Opens Aug. 16 at North Branch Park
BRIDGEWATER — Do you ever wonder what it would be like to go back in time when life was simpler? That’s what organizers want people to do at this year’s annual Somerset County 4-H Fair.
Visitors to the fair, Aug. 16, 17, and 18, at North Branch Park on Milltown Road in Bridgewater, can enjoy displays, contests and games, and learn about programs and services offered by county government in the main county government tent and related tents on the northeast side of the fairgrounds. The fair is open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Twenty-two county divisions will have exhibits inside the main tent. Another eight county programs and affiliated agencies will exhibit in nearby tents.
The freeholders booth again will feature a souvenir photo booth, sponsored by the Board of Freeholders, at which visitors will receive a free Polaroid picture.
Photos will be taken from 1:30-3:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Also, the vocational and technical school’s booth will offer a free caricature to visitors from 6-9 p.m.
The Board of Freeholders and the Division of Solid Waste Management, through a state grant, will sponsor "Four Little Piglets and Enviro the Wolf," a performance by Puppet Designers.
By using puppets, role-playing and audience participation, Puppet Designers focuses on litter abatement, recycling, waste management and conservation as ways of preserving the environment.
Shows are scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 18 at the showmobile.
The Office for the Disabled will promote Disability Awareness Month, to be celebrated in October, with materials about disability awareness and disability law.
The Office on Aging will have a special display to celebrate its 25th anniversary of providing services and programs to the community.
The library will have a special display featuring the "History of the Somerset County Library System" in celebration of its 70th anniversary.
The main tent and affiliated tents will feature a number of drawings and contests, with many prizes supplied by local businesses and banks.
Prizes from drawings and contests will include tickets to Somerset Patriots’ home games, to a jazz concert and to various theater performances for adults and children at the freeholders booth.
Other prizes will include $50 savings bonds at the Surrogate’s Office booth, a food basket of nonperishable items at the Office on Aging booth, a Beanie Baby at the Cultural Diversity Coalition booth, a $50 gift certificate to PathMark at the Board of Social Services booth, tickets to the movies at the Richard Hall Mental Health Center booth and free haircuts and manicures by students in the cosmetology program at the Vo-Tech booth.
The Division of Solid Waste Management/Recycling will have two drawings daily. Prizes will include backyard composters, items made from recyclable materials, tickets to Somerset Patriots’ home games and more.
Raritan Valley Community College will hold a drawing for free tickets to its theater and planetarium, as well as discounts toward apparel, pencils and other merchandise in its bookstore.
Everyone’s a winner in the Consumer Affairs and Weights and Measures’ "Elephant Toss" game, Human Resource’s "Pick a Prize" game, the Youth Services Commission’s lollipop contest and the Library’s "Guess Your Favorite Storybook Character" beanbag toss game for children.
Free shuttle buses will run 5:30-10 p.m. each day from the park-and-ride lot at Olivetti on Route 202 North to the Fair.