Livestock & General Entry Info

Supreme Open Beef Heifer Drive: To be held at 2:00pm, Sunday August 24 in Freedom Hall. Grand Champion and Reserve Champion from each Open Beef Breed are to be represented.

• Grand Champion to receive $5,000
• Reserve Champion to receive $4,000
• 3rd Overall to receive $3,000
• 4th Overall to receive $2,000
• 5th Overall to receive $1,000

1. Sunshine Class new date and time: Wednesday August 20 at 9 am.
2. Kentucky State Fair 4-H & FFA Championship Drive presented by Farm Credit Mid-America on Thursday, August 21, is starting at a new time: 5:30 pm. Along with Market Animals (Top 5 Hogs, Lambs, Goats, and Market Beef animals), the Top 5 Breeding Heifers, Gilts, Ewes, and Wether Dams will be selected within their respective species for the Breeding Animal portion of Championship Drive.

The Open Boer Goat Show is moved to the second weekend of the Kentucky State Fair.

• Friday, August 22nd, 5:00 pm-10:00 pm- Open Boer Goat Move-In Begins
• Saturday, August 23rd, 5:00 pm- Open Boer Goat Show
• Sunday, August 24th, 3:00 pm- Release of Boer Goats

New Premium Payout for the 1st Place Largest Pumpkin: This will increase from $1 per pound to $2 per pound if the 1st place pumpkin weighs over 1,000 pounds.

In Division 4201: Antiques

• New Class 11 Cookbooks & Kitchen Utensils

In Division 3301: Breads

• New Classes: Class 6 Ciabatta Bread, Class 8 Pistachio Bread, Class 25 Challah Bread

In Division 3303: Small Cakes & Cookies

• New Class 74 Pistachio Cookies

In Division 3304: Pies

• New Class 85 Double Crust Fruit Pie

NEW Division 3305: Best Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Sauce

• With New Classes: Class 94 Sweet BBQ Sauce, Class 95 Hot & Spicy BBQ Sauce, Class 96 Original Tomato-Based BBQ Sauce, Class 97 White Mayonnaise-Based BBQ Sauce, Class 98 Sugar Free/alternative BBQ Sauce

In Division 3306: Special Display, Decorated Cakes OR Molds

• New classes (9 total) at the Professional Advanced Cake Decorators, Intermediate Cake Decorators, and Beginner Cake Decorators Levels: Graduation Cake, Theme Cake: State of Kentucky, and Theme Cake: Flowers

In Division 3307: Specialty Baking

• New Classes: Class 124 Monkey Bread, Class 125 King Cake, Class 126 Maple Baklava, and Class 127 Best Doughnuts

Division 3308: Candies

• New Classes: Class 144 Sweet Potato Candy and Class 149 Spiced Pecan Nuts

Division 3311: Preserved Foods: Pickles & Relishes

• New Classes: Class 221 Pickled Zucchini, Class 226 Pickled Bell Peppers, Class 235 Pickled Garlic, and Class 241 Pickled Eggs. 

Division 3313: Junior Culinary: Level 1 Exhibit

• New Class 260 Theme Cake: Animals

Division 3314: Junior Culinary: Level 2 Exhibit

• New Class: Class 284 Toffee Bars

Division 4001: Fine Art

• New Class: Class 18 Theme Class: Celebrating Kentucky & the Wilderness Road-Any 2-D OR 3-D Medium.

For Division 4004: Aspiring Photographers, Division 4005: Accomplished Photographers, & Division 4006: Student Photography

New Class Structure with classes in each above division, both Monochrome and Color entries as follows:

• PEOPLE: Photo to include a person or a part of a person, which is to be the central focus of the image. Can be portrait or human interest. Animals may be included.
• WILDLIFE: Living wild animals, birds, insects, fish, etc., in their natural habitat. Pets will not be allowed. Animals in zoos or game farms are acceptable.
• SCENIC: Any kind of landscape, cityscape or waterscape. People may be present in the photo.
• UNCLASSIFIED (NO ANIMALS OR PEOPLE): No animals or people. Special effects are encouraged.
• KENTUCKY FAIRS (DIGITAL): An image taken at any type of fair (4-H, county, state, arts and crafts, etc.) held in Kentucky in 2024 or 2025. Name of the fair to be included in either the caption or description.

