Saunders County 4-H Update

SAVE THE DATES:

June 29 - Summer Reading - Valparaiso

July 1 - Saunders County Fair Online Pre-Entries for Animals and Contests DUE

July 16- Favorite Foods Contest

July 18- Fair Clean-up day 8:00am-finished

July 19 - Saunders County Fair Static Online Pre-Entries DUE

July 23- Fashion Show Judging

August 10- Nebraska State fair Entries due by 8 PM (animal and in person contests)

Your family has completed enrollment and submitted animals identification forms to be eligible for county fair, now you have one more step.......... county fair entry.

1. This is where you will tell us what contests the youth in your family plans to participate in.

2. Which of the animals your family identified will be brought to the fair and shown.

3. Finally, NEW THIS YEAR, what static projects the youth in your family plan to bring.

Please do not over enter, 4-H council covers the cost of entries. Be mindful.

Read this for more info: Online-Pre-Entry Instructions

Enter Here: https://saunders.fairwire.com

Fair Clean up Saturday, July 18th:

Fair Clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, July 18th starting at 8 a.m. Stop in the 4-H building to grab some breakfast. The more people we have the faster we can get done. This is your opportunity to pitch in and help get the fairgrounds ready for the fair! There will be things to do for everyone. Plan to bring gloves, rakes, pitchforks and whatever you will need to get the work done.

A list of tasks is below:

Livestock barn areas:

Beef barn- sweep aisles.

Cattle Tie outs- remove debris, hoses etc. and set up panels.

Swine barn- clean out debris.

Sheep/Goat Barn- Clean out debris.

Sweep and rake leaves in wash racks and animal staging areas.

4-H Building:

Arranging buildings for static displays- details will be available day of.

Sweep floors

Open Class:

Sweep floors

Poultry/Rabbit Barn:

Clean out debris

Check Poultry/Rabbit barn shades.

Miscellaneous Jobs:

Wash/sweep open class patio area.

Wash/clean picnic tables.

Wash benches.

Clean/sweep picnic shelter and picnic tables.

Clean/sweep open air auditorium.

Clean Trash where found

Clean plaques and add last year’s plates in fair office. Remove this year’s plates.

Pull weeds near ‘welcome’ sign by road.

Clean Flower beds by 4-H Office

‘Sift’ sandbox to remove debris, sticks, etc.

Our website is going through another upgrade to enhance its usability to everyone. As we make changes some links may not work, please e-mail us if you need anything specific and we can send it to you directly.

The printed 2026 fair books are in! Stop in anytime to pick up your copy! The electronic version will be on our website soon.

Register by contacting your local library directly.

We are still in need of extra hands to help at the 2026 Saunders County Fair!!

• Please spread the word and contact the Saunders County Extension office if you or someone you know might be a good fit
• Veteran Superintendents in each project area will be there to show you the ropes 😉
• Time commitment is minimal, just 2 evenings, one day, and one morning of your time
• No prior knowledge of 4-H is required

One-time Archery Certification is required to participate in the Saunders County Fair Archery contest. If you have been certified in previous years you do not need to re-certify.

• NEW DNA/animal nomination process for State Fair and Aksarben.
• Exhibitors that want to show an animal for the Nebraska State Fair and Aksarben Stock Show (AKSS) will be required to submit two separate envelopes and online nominations. The nomination process for Nebraska State Fair 4-H/FFA will remain the same.
• AKSS exhibitors will order and purchase their DNA envelopes through the AKSS website at https://www.aksarbenstockshow.com/. The DNA process and online nomination process will be separate for each livestock show.
• Important: Please throw away any old DNA envelopes from previous years, as they will not be accepted. Updated envelopes will be distributed in 2026 and will be valid only for the Nebraska State Fair (NSF).

We keep a running list of progress shows and clinics for Small Animals (Rabbits, Poultry, Cat, Dog, Pocket Pets), Horse, Large Livestock (Beef, Swine, Sheep, Goat) as well as other clinics of interest. Check them out by clicking the button above.

Another great resource for shows and clinics is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nebraskalivestockshows

Clubs and Independent members can apply for a grant to support projects and activities.

Thank you to our 2025 4-H Council Sponsors! Funds raised support the Saunders County 4-H Fair, leader trainings and certifications, Saunders county 4-H members competing at state contests and events, Saunders county contests, scholarships and so much more!

New volunteer resources and information are available for club leaders, parents, and other 4-H volunteers. Visit for more information: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/saunders/leader-clubs/

Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture.

The 4-H Youth Development program abides with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made in advance to the Saunders County Extension Office.

As an EO/AA employer, qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation. See http://www.unl.edu/equity/notice-nondiscrimination.

Email: Saunders-county@unl.edu
Website: http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/saunders/4h/
Location: Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC)

1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE, United States
Phone: (402) 624-8030
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaundersCountyExtension4h

Instagram: https://instagram.com/saunders_county_extension_4H

Office Hours 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday