Otoe 4-H: State Fair Entry Edition

Read on for details on Livestock, In-Person Contests, Static entries, and more at the Nebraska State Fair (NSF)!

We'll have more county fair results and recaps in our next Wednesday What-Nots newsletter.

Enter now if you plan to exhibit Livestock at the Nebraska State Fair. Due date is Monday at 8:00 pm CST. NO EXCEPTIONS. https://nebr.fairwire.com/

Enter now if you plan to participate in a Contest at the Nebraska State Fair. Due date is Monday at 8:00 pm CST. NO EXCEPTIONS. https://nebr.fairwire.com/

Fashion Show exhibitors must also submit their narratives and paperwork online TODAY.

1. Purchased Garments: https://go.unl.edu/ne4-hsffashionshowshoppinginstylesf184
2. Constructed Garments: https://go.unl.edu/ne4-hsffashionshowconstructedgarmentsf25

Fashion Show registrants will receive a gate pass with their pre-entry. Purchase additional discount tickets for family when registering.

UPDATED INSTRUCTIONS! The yellow sheets had incorrect dates and times.

• Drop off your static items at the office sometime this week or next (before Thursday, August 20).
• Include the tag or write out the class number, and attach any required supporting information.
• Keep your ribbon and scoresheet at home.
• Extension staff will drop off and pick up your items from the state fair.
• You will need to pick up your item from the Otoe Extension office September 9-11.

Plants Instructions:

• Vegetables and Flowers: You may choose a different vegetable or flower category than the one you entered at county fair. However, the class and cultivar/variety name must be included on all entry cards.
  
• YOU MUST EMAIL YOUR ENTRY CLASS AND CULTIVAR TO THE EXTENSION OFFICE BY MONDAY 8/17 AT 4:30 PM so we can ensure you are properly registered.
• All other entries (notebooks, posters, gardens, etc) must be the same as your county fair entry.
• Drop off your plants on Tuesday, 8/25 by 3 pm.

Foods Instructions:

• You must enter the same category as your county fair entry.
• Drop off your Foods entry by Tuesday, 8/25 at 3 pm.

Your entry cards and release form will be available for pickup on or before Tuesday, 8/25. Contact us if you plan to take your large item to state fair so we can have this ready for you.

Entries are open for Nebraska State Fair Livestock and Contest entries. See https://www.statefair.org/livestock-exhibitors/4-h-ffa-exhibitors/ for details and a link to the entry page.

If you believe you used the scientific method or the engineering design process in one of your 4-H static projects, consider applying for the Premier 4-H Science Award.

Nebraska 4-H wants to celebrate your everyday scientific achievements!

Science is a process of discovering the world around you through experiments and observations. By definition this makes you a scientist. In fact, you probably use the scientific method every day without even knowing it. For example, it is Saturday morning, and your family is making pancakes but with too many people in the kitchen one of the ingredients gets added twice! Not only have the cooked pancakes puffed up twice their normal size, but they also taste funny (observation). You decide that someone added the baking soda twice (hypothesis). A family member suggests if you make the pancakes again without the extra baking soda breakfast will not be a total flop (prediction). You agree and make them again (experiment). The pancakes were delicious the second time around and it was decided that too much baking soda was the problem (conclusion).

Could this scenario be altered to an experience you had while working on a 4-H project? Maybe you experimented with different types of fabric for clothing projects, explored new ways of preserving fruit, tried three different paints to see what will work best for your glass lamp you designed or practiced using different photography techniques. If you believe you used the scientific method or the engineering design process in one of your 4-H static projects, consider applying for the Premier 4-H Science Award. All static exhibits which qualify for the Nebraska State Fair can apply for Premier 4-H Science Award. All applicants will be recognized for their use of science within their project area and will be eligible for a Premier 4-H Science Top exhibitor awards which includes a cash award sponsored by the Nebraska 4-H Foundation.

How can you apply? Identify which exhibit you will enter in the Premier 4-H Science Award. Then, complete the Premier 4-H Science Award Application, found online at https://go.unl.edu/nsfpremierscienceapp. Deadline is Friday, August 21 at 12:00PM CT.

For more information about the Premier 4-H Science Award visit https://4h.unl.edu/4-h-fairbook-nebraska-state-fair/contests/premier-science-award/ or contact Sarah Polacek at spolacek2@unl.edu.

Orders can be placed online at https://go.unl.edu/2026nsf4htshirts and are due August 10, 2026. Livestock exhibitors and in-person contest participants are provided one shirt in their packet. This link to purchase additional shirts is in addition to your provided shirt, and is also for Static exhibitors or friends/family.

Back by Popular Demand! 4-H static exhibitor families are able to order discount passes directly from the Nebraska State Fair! Orders can be placed now until 11:59pm CT on August 27, 2026, and can be placed using the following link and password:

https://go.unl.edu/2026nsfstaticexhibitorpasses

Password: 20264h

Please DO NOT SHARE this link with others. The State 4-H Office will ensure that submitted discount tickets match a registered participant.

Every 4-H fair experience is a chance for youth to put their skills into action. Whether volunteering, exhibiting, showing, or leading, 4-H'ers are demonstrating the confidence, responsibility, and real-world skills at the fair that prepare them to be Beyond Ready for work and life.

Upload ONE favorite photo of yourself, or a favorite 4-H'er, participating in a fair experience that shows those real-world skills in action, or share a favorite fair experience in the guestbook at http://go.unl.edu/ne4hfairseasonphotos!

A statewide fair 4-H photo gallery will be created to share during the Nebraska State Fair, celebrating how the impact of the Nebraska 4-H program goes beyond the ribbon, reaching youth in every county across the state.

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/ne4hfairseasonphotos

Nebraska 4-H will host 4-H Day at the Nebraska State Fair on Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 2-4 p.m. in Raising Nebraska. The event will celebrate the people, accomplishments, and experiences that help prepare Nebraska youth to be Beyond Ready for work and for life.

4-H members and their families, volunteers, alumni, and supporters, are invited to attend an afternoon of recognition, activities, and celebration. Guests can enjoy special interactive activities, visit the 4-H Photo Booth, and receive complimentary UNL Dairy Store ice cream (while supplies last). A recognition program will begin at 3 p.m., honoring outstanding Nebraska 4-H volunteers for their dedication to youth development and recognizing members of the Nebraska 4-H Leadership Academy. Discounted Nebraska State Fair gate passes for August 30 are available for purchase in advance at https://go.unl.edu/2026nsf4hdaypasses. The special offer includes half-price gate admission for teens and adults (service fee applies; limit two tickets per purchase).

Nebraska 4‑H encourages youth, families, alumni, and friends to join the celebration and to recognize the individuals and experiences that make 4‑H an important part of preparing young people for successful futures.

More details at: https://go.unl.edu/2026nsf4hdaypasses

Tracy Ensor, 4-H Youth Development Associate Extension Educator, tensor2@unl.edu

Ben Jewell, Rural Prosperity Nebraska Associate Extension Educator, bmcshane-jewell2@unl.edu

Nathan Roth, 4-H Extension Assistant, nroth14@unl.edu

Megan Anderson, Office Manager, manderson230@unl.edu

Website: www.otoe.unl.edu

Location: 620 1st Street, Syracuse, NE, USA
Phone: (402) 269-2301
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nebraska-Extension-in-Otoe-County