The kickoff event for the biggest two weeks in Custer County is being held this evening, July 16. It is a long-standing tradition that the Custer County Fair gets underway a few days early with the 4-H style judging and clothing construction judging, held each year at the Evangelical Free Church in Broken Bow. The judging began this morning at 9 a.m., and the public style show, giving 4-H members the opportunity to model their designs, begins this evening at 7 p.m.

The next event on the fair calendar will be the 4-H and FFA dog show, set for Saturday, July 18, beginning at 8 a.m. The fashion show and dog show always help set the tone for the Custer County Fair, which really gets rolling on Wednesday, July 22, and concludes on Thursday, July 30.

4-H entry day and interview judging will be July 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 4-H Building and 4-H Exhibit Hall. Then on Friday, July 24, the marksmen get their turn during the 4-H firearms shooting match. The match gets underway at 7:30 a.m. in Building 18. Open class entries are due that Friday and will be accepted between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The firearms shooting match will pick back up on Saturday, July 25, at 7:30 a.m. back in Building 18. Interview judging for 4-H food entries, as well as garden, cut flowers, and flowers entries, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in the 4-H Building.

On Saturday evening, July 25, the annual fair parade will be held downtown at 6 p.m. The theme for this year’s parade is “America 250 - Our Story”. The categories for the 2026 parade are: businesses, cars, churches, clubs & organizations, horses, tractors, and unique.

Sunday, July 26, will be a busy day at the fair. Weigh-ins for 4-H and FFA meat goats, market sheep, and market beef (for those showing horses or with other conflicts) will begin the day at 2:30. All other market beef weigh-ins will be held from 3-5 p.m., and weigh-ins for market swine will be from 4-6 p.m. The 4-H horse show will begin at 4 p.m.

The 4-H and FFA small animal pet show will get underway Sunday at 5 p.m., with 6 p.m. set as the deadline for entry of all livestock stocker-feeders, dairy, rabbits, pigeons, and poultry.

The fair entertainment will begin Sunday evening, with a concert by blind piano composer Ken Medema at the Broken Bow High School Performing Event Center.

Monday, July 27, will get started at 8 a.m. with 4-H swine judging followed by FFA swine judging. The 4-H horse show resumes at 8:30 a.m. Monday afternoon’s events will include beef carcass judging, and 4-H and FFA sheep judging. The commercial booths located beneath the grandstand will open to the public from 5-10 p.m.

Two of the fair’s most popular and well-attended events will take place Monday evening, beginning with the free pit barbecue from 5:30-7 p.m., followed by the Custer County Bullriding Classic at 7:30 p.m. in front of the grandstands.

The 4-H beef showmanship will kick things off on Tuesday, July 28, at 8 a.m., followed at 8:30 a.m. by the rabbit show, pigeon show, and poultry show. The FFA beef showmanship will be held at 3 p.m., as will the annual watermelon feed hosted by Farm Credit Services of America.

Tuesday evening will conclude with the Ultimate Bullfighters Freestyle Bullfighting competition in front of the grandstands, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The FFA stocker feeder show, followed by the 4-H stocker feeder show, will kick off the day on Wednesday, July 29. The 4-H Clover Kids bucket calf judging is at 9 a.m., with beef fitting and showing, dairy cattle, and goat contests being held between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The 4-H bucket calf parade, always a fun event to watch, will be held at 1 p.m.

The 4-H awards presentation for home economics and miscellaneous ag will begin at 6 p.m. in the Custer County Farm Bureau Show Ring.

The Custer County Ultimate Bullfighters will be back in the arena on Wednesday night, with thrilling entertainment beginning at 8 p.m. July 29 will also feature the annual teen dance starting at 9 p.m.

Only two contests will be held on the final day of the fair, Thursday, July 30. 4-H and FFA livestock judging gets underway at 9:30 a.m., and the elite showmanship contest starts at 11:30 a.m. The final event of the fair is always the 4-H and FFA livestock sale, which will begin at 7 p.m.