October 17, 2024
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Animal projects to feature at DeKalb County 4-H Fair

DeKalb County 4-H Fair runs Friday through Sunday at Sandwich Fairgrounds

By Camden Lazenby
Leni O'Donnell, (left) 9, from Waterman, and Zoey Herrmann, 10, from Earlville, pull out Herrmann's purebred shorthorn calf named Cannoli Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, on opening day of the Sandwich Fair. The fair continues this week through Sunday.

Shaw Local file photo – Leni O'Donnell, (left) 9, from Waterman, and Zoey Herrmann, 10, from Earlville, pull out Herrmann's purebred shorthorn calf named Cannoli Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, on opening day of the Sandwich Fair. The fair continues this week through Sunday. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

SANDWICH – Children in the DeKalb County 4-H program from DeKalb, Ogle and Boone counties will get a chance to display their special projects starting Friday during the program’s animal project fair in Sandwich.

The animal-focused event will be held at the Sandwich Fairgrounds, 1401 Suydam Road, Sandwich, from Friday to Sunday, and is free for the public to attend.

Nicole Groezinger, DeKalb County 4-H program coordinator, said live animals weren’t able to be included in the 4-H general project show – which happened in July – so this affords children who elected to do animal focused 4-H projects to have the same opportunity to display their projects to an audience.

“These kids picked out their projects last fall, and what projects they wanted to show and work on throughout the year, and this is the big culminating event to show off what they’ve learned,” Groezinger said.

The DeKalb County 4-H Foundation will hold an Adult Showmanship Contest at 5:30 p.m Aug. 5. Attendees can show in swine, goats, beef or sheep. Nominations will be accepted for $10. Nominees can buy their way out for $20. The 4-H Barnyard Olympics are being held after the contest.

The 4-H Blue Ribbon Auction begins at 1 p.m. Aug. 6. There will also be a showmanship sweepstakes. A catered lunch is being provided by the DeKalb County 4-H Livestock Auction Committee.

Leni O'Donnell, (left) 9, from Waterman, and Zoey Herrmann, 10, from Earlville, pull out Herrmann's purebred shorthorn calf named Cannoli Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, on opening day of the Sandwich Fair. The fair continues this week through Sunday.

Shaw Local file photo – Leni O'Donnell, (left) 9, from Waterman, and Zoey Herrmann, 10, from Earlville, pull out Herrmann's purebred shorthorn calf named Cannoli Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, on opening day of the Sandwich Fair. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

The DeKalb County 4-H program is a part of a University of Illinois Extension that also services Boone and Ogle Counties. The programs give the children in them agency over what they chose to do as a part of the club, and seeks to help the members look at the world through a community-centric lens.

“These kids picked out their projects last fall, and what projects they wanted to show and work on throughout the year, and this is the big culminating event to show off what they’ve learned.”

—  Nicole Groezinger, DeKalb County 4-H program coordinator,

In addition to the animal projects, the DeKalb County 4-H fair will have beef cattle, dairy cattle, goat, poultry and sheep shows throughout the weekend.

Groezinger said 4-H starts its year in September, so it’s difficult to organize a project fair at the Sandwich fairgrounds because of the Sandwich Fair, which occurs in September, so the DeKalb County 4-H project fair is held separately.

“It’s the end of the year. They’ve been working on – and raising – their animals throughout the year, taking care of them, and then they start all over again in September,” Groezinger said.

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