Garden County Fair Rules & Regulations

Content

General Rules & Regulations

  1. To be considered a 4-H/FFA member, youth must belong to a 4-H club, Garden County FFA Chapter or be declared an independent 4-H member via 4hOnline or written form by June 15th of current year. Youth must be 8 as of Jan. 1st of the current year to participate in 4-H and must not have passed their 19th birthday as of Jan. 1st. FFA members will follow Nebraska FFA rules set forth by the State FFA Office.
  2. There will be no discrimination due to race, color, national origin, handicap, or gender.
  3. Entries are open to members of 4-H that have been enrolled in the project area by June 15th of the current year on 4hOnline.
  4. All exhibits must be current year’s projects.
  5. 4-H members will not be allowed to show the same project area in Garden County that they are showing in any other county, i.e. market beef in Garden & market beef in another county.
  6. All animal ID forms are due on June 15th, as well as YQCA certification & enrollment. See livestock rules for more information. Pp. 71-74
  7. Pre-entry deadline will be set by the office each year. In 2026 pre-entry forms are due by July 13th. Youth will be able to drop/add projects up until July 24th. After that no changes will take place!
  8. All 4-H/FFA members are requested to familiarize themselves with all the rules & regulations which apply to their exhibit. All FFA members will be required to follow all 4-H rules.
  9. A superintendent or extension staff must release all exhibits assigned to the area. Times will be determined by the Fair Board prior to fair
  10. The County, Extension Educators/Aide, general superintendents or anyone connected with any committee dealing with the fair or any county activity, is not responsible in any way for loss, damage or injury to any property, animal or person, resulting from any cause.

 

Judging Procedures

  1. All awards will be made in the modified Danish System. A purple ribbon denotes a superior, a blue denotes an excellent & a red denotes a good.
  2. 4-H exhibitors must receive a purple or blue ribbon to be eligible for county & state awards. To be eligible for Grand Champion recognition, they must receive a purple ribbon placing. To be eligible for Reserve Champion recognition they must receive a blue or better ribbon placing.
  3. Premiums that are shown are for the Garden County Fair only.
  4. Exhibits not listed in the fair book need to be approved by the 4-H council.
  5. Any 4-H member is eligible to have an exhibit selected for the State Fair unless his/her presence is required. If presence is required, member must be 8 years of age before 
    Jan 1, 2026.
  6. The appeals & protest procedures adopted by the Garden County 4-H Council will be followed in case of disputes. Care will be taken to ensure safety of exhibits. However, in all cases the owner will be held responsible for any loss or damage done to, or arising from any animal or article on exhibit.
  7. Decisions of judges & superintendents will be FINAL!

Protest Committee

The respective superintendent has the authority to make appropriate decisions based on the 4-H Premium Book. When needed, a the County Fair 4-H Management Team shall be appointed to serve as a protest review group. They will meet when needed to act upon concerns. 

  1. All protests must be submitted in writing & signed within 24 hours of issue.
    1. The written protest must be submitted to the County Fair 4-H Management Team & must include:
    2. Names of persons involved
    3. Nature of concerns
    4. Situation & documentation
    5. Recommendations for corrections
    6. Specific action, rule, etc., in question
    7. Additional persons committee may contact for further clarification
    8. Procedures &/or steps carried out by person involved prior to submission of the protest

The committee will review the written protest. They may discuss the situation with affected persons & show officials, including County Fair Management. Recommendations will be developed, followed & communicated, both verbally & in writing, to the group or individual affected.
In cases of protest the exhibitor may be allowed to show, but results of showing will be subject to change based on the out-come of the protest process. This allows for smooth operation of the show & facilities appropriate processing.
Management reserves the right to withhold any award. The exhibitor may be excluded from the show if action warrants.

PROTEST WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE 
EXHIBIT IS RELEASED!

Static Exhibit Rules

  1. Only one entry per class unless otherwise designated. 
  2. Static & Fashion Show exhibitors must be present and participate in interview judging to receive Grand or Reserve Champion awards.
  3. County eligible projects only will be marked in the fair book as COUNTY ONLY (This means they are not State Fair eligible).
  4. If a project requires supporting material, it must be included the day of judging, unless otherwise stated. Exhibits not having supporting materials will be dropped one ribbon placing.
  5. State Fair General Rules and Regulations are available from your local extension office or can be found online.
  6. Arrangements need to be made through the extension office for booth set-up.
  7. It is recommended by the Council that good school clothes be worn at activities where the presence of the 4-Her is required for judging purposes such as speech contests, judging contests, presentations and static entry day judging. 

Livestock Rules

All Livestock rules are found in the livestock section