County Fair

2024 Des Moines County Fair Book

2024 Des Moines County Fair Schedule coming soon

Checklist of Requirements to Show at the Des Moines County Fair

YQCA

FairEntry

Des Moines County Fair Website

Iowa State Fair Information

Judging will be on Wednesday, July 12 at Southeastern Community College beginning at 10am. 

There are four divisions this year:

• Fashion Revue: is for clothing project area members who will model an outfit that they have constructed, hand-knitted, machine-knitted, or crocheted during the current 4-H year.
• Clothing Selection: is for selected or purchased outfits that represent the 4-H member’s goal or intended use based on individual or group experiences: choosing shopping alternatives; evaluating fit, quality, and construction features; and comparing prices.
• $20 Challenge (replaces the $15 Challenge): is for 4-H members to model an outfit purchased for $20 or less from resale venues such as garage sales, consignment, or thrift stores, etc., that represents an intended use for the selected outfit.
• Innovative Design (new for 2023):  encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking when creating an outfit. These designs can be theatrical costumes, cosplay, wearable technology, sustainable/ upcycled fashion, and/or outfits that use unconventional materials. The garment(s) may be modeled by the exhibitor or the individual it was designed for.

Members are divided by division: Junior, Intermediate, and Senior, and will meet with a judge to discuss their clothing report form and model their outfit. Report forms MUST be completed and brought to judging on the 12th. A schedule will be mailed out in July. 

Garments entered in the Clothing Event can also be entered as an exhibit in the Family & Consumer Science Department to be judged on Monday, July 24. Be sure to add this to your static entries by July 1st! Each participant is required to take part in the Style Show, at the fair, on Saturday evening, July 29, 2023.

Forms:

Awardrobe Clothing Event Report Form

Clothing Event Report Form - Junior/Intermediate

Design: Exploring the Elements & Principles in Clothing

Tip Sheet: Clothing & Fashion

Wednesday, July 26: Communication Day

• 11am - Educational Presentations & Extemporaneous Speaking immediately following.

Educational presentations provide our Junior (4-6 grade) and Intermediate/ Senior (7-12 grade) members the opportunity to demonstrate communication skills by presenting knowledge, information, or a process to an audience. These presentations are like talks or demonstrations you may have done at the club level.

Extemporaneous Speaking is open to Senior (9-12 grade) 4-H members which encourages the development of communication skills by providing an opportunity to think, organize thoughts, prepare a speech, and answer questions when given a limited amount of preparation time.

• 12:30pm - Working Exhibits

Working Exhibits provide our Junior and Intermediate/Senior members the opportunity to communicate, interact with, and teach an audience in an informal and experiential way. Members will set up interactive demonstrations to provide instruction on h ow to make something or provide educational information.

• 7:00pm - Share the Fun

Share the Fun will round out the day at 7:00 p.m. in Exhibit Hall. Share the Fun provides an opportunity for 4-H members to share their skills and talents before an audience purely for the sake of enjoyment.

Entry deadline for all communications is due July 1 in FairEntry. A schedule of presenters will be mailed in July.

Awards recognition will take place at Communication Night, in conjunction with Share the Fun. State Fair selected exhibitors will meet immediately following the completion on Communication Night. Bring your calendars!

Tip Sheet: Communication

Judging Day: Monday, July 24 at 8:00am

Photography:

• The 2023 Jeff Kerr Photography theme = "Peaceful Setting"
• Photography Hints
• Photo Label

Food & Nutrition:

• Foods for Iowa 4-H Fairs
• Safe Frosting for Iowa 4-H Fairs
• Preserve the Taste of Summer - Canning: Fruit Spreads

Gardening & Horticulture:

• Harvesting & Preparing Vegetables for Exhibit
• Preparing Cut Flowers & Houseplants for Exhibits

Poster Communication:

• 2023 Poster Communication Themes...
  • 4-H is...
  • Join 4-H
  • Opportunity 4 All
  • Spy Your Potential
  • Best Days Ever (in 4-H)
• Poster Form

General Forms/Resources:

• 4-H Fair Exhibit Form Template (basic)
• How Do I Prepare an Exhibit for Fair
• Pinterest to Original Source in 3 Easy Steps
• Visual Arts Form
• Design: Exploring the Elements & Principles
• Design: Exploring the Elements & Principles in Home Decor
• Obtaining Permission to use Copyright Material
• Goal Statement Help Video
• Iowa 4-H Project Area Ideas
• Project Area Guides
• Exhibit Tip Sheets

Animal Care & Management Disclosure Form

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Des Moines County 4-H/FAA Bucket Bottle Record Form

Beef Show: Friday, July 28 at 8:00am

Dairy Cattle & Goat Show: Friday July 28 at 2:00pm

Animal Care & Management Disclosure Form

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Des Moines County 4-H/FAA Bucket Bottle Record Form

Dairy Goat & Cattle Show: Friday July 28 at 2:00pm

Meat Goat Show: Saturday, July 29 at 2:00pm

Weigh-in will be held May 6, 2023, from 8:00-11:00 a.m. at the Des Moines County Fairgrounds. ALL State Fair nominations must be retinal scanned!

