrollment is due March 15th, with changes accepted until March 31st. But, enrollment is open now! Enroll now at oh.4honline.com

Cross County Lines Policy Change

Many times we have members who go to school in Lawrence County but live in a neighboring county or have other reasons for wanting to join Lawrence County 4-H. Please note, the Ohio 4-H policy to accept members across county lines has been updated. All requests for Cross County Lines membership must be submitted at least 30 days prior to enrollment deadline. Therefore, February 15th will be the last day for Lawrence County 4-H Cross County Lines requests. Please be sure to check and make sure it also falls within 30 days of the county of residence, so you aren’t too late, if not approved.

If you or a youth seeking membership in your club lives across county lines, please see the policy and form for more details: Across County Lines 11.2024 fillable.pdf

If you are a current cross county lines member, there is NO change to your current membership and you are NOT required to complete the form, as your membership has already been accepted

2025 Lawrence County 4-H Volunteer Training

The Lawrence County 4-H In-Person Volunteer Training is set for Saturday, February 8th. We will begin with breakfast at 9:30am and training at 10:00am. It will be held at Chesapeake Elementary School and we do ask everyone pre-register to help us plan for breakfast by February 1: Volunteer Training Registration 

During this training we will complete all Ohio 4-H required training materials for 2025, go over new policies, learn from each other, and finish with 4-H Club Quality Assurance Assistant Instructor Training. If you wish to offer QA in your club, one volunteer from your club must attend that portion of the training.

Club packets will also be available then with lots of supporting documents and information to help our 4-H clubs be successful this year! It is highly encouraged that at least 1 volunteer from each club be present at this February 8th training.

The online volunteer training option will be available for those that can not attend, March 1 – 15th, again this year.

New Lawrence County 4-H Volunteers

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a new volunteer, please check out resources found here to complete the process: Become a Lawrence County 4-H Volunteer | Lawrence

Returning Volunteers Needing BCI Check Renewal 

Volunteers needing BCI rescreening should have received an email from 4-HOnline awhile back, we will be sending reminder emails this week but please note this needs to be complete by February 15th. Upon completion, please be sure to log in and enroll for the 2024-2025 4-H year to make it easier for OSU HR to find you when the BCI check has cleared, at oh.4holine.com.

You may also turn in your receipt to our office for Ohio 4-H reimbursement.

2025 Quality Assurance Livestock Training

Its that time of year to begin thinking about Quality Assurance! We have set some Lawrence County dates for trainings at the Extension Office, 4-H Club Volunteers who wish to be trained to offer it in their club may be trained on February 8th, and youth have options to complete YQCA online or test-out! All youth taking a livestock animal must complete Quality Assurance by May 1st.

Trainings at the Extension Office will be held March 25th and March 31st, time options for each date will be 5:00pm, 6:15pm, or 7:30pm.

Each time slot will be open to 20 people, you must pre-register here: https://go.osu.edu/lawcoQAreg

More information and a printable of QA options can be found here: Lawrence County Fair | Lawrence

2025 Lawrence County Fair News 

The 2025 Lawrence County Junior Fair Livestock Rules have been approved and are ready to help you prepare for the 2025 Fair Season! The Lawrence County Fair is going to be July 7th – 12th this year, with Junior Fair Livestock moving in on Sunday, along with a few other Junior Fair (4-H & FFA) events that day. Other things to note, is the addition of the Market Turkey project addition and a market chicken weight requirement for 2025. All rule changes are highlighted in yellow.

I would like to thank the Lawrence County 4-H Livestock Committee, the sub-committee scheduling team, and the Lawrence County Senior Fairboard Barn Committee for their work on the rules and schedules the last few months. They truly take into consideration all members and families, as well any recommendations brought to them throughout the year, as they carefully consider making adjustments to these rules; all while making sure we are complying and following the Ohio Department of Agricultures rules. If you have questions about these, please reach out to me, fraley.171@osu.edu or a 4-H Livestock Committee member for further information!

We will be providing education and more information around these rules at the Quality Assurance Trainings this Spring!

