Q&A with Kristen Sikorski-Conklin on 100th St. Joseph County 4-H Fair
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The St. Joseph County 4-H Fair is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a week of festivities from June 28 to July 6, continuing a tradition that has brought generations together through agriculture, entertainment and community spirit.
From livestock shows and carnival rides to pie-eating contests and fireworks, this year’s centennial fair promises a blend of nostalgic favorites and new attractions. With expanded entertainment, daily family-friendly events and a special “Cheers to 100 Years” program, organizers are expecting record turnout for one of the county’s longest-running summer traditions.
Inside INdiana Business spoke with Fair Board President Kristen Sikorski-Conklin about what the centennial celebration means, what’s new this year and why the fair continues to bring the community together.
This article has been edited for brevity and clarity.
How are final preparations for the fair going?
Great! We’re just a few days away but the planning is coming together. Our 4-H projects are being judged right now. Barns are getting set up with pens. The North American Midway rides are being set up. Our vendors move in on Wednesday. So it’s a very busy but very exciting time.
How long have you been involved with the fair and in what roles?
This is my 11th year on the fair board. Prior to that, I was a 10 year 4-H member. I finished 21 years ago and I’ve been a leader ever since then. So basically my whole life.
What keeps you coming back to the fair year after year?
Oh, goodness. Just the community, the family that it is. A few of us who grew up together in 4-H now have children participating in 4-H. So it was just so neat to see us reuniting but then also our kids. The joy that it brings to them because they’re participating and also just being able to give back to the community.
Obviously, we’re here to support the 4-H program and the great work those kids do. Bringing all of that together and allowing the community to come in and see the projects they’ve worked on, the livestock they’ve raised. It’s just a safe, fun place for the community to really kick-off summer because we’re the first big event of the summer in our area.
Sikorski-Conklin talks about what makes her so committed to the 4-H County Fair.
How would you describe the fair’s importance to the local community?
It’s a safe place to bring families and to enjoy time together. We’re over the Fourth of July holiday, so it’s a great place to spend that holiday. The price of everything has gone up but we strive to keep our admission low. That way you’re not spending too much money to come into the fair. Obviously, then you’re going to spend money with our vendors and on our rides. But we want to bring as many people here as we can.
How has the fair changed over time? What’s stayed the same and what’s new?
We’ve been at the current location for many years and through partnerships with different community sponsors we’ve been able to add some new structures to our grounds. We’ve also been able to do renovations. There’s still work to do; it is an aging ground. So that’s one way we’ve evolved. But then there’s a lot of things that have stayed the same. For example, my entire life, we have worked with the same company that brings our rides and games. So those long-standing relationships have endured. The rides have changed. The games have changed. The way you purchase the wristbands have even changed, but we’ve worked together to keep the same groups coming back year after year.
What long-standing traditions continue to be part of the fair experience?
I don’t know about the whole 100 years but for many years we’ve had a parade that comes through the fairgrounds. We have an opening ceremonies parade followed by the opening ceremonies to kick off the fair. Other traditions include our livestock auction at the end of our fair. Our 4-H participants that have raised livestock have the opportunity to sell those animals.
After the livestock shows are done, the kids take over some of the barns and have water fights. It’s a tradition for the kids who show livestock. They hang out in the barns together and they play cards. That’s literally where they are all day.
I remember the first year after COVID. We hadn’t seen one another in almost two years but you pick up right where you left off, like we never missed a beat. I think that’s a really good tradition as well.
What special events or tributes are planned to mark the 100th anniversary?
We have lots of exciting things planned in addition to our other entertainment. Each day we have at least one, sometimes two, different classic contests. We’ve got skillet throwing, pie eating, corn dog eating, hula hooping. Fun little events that people can come and participate in at no charge.
We will also take some time to recognize all of our past Extension educators that have built this 4-H program in St. Joe County. We’ll recognize our past big award winners, past kings and queens and outstanding leaders.
On Sunday, we are having a “Cheers to 100 years” salute. It’s a two-hour program. The city will be there to give a proclamation and then some local talent will be performing.
What’s your typical attendance and are you expecting higher numbers for the centennial?
We hope that the number increases. Last year we were at about 75,000 paid fairgoers. So that does not include all of our 4-H members and our 4-H leaders. They are able to come in at no charge. Parents of the 4-H members are able to purchase a pass at a discounted rate. So the 75,000 account for only those who paid to enjoy the fair. When you add in all of our volunteers and parents, it’s an even higher number.
We’ve done a lot of advertising because it’s our 100th year. We’re really hopeful that even more people come and enjoy the fair. I know of a couple of people who’ve purchased plane tickets to come because they don’t live here anymore. So I think our numbers are going to be even higher this year.
What are some of the standout events or attractions at this year’s fair?
We have fireworks back on our first day and our last day. We have not had fireworks since before COVID. We know the community is excited for that.
We have two nights of rodeo, two nights of monster trucks and an ATV motocross show. Our admission is $6. Children eight and under enter free. All of those events are free with your admission to the fair. Those are our big events. We have grounds entertainment daily. A lot of local musicians, local dance groups. So there’s something planned every day.
We’ve got a lot of returning vendors and some new vendors. If you’re coming to look for food, there is food for everybody. We have a little bit of everything. It’s just a great place to kick off the summer.
Our website has all of our entertainment, our daily schedule. anything you need to know about the fair, the prices for wristbands, anything you need to know is there.
Who supervises the 4-H program throughout the year?
Purdue Extension runs the 4-H program and we support their work. It’s the job of the Fair Board to maintain the grounds and produce the fair. We do that in partnership with the Purdue Extension Office, who runs the 4-H side of things. They use the space for meetings and for preparations. The county fair is where they showcase all of their hard work throughout the year.
How is the fair staffed and supported?
The volunteers within the 4-H program all come through Purdue Extension. We have 27 seats on our board and we are all volunteers as well. So this is majority run by volunteers but we have a few staff. As the board of directors, we attend meetings. We have work nights here, preparing the grounds. It’s a lot of work but it’s good. We rely on each other and we remember that we’re here because of the kids.