With the 150th anniversary of the state fair a month away, Sampson County 4-H leaders are encouraging youths to have their work seen by thousands of people each day.

The 2017 North Carolina State Fair is scheduled for Oct. 12 through Oct. 22 in Raleigh. With new attractions each year, some of the traditional features include variety of musical performances, food vendors, games, carnival rides and agricultural exhibits. The mission is to showcase North Carolina’s agriculture, agribusiness, arts, crafts and culture.

Elizabeth Merrill, 4-H program assistant for Sampson County Cooperative Extension, is motivating participants from the Summer Adventure Series or other competitions to get involved.

“It’s a really good opportunities for these youths to show off their talents and show everybody that 4-H is more than cows, sows and plows,” Merrill said. “We do a lot more than agricultural activities. It shows that these kids have really good talents and we’ll love to see more of them.”

Some of the others may include an 4-H artistic competition about horses or school projects. Merrill has helped 4-H’ers submit projects for two years and looks forward to the annual event.

“I’ve grown up around the North Carolina State Fair, pretty much my entire life, both as a 4-H exhibitor and a volunteer,” she said.

One of the benefits of participating is having work displayed for visitors and winning cash prizes. There’s also an opportunity to partake in the Best of Show competition.

Entries will be accepted online at www.ncstatefair.org. Merrill stressed that the deadline to submit something through the website is 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15.

Additional information for other ways to enter is one the website. For paper entries, items must be postmarked by 5 p.m. or hand delivered by 4 p.m. Sept. 15. Entries may be hand delivered to: N.C. State Fair Entry Office, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh or mailed to: N.C. State Fair Entry Office, 1010 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699.

Enrollment forms for 4-H must be completed to submit entries. Membership is free. For more information or to receive assistance, contact the Sampson County Extension Office at 910-592-7161.

Wayne Agriculture Fair

The Sampson County 4-H program recently announced that local youths may also participate in the 2017 Wayne Regional Agriculture Fair in Goldsboro, from Thursday, Sept. 28 through Saturday, Oct. 7.

Wayne County 4-H officials are looking for 4-H groups to operate their interactive booth. Sampson County youths may also submit projects for the fair.

All entries may be turned in by Wednesday, Sept. 27, and Thursday, Sept. 28. The deadline is 10 a.m. Sept. 28.

For more information, visit www.waynefair.com

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Deadline set for Friday

By Chase Jordan

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Reach Chase Jordan at 910-249-4617. Follow us on Twitter at @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.