This year, Mercer County 4-H is marking 100 years of annual 4-H fairs. 4-H will celebrate the centennial with special music and cake as well as an old-fashioned country dance, complete with a caller and live music.
Special family recipes, homegrown vegetables or creative projects could earn blue ribbons at this year’s Mercer County 4-H Fair, planned for July 28 and 29 at Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Township. The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 28, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 29. Admission and parking are free.
Children’s activities, hay rides, animal shows, music, farm tours and exhibits will take place throughout the fair. Plenty of food and drink, including homemade ice cream, will be available. The opening ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. July 28 in the Show Tent.
There are many “Open Division” categories for public entries — one do not need to be a 4-H member to exhibit. Any class listed, including arts and crafts, photography, foods, gardening, clothing, woodworking and more, may be entered under the Open Division.
Online at mercer.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h/fair is the fair exhibitor catalog and a complete schedule. Projects will be received from the general public for entry in the fair on Thursday, July 26, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Howell Farm.
4-H, a youth development program operated by Rutgers Cooperative Extension, provides research-based, hands-on learning experiences for youth in Mercer County. The fair is an opportunity for 4-H members to showcase projects they have worked on throughout the year. For more information about 4-H or entering projects in the fair, contact Altaira Bejgrowicz at the Mercer County 4-H Office at (609) 989-6830 or bejgrowicz@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Howell Farm is owned by the County of Mercer and maintained by the Mercer County Park Commission. It is located on Valley Road, just off Route 29, in Hopewell Township. The GPS address is 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township, NJ. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
(File photo from the 2014 4-H Fair.),
