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Credit: Oregon 4-H (Cropped from original)
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Oregon State Fair 2023

The 2023 Oregon State Fair will be held August 25–September 4, 2023!

We are so excited to share Fair Season with you this year. Please find all exhibit and Live Contest information (including score cards, information cards, evaluation sheets) in the left-hand sidebar (on mobile, it's the grey menu you had to scroll past to get to this content).

Frequently Asked Questions and Info

What is State Fair?

Fair season is the highlight of many 4-H'ers' year, especially those in year-long clubs who have the opportunity to showcase the skills, hard work, and expertise they've put into their art, food preservation, or livestock, horse, or companion animal care and training all year.

For many clubs, State Fair is the culmination of the 4-H year before we begin a new 4-H Year on October 1.

Participating at the Oregon State 4-H Fair is a honor because 4-H youth have excelled with their projects at their local 4-H County Fairs and qualified to showcase their skills with other youth from across Oregon. Come experience the fun and celebrate their achievements!

How Do I Qualify for State Fair?

All Oregon State Fair classes and descriptions are available in the Exhibitor's Handbook. Because it's a long document, we have broken it up into two sections (both include the "General Information" section):

Animal Sciences Fair Book

Exhibition Hall and Live Contests Fair Book

Who Qualifies?

Each county in Oregon is allotted a number of entries in State Fair based on the total number of 4-H'ers in that county. Who qualifies (and how) is determined by each county 4-H Program, and generally happens at the county fair.

  • Under 400 members-three exhibits per class
  • 400 to 799 members-four exhibits per class
  • 800 to 1199 members-five exhibits per class
  • 1200 to 1499 members-six exhibits per class
  • 1500 to 1800 members – 7 exhibits per class
  • 1800 and up – 8 exhibits per class

More information can be found in the Fair Book's general resources section.

I Qualified! How Do I Sign Up for a Contest Time?

Live Contest Timeslot sign-up links

Your county will enter you in the class, but you need to pick a time using one of the forms below. Many of these forms will not open until qualifying county fair competitions have begun. Please do not sign up for a time slot until you have qualified for state fair.

I want to volunteer! How do I sign up?

First of all, THANK YOU! 4-H relies on the kindness and generosity of volunteers to put on an excellent State Fair for 4-H'ers every year. We can't do it without you! If you're dedicated to creating a positive, kind, and welcoming experience for every 4-H'er, please sign up below.

Volunteer Sign Up Forms: Exhibit Building • Livestock Barn • Dog Show

Volunteer forms for Horse Fair are separated by day:

What is the 2023 Schedule?

​​​​​​Animal Science Schedules

      LIVE Contest Schedules

      The following classes are offered as live contests:

      • Communications Presentations
      • Cupcake Wars
      • Family Consumer Science Classic
      • Fashion Revue
      • Flower Arranging
      • Food Contests
      • Table Setting

      Please note: Cake decorating as a live contest will not be offered this year. The Cake Decorating exhibits will still be available.

      Celebrate Our World: The Caribbean!

      Each year, the Oregon State Fair introduces a geographical theme to encourage 4-H'ers to learn about, explore, and celebrate countries and regions around the world. This allows 4-H'ers to learn from cultures beyond their own communities, and benefit from the centuries of techniques different cultures have put into their arts, crafts, foods, and other relevant skills that impact their skill or contest area.This year, we are celebrating the Caribbean!

      Exhibits in this class often fit in another "home" class, with a focus or technique learned from this year's region. This year, 4-Hers can focus on any country in the Caribbean:

      Caribbean States
      Antigua and Barbuda Haiti
      Bahamas Jamaica
      Barbados Saint Lucia
      Cuba Saint Kitts and Nevis
      Dominica Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
      Dominican Rep. Trinidad and Tobago
      Grenada

      For projects using the Celebrate Our World focus, the Celebrate our World explanation card is used as well as the project’s regular explanation card and judged using the project’s score sheet.

      Celebrate Our World Explanation Card (998-03)
      Photo: Rick Jamison via Unsplash (Cropped from original)

      Live Contests Information

      Live contests information is linked on this page.

      Judging and Identification (Animal Sciences) Contests

      Innovation and Creativity

      The Innovation and Creativity class is an opportunity for intermediate and senior level 4-H members to share a creative or innovative exhibit that combines knowledge from multiple skill areas.

      Other Fairbook Sections

      Flat Lucky on a slide

      Lucky enjoying the fair!

      Photo: Karissa Dishon

      General State Fair Resources

      PDF 2023 General information

      What does it mean to be a 4-H'er at State Fair?

      4-H'ers who qualify for State Fair represent their community, county, and program to Oregon and to the world. All 4-H'ers (and volunteers) are expected to abide by a Code of Conduct to ensure we represent ourselves, others, and 4-H well.

      To participate in State Fair, you will need to agree to treat yourself and others with respect, be caring, treat animals humanely and provide appropriate care, be honest, be cooperative, welcoming, and inclusive of all.

      Sign the Code of Conduct
      Photo: Scotty Turner (Cropped from original)

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