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The Tipton County 4-H Fair has continually adapted throughout the years but has always kept one element throughout the years: It features Tipton’s finest kids, and the great adults they work with.
James Woolf, former Purdue University-Tipton County Extension educator says the positive changes over the years have always kept the program and fair going in the right direction.
“Things continually evolve at the Tipton County 4-H Fair,” Woolf says. “It’s a wonderful program. I was the County Extension Educator from 1981 to 2010, and I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years. I retired from Purdue Tipton County Extension, where I supported the Fair Board, Fairgrounds, and the County 4-H Fair for 30 years.”
Woolf says the fair goes back a long way.
“The county fairs started in the 1800s, but were much different,” Woolf says. “The farmers had granges back then, and they got together to talk about and focus on everything that was agricultural. They talked about how to have the best livestock, and how to make your farm better.”
Back then, farmers enjoyed getting together and receiving advice from each other.
“The first fair was in the 1800s, in the Tipton County Park,” Woolf says. “Our actual fairgrounds were developed in the early 1950s. Some land was set aside for the county fairgrounds. The County 4H Fair has its own events in the 1950s. The first 4-H building was a cattle barn built in the early to mid-1950s. Other buildings went up later to make the event bigger.”
Woolf notes that the Tipton County 4-H Fair’s Education Center was built in 2007.
“It is next to the first 4-H building, and the 2007 building was built to look just like the 1950s building,” he says. “I like the way things change over the years, but there are great things that stay the same. The torch is passed. There is always positive mentoring that goes on, where kids learn from the adults, and it goes the other way too. Adults learn things from the kids. The event changes, but the fair board continues to do a great job.”
Woolf says that the fairs also become a magnet for economic development.
“People come into town for the fairs, and stay for lunch, shop, or go to the hardware store,” he says. “They come into Tipton and spend money, which is great for everyone. The fairs have always been wonderful for Tipton and will continue to be that way in the future.”
Adam Crouch, who serves on the fair’s board, says people can expect all the same fun at this year’s fair.
“The fair is free, and will be July 13-17, 2021, and people can enjoy all of the great Concerts on the Grass,” Crouch says. “We will have The Flying Toasters, some other great music, and the 2021 Miss Tipton County 4-H Fair Queen Pageant, which is always a great event.” A local favorite, Legends Music Academy, will also be on the main stage with student performances.
Crouch noted that there are always a lot of fun family thing to do.
“There are so many positive agricultural things to do and see,” he says. “The fair and the fairgrounds themselves are just a great community place. The fairgrounds have really good camping rentals, places to have weddings, and small events. It’s a community minded facility, and people really look forward to the 4-H Fair every year.”
Crouch’s vision for the future is to just keep moving forward and improving upon all of the great things that are already in place.
“I think we have some great people in the community who have gone out of their way to make this event, and the grounds themselves, a place that people want to continue to go back to,” he says.
The Tipton County 4-H Fair is set for July 13-17 at 1200 S. Main St., Tipton. For more information on call (765) 675-1177 or visit www.facebook.com/TiptonCountyFairgrounds.
