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- Fair Dates: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 16, 17 & 18
- Fair Times: Thursday: 3-10 pm, Friday and Saturday: 10 am-10 pm
- Location: The shade-covered CMC 4-H Fairgrounds are located at 355 Court House-South Dennis Rd, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210, right behind the CMC Park and Zoo.
- Admission to the fair is free!
- Parking: There is a $10 per car premium parking fee in the ACCC lot or free parking with free air-conditioned shuttles in the Park & Zoo lot across the street.
- Theme: “Red, White & Blue Ribbons…Celebrating 250 Years the 4-H Way!”
- CMC Board of Agriculture’s Chicken Bar-B-Que: One of the culinary highlights of the Cape May County 4-H Fair is the annual chicken bar-b-que, a delicious tradition for over six decades. New this year, the Chicken Bar-B-Que is being catered by Lucky Bones Backwater Grille, Cape May. The barbeque line opens at 5pm each night. Don’t delay! Chicken bar-b-que dinners are expected to sell out each night. Purchase your tickets at the bar-b-que ticket table, which opens at 4:30pm each night. Tickets are $23 each. There are plenty of shaded picnic tables and there are always old friends to catch up with. So, eat your Chicken BBQ at the 4-H Fair or take out to enjoy it later.
- Midway:
- Enjoy an action-packed midway with Johnson Brothers Amusements carnival games and rides, including the Round Up, Big Slide, Swing, Tubs of Fun, Train, Fun House, Roller Coaster, Airplane, Moon Bounce, Giant Pin Ball Machine, High Striker, and Small Striker.
- Amusement ride times are Thursday, July 16, 5 to 10pm, Friday, July 17, 5 to 10pm and Saturday, July 18, 12 to 4pm and 5 to 10pm.
- Ticket Prices are as follows: Individual tickets are $1.50 each, 20 tickets are $22, 45 tickets are $40, 60 tickets are $50.
- Discounted wristbands are available to anyone of any age for $25 each on Thursday from 5 to 10pm and Saturday 12 to 4pm.
- All the youngins’ will want to saddle up at Marshall Steve’s Pony Rides, so be sure to wear your boots and hat!
- Back by popular demand are children’s amusement favorites the Float Boat Company, Gelly Ball and RC Monster Trucks.
- Vendors: The fair midway boasts over 60 vendors as well, featuring a wide variety of delicious fair foods such as funnel cake and fried Oreos, homemade lemonade and ice cream. You will also find local handmade crafts and merchandise.
- NEW! Celebrating America’s history, stop by and see a demonstration by Hebrew Hammer Blacksmith on Friday and Saturday. He will also be selling his artistic creations to fairgoers.
- Entertainment: This year’s 4-H Fair features an array of entertainers, including:
- Three of a Kind with Country Music Entertainer Derek Warner will perform a wide selection of country and western favorites on Thursday, July 16 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
- Friday’s headliner event will be The Party Wave Band, a South Jersey party and dance music cover band sure to get you dancing on Friday, July 17 from 5pm to 8pm.
- Saturday afternoon come celebrate America’s 250th Birthday with patriotic favorites performed by the John Walters Brass Sextet at the flagpole plaza from 1pm to 2:30pm Saturday, July 18.
- Flag Retirement Ceremony: The 9th annual Flag Retirement Ceremony will take place Saturday, July 18 at 2pm at the flagpole plaza near the Carol and Ralph Porch 4-H Fair Stage. The solemn event will include the Cape May County Sheriff’s Honor Guard presenting colors, patriotic readings, and an explanation of the meaning of the different parts of the flag.
- 4-H Fair Pet Show: Sponsored by Smeltzer & Sons Feed & Pet Supplies, the delightful 4-H Fair Pet Show begins at 10am on Saturday at the main stage. Open to anyone, including non-4-H members, children and adults, the pet show features an array of fun classes for all sorts of pets including dogs, cats, birds, tortoises, chickens, reptiles and more. The grand prize is a year’s supply of pet food from Smeltzer & Sons!
- NEW Open Division: Cape May County residents are invited to submit their homemade jelly and jams, crochet, knit, or embroidery items, photographs and any type of handiwork to be judged and on display in the Lockwood 4-H Youth Center during the 4-H Fair.
Advance registration is required on Monday, July 13, from 5 to 6pm at the Lockwood 4-H Youth Center, 355 Court House – South Dennis Road, CMCH, NJ.
- 4-H Exhibits: Our 4-H Fair is filled with horse shows, livestock exhibitions, 4-H club booths and activities as well as interesting projects that 4-H youth members created over the past year. The fair kicks off with a Grand Opening Parade at 4pm on Thursday, July 16 followed by the fair’s Opening Ceremonies. Other highlights include horse costume events, and the annual hog and lamb market auction on Thursday night at 6:30pm in the Coover Pavilion livestock barn. For young visitors, don’t miss the Children’s Discovery Area, located under a circle of shady trees, and full of fun, exploratory adventures for the littles. Also, NEW at the fair is a Farm and Food Web Treasure Hunt for kids. So, come on out to the 4-H Fair where you will see over 150 4-Hers in action!
- Dog Policy: The 4-H Fair allows well-behaved, leashed dogs on the grounds. Retractable leashes are not allowed. Please bring water for your pet.
- For more information about any of the exciting events coming up at the 4-H Fair, visit
https://capemay.njaes.rutgers.edu/fair or call (609) 465-5115.