• 2025 Lawrence County Junior Fair Livestock Rules 
• 2025 Lawrence County Junior Fair Schedule

Also, to provide some clarity to questions around some of the ODA rules, please check out this FAQ sent from their team; specifically the article on the 5 Frequently Asked Questions: ODA Fairs and Exhibitions FAQ and Hot Topics Edition

2025 Market Turkey Orders

Reminder: NEW for 2025! Market Turkey exhibition is open! Members may show and sale market turkeys. To order Market Turkeys, members planning to exhibit must order by February 15th. Turkeys should arrive March 19 – 21st. To order visit: Market Turkey Order Form 

Canter’s Cave 75th Anniversary Banquet 

Canter’s Cave is celebrating its 75th Anniversary on January 25th and you are invited to attend! Cost is $40 per person or $350 for a table of 10, so gather your friends and enjoy an evening at camp together. For more information and the RSVP form, please visit: Celebrating 75 Years! | Canter’s Cave

RSVP’s are due January 17th!

2025 4-H Camp Counselor Applications 

The Lawrence County 4-H Camp Counselor Applications for Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp are now open! Any 14 year old, as of January 1, 2025, interested in serving as a camp counselor is encouraged to apply. The program description, requirements, and application can be found here: https://go.osu.edu/alpcounselorapp Deadline to apply is February 1, 2025.

2025 4-H Scholarship Applications

Lawrence County 4-H Seniors, there are scholarship opportunities available for you! Please check them out and apply here: Lawrence County 4-H Program | Lawrence

2025 Market Turkey Project 

NEW for 2025! Market Turkey exhibition is open! Members may show and sale market turkeys. To order Market Turkeys, members planning to exhibit must order by February 15th. Turkeys should arrive March 19 – 21st. To order visit: Market Turkey Order Form 

For all Market Turkey exhibition guidelines, please visit 2025 Lawrence County Market Turkey Fact Sheet

4-HOnline Enrollment Now Open!

March 15th may be the deadline, but 4-HOnline enrollment is open and ready for you to enroll in the new 4-H year. Visit https://oh.4honline.com to enroll! Returning users, please use your current family profile log in. If you need help remembering it, just contact our office. Returning volunteers who are due to have their background check rescreening should have received a 4HOnline email in the beginning of November, please re-enroll when you complete to help us track your background check and get you approved in a timely manner.

New Clubs & Volunteers

Are you or someone you know interested in becoming a volunteer or starting a new club? Helpful information can be found here:

• New Volunteers 
• New Clubs

Rome Guys & Gals 4-H Officer Training

The Rome Guys and Gals 4-H Office Training for all Lawrence County 4-H Club Officers scheduled for this weekend has been postponed! Thank you to the 4-H members and volunteers for their willingness to provide this opportunity and we hope when rescheduled 4-H club officers will attend!

Important 2025 Lawrence County Market Beef Tag-In Information 

Market Beef Exhibitors, Parents, and Club Advisors: Please read the blog post: https://u.osu.edu/lawrence4h/2024/12/04/important-2025-lawrence-county-market-beef-tag-in-information/  for important information regarding some changes to the 2025 Tag-In procedures for December 14th, 2024.

Lawrence County 4-H Volunteer In-Person Training has been scheduled!

It will be February 8th, 9:30 – 12pm, at Chesapeake Elementary. More details to come!

2025 Market Turkey Project 

NEW for 2025! Market Turkey exhibition is open! Members may show and sale market turkeys. To order Market Turkeys, members planning to exhibit must order by February 15th. Turkeys should arrive March 19 – 21st. To order visit: Market Turkey Order Form 

For all Market Turkey exhibition guidelines, please visit 2025 Lawrence County Market Turkey Fact Sheet

2025 4-H Camp Counselor Applications 

The Lawrence County 4-H Camp Counselor Applications for Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp are now open! Any 14 year old, as of January 1, 2025, interested in serving as a camp counselor is encouraged to apply. The program description, requirements, and application can be found here: https://go.osu.edu/alpcounselorapp Deadline to apply is February 1, 2025.

Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp Dates

2025 Lawrence County 4-H Scholarships 

Check out https://lawrence.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/4-h-forms-and-applications for scholarships available for our graduating seniors.

