Hartford County 4-H Fair

The annual 4-H fair will take place on Friday, August 14th through Sunday August 16th, 2015 at the Four Town Fairgrounds located on Egypt Road in Somers CT, just off of Route 83. Admission pricing is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and children 7-12, and free for children 6 and under. Friday Admission is free for Retired and Active Military with identification. Parking is free. All proceeds go directly to the Hartford County 4-H Fair Association to cover youth programs and fair operation expenses. Throughout the weekend, visitors are entertained with 4-H livestock exhibits and shows, amusements, non-animal exhibits and demonstrations, 4-H dog show, doodlebug and horse draws, live bands, DJ children’s entertainment, craft show, antique tractor pull, food, and more.

There are new additions to the fair this year, including the Adam Ezra Group, CT Kenpro Karate and Bending Gravity-Eric Girardi, Performance Artist on Saturday and Sunday DJ and Horse Show. Animal talks will be scheduled at various times during the weekend. This year’s fair entertainment features Katie Perkins, Friday, August 14th starting at 6:30pm. CT Kenpro Karate at 2pm on Saturday, August 15th at 2pm. Bending Gravity-Eric Girardi, Performance Artist On Saturday at 4pm, Adam Ezra Group Saturday at 5pm. A Craft Show and antique tractor pull starting at 9am will be held all day Saturday. Once again at this year’s fair is the Austin Harlow Memorial 5 K road race taking place on Sunday with registration from 7:30-8:45am and race starting at 9am. A DJ will play from 10am- 4pm on Sunday. The race will begin and end at the fairgrounds and all proceeds benefit Hartford County 4-H Fair. Runners can register for the race .

4-H is the Youth Development program of the UCONN College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Department of Extension. 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills through their 4-H project work. The four H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. 4-H provides youth with the opportunity to develop life long skills, such as managing and thinking - Head, relating and caring -Heart, giving and working - Hands, and healthy living -Health. Albert Gilbert, President of the Hartford County 4-H Fair Association, says “4-H is a great organization that has helped teach and form America’s youth.”

4-H members in Connecticut range in age from 7 through 19, and through their project focus areas, they learn life skills such as goal setting, event and activity planning, implementation of projects, cooperative learning, decision making, community service and leadership. 4-H projects can range from traditional animal projects to GIS/GPS technology, computers, photography and woodworking. The UCONN Extension 4-H Program offers young people opportunities to learn about areas of interest to them. Not only can they explore new activities, but they may also find an area they want to explore in depth over time. Individuals might be drawn to traditional animal programs or might want to study and produce exhibits for photography, explore robots with LEGO Mindstorms or EV3 kits, create educational displays, PowerPoint presentations, demonstrations or speeches, or develop their skills in fine arts, to name just a few options. The 4-H program helps participants to develop skills that they continue to use throughout their lives.

4-H members who serve as officers and committee members for the annual Hartford County 4-H fair learn to run a business through authentic, real-life experiences. Working with their adult mentors, they learn all aspects of organizing and running a major event, including organizing and conducting business meetings, creating business relationships with outside vendors and partners, public relations, and budgeting. These skills not only help them to plan the fair, but will be valuable to them for future careers and in school.

For more information about 4-H, the annual Hartford County 4-H Fair or UCONN Extension and 4-H Youth Development Program, contact the Hartford County 4-H Office at 860-570-9011 or laura.marek@uconn.edu. For additional information about the Hartford County 4-H Fair, visit http://www.hartfordcounty4hfair.org.