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DENTON – The Caroline / Dorchester County Fair opens today, August 5, 2026. It will run until Saturday August 8 and includes festivities like live music, mouth-watering dinners, games, beauty pageants, and even a rodeo. But while the public may not realize it, the entire event is run completely by 4-H volunteers.
“The volunteers are the life of this program,” said Navonne Torbert, the 4-H Educator for the University of Maryland Extension. Torbert has been with 4-H in various places for over 24 years and is the only soul you’ll find who is paid to support the fair – everyone else is a volunteer. “The 4-H program is for the kids, the youth, the community…but its solely driven by our volunteers.”
One such volunteer is William O'Boyle, Caroline County’s brand-new Extension Program Specialist for 4-H. He just took on the job in late June, but having grown up in 4-H, the role feels like a natural fit for him. “This is my first fair where I’m behind the scenes…it’s the same thing just from a different angle,” he said. 4-H is more than just a lifelong hobby for O’Boyle, “4-H means family…I come from a third generation 4-H family. I also had the pleasure of meeting my wife in 4-H, I was in Allegany County and she was in Montgomery County, and now we’re both working and volunteering here in Caroline County.”
Though the fair may only happen once a year, Torbert explained that the 4-H volunteers meet at least once a month to plan. Then, the ten days prior to the fair’s opening are filled with cleaning up the 4-H park, setting up exhibits and livestock accommodations, and coordinating all the moving parts that are needed to have a successful event.
It also takes several months for “4-H-ers” to complete their desired projects to compete in the fair. “The personal development that 4-H-ers get out of the 4-H program is my favorite part,” Torbert said, “whether it's something as small as a craft or something as large as a twelve-hundred pound steer, these kids have worked hard.”
“It’s affordable family fun, and it's run by volunteers,” Torbert said about the Caroline / Dorchester County Fair. The fair officially kicks off Wednesday night and is open all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. To see a full schedule of fair events and activities, visit https://carolinedorchestercountyfair.com/