Market Goats should be born on or after October 1, 2021. A maximum of 12 goats may be weighed in. ALL goats must attend weigh-in to register scrapie tag number except Bottle Kid, Dairy, and Specialty Goats.

Scrapie tags are again required for all sheep and goats to show at the 2023 Des Moines County Fair. Per state health rules, scrapie tags must be in the animal’s ear upon arrival at an exhibition/show. Information about the USDA scrapie program can be found here. 

Animal Care & Management Disclosure Form

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Des Moines County 4-H/FAA Bucket Bottle Record Form

Sheep Show: Saturday, July 30 at 8:00am

Weigh-in will be held May 6, 2023, from 8:00-11:00 a.m. at the Des Moines County Fairgrounds. ALL State Fair nominations must be retinal scanned!

Members may weigh-in a maximum of 12 lambs. ALL sheep (market and breeding) must come to weigh-in and have a registered scrapie tag with the exception of Bottle Lambs. Bottle Lambs must have a scrapie tag identified in 4-HOnline 2.0 by May 15th.

Scrapie tags are again required for all sheep and goats to show at the 2023 Des Moines County Fair. Per state health rules, scrapie tags must be in the animal’s ear upon arrival at an exhibition/show. Information about the USDA scrapie program can be found here. 

Animal Care & Management Disclosure Form

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Swine Show: Thursday, July 27 at 8:00am

The Des Moines County Swine Committee has decided that there WILL NOT be an organized swine weigh-in held in Des Moines County again this year.

All 4-H and FFA pigs must be identified by ear notch, ear tag, sex, and color by the individual themselves. Paperwork must be entered by the family no later then May 15, 2023. Each exhibitor is limited to identifying a maximum of 12 pigs.

Production market barrows and gilts were to be weighed by the individual anytime between April 1 and April 8, 2023. Ear notch, ear tag, sex, and color need to be identified in 4-H Online 2.0 by May 15. Any barrow/gilt weighing over 65 pounds will not be eligible for the Production Barrow or Gilt class. Any combination of gits and barrows may be identified on the identification form and entered into 4-H Online 2.0 by May 15. It is not mandatory to have a production market barrow or production market gilt entry to show.

***NEW FOR 2023: A Purebred Breeding Gilt Class has been added for this year. This entry MUST be different than the Purebred Market Hog entry.*** If you have questions prior to sourcing your hogs, please call Mary and/or a Swine Committee member for clarification.

You may identify eight (8) divisions in FairEntry by July 1 and exhibit four (4) pigs in either the individual market gilt class, individual market barrow class, production market barrow class, production market gilt class, single source class, purebred market hog, purebred breeding gilt, or commercial gilt class. Exhibitors may sell two (2) pigs in the auction. The extra pigs may be removed when released or when transportation is available.

Individuals may pick up tags, both county and state fair tags; a tagger; and identification forms from the Des Moines County Extension Office on or after Monday, March 27, 2023. It is important when you come to pick up tags that you know if you are exhibiting at the county level and/or the state level to insure proper tags are sent home with you. REMEMBER TO BRING THE TAGGERS BACK WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH THEM!

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Poultry Show: Wednesday, July 26 at 8:00am

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Rabbit Show: Friday, July 28 at 11:30am

Animal Care & Management Disclosure Form

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Horse Show: Wednesday, July 26 at 12:30pm

The mandatory meeting for 2023 Horse Exhibitors is May 8th at Regan and Tracy Braders at 6:00 p.m. Bring 4-H Online 2.0 login information for ID help.  ALL members must attend the mandatory meeting and at least two (2) riding sessions or no meeting and three (3) riding sessions to be eligible to participate in the 2023 Des Moines County Fair.

The following riding sessions will start promptly at 6:30 p.m., except for July 8 which will begin at 10 a.m.

• June 6: Halter and Showmanship
• June 13: Western Pleasure and Horsemanship
• June 20: Trail Class
• June 27: Ranch Horse Pleasure and Walk-Trot
• July 8: Reining, Handy Horse, and Open Practice
• July 11: Barrels, Poles and Vet Check
• July 18:  English, Egg & Spoon and Open Practice
• July 26: Des Moines County Fair Horse Show

*** New for Fair 2023...Horses may arrive on the fairgrounds beginning at 11:00 a.m., Check-in begins at 11:30 a.m., and the Horse Show begins at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. ***

Care of Animals in a Public Setting

Dog Show: Monday, July 31 at 8:00am

Dog Training Sessions will begin Monday, June 5, at 6:00 p.m. at the fairgrounds. The June 5th meeting is the Mandatory Meeting for all exhibitors. The sessions will last approximately 1 hour.

Please bring a 6 ft. leather leash, choke collar, water, and a bowl for you animal.

Novice and Experienced exhibitors must attend 4 of 7 dog training sessions with your dog, for safety reasons, and Advanced exhibitors must attend 3 of the 7 dog training sessions with your dog, for safety reasons.

Showmanship will be based partially on these sessions.

The dates for the Dog Training Sessions are as follows:

• June 5
• June 12
• June 19
• June 26
• July 3 (to be discussed at the mandatory meeting)
• July 10
• July 17
• July 31 - Des Moines County Fair Dog Show