87th Annual St. Clair County Fair opens Monday

Here’s a quick Q&A with the fair president

By Barb Pert Templeton

Members of the St. Clair County Agricultural Society work all year long to be ready to host their annual youth fair and last year’s event welcomed more than 600 4-H kids and 45,000 people to the fairgrounds.

The St. Clair County 4-H Youth Fair opens on Monday, July 15 and has a packed six-day schedule including a midway by Skerbeck Family Carnival, livestock barns and numerous exhibits in categories like photography, antiques, culinary arts and antiques, just to name a few.

There will also be live entertainment every day, the ever-popular monster truck show, the live animal auction and dozens of other family friendly activities throughout the week.

The fair will be held at the Goodells County Park in Goodells and admission at the gate is $10 with those 8-years old and younger free. There’s no charge for parking at the fairgrounds. There are also special deals for a week’s admission and to view those go to stclaircounty4hfair.org. 

Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with St. Clair County 4-H Youth Fair President Rob Usakowski, during what is likely the busiest few weeks of his year, and asked for some short answers to a few questions about this year’s event.

Blue Water Healthy Living: So, what’s new on this year’s fair schedule? 

Fair President Robert Usakowski: 

• Mounted shooting demonstration on Tuesday
• Two new monster trucks coming from Maine. Crustacean looks like a lobster.
• Agri-golf. It’s a mini golf game for kids that will also integrate agricultural facts. 

BWHL: Anything new in the barns or with the kids showing off their animals? (any new categories?)

Usakowski: No new categories

BWHL: Who are the judges for the livestock competitions in the barns? (Is there a committee or are they fair board members?)

Usakowski: The superintendents in each project area select judges. The judges can be selected from a recommendation list provided by MSUE or other industry experts. 

BWHL: Beyond livestock what are some of the other items on display in the barns for the judges each year?

Usakowski: We have a variety of still exhibits. This includes flower arranging, wood working, photography, scrapbooking, arts and crafts. 

BWHL: Who will provide this year’s entertainment?

Usakowski: 

• Monday-rodeo
• Tuesday-monster trucks
• Wednesday- team demo derby
• Thursday- truck and tractor pull
• Friday- figure eights
• Saturday- bump and run

BWHL: What night is this year’s livestock auction? Can you briefly explain how that works?

Usakowski: Thursday night is the auction. Most animals are live auctioned however, most poultry and rabbits are silent auction. Bidders come early to get a bidder number. They then can bid on the animal of their choosing. If they win a bid the animal will be sent to one of the local processors and they will pick up the animal after it has been processed. 

BWHL: Is the auction a big draw for the fair each year?

Usakowski: Yes, a couple of hundred people and local businesses will be there to bid on animals. 

BWHL: Is there another event that is especially popular each year?

Usakowski: The monster truck ride will probably be the biggest event

BWHL: How long does it take to plan this size fair?

Usakowski: We start planning immediately after the fair ends. We average about 140,000 people attending as visitors, over 600 youth will show projects and we will have around 6,500 projects shown.

BWHL: What is your favorite part of the 4-H Fair?

Usakowski: Love the excitement expressed by the youth when showing. 

BWHL: Is the interest and attendance from kids as strong as ever despite social media and cell phones capturing so much of their time and attention?

Usakowski: We are back to pre-covid numbers in number of participants and projects. We have seen a steady increase post Covid.

Goodells County Park is located at 8264 County Park Road in Goodells.

For more information including a full schedule of 4H Fair events visit stclaircounty4hfair.org.