The Howard County Fair Brings Summer Excitement to Greentown
Brace yourself for a thrilling week filled with exhilarating rides, delectable food, captivating entertainment and a plethora of family-friendly experiences. The Howard County 4-H Fair is back from July 10 to 15 for an entertaining week in Greentown.
“The core of the fair is the 4-H program. Those activities are what pull people in, just in general, the food, rides and other attractions we’ve had for years all go together to make a nice entertaining package for people to come as a family,” said fair chairman Stu Nicholson.
Crowds from all over Indiana flock to Greentown for the second-largest county fair in the state. You can expect everything from midway rides, to Drag Racing, Micro Wrestling and a seemingly endless amount of other events and activities.
There are a handful of new experiences and shows coming to the Howard County Fairgrounds this year for this five-day event. From 7 to 9 p.m. on July 15, Micro Wrestling, a ticketed show will take place on the Northwest Grandstands. Tickets start at just $12 for this family-friendly WWE-type event supported by an entire cast under 5 feet tall.
Another new aspect of the fair to enjoy is the Wheels of Agriculture Game Show. A game show that plays several times a night to bring awareness to agriculture and farming.
“It’s something a little bit different than what we’ve done before,” said Nicholson.
Fair guests can get up close and personal with Bengel Tigers as Bruno Blaszak and his Royal Bengal Tigers deliver a show combining education and entertainment for all ages.
“We’re excited about this one, it’s gonna be a really good show,” said Nicholson.
Whether it’s for the food, the entertainment, 4-H, rides, strolling through Pioneer Village or shopping local vendors in the indoor tennis center, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Returning to this year’s fair is everyone’s favorite traveling grandpa, Granpa Cratchet. Who has been performing three shows a day at the fair for the last 20 years. The South Grandstand is hosting other returning favorites including Phil Dirt and The Dozers, Time Travelers and Cook and Belle.
“The Voice” Season Nine finalist Emily Ann Roberts will be bringing a country performance to the South Grandstand stage, which also hosts the Miss Howard County Fair Pageant. The butterfly encounter, which was a hit during its first year, is returning with daily opportunities to enjoy time with butterflies in an enclosed space.
But perhaps the most underrated aspect of the fair is the 4-H program itself. This program, which has been around for over 100 years, provides children from kindergarten to high school the opportunities to learn, grow and advance in hobbies and projects that interest them. A common misconception, according to Howard County 4-H Extension Educator Kacee Short, is that 4-H is just for people who have farm animals or live on a farm.
“There’s a whole range of projects out there, not just livestock,” she said. “We really want to grow the building side of it, as far as some of the projects that aren’t animals. It opens it up to a whole other group of kids.”
4-H provides over 50 projects for kids to choose from. Including photography, cake decorating, scrapbooking, legos, sewing, gardening and so much more. Participants are able to submit their projects and then have them judged by a person involved and competent in that specific category.
“I want to make families more aware of how accessible 4-H is,” said Short. “It’s not just a rushed project; it’s learning communication skills and there’s a push to grow. Our judges talk them through the project and give them constructive criticism for next year.”
There are currently close to 500 participants in Howard Counties’ 4-H program, but Short hopes to grow that number in the future and increase the impact that 4-H has on the people involved. All of the hard work behind the scenes proves worth it when fair week rolls around, according to Short.
“The projects have started coming in and the kids have started showing up. They get to showcase what they’ve worked on and talk about it with confidence, I’m so excited to see these kids go out there and do their thing and show off what they’ve been working on since October, ” said Short.
To learn more about Howard Counties’ 4-H program click here.
Find the fair schedule by clicking here.
