The Estill County Agricultural Fair has been a long-standing event in the local community. Allowing youth and adults of all ages to participate and exhibit their hard work from the past year. With six livestock shows, three divisions for exhibit entries and countless displays and events it is a hallmark of community pride. 

Situation

The 4-H exhibits and shows had seen a steady decline from 2005 to 2013 dwindling down to less than three hundred exhibits in total. The County Fair Board, County Extension Council, and 4-H Council identified this as a sign of a decreasing participation by youth in agricultural based programming. 

Educational response

Estill County 4-H initiated State and County Fair workshops, provided educational materials, worked with partnering organizations such as the Girl Scouts, Library, and FFA, Created a marketing campaign and expanded the days that entries would be taken with a series of pre-entry days 

Target Audience

The Estill County Fair 4-H Exhibits target youth age 5-18 

Outcomes

Estill County 4-H saw a 53% increase in the number of exhibits that were displayed at the Estill Country Fair from the year 2017 to 2018. Youth entered 892 entries in the county fair this past year including entries in categories that had not seen entries in over six years. State fair entries have increased because of this and workshop and club participation has increased as a result of the increased exposure to youth project work.