Thayer County Special Edition Fair

Find Link Here for doing your Pre-Entries. Please read and follow the instructions. A paper copy was mailed to each family the end of June to be used to organize your thoughts. You must enter your information on the fairwire system.

Each entry that is made on this link costs your 4-H Council. So please be respectful and mindful when making your entries.

Club Leaders, please check the SCHEDULE for the Fair Clean Up Assignments.

Each club, independents, and FFA are assigned for duties to get ready for fair.

Many hands make light work for all, so please do your part.

The item you are assigned PRE fair is also the item you are assigned POST fair. Lists are subject to change if additional duties need to be done.

Thanks to everyone who helps us prepare for fair!

Utilizing this Sign Up helps to control the chaos and spread out the process alleviating stress for exhibitors, superintendents, volunteers, and staff. Please sign up for a time that best fits your schedule to drop off and enter your static items. Please have all tags attached to your projects before entering them.

During Check In you will have the opportunity to sign up for interview judging. This lets you meet with and talk to the judge about your project. It is an excellent learning experience for youth, so I would like to encourage you to consider this. Sign up sheets will be available that night in the respective areas when you drop off your items. Please sign up for that as you are dropping of items.

Each 4-Her, and their family are asked to work a shift in the food stand. This helps raise money to support our program. We have re worked to make the shifts more productive, and allow for more flexibility. We are asking that a responsible ADULT only sign up for the grill master position. This person will be in charge of cooking the meat on the grill, and should dress appropriately for this. ALL 4-Her's are considered to be YOUTH, not adults, regardless of age. Sign Up

Please be sure to contribute a pie to the 4-H Food Stand. Money raised at the Food Stand also helps support 4-H programs in Thayer County. Each 4-H member is asked to furnish a pie. Pies need to be brought to the food stand early in the day that you sign up for, so that they have a good selection is available for meal times. This also allows time for them to be cut and packaged. Thank you for signing up and filling all available spaces!

Bring a cake to the Auction. This is your chance to help our council raise money to support 4-H programs in Thayer County. The money raised at the Auction is split between the Council and the 4-H family making the cake. At this time, we are asking 4-H age kids to reserve a spot and it is not open for Clover Kids. If spots do not fill, we may open to Clovers at a later date.

NEW, this year, if you would like to enter your decorated cake/item as a static exhibit, it will be release after we take a picture for the display. Make sure you let extension staff know at check in. Be sure to take your cake immediately after judging, for proper storage. You will be responsible for bringing the cake to the 4-H Night in the Grandstand on August 7 at 7 pm and stay to present and thank your buyer for their donation. Spots are limited, so be sure to sign up early! 4-H Council would like to thank you for your help!

NEW this year, Ice Cream Contest will go in rounds!

Clover Kids starting at 4 pm,

Juniors starting at 5 pm,

Seniors starting at 6 pm

All at the Deshler Fairgrounds. Find your recipes and scorecards available HERE . Be creative with flavor and have fun. Ice will be furnished compliments of the Thayer County FairBoard. Be sure that you entered this contest when entering your PRE-Fair entries on Fairwire.

NEW THIS YEAR, August 1 will be a busy day!!

9 am - Companion Animal and Dog Show

11 am - Culinary Challenge Contest (formally Favorite Foods Please see new contest rules)

4 pm - Fashion Show Judging

7 pm - Public Fashion Show & Performing Arts Contest

• Companion Animals make sure those pets that do NOT have a species show of their own during fair. See page 186 in the fairbook for details.
• Dog Information may be found starting on Pg.183 of the fairbook. Don't forget to get your vaccination records in by July 19. If you have questions or need help selecting show leads, or collars please let the office know.
• Culinary Challenge (formally Favorite Foods) is using SOY as the 2024 Challenge Ingredient.
• Information for this contest may be found in the fairbook pg 25 and more information may be found HERE. Be sure you entered these contests on your PRE-Fair Entries, Due July 19.
• Fashion Show judging will start at 4 pm. This is where you model for the judge the clothing you have made, and the judge selects the ribbon you will receive later that evening at the Public Fashion Show. Your narrative for the Fashion Show is due July 19! Find the link HERE.
• Performing Arts/Music Contest will be spaced in between Fashion Show entries. The LINK for the entry form is due July 19! This is open to the public and we invite you to come watch, and invite friends and relatives.

