Family Arts

2026 DEARBORN COUNTY FAIR
FAMILY ARTS
EXHIBITS

GUIDELINES

Exhibits must be entered on Saturday, June 20th from 9:00 AM to 11:30 PM.
1. Flower Show entries are on Wednesday, June 24th from 9:00 to 10:55 a.m. for closed judging at 11.
Exhibits are open to all Dearborn County residents. Professionals are excluded.
All exhibits must have been made during the past year, except quilts which must have been made during the past 5 years.
Each exhibit must have a separate entry tag.
Only one entry per category/subcategory in each class.
1. Example: You may submit both a carrot cake and German chocolate cake in the Cake class but only one of each.
Blue, red, or white placement ribbons will be awarded in each class. A Champion ribbon will be awarded in each department.
All pictures, wall hangings, door decorations, etc.., must be ready for hanging. Photographs must be mounted on a solid back or can be matted but they must be ready for hanging.
All food items must be entered in a firm, nonreturnable container and a recipe card
NO ALCOHOL
A portion of each backed product will be kept for exhibit. The remaining portion must be picked up between 1:30 – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 20th. Any items left after 2 become the property of the Dearborn Co. Fair Board.
Release day is Friday, June 26th 8-10 p.m. and Saturday June 27th 7-8 a.m. Please make arrangements for your items to be collected. We will not be responsible for exhibits not picked up by entrants.
NO EARLY RELEASE OF ITEMS.
ALL ITEMS NOT CLAIMED BY JULY 4th WILL BE DONATED
We will make every effort to keep your items clean and safe. The Dearborn Co. Fair Board will not be responsible for lost or damaged items. Security of the building is provided.
If you wish to enter into the State Fair, you are responsible for entering and transporting your items.
For Food Competitions
1. New Food Safety Regulation: Fillings, frostings, glazes and meringues are not permitted to contain cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream or whipped cream if they are not fully cooked/baked. These items are allowed as ingredients in food products IF the final product is cooked/baked.
2. Raw milk, raw milk products or uncooked eggs/egg whites are not permitted. Eggs/egg whites that have been cooked to 160 degrees F (i.e. pasteurized OR included as part of a batter and baked) are acceptable.
3. No home-canned fruits, vegetables or meats are permitted as ingredients in food products.
4. Recipes must be provided that show which ingredients were used in each part of the product.
5. Contestants should carefully wash their hands and make sure there are no open cuts before preparing foods. Contestants should not be preparing foods within 48 hours of recovering from an illness.
6. Whenever possible, backed products should be transported in chilled coolers. (41℉)
7. Judges and individuals who will consume products from county and state competitions should be informed that they are at risk for foodborne illness since the established policy cannot guarantee that an entry which may be a “potentially hazardous food” has been properly prepared or handled before, during or following the competition. Tasting a food product is solely at the discretion of the judge. Judges are NOT to taste any low-acid or acidified preserved food, like green beans or tomato products, and are discouraged from tasting any other home preserved food.
8. Consumers of competitive food exhibits being sold at auction or used for hospitality purposes should be notified they could be at risk for foodborne illness since the established policy cannot guarantee that an entry which may be a “potentially hazardous food” has been properly prepared or handled before, during, or following the competitions.