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Nebraska county fairs are back
COVID-19 put a wrench in 2020 plans for many events in the state.
9 Min Read
FAIRS ARE BACK: Last summer, most county fairs and the Nebraska State Fair operated with pared-down versions that focused on youth contests for 4-H and FFA, without carnivals or entertainment. This summer, fairs will look much more like normal, with full schedules of activities being planned. Curt Arens
County fairs this summer will be something special, especially since COVID-19 shut down or altered nearly all of the 2020 county fairs in Nebraska, along with causing a major change in the format of the Nebraska State Fair.
This summer looks like a breakout year for fairs. With optimism abounding, everyone is looking forward to getting out and about and enjoying the company of their friends and neighbors at large-scale festivals and events, such as the county fairs.
In rural Nebraska, county fairs are a little like coming home, because they offer an opportunity for neighbors across the counties and around the region to catch up on each other’s lives, enjoy some homegrown entertainment, and watch their young 4-H and FFA members compete in contests together. This is where lifelong friendships are made and nurtured. It is a county coming together to celebrate agriculture and rural life.
Our state has county fairs from the tiniest communities such as unincorporated Tryon in McPherson County, all the way to Omaha in Douglas County. Every corner of the state enjoys county fairs, including Dundy County in the far southwest at Benkelman, all the way up to the Boyd County Fair at Spencer. Don’t forget the Richardson County Fair in the far southeast at Humboldt, all the way up to the Sioux County Fair at Harrison in the northwest Panhandle, and all points in between.
From the beginning of July until the middle of September, you could attend several county fairs across the state almost every week. It’s been a few years since we attempted to list all of the dates and locations of county fairs in Nebraska, but this year we tried to compile as complete of a list as possible, with 92 fairs and the Nebraska State Fair listed in our compilation.
We hope that you will take this summer opportunity to visit your local county fair and the fairs of surrounding counties. It is a summer thing to do in Nebraska, and after COVID-19, we all deserve these kinds of celebrations.
Nebraska fairs by date
Date Fair Name Location
July
July 6-11 Madison County Fair Madison
July 6-12 Fillmore County Fair Geneva
July 7-10 Clay County Fair Clay Center
July 7-11 Franklin County Fair Franklin
July 7-11 Platte County Fair Columbus
July 10-14 Boone County Fair Albion
July 10-15 Nuckolls County Fair Nelson
July 12-17 Furnas County Fair Beaver City
July 13-18 Butler County Fair David City
July 13-18 Hitchcock County Fair Culbertson
July 13-19 Saline County Fair Crete
July 14-18 Adams County Fair Hastings
July 14-18 Cedar County Fair Hartington
July 14-18 Jefferson County Fair Fairbury
July 15-18 Colfax County Fair Leigh
July 15-19 ` Dawson County Fair Lexington
July 16-18 Douglas County Fair Omaha
July 16-20 Burt County Fair Oakland
July 17-21 Howard County Fair St. Paul
July 17-24 Morrill County Fair Bridgeport
July 19-24 Perkins County Fair Grant
July 20-25 Thomas County Fair Thedford
July 21-25 Dundy County Fair Benkelman
July 21-25 Hall County Fair Grand Island
July 21-25 Lincoln County Fair North Platte
July 21-25 Polk County Fair Osceola
July 21-27 Buffalo County Fair Kearney
July 22-24 Webster County Fair Bladen
July 22-25 Otoe County Fair Syracuse
July 22-25 Wayne County Fair Wayne
July 22-26 Red Willow County Fair McCook
July 23-25 Nance County Fair Fullerton
July 23-Aug. 1 Sheridan County Fair Gordon
July 24-28 Sherman County Fair Loup City
July 25-29 Phelps County Fair Holdrege
July 25-31 Cheyenne County Fair Sidney
July 25-Aug. 1 Saunders County Fair Wahoo
July 26-Aug. 1 Hamilton County Fair Aurora
July 27-29 Blaine County Fair Dunning
July 28-31 Boyd County Fair Spencer
July 28-31 Garfield County Fair Burwell
July 28-31 Gosper County Fair Elwood
July 28-31 Pawnee County Fair Pawnee City
July 28-Aug. 1 Gage County Fair Beatrice
July 28-Aug. 1 Pierce County Fair Pierce
July 29-Aug. 1 Dixon County Fair Concord
July 29-Aug. 7 Lancaster County Fair Lincoln
July 30-Aug. 8 Sioux County Fair Harrison
July 30-Aug. 7 Dawes County Fair Chadron
July 30-Aug. 5 Custer County Fair Broken Bow
July 31-Aug. 4 Merrick County Fair Central City
July 31-Aug. 4 Washington County Fair Arlington
July 31-Aug. 6 Hayes County Fair Hayes Center
July 31-Aug. 7 Scottsbluff County Fair Mitchell
July 31-Aug. 8 Hooker County Fair Mullen
August
Aug. 1-6 Harlan County Fair Orleans
Aug. 1-7 Eustis Fair and Corn Show Eustis
Aug. 1-7 Valley County Fair Ord
Aug. 1-8 Dakota/Thurston County Fair South Sioux City
Aug. 1-9 Box Butte County Fair Hemingford
Aug. 2-8 Antelope County Fair Neligh
Aug. 3-8 ` Wheeler County Fair Bartlett
Aug. 3-9 Kimball/Banner County Fair Kimball
Aug. 4-7 Rock County Fair Bassett
Aug. 4-8 Dodge County Fair Scribner
Aug. 4-8 Garden County Fair Lewellen
Aug. 4-8 Keith County Fair Ogallala
Aug. 4-8 Sarpy County Fair Springfield
Aug. 4-8 Seward County Fair Seward
Aug. 4-8 Stanton County Fair Stanton
Aug. 5-8 Frontier County Fair Stockville
Aug. 5-8 York County Fair York
Aug. 6-9 Kearney County Fair Minden
Aug. 8-15 Chase County Fair and Expo Imperial
Aug. 9-11 Greeley County Fair Spalding
Aug. 9-15 Arthur County Fair Arthur
Aug. 9-15 Cherry County Fair Valentine
Aug. 10-14 Holt County Fair Chambers
Aug. 11-14 Cass County Fair Weeping Water
Aug. 11-14 Loup County Fair Taylor
Aug. 11-14 McPherson County Fair Tryon
Aug. 11-14 Thayer County Fair Deschler
Aug. 12-15 Cuming County Fair West Point
Aug. 12-14 Deuel County Fair Chappell
Aug. 12-15 Knox County Fair Bloomfield
Aug. 12-15 Grant County Fair Hyannis
Aug. 15-18 Nemaha County Fair Auburn
Aug. 19-22 Logan County Fair Stapleton
Aug. 20-22 Johnson County Fair Tecumseh
Aug. 20-22 Keya Paha County Fair Springview
Aug. 27-Sept. 6 Nebraska State Fair Grand Island
September
Sept. 3-6 Brown County Fair Johnstown
Sept. 15-18 Richardson County Fair Humboldt
Note that dates and schedules occasionally change, so check with local sources for more information.
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