If you are a Horse Exhibitor, Horse Show will be Saturday, August 3 @ Deshler. Rain Date if needed, will be August 4 @ Nelson. Patterns will be available and released on the county website on Friday Night (August 2). That way everyone has the same advantage and access to this information on August 2 @ 9:00pm

If you are showing Registered Animals, please make sure that you bring the registration papers with you to the fair OR send a copy to the Extension Office to attach with your records. This will need to be in hand or on file in order to show in a Registered Breed Class, and records will be checked at Check In.

New This year: Each families please fill out this form so we can more accurately assign pens, stalls, and cages. Please be respectful of the space and do NOT add more pens, cages, or stalls then you will practically need. https://forms.office.com/r/CiQpzdTjac Complete by July 22nd!

Just like in previous years the winners of each species in herdsmanship get to selection the area they would like to be stalled. Please have club leaders/FFA Advisors contact Rachel ASAP to reserve their spot.

The 2023 Winners were:

Beef-Bruning-Davenport FFA

Sheep-Byron Country Critters & Fantastic 4-H Friends (tied)

Goats-Big Green

Swine-Independents

Horse-Little Blue County Kids

Poultry-Oregon Trail Stockmen

Rabbit-Willing Hands

There are three parts to the Bucket Calf Project. Bucket Calf Winner is calculated on #1 The Interview, #2 The Record Book, and #3 The Live Show Placing.

Sign up for Interview HERE for Interviews will last only about 15 minutes, and will give you time to talk and explain what you have learned. The judges have the opportunity to ask you questions about your project. Don't wait until the last minute to work on your record book, and have it complete and ready for the judges to review at the interview. You may find the Record Book Here.

Unfortunately the new cages that we used for the first time last year have some down falls. We want you to be aware of these issues. When removing litter, tray toe nails can get caught between the tray and the cage, causing the nail to be removed. As exhibitors you should be to be prepared to remove your animals while cleaning litter trays during the fair or bring something to help safe guard your animals.

As a poultry producers, you are aware of Avian Influenza. As a form of monitoring this disease the Nebraska Department of Ag conducts periodic surveillance testing. Without this surveillance program it would more difficult to export poultry to other states, and would affect the poultry industry in Nebraska as well. We do not know if they will be testing at our fair, as this is a random process. However, we would like for you to understand the process and be an informed Poultry Producers. Below, is some information they have shared with us. So if you see this happening at our fair, please don't be alarmed. Help us educate the public by educating yourselves and understanding the process.

· NDA’s AI testing protocol involves sampling a maximum of five birds from each exhibitor using a tracheal swab. The swabbing procedure does not harm the birds. This program is funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

· NDA’s testing for PT will be completed with a drop of blood from the wing vein.

Click HERE for more information about protecting your flock and learning options.

Because our fair is so late, some on the State Fair deadlines will be occurring during our fair! Contest & Livestock Deadline is August 10th @ 8pm. STATE FAIR LINK

After clicking the link, scroll down to “Online Entry Information” and click the navy blue box that reads 4-H/FFA ENTRY.

So we are urging you to plan accordingly and not stress yourselves out trying to met these deadlines.

Reminder to get your t-shirt before we move to the fairgrounds on July 29th. Again the last two shirt designs are acceptable to show in, either the red or grey. Shirts are courtesy of Nate Casey and Thayer County Farm Bureau. If you are new to 4-H, or have changed sizes, stop by we will have them available at the office in Hebron.

4-H Seniors please call the office if you have plans on participating in the Senior 4-Her float during the fair parade this year. Also, let us know if a parent would like to drive/provide vehicle/float. We have decoration here at the office as well as thing they could throw out into the crowd.

Superintendents for both animals and static please make time to make it to a the superintendent meeting. July 30th at the fairgrounds in Deshler.

Static will be at 6:00pm

Animal will be at 7:00pm

Please take a look at the document provided by the livestock auction committee. If you have any questions Chance and Heathers contact information is provided in the letter.

September 16th @ 7pm Thayer County Fairgrounds.

Email: thayer-county@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/southernplains/
Location: 225 North 4th Street, Hebron, NE, USA
Phone: 402-768-7212
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernPlainsExt