HANCOCK COUNTY — Cue the corndogs. The 2021 Hancock County 4-H Fair is scheduled to take place — complete with livestock shows, food vendors and Midway rides — from June 18-25.
That’s great news for fans of the fair, which was closed to the public last year due to the pandemic.
This year, fair officials are closely monitoring COVID cases in the county and plan to follow the guidelines set forth by the Hancock County Health Department.
The hope is to have a fair that looks more like what fairgoers are used to, with the sound of children’s squeals and the smell of delectable fair foods filling the midway.
“We want to put on the best event we can, provided there’s not some sort of COVID spike that will prevent us from doing so,” said Amber Barks, 4-H youth development educator for Purdue Extension Hancock County.
The midway rides are already booked, she said, and fair officials are in the process of booking food vendors.
The fair is put on each year by the Hancock County 4-H Agricultural Association, as guided by the 4-H fair board, while the extension office oversees the livestock shows and exhibit hall.
Barks said all parties will rely on guidance from the county and state health departments in promoting safety guidelines at the fair.
“When the time comes, we’ll find out what we have to do as far as social distancing, mask wearing or any other restrictions,” she said. “We’re trying to plan for the fair to be as normal as possible. Will it look like the fair in 2019 or 2020? No, but we want to provide the best experience we can.”
Last year’s fair was reduced to a show-and-go event, where 4-H’ers brought in their livestock for events, then immediately took them back home, rather than sitting around and talking for hours with fellow 4-H families at the fairgrounds.
The non-livestock projects displayed in the exhibit hall — often the result of countless hours of hard work — could not be shown off because the building was closed to the public. Only 4-H’ers and family members could see the exhibits.
Even the 4-H queen pageant was socially distanced. There were no celebratory hugs between contestants, and winners had to retrieve their own flowers and put on their own sashes. There were no thrill rides or food booths lighting up the midway, only an empty parking lot and an eerie sense of quiet at what is typically the fairgrounds’ most action-packed time of the year.
Jordyn Wickard, who was crowned Hancock County’s 4-H fair queen last summer, said she and fellow 4-H’ers are looking forward to getting back to some sense of normalcy at the fair this year.
“I feel like this is so important for us to have these shows, because 4-H’ers really are the future of agriculture and the future business leaders of our world,” said Jordyn, 18, a senior at Eastern Hancock High School.
“Being able to have this opportunity that motivates us and encourages us to do our best is really important,” she said.
While she and her fellow 4-H’ers were disappointed that circumstances forced last year’s fair to look drastically different, she’s excited about the prospects. She’ll even get a chance to resume her queen duties, since the 2020 and 2021 4-H queen courts will be serving together this year.
She praised 4-H leadership for doing their best to provide as normal of an experience for fair participants as possible in 2020, even in the midst of a global pandemic.
“Last year was a crazy, hectic year, and I think we all did the best that we could with the guidelines that we had to follow,” Jordyn said.
“That’s something where Hancock County 4-H has really been able to step up and lead in that perspective, because we are one of those counties that are really making a difference and doing everything possible to make sure our members are getting these important opportunities through 4-H,” she said.
Her mother, Julia Wickard, is also excited about the fair, a longtime tradition for her family, which runs Wickard Livestock just east of Greenfield.
She and her husband, Chris, met as 4-H’ers attending Eastern Hancock High School, and they have spent countless hours watching their two children compete and show animals at the local fair over the years.
“They’ve got a barn full of animals they’re working with, so they’re very excited to get to show them at the fair this year,” said Wickard of Jordyn and son Jacob, 14.
“Jacob has got a heifer and boer goats that he’s getting ready for different regional and state shows, so he’s looking forward to bringing them back to the county fair. He’s excited about returning to that sense of normalcy too,” she said.
The seasoned 4-H mom fully supports the local fair board’s decision to move forward with an in-person fair this year.
“I think we as a county and as a state have been very careful (with COVID precautions), and I think we’re opening up safely,” she said.
“The vaccination clinics the states have held in local communities are doing the right thing, and (by June) we’re going to have more and more numbers in age groups that are eligible. I think by the fair we’re going to have everyone captured that is eligible for a vaccine,” Wickard said, who is overjoyed to see her kids working with their animals, excited about the upcoming county fair.
Barks, a newcomer to the Extension staff in Hancock County, is also looking forward to a return to normalcy at the local fairgrounds.
She assumed her role as the local 4-H youth development educator in January, so she hasn’t yet experienced the Hancock County fair.
“It won’t be a typical year, so I’m just hoping that it runs smoothly,” said Barks, who previously worked five years at the Fulton County Extension office.
As the June 18 start date for the fair draws nearer, she said, fair officials will continue to monitor the pandemic and keep a close eye on local health guidelines to make this year’s fair as safe as possible for attendees.
“Right now, we’re waiting to see what happens when the governor’s advisory comes out” on April 6, said Barks, referring to a relaxing of the state’s mask mandate and other restrictions that will be eased.
“April is still a little far from June to tell us exactly what we’re going to have to do, so everyone will be keeping an eye on new guidelines as they come out.”
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The 63rd annual Hancock County 4-H Fair will take place at the county fairgrounds June 18-25.
For now, organizers are planning to host a face-to-face fair with livestock shows, exhibits, midway rides and food vendors.
The deadline to enter this year’s fair talent show is April 30, while information on other events will be available soon.
Hancock County 4-H is open to local children in grades 3 through 12. Registration for the 2021-22 club year will open in October.
For the latest Hancock County fair information, visit YourHancockFairgrounds.com/4-h-fair or follow the Hancock County fair and 4-H club on Facebook.
Questions can also be answered by Hancock County’s Purdue Extension Office at 317-462-1113.
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