Hunterdon 4-H and Agricultural Fair returns for 20th year

The 20th annual Hunterdon County 4-H and Agriculture Fair runs Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 21 to 25 at the Roger K. Everitt Fairgrounds on Route 179 just south of Ringoes, N.J.

The fair will once again offer some new and different events. The Blindfolded Garden Tractor Driving Contest, inaugurated last year, will now be open to youths 16 and above, along with adults. A new event is the Pie Eating Contest, in the Goat Barn.

The new Hunterdon Hogs Club will be involved in the fair, including its Parade of Breeds. Members will have pigs and piglets for the public to squeal over. Their swine are in addition to the racing pigs, a fair staple for many years.

In the Needlework and Home Arts Division, there’s a new set of classes, for all sorts of bead projects.

The new Hunterdon County Dairy Princess, Rachel Ewing, and her assistants will be at the Fair. Stop by the Dairy Den at 2 p.m. Friday, when they will be making and giving away free ice cream sundaes. Other afternoons, samples of chocolate milk, yogurt and cheese will be given out.

The Main Stage will offer all kinds of free entertainment each day and night. “Tractor Dave” Bond, a Delaware Township farmer, and his Real Country Band take the stage at Thursday night but at a new time, 6 p.m. They’ll be followed by Jet Weston & His Atomic Ranch Hands, a group new to the Fair.

Others performers include the Jess Zimmerman Band and Presley & Taylor, a country sister duo based in Nashville, and Johnny Counterfit and the Time Travelers Band, with singing, comedy and imitations.

The entire fair schedule, including Main Stage entertainment, is at HunterdonCountyFair.com, which also lists all the show and contest rules and times.

There are tractor pulls Wednesday morning and evening, along with a garden tractor pull Saturday morning and a pedal tractor pull for kids on Sunday. The Wednesday night show, which includes a pickup truck class, is the only attraction with a fee, $5 per spectator. All other shows and entertainment are free.

There is a $10 per vehicle parking fee but no per-person charge for admission. The parking fee is shared with the volunteer fire companies whose members supervise the parking fields.

The fairgrounds is at South County Park. Successor to Flemington Fair, it was held at Flemington Fairgrounds starting in 2000, moving to its current site four years later.