MONROE — Festivities, foods, friends and fun: the Green County Fair is back and excitement is in the air.
The fair will take place at the Green County Fairgrounds Wednesday, July 21 — Sunday, July 25.
“We’re happy to be back out into the community again,” Kristin Bansley of the Fair Board said. “We’re happy to provide something for people to attend, to have the kids be able to exhibit the projects that they worked on in the past year.”
For the Green County 4-H members who missed out on an opportunity to show their projects last year, the Fair is a welcome chance to put on display the hard work put into 4-H over the past year.
“We were really committed to partnering with the fair board this year to make sure that, even if it looks a little different, the fair would go on.” UW Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator Ellen Andrews said. “Youth needed that opportunity to showcase their learning.”
In a typical year, 4-H members with non-animal projects will meet with judges in the exhibition hall for judging. This year, judging will take place on Monday and Tuesday, without the youth present to avoid large crowds.
Beyond the exhibition hall full of 4-H projects, fair-goers can find a number of attractions throughout the fairgrounds including a lumberjack show, demolition derby, Brew City Wrestling and the 4-H youth Fur and Feather auction.
For 2021 Green County Fairest of the Fair Jencie Lynaugh, the opportunity to participate in the Fur and Feather auction after a year off is particularly exciting.
“To put your finished product out towards the public is probably one of the most exciting things a younger 4-Her can do,” she said.
The auction will take place Saturday, July 24 at 10 a.m. in the Mayer Transport Show Barn. The Youth Livestock auction is on the same day at 12:30 p.m., also in the show barn.
Those who missed out on their favorite fair foods last year can even stop by between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for free lunch admission at the west gate.
Patrons can pay admission, get lunch and receive a refund upon leaving, so long as they do not stay to enjoy the other activities the fair has to offer.
As the fair is volunteer-driven, anyone looking to help is encouraged to call the fair office at 608-325-9159.
Lynaugh is just pleased to get back to some normalcy with the fair.
“To walk into those fair gates and see people smile and just look around and have a new perspective on the world after what happened last year is so, so important to me and probably everyone in the community,” Lynaugh said. “It brings people out; it brings people joy and excitement. It makes people have a new feeling that they haven’t felt in over a year.”