No County Fair is complete without a 4-H exhibit.
It’s a time for kids and teens in the program to display their hard work, whether it’s an animal they’ve raised, a piece of art they’ve made, a vegetable they’ve grown or anything in between.
But Oneida County 4-H also wants to give any kid, whether or not they’re involved with 4-H, the opportunity to learn at this year’s Oneida County Fair.
4-H educator Anne Williams said getting them together is even more important this year.
“4-H in Oneida County grew during the pandemic, but so many of our new 4-H’ers are still exploring what 4-H is all about. They’re exploring and trying out different topics and skills to explore. So we’re anticipating a possible lower number of exhibits but we’re also offering a lot more in-person activities. We’re encouraging 4-H’ers to come to the fair, to see how judging is done, to see what 4-H can offer. We want to keep inspiring youth,” said Williams.
New this year, 4-H is holding “Learn by Doing” workshops at the fair.
There’s three different workshops:
- “Make a Mars Rover” or “Make a 4-H Glider” Available anytime between 10-Noon inside the 4-H Tent. For youth in grades K-12. The 4-H Airplane glider is great for youth in grades K-3, is made of soft balsa wood, has an 8-inch wing span, and includes four easy-to-build pieces. The Mars Rover allows youth to use engineering skills. Cost is Free/4-Hers or $5/non-enrolled youth. Youth can enroll in 4-H for free anytime, even minutes before building. Parental or caregiver assistance may be needed for youth in grades K-6. Supplies are limited.
- “Make a Boat” workshop: 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 31, at the 4-H Tent on the Fairgrounds. For youth in grades 4-12. Use common materials to explore buoyancy and power! Design a working electric motor boat with this activity. Find a hull out of recycled materials, add the motor, propeller and other components. Learn through experimentation and tinkering. Evolve your boat through the engineering design process. Cost is $5/4-Hers or $10/non-enrolled youth. Youth can enroll in 4-H for free anytime, even minutes before building. Parental or caregiver assistance may be needed for youth in grades 4-6. Supplies are limited.
- “Junk Drawer Robotics” Challenge: 3:30-5 p.m. Saturday, July 31, at the 4-H Tent on the Fairgrounds. For youth in grades 4-12. Cost is Free/4-Hers or $5/non-enrolled youth. Youth can enroll in 4-H for free anytime, even minutes before building. Supplies are limited.
“For all youth to experience 4-H which is all about learn by doing. Science, Technology, engineering, math is a really important and growing field so these topics, these hobbies to explore are really popular right now. We thought they’d be a lot of fun,” said Williams.
It is recommended you arrive at the start time so the kids don’t miss any of the instructions.
4-H’ers will also be showing pieces at the exhibit.
“Those judges are really wanting to look and see what did the youth learn, what could they do differently next time, how does what they did fit into their life, what could their goals be for next year. For youth, brining something to the fair to be judge, it’s really exciting,” said Williams.
The Oneida County Fair runs July 29th through August 1st at Pioneer Park in Rhinelander.
