'Bringing the magic back': Somerset County 4-H Fair returns this week after COVID hiatus
BRIDGEWATER – The Somerset County 4-H Fair is back.
After a two-year absence because of the pandemic, the free fair, traditionally the largest summertime event in Somerset County, will return to North Branch Park on Milltown Road for three days, Wednesday through Friday.
As the largest free 4-H fair in the state, the Somerset County 4-H Fair typically attracts more than 60,000 visitors.
“4-H is proud to be a long-standing staple of Somerset County by providing a place for all community members to come together,” said Lisa Rothenburger, the County Extension Department Head who oversees the fair. “Generations of county residents have looked forward to this event, and we couldn’t be happier to be bringing the magic back after a two-year absence.”
The fair is a link between Somerset County's rural and agricultural past and its high-tech present. You can listen to a goat's heartbeat and see a robotics demonstration. It's a reminder that not long ago, farms outnumbered research laboratories in the county.
In the fair’s food tent, nonprofit organizations from throughout the county raise money for their causes by selling homemade food you can't find anywhere else. For many of these organizations, it's one of their biggest fundraisers of the year and at lunch and dinner time, it's hard to find a seat.
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“The return of the Somerset County 4-H Fair is just what our county needs. 4-H is such an important part of the county’s culture and community,” said County Commission Director Shanel Robinson. “We encourage residents and visitors to come to the fair to celebrate family, make new connections, and enjoy all that our county has to offer.”
A Somerset County tradition since 1947, the fair receives major funding from the Somerset County Board of Commissioners.
The fair is open each day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a full schedule of events. Free parking is available at the fairgrounds and at Raritan Valley Community College on Route 28 in Branchburg in lots 1, 2 and 5 with free shuttle service to the fairgrounds.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Somerset County 4-H Fair returns after COVID hiatus
