June 2020

The Fairboard met on June 3, 2020. Here is what we know…….

They tabled the decision on whether or not their part of the fair is happening. They will be meeting again on July 1st, and will make the final decision based on the Governor’s guidelines, Toole County Health Department and the Toole County Commissioners’ recommendations.

The 4-H part of the fair is going on regardless of their decision. It will be different this year, but we are working toward the best possible outcome.

Due to the COVID pandemic and with your safety in mind there will be no face to face interviews and no food booth. Participants are asked to drop off their exhibits at the Exhibit building at the Marias fairgrounds in Shelby on Saturday between 11:00 and 2:00. All exhibits should be placed in a box or tote marked clearly with the member’s name. Items will be judged before the fair begins. You can view the 2020 fairbook and calendar and rules at http://mariasfair.msuextension.org/. Some perishable food items will not be available on FairEntry this year. Exhibits will be displayed in the Exhibit building during the fair so we will still need volunteers to monitor the Exhibit building as well as people to help with judging on Sunday and setting up our display on Wednesday. Sign up sheets were emailed to you or you can pick them up at the Extension office as well.

There are several changes to the calendar so please look closely. For example, public presentations will take place via WebEx prior to the fair on July 9 - 10th. Fashion Revue will be live on June 23rd. Sign up for both are still on FairEntry. Weigh-in’s are on Wednesday morning, the sheep show is on Wednesday evening, small animals are on Wednesday with the exception of the dog show, which is still on Saturday morning. We are still working on how to have the livestock shows and be in compliance.

The livestock auction will be on Friday afternoon. The livestock committee will meet on June 17th to discuss how that will be run while still follow social distancing and crowd size requirements.

This is certainly a strange year for everyone. Our intent is that the changes made will help everyone stay healthy. We do ask that those who are at risk or have any symptoms of illness stay safely at home. We hope everything goes smoothly. We appreciate your patience if/when there are glitches. Hopefully everything will be back to normal next year.

Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions.

Marias 4-H Fair Public Presentations Contest Goes Virtual

Due to the COVID-19 situation the Public Presentation Contest will happening virtually this year on July 9 and 10 (Thursday and Friday before fair). The contest will be live with contestants and judges logging in from remote locations with scheduled times. Spectators will also be able to log in and watch presentations. More details will be available soon.

Registration for the Public Presentation Contest will be completed with the rest of your entries through Fair Entry. The categories include demonstrations, illustrated talk, prepared speech, impromptu speech, career communications, video contest, promotional package, and commercial. Age categories are Cloverbud (5-7), prejunior (8-10), junior (11-13) and senior (14 & up).

Winners of each age category receive rosettes. Top three overall winners receive cash prizes of $100, $50, $25 for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place respectively. A trophy will be awarded to the top overall presenter. Participants will also receive premium points for the ribbon they receive in the contest. Please consult the Montana 4-H Clover Communications publication for presentation guidelines. The publication is available online at Montana 4-H Clover Communications .

Sheep Opportunity

The Montana Columbia Sheep Breeders Association Starter Flock program is again available to youth interested in starting their own flock.

Youth must be between the ages of 11 – 16 and complete an application available at

Columbia Sheep Application.

Selected recipients will receive 4 registered ewes. For more information please contact Luanne Wallewein at [email protected].

Volunteers Needed for Marias Fair Dog Arena

Hadley Barbie, of Glacier County’s Clever Clovers 4-H club recently completed and was awarded a $300 People Partner Grant. She is in need of some help to complete her goal to restore the dog arena bleachers and rebuild the arena at the fairgrounds.

There will be two main work days to complete this project. She would be so appreciative of anyone that is available to come and help. Thank you!

Stage one is the bleacher restoration which includes sanding and painting on June 20th starting at 9 AM.
Stage two is to build the new arena on Fair Clean Up day, Saturday, July 11th starting at 8 AM.

If you have any questions please contact Hadley at (406) 229-5505.