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Here is a listing of all of the county fairs in every corner of Nebraska.

Curt Arens, Editor, Nebraska Farmer

May 30, 2023

4 Min Read
kids eating ice cream at fair
COUNTY FAMILY REUNION: Fair food is always popular, along with youth competitions in 4-H and FFA. All kinds of contests, concerts, rodeos and tractor pulls are part of Nebraska’s county fair traditions. Photos by Curt Arens

The taste of a hot corn dog or a fresh caramel apple, the smell of calf and hog manure and wood chips, the whirring sound of blow dryers, and the cheering crowds at a rodeo or tractor pull or concert are all experiences we come to expect at county fairs each summer across Nebraska.

We’ve compiled a relatively complete listing of county fairs in all corners of our state from data available through the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers and Nebraska Extension. Please keep in mind that some counties report the dates of their fairs differently, to include or exclude pre-fair activities, and due to other variables on a county-by-county basis.

CONCERT TIME: County fair concerts can bring big-name bands and entertainment to the rural parts of the state.

It is always a good idea to look to social media platforms or websites available in each county to obtain the latest details on the county fairs in your region. This year, we’ve broken the fair listings down by regions, to make it easier to find the fairs you will want to attend.

The county fairs are like big family reunions, where folks from all sides of the county and different parts of the region are able to come together to compete in youth activities, enjoy a rodeo or concert, and catch up on each other’s lives. In many ways, the county fairs reflect the very best of rural Nebraska life.

