WEBSTER COUNTY 4-H & FFA FAIR JUST AROUND THE CORNER

The 105th Webster County Fair at Bladen, Nebraska begins Friday July 8th with the annual clean-up.
The first  events start at 1:00 pm on clean-up day when 4-H youth bring their favorite recipes for home made ice cream and  participate in an ice cream roll.  The ice cream made using duct tape, coffee cans and ice will then be judged.
The Working Ranch Horse Competition is set to begin at 7:00 pm on Saturday evening, July 9th and features 4-H and FFA exhibitors working their horse through events that emulates tasks that would be required on a cattle ranch. Sunday, July 10 the 4-H & FFA Horse Show begins at 9:00 am.
The 4-H music contest and fashion show is at 7:00 pm at the Blue Hill high school gymnasium in Blue Hill on Monday evening July 11.
Tuesday, July 12 the home environment, miscellaneous agriculture exhibits, foods, horticulture, photography, and other static exhibits will be judged.  
The 4-H and FFA Poultry and Rabbit show starts at 8:30 am Tuesday.
All other livestock with the exception of 1st year bucket calves and stocker feeders will be checked in and weighed throughout the day. Please check your Webster County fair premium book for exact times for each species.
The 4-H/FFA Sheep Show starts at 8:30 am on Wednesday morning, July 13.
The 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Show will follow the 4-H and FFA Sheep Show.
Once again there will be a “Best Dressed Goat” contest held at the conclusion of the live show.  This always proves to be entertaining.
 The 4-H/FFA Beef Show begins with  the Beef Showmanship contest Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
 The 4-H/FFA  dog show begins at 4:00 pm with the cat, small and exotic animal show at 7:00 pm
Thursday, July 14 at 8:30 am is the 4-H and FFA Swine Show. The swine show includes a breeding gilt class which is separate from the market swine show.
The First Year Bucket Calf competition will be held Thursday and includes record book review, an interview and a complete bucket calf evaluation and showmanship event.
Thursday  the State Fair qualifying Round Robin Showmanship contest startis at 2:30 pm.
 The final even thursday will be an Ak-Sar-Ben qualifying 4-H/FFA Beef Team Fitting Contest starting at 4:00 pm.
The 4-H/FFA Market and Breeding Beef show begins Friday, July 15, starting at 8:30 a.m. with finals of the Webster County Beef Showmanship. The top two senior and top two intermediate beef showmen will be determined at the Wednesday afternoon show, and will come back on Friday morning to compete for Grand Champion Beef Showman under a different judge.

July 16th, Saturday, 9 AM  The annual 4-H and FFA Livestock Premium Auction and special Webster County Youth Foundation activities will include a  Silent Auction with items donated by area businessmen and producers to benefit of the Foundation.
 Premium on the Grand Champion of each species will  be sold at the beginning of the auction with the opportunity for the buyer to have their picture taken with the animal and exhibitor that they are supporting. The a copy of the picture will be given to them and  to local newspapers.
The Rainbow Classic,  pre-4-H youth   showing their pets and/or sibling’s exhibits in front of a special guest  judge will be held Saurday at 12:30pm.

The Webster County Junior Leaders will also sponsor a “Boot Scramble” each night before the rodeo with two age groups – 4 to 6 and 7 to 9.
All exhibits will remain in place throughout the day on Saturday until evening so that fair-goers  have an oppertunity to see the exhibits . This includes static exhibits at the 4-H Exhibit Hall and the animals from the livestock barns.
  “Champions Under the Lights” will again feature and highlight the  Grand Champions and Reserve Grand Champions in the market division of  beef,  sheep, goat, rabbit and poultry.  They will be  penned in the show arena under the lights of the arena,  swine will be highlighted on the west end of the hog building. The other exhibits will be in the barns.
The champions in the 4-H Exhibit Hall will be highlighted in the “Marilyn Davis Hall of Fame”.
All non-auction exhibits will be released at 11:00 pm on Saturday night or Sunday morning before noon. All leaders, 4-H and FFA youth, parents are expected back at the fairgrounds on Sunday morning (July 17) to load out the market animals on the trucks for the buyers and to participate in the post-fair clean-up day.

The 4-H and FFA events are just one part of the Webster County Fair.  Open Class Exhibits, vendors and booths, and Moore’s Greater Shows  Carnival make up the rest of the fair.
The Webster County Rodeo on Thursday, July 14 includes  a free Beef Barbeque beginning  5:00 pm followed by a watermelon feed, the Rodeo Princess Contest, and registration for the KRVN Bighorn Diamond Edition Truck from 5:00-7:00 pm.
The Friday Rodeo"s theme is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” night with a portion of the gate going to support the fight against cancer.  The Pork Barbeque begins at 5:00 pm and ends with a dance with music provided by “Sweetwater.” Saturday  the Demolition Derby starts at 4:00 pm.  South Central Cattlemen are offering steak sandwichs  from 4:00 pm til gone.  Sweetwater returns.
. There is the traditional wild cow race each night of the rodeo and a chance to win a special Montana Silver belt buckle.
For a more complete list of activities or any questions concerning the youth portion of the fair, please contact the Webster County extension office in Red Cloud at 402-746-3417 or check out the web site at: http://www.webstercountyfair.org/

There will be reserved parking for 4-H and FFA members and parents again this year. Vehicle and camper parking will not be allowed on the rodeo grounds but a special lot located east of the sheep barn has been set up for camper parking. This area requires passes that can be obtained from the 4-H office at the fairgrounds. Livestock trailers and vehicles are expected to be parked at the lot located to the east of the beef barns on the Timm/Sorensen lot.