Farm Credit Mid-America Scholars Program
We are thrilled to announce the FARM CREDIT MID-AMERICA SCHOLARS program for 2025 (our 9^th year!). This program provides $5,000 in scholarship support over a two-year period and includes leadership development workshops and experiential travel. We are seeking the next generation of leaders who are passionate about making a difference in agriculture. Ideal candidates are current freshmen or sophomores in college, pursuing a degree in agriculture from universities in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee or Arkansas, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. For more details, please visit our website featuring last year’s Scholars: Meet the FCMA Scholars.

Customer Scholarship Program
We also offer $1,500 scholarships to students attending accredited two- or four-year colleges, universities or vocational/trade schools. Recipients of the CUSTOMER SCHOLARSHIP must be children or grandchildren of Farm Credit Mid-America customers pursuing a career in the agricultural industry. Current high school seniors, as well as college freshmen, sophomores and juniors, are welcome to apply.

If you know someone majoring in agriculture who would be a good candidate for either of these scholarships, please feel free to share this information with them. Applications can be found on our website. The deadline to apply for the Farm Credit Mid-America Scholars program is December 15, 2024, and the deadline for the Customer Scholarship program is January 15, 2025.

Over the past decade, Farm Credit Mid-America has awarded more than $2 million in financial and educational support to deserving students pursuing careers in agriculture. We greatly appreciate your support in helping us expand the impact of these scholarships on the next generation of agricultural leaders. I am happy to answer any questions about the scholarship programs. Please feel free to email or call me at randy.barbee@fcma.com or 502-494-5713.

2025 Market Project Tag In Dates

2025 Lawrence County Market Beef Exhibitors, 4-H Club Advisors, and Parents:

Please read the following information regarding changes to Market Beef Tag In requirements!

2025 Market Beef Tag In Info

Entering Animals Into 4-HOnline Handout: v2.Families.Adding.Animals

If you have questions, please contact Rachael at fraley.171@osu.edu or 740-533-4322.

We are excited to share a few things with you during our National 4-H Week Celebration of 4-H Beyond Ready!

• The Lawrence County 4-H Teen Leaders have begun meeting for the new year! Applications are due November 1 and can be found here: Teen Leader Application! We encourage any teen (14 and up as of January 1, 2025) to come to one of our introduction meetings; we have two remaining in the month of October:
  • Thursday, October 10th, 5:00pm at the Extension Office
  • Tuesday, October 22nd , 5:00pm at the Extension Office
• 4-H & FFA Blanket Fundraiser: Get your order in by October 18th in support of our Lawrence County 4-H & FFA Teens!

• Lawrence County 4-H Shooting Sports Meet & Greet will be October 27th, 2:00pm at 1049 State Route 217, Kitts Hill. Any youth, 9 years old (as of January 1, 2025) is welcome to attend to check out the 4-H Shooting Sports program and all the disciplines we have to offer!
• November 1st the New 4-H Enrollment year will open! You may begin logging into https://oh.4honline.com to enroll for the new year! Don’t wait until the March 15th deadline!
• Hold the Date: December 7! 4-H Officer Training hosted by Rome Guys and Gals 4-H Club, 10:00 – 12:00pm. Any youth interested in holding an Officer position should attend! Please contact Levi Martin by email at romeguysandgals4h@gmail.com for questions and to sign up!
• Market Beef Tag-In is scheduled for December 14th, 10:00 – 11:30am at Pratts Farm. All exhibitors planning to show a market beef animal at the 2025 Lawrence County Fair must bring their animals to tag-in to get an official fair ID.
• Lawrence County 4-H Volunteer In-Person Training has been scheduled! It will be February 8th, 9:30 – 12pm, at Chesapeake Elementary. More details to come!

It’s been a little over a month since we closed the gates at the Lawrence County Junior Fair. We are so thankful for such a great week, it takes so many to make the week successful for our youth and we are forever grateful for all the parents, volunteers, youth, senior fairboard and committee members who help make it happen! We look forward to working with our 4-H families who exhibit at the fair again next year. If you have feedback on the 2024 Junior Fair (4-H & FFA events) you would like to share or you have ideas for 2025 – please share those with us by emailing fraley.171@osu.edu.

