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The New England 4-H Summer Fair @ Eastern States Exposition– July 26-29, 2021

Event date/time: 
Monday, July 26, 2021 - 8:00am to Thursday, July 29, 2021 - 5:00pm
Event Type: 
In-person
Event location: 
Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds, 1305 Memorial Avenue, West Springfield, MA

The New England 4-H Summer Fair @ Eastern States Exposition– July 26-29, 2021

To be held at Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds, 1305 Memorial Avenue, West Springfield, MA

This is a new fair for youth to participate in July. It is similar to the former New England 4-H Show held in September in that youth ages 12 (as of January 1st, 2021) -18 years of age are eligible to apply.  

It has been created to give youth the opportunity to meet and compete with other 4-H youth from across New England, showcasing their livestock, horse and dog projects.

The fair will be different from the past Big E 4-H animal competitions in that youth will not be housed overnight in the Moses Dorm. This year, parents, guardians and parent assigned chaperones will be in-charge of the youth. Youth will check-in and check-out daily with their parent or parent assigned chaperone.

Each show will have assigned night volunteers to watch the animals in the evening.

Camper and tent spaces will be available on the grounds for a fee. Families may choose to stay in hotels. 

There will be no 4-H program chaperones provided at this event.

Food will be available for purchase from vendors at the event.

The fair will not have any entry fees.  

The Big E will provide for the youth and designated volunteers their meals while at the show.

Also provided by the Big E will be the animal bedding. Youth will need to provide their own animal feed.

So how do I apply?

First, take a look at the show packet for the project animal you plan on showing at https://www.thebige.com/p/competitions/4-h/packets 

IMPORTANT:  DO NOT ENTER YOUR ANIMAL UNTIL YOU ARE NOTIFIED. See below each project animal’s requirements.

Each species will have their own selection criteria set-up by their respective committee plus the youth must have a Verification Form on file.

You will email Carrie Sears ccsears@umext.umass.edu of your interest in showing  dairy, horse, goats, sheep and working steers.

For the dog show, contact Meg McDermott memcdermott@umass.edu

Junior Leaders:

There are also junior leader positions available for most of the shows which is an option for youth who do not plan on showing an animal but would like to assist with the show.

Notify Carrie Sears on the livestock and horse shows and

Meg McDermott for the dog show.

Zoom orientations will be set-up prior to the show to go over rules and answer any questions for each of the species. Watch for dates and times.

Contact's name: 
Linda Horn
Contact's email: 
This event will be recorded: 
No