Yee-haw hee-haw! Lee County 4-H Fair and Junior Show offers donkey races this year

AMBOY — “Celebrity” Donkey races by Dairyland Donkeyball will be at the grandstand on Sunday afternoon — a new feature for the 170th Lee County 4-H Fair and Junior Show.

The fair opens to the public at noon Thursday and runs until Sunday afternoon, when the Pedal Pull and Big Wheel races conclude activities at the Show Barn.

In between, there will be plenty of activities at the Lee County 4-H Center and Fairgrounds, 1196 Franklin Road.

Up to 50 people can take part in the first-come, first-served donkey races. Riders 16 and older who weigh no more than 225 pounds and sign an insurance waiver can participate in the qualifying heats, which starts at 1 p.m. Sunday. The “celebrity” winners will race in the finals.

The 4-H portion of the fair is managed by the University of Illinois Extension-Lee County, while the Junior Show, grandstand entertainment and commercial exhibitors are managed by the volunteer Lee County Fair Association.

Admission and grandstand tickets

Individual tickets cost $5 daily, $15 for the season and $2 Sunday.

Grandstand admission is $6 Thursday, $8 Friday, $7 Saturday and is free Sunday.

Grandstand pit passes are $15 Thursday and $20 Friday.

There is a $30 package for fairgrounds and the grandstand and a $15 4-H Fun pass for Lee County 4-H members.

Ticket packages are available at the fair office starting Wednesday.

Grandstand attractions

The Garden Tractor Pull by the Rock County Garden Tractor Pullers and the Tractor-Truck Pull by the Lee County Fair Association begin at 6 p.m. Thursday. The two-track show has trucks and tractors running at the same time. Among the classes taking part are tractors from 1965 and earlier, street stock gas trucks, street stock diesel trucks and the mechanics special.

Tractor and Truck Pull by the Illini State Pullers and the fair association begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Broken Horn Rodeo Buckle Series event, sanctioned by the Illinois Professional Rodeo Association, begins at 7 p.m. Saturday and features bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, championship bull riding, and cowgirl barrel racing.

4-H events

The Amazing Race begins at 10 a.m. Thursday. Health living and nutrition, rabbit, crops, floriculture and horticulture, goats and cats will be judged Thursday. Creative arts, clothing and interior design, animal science, poultry, swine and dairy will be judged Friday. Sheep, environmental sciences, global civic engagement, mechanical sciences, woodworking, beef, and Cloverbud judging will be Saturday.

Junior show

Crops will be judged Thursday, woodworking Friday, mechanical sciences, visual arts and farm scene Saturday. Junior show animal judging for beef, cats, dairy, goats, horse, poultry, rabbit, sheep and swine will be concurrent with the 4-H’ers.

Other special events

Antique Showmanship allows family members to step into the ring in each livestock department and have entries judged by senior 4-H exhibitors as a fundraiser.

Born and Bred in Lee County is the animal exhibition for native livestock.

Bouncing on the Midway is a mobile game room and bounce houses provided by Extreme Rentals of Dixon. It’s open from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, from 1 to 9 p.m. with an intermission on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to closing on Sunday.

County Fair Speedway remote-control car races are at 3 and 5 p.m. Thursday, noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon and 2 p.m. Sunday.

The farm scene contest allows for realistic custom-built farm dioramas. Judging is at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Pin dodgeball is in its 11th year, with competition in the junior and senior divisions at 8 p.m. Friday in the Show Barn.

Quality Meats and Baked Goods action by 4-H members begins at 6 p.m. Friday in the tent.

Teams of six will compete in the “tug o’ war” rope pull, 7 p.m. Thursday in the Show Barn.

The Marketplace features vendors, crafters and home-based businesses, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Pancake breakfasts by Teen Turf youth club begins at 7 a.m. Friday and Saturday and at 8 a.m. Sunday at the patio.

Horse novelty and speed exhibition is 8 a.m. Sunday in the arena.

Midway and other

The Midway opens at 4 p.m. Thursday, 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. It includes Whoop Your Axe throwing, games, a petting zoo, and pony rides.

There will be Whimsey Pixie Paint from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Magic Matt Family Fun Show at 1, 3, 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday on the grounds.

Evening activities

Nightly activities by date:

Thursday: Learn to dance at 4 in the entertainment tent, bingo at 4:30 in the vendor tent, Italian beef dinner by the Lee County Farm Bureau Young Farmers at 5 on the patio, and the Starlight Dance Studio performance at 5:30 the entertainment tent.

Friday: Pie sale at 4 in the auditorium, pork chop dinner by the Lee County Pork Producers at 5 on the patio, and the awards ceremony at 5 in the auditorium.

Saturday: Kids mud pies at 2 in the entertainment tent, Ben’s Bubble Show at 3:30 and 4:30 in the auditorium, awards ceremony in auditorium, master showmanship contest at 6 in the Show Barn.