Next up, we wanted to let you know about a few things:

• 4-H & Livestock Committee are looking for new volunteers! In September we will be hosting our Re-Organization meetings, where we will be voting on membership, officers, and begin planning for 2025. If you are interested in joining the committees, please notify Rachael at fraley.171@osu.edu of your interest!
  • 4-H Committee will be meeting on September 16th, 6:00pm at the Extension Office.
  • Livestock Committee will be meeting on September 19th, 6:00pm at the Extension Office.
• The 4-H Fall Campout originally scheduled for September 27-29th has been cancelled.
• 4-H School Enrichment Opportunities are available! If you are or know of a teacher looking for school enrichment opportunities, don’t forget about us and our resources! Please contact fraley.171@osu.edu for more information and to schedule your dates. A few we have available are:
  • Real Money, Real World, Financial Literacy
  • Chick Quest, Embryology
  • Rockets Away
  • Clovers Code
  • Cosi Water Kits (limit 50 kits available)
  • Botvin Life Skills
  • Mike Rowe Work Ethic SWEAT Pledge
• Ring on the River Beef Show sponsored by Farm Bureau is being held at the Fairgrounds again this year on September 29th!

2024 Pre-Fair Updates

First, I have a few quick requests:
• I was recently talking to a friend about leadership and then googled the definition of leader, “the best definition of a leader” was given as an option to view, I clicked it and it read “in general, the role of a leader is to coach, guide, and inspire others. They foster a collaborative culture and lead by example”. I share this because, during the county fair year after year – we get the opportunity to witness this throughout our youth, volunteers, and families. I encourage each of us to continue coaching, guiding, and inspiring; setting good examples along the way. Be positive and encouraging to one another!

• At 4-H Camp, we say, we always want to leave it better than we found it… let’s take pride July 6-13th in the beautiful fairgrounds we have available to us and leave it better than we found it. Walk through a dirty aisle in the barn? Grab some helpers and clean it up. Notice a bunch of trash in the stands? Throw it in the trash can as you walk by! It only takes a few seconds of many, to make light work!

Schedule Updates & Information

• Booth set up will not be happening from 9-12 on Saturday morning as indicated on the schedule. Please be aware the Pageant interviews will be taking place during that time and the 4-H Expo Center will be closed for the duration of judging. Booth set up, beautification check in will begin approximately around 2:00pm and the building will be left open for set up until 8pm. There will be time on Sunday, too! Please leave trash cans and flower pots to be judged near the 4-H shelter. At the end of the week, please remember to take this down by Saturday, July 13th at 6:00pm.

• Also note, Skillathon check in will now be at the 4-H Rabbit/Chicken Show Shelter. Members will check in, wait in the bleachers for their turn to participate in the skillathon. To help with flow, we hope clubs will utilize the following schedule:

• 12:00pm – Andis Cornhuskers, Arabia All-Stars,Backroad Haybalers, Barnbusters, Copperheads, Country Cousins & Kids
• 1:00pm –Country Rebels, Decatur Buckles & Boots, Dog Fork Haymakers, Farm Buddies, Farm Hands, Five-Mile Frontiersmen
• 2:00pm –Getaway Go-Getters, Gingham & Denim, Greasy Ridge Gang, Hilltop Crops & Critters
• 3:00pm –Kitts Hill Willing Workers, Over Yonder, Power Ranchers, Rabbiteers, Ranch Hands, Rome Guys & Gals
• 4:00pm –Scottown Farmer & Farmerettes, Silver Spurs, Southern Showstoppers, Starlite, Teen Leaders 4-H Club

Livestock exhibitors are expected to attend a barn meeting. There will be one at 10:30am and one at 6:00pm, Saturday July 6th.

• Due to the Feeder/Breeder show being moved back to Thursday, we have alotted time for the Old Timer Show after each of the large animal shows. We hope our “Old Timers” will still come out and support our 4-H and FFA organizations with their participation.

• Cloverbuds are invited to participate in the Cloverbud Interviews and Parade. Cloverbuds are encouraged to dress as their favorite animal in the parade and for the interview bring something they’ve worked on this 4-H year, something about their favorite animal, or both on Tuesday, July 9th at 1:00pm. After, Cloverbuds are invited to display the item they shared in the Cloverbud Corner on display in the building between the 4-H Expo Center and the Rabbit/Chicken Barn. Cloverbuds will also have carnival games on Thursday at 1:00pm at the 4-H Shelter.

• 4-H Experience It! Is an opportunity for youth to participate in an activity related to the 4-H projects being judging that day.

