The Benton County Fair Kicks Off Tuesday With Ribbons Already On The Line

SAUK RAPIDS (WJON News) -- The Benton County Fair officially gets underway on Tuesday, but the fairgrounds will be bustling with activity already on Monday.

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The 4H kids will be bringing in their exhibits to be judged first thing Monday morning.

It is the only way to do it because if we did it once the fair started, then the fairgoers wouldn't be able to see all the amazing work that the youth do in the exhibit building.

Benton County 4H Extension Educator Ann Olson says champion ribbons are placed on the winners during the overnight for the 4Hers to discover when they arrive on Tuesday morning.

We will judge all of the kids' projects. We have 37 judges coming in.  Right now, we're slated for over 2,000 items to come in.

Olson says 200 kids are scheduled to show livestock, with over 600 animals arriving on Monday evening.

Olson says they'll be very busy throughout the fair with the auction night on Wednesday. They also have a lot of opportunities to showcase their knowledge.

We have a lot of kids who will be, one from each species, the top showman from each species will be preparing for premier showmanship judging, and that's to see who has the most knowledge of all the animals, to see who is going to be our 2026 Premier Showman.

On Wednesday, they'll have 15 miniature horses coming in between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

When you head over to the Benton County Fair, be sure to stop by the 4H Lunch Stand. Olson says the 4H families have been hard at work preparing for the fair.

It's a busy week, and our volunteers are there helping the kids run our Lunch Stand.  Last week, we made 133 pies in the Lunch Stand.  All the kids and adults work that Lunch Stand.

The Lunch Stand is open to anyone who attends the fair. It is Benton County 4H's only fundraiser that they do all year.

Kids bringing their 4H exhibits to the local county fair is a tradition that spans decades and multiple generations.  Olson says the program is still just as strong today, and even growing in popularity.

Our county is growing by leaps and bounds, and that's because people have realized they do 4-H with animals, or whatever they love, that's 4-H.

Benton County has 633 youth in 4H in 13 different clubs.

Benton County 4H sent about 100 kids to the Minnesota State Fair last year.