Somerset County 4-H Fair 2018 Guide

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The 2018 Somerset County 4-H Fair will being on Wednesday and run through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at North Branch Park, located at 355 Milltown Rd. in Bridgewater.

The free family fair event will include games, prizes, food, special demonstrations and interactive exhibits.

Special Demos

Butter-Churning Demonstration – Learn how to make butter the old-fashioned way with the 4-H Master Chefs Club, an organization that believes in upholding the highest standards of culinary excellence. Demos will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and Friday.

Storytime for Children – Let your children unlock their imaginations as they listen to a magical story narrated by a dynamic storyteller, Thursday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Narrated by Jessica Bauer. Sponsored by the Somerset County Library.

K-9 Unit Demonstration – See how police officers and their canines work together. Police officers will demonstrate their dogs’ agility and level of obedience, learned through discipline, rigorous training and the development of a mutual trust between the officers and their canines. Witness a mock criminal apprehension and a narcotic search on Thursday at 11 a.m., presented at the 4-H Clover Theater. Sponsored by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

Other K-9 Unit Demonstrations – More K-9 demos will be presented throughout the day by the Sheriff’s Office, located outside of the Main Government Tent, Wednesday through Friday.

Seeing Eye Puppy Club of Somerset County – Club leaders will give a short talk on Friday at 2 p.m. about raising puppies for The Seeing Eye in Morristown, and give a demonstration on how they teach the pups simple commands. There will be a Q&A session afterwards.

Rizzo's Reptile Discovery – Get a glimpse of wildlife. See various animals while an environmental educator and animal expert discuss nature, the importance of wildlife and the environment, conservation, how humans affect the environment and how they can protect it too. Friday at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., located in the 4-H Prep Tent. Sponsored by the Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Division of Solid Waste Management.

Beekeeping Demo – How sweet! Using a demonstration hive, the Raritan Valley Beekeepers will show visitors how to extract honey. Presented in the evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. Visit the tent for updates on the schedule. Located in the Somerset County Board of Agriculture Tent.

Interactive Safety Exhibits – Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Impaired Driving With Fatal Vision – Don’t drink and drive! The message is driven home at this exhibit. Visitors can wear Fatal Vision glasses to experience what it’s like to drive under the influence of alcohol. Check out the Intoxiclock, an interactive tool that will visually demonstrate how drinking different types and amounts of alcohol can raise a person's blood alcohol concentration. Sponsored by the Somerset County Department of Human Services.

Child Safety Seat Expo – Parents who want to know the safest way to transport their children can ask experienced technicians anything they need to know about safety seats. Technicians will discuss how to transport children safely, and the do’s and don’ts of road safety. Sponsored by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

How Does a Traffic Light Work? – See a real traffic light where kids can push buttons, learn the mechanics of how it works, and the way it allows pedestrians to cross safely. Sponsored by the Somerset County Engineering Division.

Community Animal Response Team (CART) – Visit the CART trailer, a safe haven for animals that have been displaced or injured. Find out where first responders care for pets and stray animals during a state of emergency. Sponsored by the Somerset County Office of Emergency Management.

Other Exciting Exhibits

Gradall Excavator – Back by popular demand! Kids can operate this real-life piece of equipment and pretend they are really working on-site. Located near the right of the footbridge. Sponsored by the Somerset County Road Division.

Train Display – Visit the Road Division exhibit to see a working model train. Children can partake in a scavenger hunt too. Sponsored by the Somerset County Road Division.

Invasive Insect Display – See this new and cool exhibit featuring the Spotted Lanternfly and the Emerald Ash Borer (more commonly known as the jewel beetle) that is native to northeastern Asia. Sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Selfie Stations – Make memories at the fair and keep them forever. Take a family photo or get a solo pic at one of the six selfie stations located inside the Main Government Tent. Share your memories via social media at #MySCNJ and #SCNJ4H.

