How to enter a competition in the 2017 Woodbury County Fair

The Woodbury County Fair offers dozens of fun competitions for participants of all ages, but to those of us new to the world of county fairs, it can be a little confusing to figure out how to get in on the fun. I talked to Woodbury County Extension/4H to get the details though and here is what I found out:

Choosing your events

The Fairbook available on the Woodbury County Fair website lists all of the fun events and competitions

There are 3 main types:

• 4H Events-you have to be a member of 4H to participate in these events. They usually require a long time commitment ahead of the fair, such as raising animals! You can find more info on signing up for 4H in Woodbury County here if your children would like to enter those events in 2018.
• Open Class Events- anyone can enter these events as long as they meet the age and residency requirements, but you have to sign up on the first day of the fair and bring your items then, and some require a long time commitment ahead of the fair, such as growing vegetables or animals or sewing a quilt!
• Daily Special Events- anyone can enter these events as long as they meet the age requirements, and you don't have to sign up before the fair. This includes things like foot races and sack races in Old Town.

Signing up for open class events

To compete in an open class event at the Woodbury County Fair, you need to:

• Read through the 2017 Woodbury County Fairbook and create an entry that fits the requirements for one of the open class event
• Buy an adult season pass ($12) or youth exhibitor pass ($2)
• Make an address label for any items you intend to enter in the fair with your name and address
• Bring any required items and their labels to the fairgrounds between noon and 7pm on July 31st 
• Tag your items with entry tags provided at the fair--this is where you will stick your address labels!

A few of the events that sound really fun to me for kids who are new to fairs are:

• 307 models, legos, & Knex
• 308 crafts from kits (no paint by number or coloring book pages though)
• 501 plate of cookies
• 701 embroidery or cross stitch (I promise it is easier than you think!)

But newcomers are welcome to enter any event they'd like! Show off your skills!

If you need help

According to the fairbook, if you need help you should contact the fair department supervisors, who are listed on page 9 of the fairbook and their contact information is listed throughout the book before the list of events in their department. 

For more details on county fairs around Siouxland, check out my 2017 Siouxland Area County Fairs Roundup Post!

A big thank you to the Woodbury County Extension Office who was very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful in writing this post!