The entries are in, the judges are ready, and excitement is building for the 2025 Jo Daviess County 4-H Fair! Taking place July 14–16 at the Elizabeth Community Fairgrounds, this year’s fair will showcase a wide variety of projects created by local 4-H members. Exhibits span numerous categories, including livestock, horses, dogs, woodworking, food and nutrition, visual arts, photography, animal science, floriculture, and more.
The fair kicks off on Monday, July 14, at 9:00 a.m. with the 4-H Horse Show. The Dog Show begins at 2:00 p.m., followed by the Poultry Show at 4:00 p.m. The day wraps up with the Rabbit Show at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 15, begins with General Projects judging at 10:00 a.m., followed by Cloverbud judging at 3:00 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., the 4-H Federation Cloverbud Round will start, open to all youth ages 5–8. Activities include panning for gold, cornhole, face painting, chuck-a-duck, the boot-loop toss, and more. Don’t miss the free hot dog feed—no pre-registration required!
Wednesday, July 16, is all about livestock. The Swine Show starts bright and early at 7:00 a.m., followed by the Beef Show at 9:00 a.m. The Sheep Show begins at 12:30 p.m., with the Goat Show to follow. The day concludes with the annual 4-H Livestock Auction at 7:00 p.m. Projects will be displayed in the Community Building and throughout the fairgrounds until Wednesday evening.
For a complete list of fair activities or to learn more about 4-H programs, contact the University of Illinois Extension Office at (815) 858-2273 or visit go.illinois.edu/jsw.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.