• Spice of Life Costume Contest is an fun time for livestock exhibitors to dress up in a costume with their project for a chance to win some fun prizes!

• NEW ANNOUNCEMENT! In the club packets, you will find Pizza Party ticket for all of our members! These tickets are to be used on Thursday! Thursday, the Finley Family, will be hosting a Pizza Party for our youth at the Senior Citizens Building from 11:00 – 2:00pm during this time the Senior Fairboard will be opening the rides from 11:30 – 1:30pm for all 4-H and FFA members only! Separate from this open ride time for our members, the Fairboard is also providing our youth with a ticket to be used on any day of their choice to be redeemed at the ride ticket booth for a free ride day!

• 4-H Showcase will highlight many successes throughout the week! We encourage our sewing projects to participate in the style show, our 4-H seniors will be recognized and special awards for our 4-H scholarship winners, volunteer recognition, overall 4-H project awards, and skillathon awards!

Wish there was a way to keep up with the schedule, shows, and any special 4-H related announcements during the week of the Fair? We are trying something new! Follow us on the Band App!
• Yes, this is different then the 4-H Now app that holds all of our 4-H specific information. This is a Band channel for 4-H Family communication during the week of the Fair. We hope to utilize it to make special announcements, keep people updated on show progress, and more! If this interests you, click to download the app:

Join our ‘4-H & FFA at the County Fair’ group on the BAND app. Get updates and stay connected! https://band.us/n/aea905V7B0Dai

4-H Code of Conduct
The County Fair is a place where the most 4-H members, volunteers, and families are all in one place at one time, participating in many events representing the Ohio 4-H and Lawrence County 4-H program. Please be mindful of the 4-H Code of Conduct youth and parents sign each year! Take a minute to read over the 4-H Code of Conduct for a quick reminder of those expectations!

Stall Assignments & Tack
Livestock exhibitors stall cards will be up by end of day Wednesday, July 3rd. We do this in hopes to give members time to prepare their pens for the fair. Do not move stall cards.

Large Animal Barn: Tack will have designated areas and two tents have been ordered for outside of the barn. The expectation is for grooming chutes to be in the beef tent or in other designated areas indicated throughout the outside of the barn. The lamb/goat tent will be for grooming and tack. Hogs will utilize the outside parameter of the hog end inside the barn for tack. There should be no tack up against the end outside row of pens.We hope this will allow for more air flow, more space for people to work with their animals, and cut down on the crowding in the barn.
Small Animal Barn: There is shelving provided for your feed and supplies. You will not need carpet squares, it is provided. Please keep the shelves clean and neat and be sure to ask if you need to borrow something from a neighbor! Your pen is your responsibility to clean out and it should be done at least twice a day. We know many times you are sharing with another exhibitor, create a schedule and share the duty.

Also, remember to hang your Thank You Signs for our Buyers! There will be a contest again this year and we love recognizing so many throughout or community who support our youth at the Livestock Sale.

Project Judging
This is a special time for our members to showcase their projects. Help them finalize their projects and be sure to read through the rules and guidance provided for your project type.
• 4-H Projects judged on Wednesday and Thursday should take a look at the project judging requirements in the 4-H Guidebook.
• Livestock Projects should make sure they are following the Junior Fair Livestock Rules.
Need to take a look at them again? They are available on our website at lawrence.osu.edu or our blog at u.osu.edu/lawrence4h and on our 4-H Now App!

Which leads me to our last point… please, please, please check out our blog, website, 4-H Now, and/or Facebook page! These are fabulous resources for all Lawrence 4-H information. We try hard to be available for your questions as they arise and many times, but not always, answers can be found in these resources! We are always willing to help you by-pass these resources and get your answers to you as fast as we can. But over the next 10 days – we know sometimes, we are a little slow at responding due to the high volume of calls, texts, emails, fires, and celebrations… so before you panic take a look at these resources – I promise they will be helpful too!

The countdown to Lawrence County Fair is on, meaning there is lots going on in the next few weeks that require additional updates!

