Clover Clips: Fair Edition

The 2026 Fair Book is now posted! Note: Please read your corresponding project department's section(s) carefully as many changes were made to this year's fair book in collaboration with our Superintendents and the Kansas State Fair Book.

We are excited to offer "Show N' Grow" again this year. This program is offered in the following classes: Table Setting, Geology, Foods and Nutrition, Astronomy and Crafts. This program allows 4-H'ers with special needs to participate in a different way, allowing for families to focus on individual growth across the years with a template to showcase their efforts. 4-H'ers will set personal goals for the area of interest and families will support their 4-H'er through practice and documentation as they work together to meet the goal. The final product will be shared with a special judge at the fair during conference judging. Each 4-H'er will be scored based on progress towards the individual goal. Show N' Grow allows 4-H'ers to personalize their projects based on their abilities and interests and allows participation in areas that might not have been accessible to them in the past. Please contact the 4-H Team for additional information and the template for each project entry. Take note on judging: All judging of Show N' Grow projects (including Foods & Nutrition entries) will occur during judging on Tuesday. Please see the sign-up genius (releases in July) to sign up for a conference judging time slot under the "Show N' Grow" department tab. One judge will judge all the entries, no matter the project department.

4-H entries for exhibits judged during the county fair will be due July 13 by MIDNIGHT. Exception: all entries for Dog, Sewing & Textile Design, and Fashion Revue will be due on July 1. Late entries will not be accepted and if a 4-H'er does not meet the deadline they will not be allowed to have their item or project judged in the 4-H division.

All sheep, swine, beef and goat exhibitors will be required to submit stall requests and tag numbers. Please watch for emails from superintendents regarding stall requests. If your family has weighed and tagged their animals under a family nomination, you will be required to enter the tag number(s) with the 4-H member’s name who is exhibiting the animal by the July 13 deadline.

Livestock exhibitors: you must enter in showmanship if you plan on exhibiting in showmanship. Only online entries are accepted. The entry system typically opens in early June and is accessible through the Johnson County Fair website. Note: Once an entry is submitted it cannot be edited. If assistance is needed in making online entries, please contact the Extension Office or the Fair Office. It is highly recommended that you print off your entry confirmation. After the entry deadline adding an entry is not an option.

All entries must be accompanied at check-in with a printed entry tag. 

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national, multi-species youth livestock quality assurance program that focuses on nutrition, animal wellbeing, and character development, through age-appropriate educational curriculum for ages 7-21. This program is an annual certification that grows with the youth, so the learning modules are different every year. ALL Johnson County Fair exhibitors, age 8 and older, exhibiting in the beef, goat, sheep, swine, and/or bucket calf project must have completed and submitted their YQCA certifications by June 15, 2026 in order to exhibit at the fair.

All market and commercial breeding animals, including beef, sheep, goats, swine, and bucket calves, must have been tagged by Extension staff on or before the designated tagging deadlines to be eligible to show in the 4-H division at the Johnson County Fair. All registered animals must provide paperwork during livestock check-in at fair. All animals must have been tagged on or prior to their species' last date to tag which were March 15 for Beef and May 1 for Small Livestock. Animals tagged after these dates will only be allowed to show in open class where there is open class competition at the county fair unless prior arrangements have been discussed and approved by Extension staff, the Livestock Superintendent, and the Department Superintendent.

See the 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction section or the 4-H Project Auction section in the 4-H Fair Book for more details about the Livestock Auction and Project Auction.

Livestock Auction: In order to sell their livestock, exhibitors must turn in auction forms (along with a $10 fee per 4-H'er) and fill out and sign a W-9 IRS Form by 10:00 AM on Wednesday.

Project Auction: Project auction entry forms must be submitted ONLINE by 12:00 PM on Thursday. No late entries will be accepted. A link to the entry form will be posted on the fair webpage. An exhibitor selling a project for $600 or more must complete a W-9 Tax ID (social security) form and turn it into the Extension Office within 5 days of the auction.

Project Auction will take place on Friday, July 31st at 6:00 PM in the Livestock Pavilion. Please use this flyer to help promote this event!

Food Auction: Plan to attend the 4-H Food Auction on the evening of July 28 at 7:30 PM in the Grange Building to support the Foods & Nutrition Project.

