Black Hawk County
County Fair: July 16th - July 20th, 2023
State Fair: August 10th - August 20th, 2023
2023 Fair Information
This website provides links and help sheets to everything 4-H and FFA families may need to sign-up and prepare for the Black Hawk County Fair. Be sure to review this website to find the most up-to-date information. As you have questions, please email Diane wolfejd@iastate.edu, and we will do our best to provide answers as we have them.
STEM Fair
STEM Fair at the Black Hawk County 4-H and FFA Fair,
Wednesday, July 19th 1:00 - 4:00pm in Estel Hall
Area families invited to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Day at the Fair!
The Fair has gone STEM! The Black Hawk County 4-H and FFA Fair’s annual STEM Festival on July 19th will provide fairgoers an opportunity to explore hands-on STEM activities. The Festival, to be held Wednesday July 19, 1 pm to 4 pm in Estel Hall on the National Cattle Congress fair grounds, is FREE to the public.
July 1st Checklist - Applies to all 4-H & FFA Exhibitors
Being worked on!

Broiler Chick Project
Award Applications
- Danforth & Lions Application 23
- (10th-12th Grades)
- Sheep Scholarship 23
- (12th Grades)
- Swine Scholarship 23
- (12th Grades)
- Fair King & Queen Application 23
- (Age 16-20)
Pie Contest

We would greatly appreciate your support of our 4-H Fundraiser!
Bring a Pie for donation or Buy a homemade pie!
Bring Pies to the Pepsi Pavilion, Thursday, July 20th, at 12:30pm to be judged. Or buy a pie at Family Picnic in the Pepsi Pavilion starting at 4:00pm! Fun for all! Open to the Public!
Questions call 319-234-6811!
Exhibitor Information
-
Static Exhibits
-
General Static Exhibitors
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
Preparing for Fair
-
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
Source Citing
-
Document
-
Elements & Principles of Design
-
Document
-
-
Photography
-
Document
Food & Nutrition
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
Horticulture
Poster Communication Project
-
Document
-
Document
-
- Awardrobe Clothing Events
-
4-Her's, Consider entering a Fashion Revue, $15 Challenge or Fashion Revue and get on the runway at the Iowa State Fair!
Awardrobe Information from the State
DocumentTips for Fashion and $20 Challenge:
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
-
-
-
- Communication Events
-
Communication - Working Exhibits
- Livestock Exhibits
-
General Livestock Exhibitors
-
- 4-H Project Areas ( Tip sheets and Hot sheets can be found here!)
-
Document
-
Document
ImageAll 4-H/FFA animal exhibitors (4th-12th grade) must be certified in YQCA, except those exhibiting only horse, pet, and/or dog. This is required of exhibitors at county and state fair. Must be completed by July 1, 2021 www.yqcaprogram.org
Beef
- Drug Affidavits are required for all beef animals at fair. Remember to record all treatments given to your animals.
- Breeding Beef must be ID'd in 4hOnline by May 15th. If you originally weighed your' heifer in as a market heifer, the animal does NOT need to be ID'd again in 4hOnline as a breeding heifer. It just needs to be entered correctly on Fairentry. All heifers MUST have birth date listed. All heifers will need tattoos in 4hOnline to be eligible for the state fair plus one of the following: registration #, calfhood vaccination #, or 4-H ear tag - registered heifers must have registration number listed.
-
Document
-
Document
Horse
- 4hOnline ID required by May 15th
- You must upload photos of each horse and Registration papers in 4hOnline
- Leased horses MUST have completed lease form uploaded into 4hOnline
- Halter Class horses must be owned
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
Sheep and Meat Goat
- Drug Affidavits are required for all sheep and meat goat at fair. Remember to record all treatments given to your animals
- All market lambs, commercial breeding ewes, and state fair sheep, as well as all market meat goats, state fair meat goats, and breeding does does must attend weigh-in
- Breeding does with tattoos do not need a 4-H tag but can put one in if preferred. Birth dates are required for all breeding does. Please bring birth date information at weigh-in for those attending.
- All state fair sheep and meat goat need to attend weigh-in to be retinal imaged for eligibilty
- ID animals in 4hOnline by May 15
- All sexually intact sheep and goats must have scrapies tag in the ear by fair time.
-
Document
-
Document
-
Document
Swine
- If you are a new swine exhibitor, you will need to a Premise ID#. Contact the office for help.
- Drug Affidavits are required for all swine at fair. Remember to record all treatments given to your animals.
- Breeding gilts must be ID'd in 4hOnline by May 15th
- You do NOT need to a show market or derby hog in order to show breeding gilts
- Ear notches are required for all pigs
- State Fair Pigs: DNA punch tags are required. The deadline to identify these pigs is May 15th.
-
Document
- Premise Id Information
Poultry
- 4hOnline ID required May 15th
-
Document
Dairy
- 4hOnline ID required by May 15th
- Dairy and Dairy Goat ID Form
Pets
- 4hOnline ID required by May 15th
- Dogs and cats must have rabies vaccination records at fair
- Dog ID Form
Rabbit
- 4hOnline ID required by May 15th
- Tattoos required before fair
- State fair requires it in the left ear
-
Document
-
County Fair Info
Foods for Iowa 4-H Fair Guide
Plan ahead for a successful fair experience. Use these guidelines to help select an acceptable product for exhibit, find an approved recipe source, and identify the appropriate preparation method.
- Foods for Iowa 4-H Fairs - Quick Reference Guide (2023)
-
This replaces 4H 3023 - Inappropriate Food Exhibits For Iowa 4-H Fairs.
If you have the permalink linked on your website, it will automatically take your families to the updated version (versus having the old PDF version linked on your website). Permalink for this product: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/6434
Difference of the 01/2022 version and the 12/2022 version:
Maple Syrup
in the notes section, they updated the resource linkFrosting and Glazes
under acceptable examples, they changed the traditional buttercream (butter, sugar, flavoring, liquid) to traditional vanilla buttercream (butter, powdered sugar, extract, milk) under acceptable examples, Glazes made with powdered sugar and water only (added “only”) under unacceptable examples, removed the word “traditional” for German chocolate frosting made from scratch under unacceptable examples, it is now fresh juice or zest (added “zest”)Cakes
carrot is now listed as an unacceptable exhibit (and therefore, they removed the specification for carrot cakes in the method notes) added under method notes: “no baking in metal cans”Cookies and Bars
lemon bars are now listed as an unacceptable exhibitQuick Breads
added under method notes: “no baking in metal cans”Pies
ALL pecan pies are now listed as an unacceptable exhibit (previously, traditional pecan pie was listed as acceptable)