After a summer of hard work, 4-H kids gear up for the Eastern Idaho State Fair
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BLACKFOOT – After a busy summer showing animals at the fair or preparing them for market, many 4-H participants are now headed to the Eastern Idaho State Fair.
The 124th event is happening Sept. 4 to Sept. 12. Livestock and 4-H events are open to participants across eastern Idaho, stretching from Oneida, Franklin and Bear Lake County in the south and extending north toward Clark and Fremont County. From the west, it extends from Butte and Power Counties all the way to the Wyoming state line.
Carmen Willmore is the University of Idaho Extension Educator in livestock and 4-H in Bingham County. Her office is the liaison between the 4-H program and fair registration, which closes on Sept. 1.
“I share the responsibility with the rest of my office in making sure that we’re representing 4-H at the state fair and that all of our counties are doing the same thing and keeping all of our kids registered,” Willmore says.
At last year’s event, Willmore says there were 461 individual exhibitors and 1,600 total entries for livestock and horse shows. She’s anticipating a similar number for 2026.
Of the more than 200 4-H students in Bingham County this summer, Willmore says 97 are planning to participate in the state fair.
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In Bannock County, the 4-H program has seen a dramatic uptick in participation in recent years. Holly Shuck, the 4-H Administrative Specialist at the Bannock County Extension Office, says 27 of the county’s 199 animal project participants will be attending the EISF.
Among them is 11-year-old Sammy Circle of Pocatello. She’s a member of the High Mountain Riders club, and she and her horse, Queeny, took first place in team sorting at the Bannock County Fair, held the first week of August.
Although this is her second year participating at the EISF, it’s her first time taking an animal.
She is one member of a three-person team at the EISF who will be tested on their ability to sort cows and keep them confined. As Sammy prepares to compete against kids across the region, she says she’s feeling excited and confident in her abilities.
“I think I’ll do pretty good,” Sammy says.
Similarly, 16-year-old Tietsie Fly, of McCammon, is taking a variety of animals to the state fair. She says she’s most proud of her performance in the dairy goat show at the Bannock County Fair, where she won grand champion in showmanship and quality.
Tietsie says it was a major confidence boost to win the top prize among 15 contestants. She’s participated in the state fair every year since she started in 4-H nine years ago. As she gears up for the 2026 event, she says she’s excited to try her luck again with more competition.
“You gotta have the confidence to go up in the ring and be there,” Tietsie says.
In Jefferson County, 4-H has also experienced significant growth. It’s been on an upward trend since 2020. It hosts two fairs on different ends of the county — one in Mud Lake and one in Rigby. Program assistant Sue Walker says that of the 300 animal projects, 95 are headed to the Blackfoot fair.
RELATED | Twin Falls teen selected for prestigious national 4-H leadership scholarship
Sixteen-year-old Kallie Hansen of Rigby took her pig to the Jefferson County Fair earlier this month. She took third place in showmanship. She’ll be taking two pigs to the state fair — one for the show and for market, and another one for market. Kallie started school and was unavailable for comment Tuesday morning, but her mom, Kelli, says taking animals to the fair has become a longstanding tradition with her kids.
Kallie has four pigs she’s been practicing with all summer, and Kelli recalls something the judge said to her at the county fair when awarding her third place.
“He said that she is an excellent show-er, that she would win any fair with any other judge,” Kelli recalls. “She went in later with her market pig and the judge was like, ‘Man, this girl can really show a pig.'”
Kelli says 4-H is a great activity for her daughter to participate in, and she’s glad it’s a hobby her daughter enjoys.
Kallie is looking forward to her turn at the Eastern Idaho State Fair, according to Kelli.
“She is super excited. It’s like our family vacation,” says Kelli. “If she doesn’t win, it’s fine, but she always learns something new.”
Walker says she’s proud of the kids who participated in 4-H this year.
“The kids did amazing. All of our shows are getting very competitive. They do very well in our showmanship and quality classes,” Walker says.
Those wanting to register an animal for the Eastern Idaho State Fair can contact the Bingham County extension office at (208) 785-8060. A daily schedule of livestock and animal events is included below.
AG AT-A-GLANCE
State water officials award 13 flood management grants statewide
The following is an excerpt from a news release from the Idaho Water Resource Board.
REXBURG – The Idaho Water Resource Board voted to approve 13 flood management grants statewide totaling $1.1 million on Friday, August 7, during its regular bimonthly meeting in Rexburg.
The project awards were as follows:
Read the full story here.
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