• Reminder, Food & Clothing Judging is scheduled for this Tuesday, June 25th at Mamre Church on Kitts Hill. Please be sure to contact our office if you haven’t scheduled your interview yet.
  • Participants will have the opportunity to take Skillathon during their project judging. Clothing Skillathon exhibitors should be able to identify sewing supplies, parts of a sewing machine, hand stitches, and parts of a pattern. Food Skillathon should be able to identify best practices for food shopping using ads, as well as answer questions around food safety, myplaye, and food prep.
• We recognize Saturday of the fair can be very busy & some of you are interested in getting livestock skillathon done early! We have decided to host two pre-fair skillathon opportunities:
  • June 27th – 8:30 – 4:00pm, Extension Office
  • July 2nd – 3:00 – 6:00pm, Symmes Valley High School Lecture Hall

For Skillathon, participants will want to look over the study guide and bring their completed project book! Youth will also take part in a short interview about their project.

• Specialty Goat Exhibition Update: In 2023 the Specialty Goat Show was cancelled due to low exhibition which resulted in it not being on the schedule for 2024 until registration numbers came in to see if it was possible for this year. Unfortunately, the deadline for entry has passed and we have too few exhibitors to offer for 2024. We hope this project grows and makes a return in the future!
• Horse Show Registration is open! Registration to participate in classes during the horse show will be open until 1hr prior to the start of the show. Please register at this link: 2024 Horse Show Class Registration  Patterns will be posted one hour prior to start of the show!
•  Morgan Klaiber & Meredith Humphreys have news to share about a Master Exhibitor Opportunity:
  “This year we have a new opportunity for livestock exhibitors, with the help of our generous sponsors, we are offering a Livestock Sweepstakes. In years past, we have had beef breeding & market swine sweepstakes. Morgan and I were both fortunate to have received awards during our time as 4-H members. We wanted to offer this to all 4-H & FFA market exhibitors, to allow them to have a small incentive for all their hard work.
  Throughout the fair week, market exhibitors will receive points based on their placings in skillathon, quality market show, and showmanship. We have attached the point system below and potential ties will be broken according to skillathon scores and/or asking exhibitors general questions about the species that they are showing.
  Prizes will be awarded to the top three exhibitors for each species and are as follows:
  •1st Place- $100 and Livestock Sweepstakes champion banner
  •2nd Place- $75
  •3rd Place- $50
  Exhibitors will be awarded on Friday July 12th @5pm at the 4-H Showcase.”
• Yesterday evening, countless volunteers from senior fairboard, 4-H & Livestock Committee, Junior Fairboard and amazing 4-H families came out to set up pens in the barns! Trust me, it takes an army and some patience, and I am always grateful for the amount of people who are willing to jump in and help. So, thank you! We plan to have stall cards up on July 3rd so you can begin setting up your pen!
• Club Volunteers Pre-Fair Check In: Don’t forget pass pick up and club packets will be available for pick up on July 27th and receive the latest fair information and news to share with your members!
  • A couple things to note in preparation for the fair:
    • The posted fair schedule has a club booth set up time listed for 9 – 12:00pm and 2:00 – 8:00pm! Please use the 2:00 – 8:00pm; as the Expo will be closed from 9:00 – 12:00pm for Queens Contest Interviews!
    • All events listed in the 4-H Breezeway are going to be held in the old food booth/restaurant building between the grandstand and rabbit/chicken barn.
    • Barn Meeting expectation is all livestock exhibitors will attend a 10:30am or at 6:00pm on Saturday, July 6th. One tip we would like everyone to go ahead and start thinking about is animal care during the fair. Pens should be cleaned out regularly, animals should be fed and watered twice a day; with water made available regularly. If you are not planning to be at the fairgrounds for the duration of the fair, be working with your friends and family to set up a shared schedule to make sure animals are continually cared for at all times throughout the week. Barn committee will be doing checks between 7-8 am and 4-6pm each day!
      • Rabbit and Chicken exhibitors this includes that at the conclusion of the fair, your pen should be cleaned out prior to you going to the sale ring so that once you return with your animal, your duties are complete!

Hello!

We apologize for the delay in this newsletter, Rachael was away at 4-H Camp with our Lawrence County campers last week. But, we definitely have lots of information to share with you as the Lawrence County Junior Fair is only a little over 3 weeks from now!

