4-H will return to Deschutes County Fair this year with livestock and animal barns, and an auction starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 6.

Attendees will be able to see a wide variety of animals including sheep, goats and swine, along with small animals such as rabbits.

Currently, there are approximately 413 exhibitors entered for the large animal livestock show and roughly 115 small animal exhibitors, according to Elizabeth Brunner, the Deschutes County 4-H program coordinator. There may be more animals than that on display at the fair though, as 4-H members often bring more than one animal.

And, while numbers are still down  compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers are looking forward to a normal event with enough animals and judges to host their full livestock shows.

“The fair, in general, is extremely important to our community,” Brunner said. “It’s a really great opportunity for the community to see how our 4-H members are helping and working hard to be good members of society.”

Brunner said 4-H helps kids learn important life skills, such as public speaking, animal husbandry, financial literacy through keeping detailed records, and how to work hard to take care of their animals throughout the year. The animal barns and auction act as the culmination of this dedication.

She encouraged attendees to walk into the barns and pepper 4-H members with encouraging and positive questions, which is a great opportunity for the community to learn more about the organization and animals and for 4-H members to practice communication skills.

With the spread of the avian flu in Central Oregon, however, there may be less of a presence of poultry such as chickens. There will not be any waterfowl such as ducks or geese because of this.

If they’re unable to bring some of their poultry, Brunner said they’d be holding another event for kids with stuffed and sewn chickens.