DeKalb County 4-H members are preparing for the annual 4-H fair which will have displays ranging from electronics to food.

4-H is the youth educational program of Cooperative Extension Service, working with the University of Illinois and the United States Department of Agriculture.

The fair will be open to the public from 3 to 6:30 p.m. July 22 at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Building, 315 North Sixth St.

Bobby Brown of the DeKalb County Extension Unit said the show will be a culmination of projects including some by the 1,000 active DeKalb County 4-H members.

“The work presented by the 4-H members is really beautiful. People can expect to find everything from food to clothing to art, and much, much more,” Brown said. The 4-H Home Economics and General Projects Show will be held on both floors of the Auditorium.

The many exhibits on display include animal science, child care, clothing, communications, community development, foods, home furnishings, horticulture, mechanical science, natural resources and environment, plants and soils and visual arts.

Other activities include reading, camping, living on your own, a flower arranging contest and a fashion style show.

Brown said 4-H members will enter their projects at the beginning of the show and each project will be judged and awarded a ribbon. All projects will be presented for public display.

“Judges include two professors from NIU, Kenneth Bowden, professor of geography, and Louis Mustari, professor of art.

“The judging is really well done, too. Members discuss their projects one-on-one with the judge of their field, explaining in detail what they have created or accomplished,” Brown said.

He said the 4-H community has well-established roots in the county as well as state-wide. “Many people in state legislature were once 4-H members, like Illinois State Sen. Neil Simon.”