Talbot County Fair Celebrates Youth Achievement, July 9-11

The 2026 Talbot County Fair is scheduled for Thursday, July 9 through Saturday, July 11 at the Talbot Agriculture and Education Center, 10659 Hiners Lane, Easton. The Talbot County Fair highlights the area’s rural lifestyle by hosting animal shows, children’s activities, midway games and food vendors, special events, and opportunities to socialize with family and friends in a relaxed setting.
Most of the indoor exhibits at the fair are the work of Talbot County 4-H members. Animal exhibits are entered by Talbot County 4-H and FFA members along with youth from neighboring counties. For more than 100 years, the University of Maryland Extension 4-H Youth Development Program has been preparing children and teens for success in adult life. The Talbot County Fair enables youth to display the skills they have developed and the things they have accomplished through their 4-H club and project work.
Great food remains a fair mainstay due to the benefit dinners each night: Pork barbecue on Thursday, July 9, by 4-H Shooting Sports; Beef Barbecue on Friday, July 10, by Fairview Church of the Brethren; and Chicken Barbecue on Saturday, July 11, by the Easton FFA Alumni Association. Other food vendors include Easton Lions and the Green Clover 4-H Club.
On Thursday, July 9, from 9am to noon, Children’s Day will return for its fourth year. Youth from local childcare centers are invited to experience a series of fun, interactive educational stations.
Highlights for Friday, July 11, will include a painting station with the St. Michaels Art League, the meat and pygmy goat shows, and the dairy cattle show.
Saturday, July 12 will feature the Eastern Show Jousting Association competition beginning at noon, the popular Watermelon-Eating Contest at 2pm, and a baked goods silent auction from 3 to 6pm. The Art League painting station returns and the livestock shows scheduled are beef, sheep, rabbits, and poultry.
The Livestock Auction is scheduled for Saturday at 7pm. At the auction, youth will sell the livestock they have raised as part of their animal science projects. This event helps youth recover their project expenses and prepare for future livestock projects. Talbot 4-H and FFA members rely on public support. Businesses, organizations, families, and individuals are invited to bid on the animals for sale. The Auction Committee can help to transport purchased animals to a USDA-certified processing facility. Bidders also have the option of donating animals back to the auction in further support of youth livestock projects. Proceeds from animals that are re-sold go to the Talbot Youth Livestock Fund and help to fund repairs and improvements at the Ag Center. The Auction Committee also plans to award a scholarship to a senior 4-H member this year.
Fair hours are 4-9pm on Thursday and Friday, and 9am to 8pm on Saturday. For more information, including updates to the fair schedule, visit talbotcountyfair.org or email info@talbotcountyfair.org.