Doug VanNuys of Hillsborough Farms
By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
A day of free family fun will once again take over the North Branch Park 4-H Fairgrounds in Bridgewater, as the Somerset County 4-H hosts its annual fair.
Continuing a tradition spanning nearly seven decades, the 4-H Fair will educate and entertain thousands of visitors to the Milltown Road fairgrounds for free from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Aug. 10 to 12.
The fairgrounds on Milltown Road will host a litany of activities for all agesFor 69 years, 4-H members, their leaders and families have educated and entertained thousands of visitors at their free, family friendly event.
For 4-H members like Hillsborough resident and incoming Seton Hill University freshman Paige Lamberson, 19, the fair lets her share her love of the organization with everyone.
“4-H has always meant family to me,” Ms. Lamberson said. “It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It has taught me leadership, presentation skills, teamwork, caring and I have made lifelong friends.”
For the first time in years, 4-H’ers will exhibit pigs, cows, sheep and goats, while the organization’s mechanical science clubs run their go karts, model trains, planes, rockets and RC cars through a series of competitions around their tracks and in the air.
In the arts and science tent, 4-H members will host exhibits of cooking and sewing, fine arts, filmmaking and steampunk, magic, drama, twirling and double dutch. Beekeeping, therapy pets, scale models, entomology, archery, photography and board and computer games will also on display at the tent.
As the largest group in the 4-H Project in Somerset County, the 4-H Robotics Club will have its own tent for the first time. Over the course of the fair, 75 4-H members and 15 leaders in 6 clubs hold a high school robotics demonstration, as well as host a Lego Free Build every morning at 10 a.m. and allow attendees to drive robots. Each evening, club members will compete with robots they have built to meet the club challenge of the year.
Horse and dog club members will be showing their animals all three days. Over 50 4-H Dog Club members and their leaders will hold a mini-dog show, as well as dog obedience classes, a seeing-eye demonstration and showmanship classes.
For the younger members, the 4-H Prep group will present an exploratory program for children in Kindergarten to 3rd grade, giving them a number of activities and entertainment.
Through all three days, the tent will let young artists try their hand at a variety of arts and crafts, while young scientists will experiment with the bubble machine and try to balance a ball on a stream of air with the Bernoulli Blower.
Each day there will also be different interactive presentations on the Prep stage, such as Jonah the Juggler, the 4-H Magicians Guild, Get Acquainted with Musical Instruments, Chinese Yo-Yo’s, Rizzo’s Reptiles, and Conrad & his Monkey Puppet.
The Prep Tent will also feature a daily performance of Willie Wonka, performed by the 4-H Clover Ensemble from 5:00-5:45 and on Friday with an additional performance at 7:30-8:15.
Food and refreshments will be available from various 4-H clubs, as well as other youth organizations, including Boy Scout Troop 185 from North Branch, Boy Scout Troop 90, Bridgewater Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Church, to name a few.
Free entertainment, amateur and professional, will take place at three different venues throughout the fair. Free shuttle buses from Raritan Valley Community College will be available each day.
For more information, contact the 4-H Office at 908 526-6644.