NOTE: The 2026 State Fair digital category will be KENTUCKY STATE FAIR for images taken at THIS YEAR’S fair.

Division 4101: Leathercraft

• New Class: Class Junior Leathercraft: Wilderness Road Themed.  

Division 4102: Woodworking

• New Class: Class 16 Wood-crafted stringed instrument, not to exceed 40” in length.

NEW Division 4106: Reclaimed Bourbon Barrel Woodworking

• New Classes: Class 38 Repurposed Bourbon Barrel furniture, Class 39 Repurposed Bourbon Barrel stave, Class 40 Repurposed Bourbon Barrel head.

Division 4114: Windchimes

• New Class: Class 150 Windchime representing the 250th Anniversary of the Wilderness Road (Any materials).

Division 4302: Knitting

• New Classes: Class 57 Intarsia Colorwork Garment and Class 58 Mosaic Colorwork Garment.

Division 4303: Crochet

• New Class: Class 93 Toy, Doll, or Amigurumi

NEW Division 4305: Textile Crafts

With the below new classes

• Class 120 Pincushion, any type or material
• Class 121 Button Art on textile background – framed (if the entry is designed to be displayed hanging, it must have a secure wire on back) (no jewelry)
• Class 122 Fabric Postcard
• Class 123 Upcycle a pair of Blue Jeans into a Denim Purse, Tote or Bag
• Class 124 Coiled fabric/rope bowl or basket (hand or machine stitched) (no machine embroidery)
• Class 125 Dyed Fabric Square – (any technique – examples include, but not limited to tie dye, shibori or ice dyeing) – must be 24” x 24”
• Class 126 Recycled Old Quilt
• Class 127 Sashiko Project
• Class 128 Plastic Canvas Tissue Box Cover
• Class 129 Any Item in Plastic Canvas – not to exceed 18” in any direction

Division 4311: Machine Embroidery

• New Class: Class 247 Tree Skirt

Bees & Honey Open Division

• Class added - Best Educational Poster
• Class added - Beeswax Candles Class (molded, various shapes, rolled)

Bees & Honey Youth Division

• Class added - Mixed media. Honeybee, honey, and apiary related art, including fiber arts.

Bees & Honey: Honey Cookery Division

• Class added DINNER ROLLS, 1/2 DOZEN MADE WITH 100% HONEY
• Class added SCONES (FRUIT ALLOWED), 1/2 DOZEN MADE WITH 100% HONEY
• Class added CAKE USING LIGHT HONEY, WITH ICING
• Class added CAKE USING DARK HONEY, WITH ICING
• Class added DROPPED COOKIES OTHER THAN PEANUT BUTTER MADE WITH 100% HONEY 1 DOZEN
• Class added PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 1 DOZEN
• Class added ANY 9 INCH FRUIT PIE MADE WITH 100% HONEY
• Class added SYRUP- (FRUIT ALLOWED) MADE WITH 100% HONEY
• Class added GRANOLA USING 100% HONEY, 1 PLATE
• Class added HONEY ROASTED NUTS USING 100% HONEY, 1 PLATE

Class added 3D Crop or Seed Art (Open to all ages)

Class added to Vegetable Critters Division 2401: Themed Vegetable Critters representing the 250th Anniversary of the Wilderness Road- Normal Shaped vegetables decorated (no more than 3)

Added Sable Breed

A Phenotype Genotype Show (PGS) has been added to the Open Angus Show.

Add Division 802 Class: Two Mule Hitch, less than 3 Years old, in harness hitched to wagon.

Youth Divisions- Bantam:

• Add Class: Black Orpington
• Add Class: Bearded White Polish

Open Divisions- Large Fowl

• Add Class: Bearded Buff Laced Polish

Open Divisions- Bantam

• Add Class: Black Orpington
• Add Class: Bearded white Polish

To align with the Official list of breeds and varieties established at the 2024 American Rabbit Breeders Association Convention. For Senior Buck, Senior Doe, Junior Buck, and Junior Doe classes respectively in the Youth & Open Shows the below were added:

• Class: Blue Holicer breed
• Class: Dutch, Golden Yellow breed
• Class: Dwarf Papillon, Tortoise
• Class: Mini Satin, Sable
• Class: Netherland Dwarf, Fox
• Class: Netherland Dwarf, Gold-Tipped Steel
• Class: Netherland Dwarf, Silver-Tipped Steel