Starting this year, a Boulder 4-H fair will be held in conjunction with the Jefferson County Fair & Rodeo, August 24-27. The decision to support a 4-H fair was made at a recent Jefferson County Fair Board meeting, attended by members and leaders of the Boulder Outlaws 4-H Club. The Jefferson County Fair in Boulder has primarily been an open-class fair since its founding thirty-three years ago. The exception was a few years in the early 2000s, when a 4-H fair was held in conjunction with the fair.
“We’re excited to welcome 4-H back, with the additional young people, volunteers, entries and enthusiasm that it will bring to our fair,” said Jefferson County Fair Board chair Terry Minow. “We have been talking about this ever since the fair was founded,” she added.
For many years, Boulder and Whitehall 4-H members participated in the Madison-Jefferson County Fair in Twin Bridges. 4-H members from the north end of the county participate in the Lewis & Clark County Fair. At a joint meeting of Madison and Jefferson County commissioners last fall, Madison County commissioners said that Twin Bridges fair facilities are not big enough to accommodate all the 4-H animals from Madison and Jefferson counties. Jefferson County Extension Agent Billy Whitehurst stated his research indicates 4-H members can choose which 4-H fair to attend. That discussion led the Boulder Outlaws 4-H Club to petition the Jefferson County Fair Board to host a 4-H fair. The Boulder 4-H fair will be organized by 4-H leaders, parents and volunteers.
