This week should have been one of the most fun weeks of the summer in Wright County. There should have been row after row of cars parked out at the Wright County Fairgrounds. There should have been barns full of animals and a 4-H building filled with homemade crafts, woodworking, photography, flowers and more for the public to look at and enjoy. There should have been Barnyard Olympics and grandstand shows and free stage performances…but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, none of that will be happening this year. The Wright County Fair made the pain-staking decision several weeks ago in an effort to put safety first. That does not mean, however, that the hard work of 4-H and FFA members will go unjudged. On the contrary, the board worked diligently to make COVID-safe options for any members who chose to still enter their chosen project areas.
Allison Whaley, co-leader of the Eagle Grove 4-H Club, The Wright Warriors, and Wright County Fair Board member, stated, “I was very adamant that we offer something for our youth, but was even more adamant that public health, law enforcement, and the board of supervisors be on board with what we wanted to do. It was a very emotional decision, but I had to think objectively. I am excited about what our Fair Board has come up with for plans and I look forward to implementing them.”
Static Entries
The first of these safety precautions, keeping within the CDC and IDPH guidelines, applies to how the 4-H static entry exhibits will be judged. Only one group per designated time slot was allowed in the 4-H building for judging on Tuesday, July 7. Only one parent, if necessary, will be allowed in the building with them to help carry exhibits. Judges will be spread out throughout the building instead of all centrally located as in the past. Judges will be behind window shields and participants are encouraged to wear a mask. Large projects will be judged outside on the trailer or truck. If youth/parents aren’t comfortable with face to face judging with social distancing, they are able to drop off projects and be given written comments from the judge. Food entries will not be tasted. All projects will be immediately taken home after they have been judged – with the exception of those that will be considered for State Fair – more on that later since the 2020 State Fair has already been cancelled to the public. Fashion Revue and Communication entries were judge individually at the Wright County Extension Office, to replace the “Share the Fun and Fashion Revue.”
Livestock
Livestock entries will work similarly. Participants will be judged one at a time. They will not all line up for ribbon presentations. They will instead be awarded individually. 4-H and FFA members and their livestock are being released immediately after judging and are required to have all livestock and items removed no more than two hours after the completion of the show to allow staff to clean the facilities.
In today’s world, food safety and animal husbandry are some of animal producers’ biggest responsibilities. The herdsmanship program at the county fair each year is a great way to help youth better understand animal care and showcase this to the community.
According to a press release sent out Friday, June 26, changes for this have also been put into place. Herdsmanship is typically judged at the fair but they realize the contest truly starts at home so The Wright County Corn Growers Association has asked participants this year to show how they are adapting to the changes and preparing for the fair!
Contest Details:
• Take a photo of the exhibitor(s) taking care of their livestock project at home
• Send the photo and a short description on how you care for your livestock at home
• Send the photo, description, exhibitor name, club name & t-shirt size to
• All participants will be awarded a contest t-shirt at their species’ show
• Submissions were due Friday, July 3.
Photos were placed on the Wright County Fair Facebook page.
Public Viewing
Although the general public will not be allowed at any of the judging events, the board is exploring options to live stream each show so others not able to attend can have the opportunity to watch virtually.
“Overall, I have been very pleased with the responses we have received about our modifications to the 2020 Wright County Fair. I realize it is not going to be as much ‘fun’ and there are youth that chose not to participate since it wasn’t going to be a normal fair experience, and that’s okay, too,” said Whaley.
State Fair
A press release received Wednesday, July 1 stated that despite the cancellation of the 2020 Iowa State Fair, 4-H youth across the state will still have the opportunity to receive state level recognition through a virtual celebration. They will highlight 4-H exhibits, Communication entries, and Clothing Selection events that were chosen at the County level to advance to the Iowa State Fair. Each selected exhibitor will provide one or more photos, an exhibit “write-up” and a brief summary of the exhibit. For communication events, video links will be submitted. Clothing participants will provide one or more photos, the event report form and a style show narrative. They will also receive ribbons for their entries.
The press release stated that a public showcase of all entries will be made available using the photos of entries and summary information. The public exhibition will be released during the originally planned Iowa State Fair dates, Aug. 13-23.
For more information on the Iowa 4-H Youth Development program, please contact your Iowa State University Extension and Outreach county office or visit the Iowa 4-H website at www.extension.iastate.edu/4h.
