Dickinson County Fair

Rylee Johannsen has been showing cattle at the Dickinson County Fair for the past four years. She picked out her calves in the fall and began working with them right away. The seventh grader is bringing three calves to show this year at the fair named Gus, Whiskey, and Vegas.

“You look at their structure, which means their back can’t go down or be too straight, and their front and back feet should almost touch when they walk,” she explained.

“When you go to the different judges, they ask you about your project and talk about your goal card,” Freshman Lindsay Grau said. “If you have a really good project and the judge loves it, your project will get put off to the side because it is being considered for state. At the end of the day, all the judges look at the projects that got considered for state and pick the projects that they believe should go down to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.”

For five days of the year, the Dickinson County Fairgrounds is filled with non-stop activity. Youth from around the county showcase hard work and talents for the community, often preparing for their moment many months prior to judging.

Animals have been loved on, woodworking is completed, and photographs are taken. There are hundreds of options for a 4-H student to participate in, whether it’s showing animals or creating static events. Currently, there are over 100 students involved with 4-H and each are a part of a local club.

This year’s fair will take place July 20-25 at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds, with static judging being held on July 17 and animal judging and other events taking place during fair time.

“My absolute Fair favorite is seeing the smiles on the faces of youth as they share about the projects they have worked on during the past year, whether it is art, woodworking, or an animal they have been working with, I love to see the smiles as they are eager to share about the work they have put in,” Hannah Brockshus, Dickinson County Youth Coordinator.