Kansas continues its designation as a Pullorum-Typhoid (P-T) Clean state. The Johnson County 4-H Fair Book states that all poultry (chickens, turkeys, and guineas) must show proof of negative Pullorum-Typhoid testing at check-in. The exception is birds that are less than 90 days old. Johnson County 4-H will hold a testing date on Saturday, June 27, 9:00 AM - 12:00PM at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. There will be a testing fee of $5.00/per family. If you have questions, please contact the Johnson County 4-H office. View the brochure for more information regarding testing. If you are unable to make this testing date, please review the list of certified testers through KDA and contact them to schedule other testing options.

The Johnson County Fair relies on volunteers for a successful fair, and clubs are expected to support the event by helping with the clean-up before and after fair. In year's past, clean-up and set-up happened on two different weekends before fair. This year, both clean-up and set-up will occur on Sunday, July 19th. Clean-up shifts will start at 10:00 AM, followed by set-up shifts. Please view the updated schedule and take note that tasks for clean-up on the Sunday after fair may change. If you as a club member cannot make your club’s assigned time, please come on an alternate shift and help another club. Also, please bring the appropriate cleaning supplies necessary for your club to clean your area. Each club should bring brooms as every building will need to be swept. Teen 4-H’ers and parents are welcome to bring a weed eater if they would like to assist with trimming around buildings and fences during clean up days.

The Johnson County Mr. and Miss 4-H Program recognizes young people for the leadership and commitment they have contributed to the 4-H program and their communities. Mr. and Miss 4-H support and participate in county events and activities throughout the year including Fair and promote Johnson County 4-H in the community. All 4-H’ers who have been a member for at least three years and are at least 13 (before January 1, 2026) are eligible to apply. More information about the Mr. and Miss 4-H Program can be found on the website. The application is also posted on the website and were due June 26. Interviews will be held at the Extension Office on the evening of July 14 and coronation will take place on July 29.

Do you have a great outfit you are proud of and would like to show off? You can model at the 4-H Fashion Revue this summer! The categories are Purchased Garments and Everything Under $20. To enter the Fashion Revue, you must be enrolled in either the Sewing & Textile Design or Shopping in Style project. You do not have to sew what you wear in Purchased Garments or Everything Under $20! You can find more information in the Johnson County 4-H Fair Book. Judging for the Fashion Revue is Saturday, July 18, 2026. The Public Fashion Revue is the evening of Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 PM at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Gardner, KS. Even if you are not modeling, all 4-H'ers are invited to come join the fun and watch the show!

Some departments such as Aerospace/Rocketry, Electric, and Fashion Revue require additional forms along with the project entry. These forms are posted on the Johnson County 4-H website.

Food labels (including those for Food Preservation) are available on the Johnson County 4-H website to print off at home, or they can be picked up at the Extension office. Food labels are here and food preservation labels are here - small labels and large labels.

Clothing labels can be made by printing in ink on a 3” x 2½” piece of cloth: Class Number, County, Name, Age and Level.

Please refer to each project department’s rules in the fair book regarding required labels and forms. Requirements do vary by project department.

If you are entering a quilt in the Johnson County Fair the ideal department to enter it in is the Fiber Arts department. The judge for Fiber Arts will be more experienced with quilts and therefore better able to give 4-H’ers helpful feedback.

Did you know that in addition to County 4-H Club Day and Regional 4-H Club Day, there is another opportunity for 4-H public presentations? Yes, at the Johnson County Fair! Plan to add Communications to your fair entries this year! Remember that 4-H Members ages 9 and older who participated in 4-H Day and received a Purple or top blue ribbons can take their project talks, demonstrations, and illustrated talks to the Kansas State Fair. Poetry entries can also be entered. Public Speaking entries can come to the State Fair; however, regardless of the topic used locally, all contestants at the State Fair will use the same topic: "How has your journey in 4-H contributed to being Beyond Ready for current challenges and future goals?"

The Table Setting category does not fall under a specific 4-H project. If you wish to enter a table setting at the fair, you will need to make an entry for a Table Setting, along with your 4-H entries by July 13. Refer to the 2026 Fair Book for specific requirements and guidelines for creating a table setting. This form outlines the specific guidelines used for judging and may be helpful to note when preparing your table setting.