Panhandle

  • Box Butte County Fair, Aug. 6-13, Hemingford

  • Cheyenne County Fair and Rodeo, July 23-29, Sidney

  • Dawes County Fair, July 28-Aug. 5, Chadron

  • Deuel County Fair, Aug. 11-13, Chappell

  • Garden County Fair and Rodeo, Aug. 2-6, Lewellen

  • Kimball-Banner County Fair, Aug. 6-12, Kimball

  • Morrill County Fair, July 22-29, Bridgeport

  • Scottsbluff County Fair, July 29-Aug. 5, Scottsbluff

  • Sheridan County Fair and Rodeo, July 21-29, Gordon

  • Sioux County Fair, July 28-Aug. 5, Harrison

North

  • Arthur County Fair, Aug. 7-12, Arthur

  • Blaine County Fair, July 24-Aug. 3, Dunning

  • Boyd County Fair, July 22-29, Spencer

  • Brown County Fair, Sept. 1-4, Johnstown

  • Cherry County Fair, Aug. 7-13, Valentine

  • Garfield County Fair, July 26-29, Burwell

  • Grant County Fair and Rodeo, Aug. 2-12, Hyannis

  • Holt County Fair, Aug. 7-12, Chambers

  • Hooker County Fair, July 29-Aug. 6, Mullen

  • Keya Paha County Fair, Aug. 19-20, Norden

  • Logan County Fair, July 31-Aug. 5, Stapleton

  • Loup County Fair, Aug. 9-12, Taylor

  • McPherson County Fair, Aug. 11-12, Tryon

  • Rock County Fair, Aug. 1-5, Bassett

  • Thomas County Fair, July 24-30, Thedford

  • Wheeler County Fair and Rodeo. Aug. 2-7, Bartlett

Northeast

  • Antelope County Fair, Aug. 1-6, Neligh

  • Boone County Fair, July 10-14, Albion

  • Burt County Fair, July 21-25, Oakland

  • Cedar County Fair, July 19-23, Hartington

  • Cuming County Fair, Aug. 10-13, West Point

  • Dakota-Thurston County Fair, Aug. 3-5, South Sioux City

  • Dixon County Fair, July 6-9, Concord

  • Knox County Fair, Aug. 10-13, Bloomfield

  • Madison County Fair, July 11-16, Madison

  • Pierce County Fair, July 26-30, Pierce

  • Stanton County Fair, Aug. 2-6, Stanton

  • Wayne County Fair, July 27-30, Wayne

East

  • Butler County Fair, July 11-16, David City

  • Cass County Fair, Aug. 9-12, Weeping Water

  • Colfax County Fair, July 19-23, Leigh

  • Dodge County Fair, Aug. 2-6, Fremont

  • Douglas County Fair, July 21-23, Ralston

  • Hamilton County Fair, July 27-30, Aurora

  • Lancaster County Fair, Aug. 3-12, Lincoln

  • Merrick County Fair, July 29-Aug. 2, Central City

  • Nance County Fair, June 30-July 2, Fullerton

  • Platte County Fair, July 5-9, Columbus

  • Polk County Fair , July 19-23, Osceola

  • Sarpy County Fair, Aug. 2-6, Springfield

  • Saunders County Fair, July 23-30, Wahoo

  • Seward County Fair, Aug. 10-13, Seward

  • Washington County Fair, July 28-Aug. 2, Arlington

  • York County Fair, Aug. 3-6, York

Southeast

  • Clay County Fair, July 12-15, Clay Center

  • Fillmore County Fair, July 6-10, Geneva

  • Gage County Fair, July 26-31, Beatrice

  • Johnson County Fair, Aug. 18-20, Tecumseh

  • Jefferson County Fair, July 12-16, Fairbury

  • Nemaha County Fair, Aug. 13-16, Auburn

  • Otoe County Fair, July 27-30, Syracuse

  • Pawnee County Fair, July 17-23, Pawnee City

  • Nuckolls County Fair, July 22-29, Nelson

  • Richardson County Fair, Sept. 13-16, Humboldt

  • Saline County Fair, July 18-23, Crete

  • Thayer County Fair, Aug. 9-12, Deshler

South

  • Adams County Fair, July 19-23, Hastings

  • Franklin County Fair, July 5-9, Franklin

  • Furnas County Fair, July 12-15, Beaver City

  • Gosper County Fair, July 27-29, Elwood

  • Harlan County Fair, July 18-22, Orleans

  • Kearney County Ag Society Fair, July 28-30, Minden

  • Phelps County Fair, July 23-27, Holdrege

  • Webster County Fair and Rodeo, July 20-22, Bladen

Central

  • Buffalo County Fair, July 26-31, Kearney

  • Custer County Fair, July 28-Aug. 3, Broken Bow

  • Dawson County Fair, July 8-16, Lexington                   

  • Greeley County Fair, Aug. 6-9, Spalding

  • Hall County Fair, July 19-23, Grand Island

  • Howard County Fair, July 15-19, St. Paul

  • Sherman County Fair, July 22-26, Loup City

  • Valley County Fair, July 30-Aug. 5, Ord

Southwest

  • Chase County Fair, Aug. 13-19, Imperial

  • Dundy County Fair, July 26-29, Benkelman

  • Frontier County Eustis Fair/Corn Show, July 30-Aug. 5, Eustis

  • Frontier County Stockville Fair, July 26-30, Stockville

  • Hayes County Fair, July 31-Aug. 4, Hayes Center

  • Hitchcock County Fair, July 12-16, Culbertson

  • Keith County Fair, Aug. 2-5, Ogallala

  • Lincoln County Fair, July 22-27, North Platte

  • Perkins County Fair, July 16-22, Grant

  • Red Willow County Fair, July 19-23, McCook

  • Nebraska State Fair, Aug. 25-Sept. 4, Grand Island

NOTE:  Check county fair and Nebraska Extension websites for schedule details and up-to-date listings.

Source: Nebraska Association of Fair Managers and Nebraska Extension

Read more about:

State Fair

About the Author(s)

Curt Arens

Curt Arens

Editor, Nebraska Farmer

Curt Arens began writing about Nebraska’s farm families when he was in high school. Before joining Farm Progress as a field editor in April 2010, he had worked as a freelance farm writer for 27 years, first for newspapers and then for farm magazines, including Nebraska Farmer.

His real full-time career, however, during that same period was farming his family’s fourth generation land in northeast Nebraska. He also operated his Christmas tree farm and grew black oil sunflowers for wild birdseed. Curt continues to raise corn, soybeans and alfalfa and runs a cow-calf herd.

Curt and his wife Donna have four children, Lauren, Taylor, Zachary and Benjamin. They are active in their church and St. Rose School in Crofton, where Donna teaches and their children attend classes.

Previously, the 1986 University of Nebraska animal science graduate wrote a weekly rural life column, developed a farm radio program and wrote books about farm direct marketing and farmers markets. He received media honors from the Nebraska Forest Service, Center for Rural Affairs and Northeast Nebraska Experimental Farm Association.

He wrote about the spiritual side of farming in his 2008 book, “Down to Earth: Celebrating a Blessed Life on the Land,” garnering a Catholic Press Association award.

See more from Curt Arens
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