April 1: Project registration opens in FairEntry (hennepin-mn.fairentry.com) for ALL projects/exhibits
May 15: Project registration in FairEntry closes at 11:59 PM for Cloverbud, club/group, general exhibits, rabbit and poultry projects
May 15: 4-H member enrollment deadline; Animal ID deadline; Livestock Quality Assurance Training deadline
May 15 : Absentee/Virtual Judging Request form due. If not able to attend June 7th judging, submit form by May 15th (or ASAP on a circumstantial basis)
May 22: 4-H Project drop off for youth being judged virtually or absentee (to be displayed at County Fair)
June 7 (Saturday): Hennepin County Fair In-Person Judging - (Cloverbud, General/Static, Food Revue, Fashion Revue, Performing Arts Revue, and Demonstration judging)
11:30 am - 5:00 pm with judging break 2:30-3:00 pm
Location: UROC, 2001 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55411
June 12 – 14: Hennepin County Fair at Corcoran Lions Park
June 14: 4-H Rabbit Show at the Hennepin County Fair, 5:00- 6:30pm
June 14: 4-H Showcase at the Hennepin County Fair, time TBD
June 14: State Fair project registration deadline for all general and rabbit projects, 5pm
July 26- 27: Hennepin County 4-H Dog Show
August 2: Hennepin County 4-H Horse Show
August 10: State Horse Show & State Dog Show registration deadline
For youth completing grades K-2
For youth completing grades 3-13
General 4-H projects are endless! There are so many things you can do and learn about. These projects are named "general" or "static" because they don't move or breathe (ie: no live animal involved).
For groups of 2+ youth in any grade (K-13)
Held before the County Fair, at UROC
NEW CHANGES FOR 2025: All Projects without a physical animal will be judged at Project Entry Day June 7th.
Date / Time: Saturday, June 7th, 2025 from 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM, with judging break 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Note: Exhibitors will be organized by judging area and time of arrival. Please expect some wait times. We will provide activities, refreshments, and waiting areas; but please bring additional activities to pass the time if you like!
Location: UMN Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), 2001 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Parking: Free parking is available at UROC’s parking lot, 2001 Plymouth Ave N., or in the adjacent parking ramp.
Weather Forecast: Entry Day 2025 will be held indoors at UROC.
Water and restrooms are available on site.
Entry Day is 4-H only! 4-H Entry Day is for youth and family members only. The public can view 4-H Projects on display at the Hennepin County Fair June 12-14th!
Your awesome project(s)! Label each item: with your name, club, and county. If the exhibit has multiple pieces, each part needs to be labeled and should indicate 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc.
Project ideas and requirements listed in the 2025 Premium Book.
Water bottle to stay hydrated; maybe some snacks too if you need. (We’ll have extras just in case.)
Activities to keep you busy while you wait (we'll have activities for you as well).
Practice answering questions. Check-out our Showcase Dashboard pages like Preparing for Judging to review various questions the judge might ask you during your judging time.
Ribbons. All 4-H exhibitors will receive a ribbon for each project (white, red, blue, green). These can be taken home that day. Competitive awards and ribbons like purple, Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons, and State Fair trips will be announced later this weekend. Don’t forget your ribbon placing also comes with a monetary award-- more info on Ribbons & Premiums here. Come back & visit the Hennepin County Fair throughout the week to see if you won a higher ribbon or a State Fair trip.
Grab an Entry Day Bingo Card and complete it to win a prize!
Help design the next Hennepin County 4-H shirt. We’ll vote on our favorites on Sunday when we all return!
Create a plastic sculpture from used/recycled plastic and have the chance to have your project put on display at the State Fair with the Plastic Sculpture Challenge.
State Fair Trips, Orientation, and Registration. State Fair Trips will be announced on Thursday June 12th via email, on the Hennepin County 4-H Showcase Dashboard, as well as on our State Fair Trip board in the 4-H Tent. State Fair trips for general projects are awarded to 4-H’ers, 6th grade and up. If you are awarded a State Fair Trip, plan to join us at the 4-H Tent for State Fair Registration and paperwork support on the last day of fair, Saturday June 14th. State Fair trips will need to be claimed by 5pm on Saturday June 14th.
Project pick-up. 4-H projects must stay at the Hennepin County Fair until Saturday June 14th at 9:00pm when the fair closes on the final day. This is a very important rule we ask all families to follow -- it’s in our contract with the Hennepin County Fair Board. Projects can be picked up the following ways:
Projects can be taken home from the fairgrounds starting at 9:00 PM following the closing of the fair, Saturday June 14th.
Projects can be taken home from the fairgrounds from 9am-10am Sunday June 15th (the day after fair).
Projects left behind after Sunday will be taken back to our Extension Office by 4-H Staff. You will be notified to make arrangements for pick-up.
Please reach out to our 4-H Extension Staff contacts if you have any questions or concerns about these pickup options.
Premium Checks. For each project that a 4-H’er or 4-H Club enters at the Fair, a specific amount of money is awarded by the Fair Board based on their respective ribbon placing. Premium checks will be distributed at project pick-up on Sunday, June 15th.
For our 4-H Tent at Hennepin County Fair to be successful, we need adult & youth volunteers! We invite all families participating in the Hennepin County Fair to sign up for at least one volunteer shift. Members 6th grade and up can volunteer without a chaperone! 4-H Clubs can fill volunteer spots as well!
Sign up here! (z.umn.edu/2025_HCF_Volunteer)
View the results from county judging events here: hennepin-mn.fairentry.com/Fair/Results/22014