The 2025 O’Brien County Fair is quickly approaching, held in Primghar, July 19 thru 24th.
The 4H non-livestock judging will again be done on Friday, July 18th, starting at 9 a.m., to take place in the Open Class building at the fairgrounds.
The Open Class crafts can check in beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 19th, Anyone from O’Brien County is encouraged to exhibit and the entry fee is only $1 per exhibitor! The special class for photography this year is “Barns”, with that picture needing to be at least 5 x 7 in size. We will also be judging the flower exhibits that day, so we want those entries to be in place by 10:30 a.m. If you like to do flower arrangements, “Summer Fun” is the theme, with a specific focus on “Batter’s Up”, the “Fourth of July” or “Back to School” to name a few. The vegetables will be entered and judged on Monday, like they have been in the past, to check in those exhibits beginning at 8 a.m. If you have a favorite Christmas treat, you may want to enter “anything Christmas” to the open class baking category. There is also a “Kids Class” for children under 3rd grade for the “Think Christmas” class. Those will also be entered on Saturday, July 19th, by 10:30 a.m.
There will be a Cinnamon Roll Contest again this year, hosted by Karen Appleton. Complete rules can be found on the fair’s website, or at the Extension Office. The registration for that event will be Wednesday, July 23rd, beginning at 11 a.m., with the results announced at 4 p.m. that afternoon. You are invited to listen or take part in the 4H Educational or working exhibit projects that afternoon.
Saturday will be a busy day, with the 4H/FFA swine, sheep and goat livestock projects to be entered. This change was made by the fair board, in order to help with scheduling on Monday for the various livestock shows.
On Sunday, RAGBRAI will be making their way from Orange City, Granville thru Primghar and Hartley, so folks coming to the horse show on Sunday afternoon may have to get to the fairgrounds from Hiway 59, north and south, as the O’Brien County deputies or Iowa State Patrol will control the B40 intersection in Primghar. On Sunday evening, there will be a brief ecumenical worship service prior to the Brown Family musical show, which will on the Maass Stage at 7 p.m. We are looking forward to having the Brown’s back this year, as they are a local favorite, from LeMars. The variety of music they perform is a treat for all ages!
Brent Allan will perform on the stage at 2 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. He is a comedian who will do wacky magic tricks and dangerous stunts. It will be a good time! The petting zoo will be open daily at 10 a.m. The “fair train” will be giving rids for the kids throughout the fair.
On Monday the Bill Riley Talent Show, beginning at 6 p.m., with 2 divisions, the sprouts and seniors, with the winners advancing to compete at the Iowa State Fair. Following this, there will be the coronation of the O’Brien County King and Queen.
Tuesday morning all are welcomed to come and start your day with a pancake breakfast, hosted by the O’Brien County 4H Foundation, beginning at 7 a.m. At 5:00 p.m. the Pedal Tractor Pull will begin registration, sponsored by the NW Iowa REC, with the pull starting at 5:30. We will host the Honey Creek Rodeo, from Glidden, Iowa, on Tuesday evening in the horse arena area. There will be an opportunity for local youth to participate, so watch for information about that on the O’Brien County Fair Facebook page.
On Wednesday, the 4H “Share the Fun” acts will perform, along with the 4H Style Show and Citizenship project awards about 5 p.m. There will be registration for ATV races, starting at 5, with those races beginning at 6 p.m. The Primghar Jaycees will again provide Figure 8 racing on Saturday, July 19th, and again on Wednesday, July 23rd . Fireworks will be at the conclusion of the races on Wednesday night.
If you are interested in attending the various livestock shows, the Goat and Sheep shows will kick off bright and early on Monday morning, with the Rabbit show beginning at 11:00. The Poultry show will follow that, scheduled to begin at 12:30. The Beef Show is to take place at 8 a.m. On Tuesday morning, with the Clover Kids bottle bucket calves to show at 3 p.m., followed by the 4H Bottle Bucket show. The Swine Show will begin on Wednesday morning at 8 a.m., with an “Overall Showmanship” contest to start at 12 noon.
While at the fair, we hope you take time to have dinner or supper at the food court. The various food vendors will provide a great variety of food choices to choose from. Make plans to attend this year’s O’Brien County Fair! Your attendance and support of the O’Brien County youth is greatly appreciated! As Bill Riley, Sr. would say – “We’ll see you at the fair!”
Further updates and schedule changes will be made on O’Brien County Fair Facebook page as the fair gets closer. Specific times for livestock shows can be found on the O’Brien County Fair website – obriencountyfairiowa.com.