4 Tips for the 4-H Fair

Ready for another Everyday Adventure? Use these tips to check out your 4-H fair!

If it isn’t fair time in your neck of the woods, it will be soon.  As both of my kids are involved in 4-H we spend a LOT of time at the fair.  Lucky for us, it’s a really great one.  The Hamilton County Fair is all about the kids and 4-H.  That means no rides and very little commercial “stuff.”  The food is all local churches, groups and/or food producers, very few booths selling things, and overall a great and simple family experience.

If you haven’t been to your fair lately, go check it out and follow these tips to get the most out of your day:

  •  Enjoy the food.  We are very healthy eaters, but I don’t worry about the occasional tenderloin or milkshake at the fair.  To make it a little better (and so we can try more), we typically split whatever we purchase.  One of the things I love about our fair is the price of the food – where else can you get a lemonade for 50 cents or an ear of fresh Indiana corn for $1.50?  It is a little challenging for my daughter who doesn’t eat meat, so one day she enjoyed a milkshake at the fair and then we picked up sushi on the way home for her dinner – there’s always a workaround!

Food at the 4-H Fair

  •   Explore the projects.  If you are visiting a true 4-H Fair, there will be projects.  Lots of projects. The kids who submitted them worked hard (I can attest to an eight hour day of cooking in our household!). Until I had kids in 4-H, we never bothered to visit the project areas, and boy were we missing out!  There are some really amazing and interesting projects created by the 4-Hers. Take a little bit of time and see what you can find – you’ll see everything from beautiful photography to creative artwork.  Very cool.

Projects at the 4-H Fair

  • Check out special events.  Every fair has a variety of special events that can really enhance your visit.  Each year we find something new to check out or even participate in.  For example, our fair has a pet parade, cat show, public speaking and demonstrations, a Farmer’s Olympics, food auction and dozens of other fun things to do and see.  Most fairs have a schedule that is either posted on one of the buildings, offered in a flyer format, or maybe just posted as a sign when you enter.  Look for the schedule (ask a volunteer if you need to) and pick something new for you to check out – it’ll be entertaining and show you a whole new side to the fair.

  • Don’t forget the animals. For those of us who live in the suburbs, it’s fun to visit all the animals.  There are usually a few babies to see and lots of very well-cared for farm animals.  We love walking through the barns and checking them all out.  It’s a chance to pet and see up close a nice variety.

Animals at the 4-H Fair

Do you typically go to the fair in your area? What is your favorite part of visiting?

Pin for later: 

Enjoy the 4H Fair