• Lawrence County Fair Royalty Contest application deadline is June 14th. Applications can be turned in at our office for your convenience. You can find applications at Lawrence County Fair | Lawrence (osu.edu)
• Market Rabbit Tattooing is scheduled for June 15th from 8:00 – 10:00am. All rabbit exhibitors must bring your rabbits to tattooing on Saturday to the Lawrence County Fairgrounds for official ID.
• Breeding Forms due June 15th. All members planning to exhibit a breeding animal, breeding forms must be submitted by June 15th. To find your form, visit: Lawrence County Fair | Lawrence (osu.edu)
  • Fancy Poultry exhibitors: We would like to provide some clarification – A male/female pair will count as 1 entry. However, a pair is not required to participate.
• Fancy Poultry Pollorum Testing available Friday, June 21st from 9:30 – 10:30am at Randolph Stables, 764 County Road 31, Chesapeake. Cost is $10 per bird.
• Project Judging Requirements – can be found in the Lawrence County 4-H Guidebook by visiting here: Lawrence County 4-H Guidebook
• Food & Clothing Pre-Fair Judging is scheduled for June 25th at Mamre Church in Kitts Hill. There will be no make-up judging date this year. To reserve your interview slot, please register by June 15 by visiting: go.osu.edu/lawcoprefairjudging
• 4-H Project Judging (Wednesday/Thursday of Fair interview sign ups are now available!
  • Wednesday, July 10th: STEM, Animal Sciences, and Natural Resources – go.osu.edu/lawcowednesdayprojectjudging
  • Thursday, July 11th: Creative Arts, Communication, Career Exploration, Workforce Development, Healthy and Home Living, Leadership & Citizenship, Money Management, and Self Determined – go.osu.edu/lawcothursdayjudging
• Ohio State Fair Livestock Entries due June 21: Livestock Competitions (ohiostatefair.com)
• Club Advisor Fair Check-In will be Thursday, June 27th, our office will be open 8:00 – 4:30pm for pass pick up. During this time, club advisors will need to bring their club roster with verification of club meeting attendance and project book completion. As a reminder, all members must attend 5 meetings to receive their fair pass and be permitted to exhibit at the county & state fair by July 1.
• Lawrence County Fair 4-H & FFA Information such as the schedule, rules, skillathon study guide, etc can be found at Lawrence County Fair | Lawrence (osu.edu)
  • Additional new information release & important reminders includes:
    • The Finley Family will be sponsoring a pizza party for all 4-H & FFA youth on Thursday during the Fair from 11-2pm. During this time, the Lawrence County Senior Fairboard is providing a free ride time for the 4-H and FFA youth from 11:30 – 1:30pm. Volunteers will receive meal and ride tickets at the pass pick up day to distribute to members.
    • Livestock Skillathon is required again this year, members will participate during their scheduled club time on Saturday of the Fair. Schedule will be released by June 27th.
      • Just Added: Pop-Up Skillathon at the Extension Office, 8:30 – 4:00pm, June 27th for those that would like to get it done before the Fair.
      • Reminder, your project book will be checked for points & you will participate in an interview as part of skillathon.
    • The Barn Meeting is back and scheduled for 10am at the 4-H Shelter and 6:00pm at the Large Animal Barn on Saturday, July 6th. During the 6pm meeting there will be an exhibitor dinner for all 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors. All exhibitors are expected to attend a barn meeting. A few things to note as you start preparing your fair supplies, animal pens must be clean and presentable at all times, barn inspections will happen twice a day. If you are not staying on the grounds, please develop a schedule ahead of time to work with your fellow club members.
    • Chicken exhibitors – it has been recommended you find cardboard or old yard signs to place into the bottom of your pen, then place bedding on top of it, to keep your chickens from cutting their legs. Please note, these will also need to be cleaned and replaced as needed.
  • Club Beautification and Contest Participation registration can be found at: https://go.osu.edu/lawcofairclubparticipation
    • Club Beautification spot selection will be available on a first come, first serve basis during 4-H Club Fair Check In on June 27. After that, clubs will check in upon arrival at the fair on Saturday to select their spot.
    • For more information on the specifications of these projects, please check out the guidebook: Lawrence County 4-H Guidebook
  • Cloverbud Interview and Parade: Tuesday, July 9th starting at 1:00pm at the Large Animal Barn. This year we encourage Cloverbuds to come dressed as their favorite animal. For the interview bring any project they’ve worked on throughout the year or anything to do with their favorite animals!