Cultural & Heritage – Stop by the Cultural & Heritage Commission’s booth to celebrate 35 years of cultivating Somerset County’s arts and history! Visitors can test their knowledge of the county’s cultural treasures with an engaging game and pick up a limited edition of a Somerset County History Trading Card. Collect a series of these educational cards at participating historic sites during the annual Weekend Journey through the Past event in October.

Master Gardeners – Who are the Rutgers Master Gardeners? Their mission is to deliver university-based horticultural information and programming to the public. This year marks their 25thanniversary. Visit their booth and get your horticulture questions answered. Located in the Board of Agriculture Tent.

Games for Fun

Tangram – Think you’re smart? “Test Your Brain Power” with a tangram, a Chinese geometric puzzle consisting of squares cut into seven pieces that can be arranged to make various shapes.Sponsored by the Somerset County Youth Services Department.

Jigsaw Puzzles/Bean Bag Toss – Are you a big kid at heart? Come play with our wooden jigsaw puzzles for all ages.

TICK-tac-toe – Play tic-tac-toe with a twist. Match a tick with the correct bug repellent and learn how to “Fight-the-Bite” to protect yourself. Sponsored by the Somerset County Department of Health.

Passport Game – Pick up a passport at the County Clerk’s booth. Visit each participating booth in the government tent and get your passport stamped. Circle back to the County Clerk’s table when you are done, and if you are one of the first 185 visitors, you win a prize!

History and Art Lovers Game – Discover art and history right in your backyard! Test your knowledge of the county’s cultural treasures. Learn where you can enjoy it all in Somerset County. Sponsored by the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

Enter Drawings & Win Prizes

Need back-to-school supplies? Enter a drawing and win a backpack with school supplies, or win a Basket of Cheer that contains groceries and toiletries. Courtesy of the Somerset County Community Development Office.

Love reading? Go to the Library System’s booth to win a bag of books for young readers, or win a basket of books for anyone who wants to learn a foreign language. Located across from the Main Government Tent.
Courtesy of the Somerset County Library System.

Enter a drawing at the Office of Youth Services booth, and you may win a Serenity Basket or school supplies.
Take a chance and enter a drawing at the Freeholders/Public Information Office booth. Chances are you may win any of the following: free tickets to a performance at the Raritan Valley Community College Theatre; Somerset Patriots 2018 upper-box tickets, worth $46; four tickets to enjoy leisure activities at any of the Somerset County parks, where the winner may enjoy golf, tennis, picnics, horseback riding or swimming; a gift certificate for a 10- week yoga session; or a dozen roses from Scott’s Florist.

Get a chance at winning a $75 Shop Rite gift card or a food basket when you enter a drawing at the Board of Social Services booth.

Head over to the Human Services table and enter a drawing for an opportunity to win a $25 Visa gift card, donated by the Somerset County Safe Communities Coalition.

Transportation & Parking

Parking – Depending on weather conditions, or if parking overflow is caused by a high volume of cars during peak hours, parking may be prohibited at the fairgrounds. If this occurs, visitors are asked to park at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) on Route 28 in North Branch and take the shuttle bus.

Free Shuttle Buses – Shuttles run continuously between RVCC and the 4-H Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Signs will direct visitors to the proper parking area at the college. Passengers will be dropped off by the footbridge at the fairgrounds entrance.

Sign Up for Text Alerts – Stay up-to-date on parking conditions at the fair by signing up to receive weather and emergency text alerts for evacuations, re-openings and heavy-parking volume. To sign up, text the words: "Follow 4HAlerts" to "40404." You will receive a confirmation that you are enrolled, along with information about how to stop receiving alerts. Before signing up for alerts, make sure your text message does not have an automatic signature. Standard text-message rates may apply.

Maps and Schedules – Get a schedule of events and a map of the fairgrounds at the 4-H Information Tent, located across from the footbridge.

For more information about the fair, call the Ted Blum 4-H Center at 908-526-6644 or visit somersetcounty4h.org. Directions for North Branch Park are available by clicking here.

(Image via Somerset County 4-H Fair: Bean Bag Toss game in the Main Government Tent.)

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