The Extension Office has photo mats and protective photo sleeves available for purchase. The cost for the pair is $2.00. You will not receive the photo sleeve at the time of purchase as photos will be placed in the photo sleeve by the superintendents during judging. Use a large zip top bag to transport your photos to the fairgrounds for judging. Photos exhibited in the 4-H Photography division at the county fair are required to be mounted on a photo mat. Photo mounting directions and labels can be picked up at the Extension Office and they are also posted on the website to print at home. For photo mounting instructions, click here. For photo label IDs and forms, click here.

The judging for 4-H Foods and Nutrition will take place at Gardner Elementary School from 2:00 - 7:00 PM on Monday, July 27. (Participants in the Dog or Horse Shows may come for judging from 12:30 - 1:30 PM). Remember that foods judging is on a first-come, first-served basis during the judging time period. As you research and test recipes for your food entries, make sure to check out the “4-H Foods Entry Tips for Fair” and the “Frosting & Filling Guidelines for the Johnson County Fair” documents posted on the Johnson County 4-H website. If you have any questions about your food entry, please contact the Foods and Nutrition Superintendent or Extension Office at 913-715- 7000 or foodhelp@jocogov.org.

Enrolled Cloverbuds are invited to participate in Show and Share on Tuesday, July 28. This is a reminder that Cloverbuds are not eligible to compete in the 4-H division at the fair. Full membership starts when youth turn 7 before January 1 of the current 4-H year. Cloverbuds are encouraged to show and share 1-2 projects. Sign-ups for time slots will be available at a later date. For more information about activities for Cloverbuds, visit the Kansas 4-H webpage.

Project check-in will be Monday evening (July 27) from 6:30 - 8:30 PM and Tuesday morning (July 28) from 8:00 -10:00 AM. Projects not checked in by 10:00 AM on Tuesday will not be eligible to be exhibited. Plan on arriving before 10:00 AM on Tuesday to have ample time to check in all of your projects. Livestock exhibitors, please refer to the fair book for your check-in time. We will again be using SignUpGenius for families to select a conference judging time slot for 4-H’ers. The link to the sign-ups will go live on Tuesday, July 14 at 9:00 AM and will close Sunday, July 26 at 11:59PM. The link will be posted on the Johnson County 4-H website. Projects for departments judged before fair have their own judging schedule. Families enrolled in the corresponding projects in 4-H Online will receive information detailing judging for these departments.

The 4-H Food Stand is a great way for youth to help raise funds for Johnson County 4-H Council while practicing safe food handling, interacting with the community and working collaboratively with their club members! All clubs need to be prepared to work a short shift at the 4-H Food Stand during fair on your club’s assigned day - see the 2026 food stand schedule. The funds raised help sponsor county events such as Club Day and Achievement Celebration.

4-H exhibits that receive a purple ribbon are eligible to enter at the Kansas State Fair as long as there is a comparable department at the State Fair. To enter in the Kansas State Fair, 4-H members must be 9 before January 1, 2026. 4-H’ers who qualify to exhibit at the State Fair may sign up in the 4-H Building from 3:00 - 5:00 PM on Thursday, July 30. You may also call the Extension Office (913-715-7000) or email the 4-H Team with your entries. All entries must be into the Extension Office by 5:00 PM on August 10. Please note: beef, sheep, swine and meat goat entries for the Kansas State Fair are due by July 15 and Horse Show entries are due by August 1. These projects have a separate entry process.

Please join the Johnson County 4-H Ambassadors on Friday, July 31 for the annual Barnyard Olympics competition. This event will follow the 4-H Project Auction in the Livestock Pavilion. This competition is a timed, barnyard-themed obstacle course and is open to everyone! Teams must have four members and 4-H membership is not a requirement. Team sign-ups and a $10 team entry fee will be collected at the 4-H Ambassador Booth before the event. 100% of the entry fee goes towards scholarships for Johnson County 4-H’ers to attend state events and camps and for the promotion of the 4-H program throughout the county. Please join us for a barnyard load of fun on July 31!

All 4-H livestock and horses can be removed from the fairgrounds after 6:00 AM on Sunday, August 2. All remaining exhibits will be released after the church service which usually concludes around 8:45 AM. 4-H’ers must pick up their entries or make prior arrangements with another 4-H family to pick up their entries on Sunday morning. If a 4-H’er does not pick up their entries it is the responsibility of the Club Leader to collect the rest of the club’s entries. Premium money will be available for pick up after the fairgrounds have been cleaned. It is expected that all 4-H exhibitors and their families help with fair clean-up. Requested corrections to premium checks must be submitted to the Fair Office by 12:00 PM on Sunday.