May 16, 2026, 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Begin indoors discovering how a decaying log provides nutrients and shelter for organisms. Then a guided walk will bring you face to face with these fungi, plants, and animals.

May 21, 2026, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County (CCE Oswego) will be holding a free outdoor vegetable garden workshop for beginners at the newly built Schneider-Shineman Community Garden.Attendees will be able to tour the community garden and learn how it began from presenters Linda Shurr and Pat Main, Master Gardeners for CCE Oswego County. Other topics covered will be: soil preparationweed managementtools neededseeding and transplantingraised beds and container gardeningpest controlThere will be plenty of time for questions, and printouts will be made available.This educational program is sponsored by the CCE Oswego Master Gardener Volunteer Program in partnership with Schneider-Shineman Community Garden.

May 26, 2026, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Take a closer look at the lives of beavers throughout history, along with the seasonal cycles they experience. Time will be spent on Beaver Marsh Trail searching for signs of their presence in the area.

May 28, 2026, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County will host a workshop on energy efficiency and renewable energy, featuring three presenters from CCE Tompkins who support farms across NY State with information and resources to help them make informed decisions about energy use. They will cover the energy assessment process, small-scale wind to supply on-farm needs, as well as discussions about solar development and opportunities for co-locating agriculture with solar ("agrivoltaics").Gabriel Gurley, Ag Energy NY Program Manager, will cover how to maximize the energy efficiency of your farm operations. In this case, both energy-efficient technologies and practices create opportunities to optimize energy use and lower operating costs. He'll provide information to give you a better understanding of farm energy use, including farm energy assessments and how to use those results to make sound investment decisions. Jordan Clements, Distributed Wind Educator, will talk about small-scale wind energy and how you could implement it on your farm. He’ll present on what makes distributed wind different from other types of wind systems, and the costs and incentives available to farmers. He'll show tools that can help you decide if distributed wind is right for you. For those interested in on-site solar or leasing for solar development, Guillermo Metz, Ag & Solar Senior Resource Educator, will go over what that process looks like, address some common concerns about solar and the impacts of solar on farmland, what happens at the end of a project's life, and the latest research on what grows well under or around solar panels.

Jul 01, 2026, 12:00pm - 12:00pm

Join in the fun of the second annual Bucket of Junk Contest at the Oswego County Fair!  Create a sculpture using only the items - and all of the items! - in the bucket - but not the bucket - provided to you by Cooperative Extension of Oswego County and based on the Oswego County Fair’s theme: Farm, Family, Freedom. The finished sculptures will be displayed in the Agriculture/Domestic Arts Building for the entire fair! People’s Choice is awarded a tangible prize. First in each division is awarded a tangible prize. No cash premiums will be awarded.  Classes: Based on age as of January 1, 2026: Individual Youth (12 years of age and younger) Individual Youth (13-18 years of age) More than 1 youth (mixed ages of youth) No adults Family Individual Adult Group of Adults, ex., business, church, club... General Information Open to ANY interested parties of ALL ages. This is NOT a 4-H Members Only competition. The contest is limited to 15 applicants (individual or team) and will be on the first come first serve basis. There will be a waiting list to replace any applicant that drops out of the contest before the fair, as well as any applicant that does not collect their bucket of supplies. Buckets must be picked up at the Oswego County Fair on Saturday, June 6, 2026 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you cannot make this time period, arrangements for an alternate time can be made with the superintendent prior to pick up date. Sculptures are to be dropped off at the Agriculture/Domestic Arts Building on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. If this is not a convenient time, please contact the superintendent before June 28, 2026 to schedule an appointment for drop off. No exceptions. When delivering your sculpture, please return your bucket. Sculptures are to be picked up on July 5, 2026 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. or Monday July 6, 2026 from10:00 a.m. to Noon. Any sculpture not claimed by Noon on July 6th will be disposed of.Judging Criteria Contestant used only the materials that we provided (required). 25%Contestant used materials in a new way to create something different. 25%Contestant’s ideas are recognizable (clarity of idea). 25%Contestant’s overall finished appearance of the sculpture, including the difficulty of the piece and how well it was made. 25% Presentation The objective of “Bucket of Junk” is to create a sculpture using only the items in the bucket. A sculpture is defined as a three-dimensional work of art that can be viewed from 360°. All sculptures must be submitted and presentation ready to be accepted. Sculptures not meeting this requirement may not be judged. Judges must know where you used each item in the bucket. Please note, you must use each item provided. You do not need to use the entire item in the sculpture, but there must be enough used to make it visible. The only optional pieces in the bucket are the packaging from different items i.e. cardboard packaging, plastic bag, etc. However, if you want to use it, you may, but they are not mandatory. You may not add any additional items to your sculpture. Only the items in the bucket are permitted to be part of your sculpture. The bucket may not be used as part of the sculpture. There will be a list of contents in each bucket. Please indicate on the list where each item was used. Please return this list completely filled out when you drop off your sculpture. You can cut, sand, glue, weld, bolt, fasten, bend, shape, curl, staple, and paint these items to make your sculpture. You may connect your entry to a solid base for stability, if needed. The base CANNOT be part of the sculpture. The base must also be smaller than the sculpture, and it is NOT to be painted. The base will not be considered part of your sculpture so it will not be judged. The bucket and contents list must be returned when you bring the sculpture to the fairgrounds for display. The bucket is not to be used as part of the sculpture. Any sculpture larger than 24L x 24W inches will automatically by disqualified. Your sculpture must be completely finished when it arrives. No painting, construction, etc. will be allowed.

Jul 17, 2026, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

This program is open to youth ages 10 to 18 who have an interest in learning archery. Sessions will take place at the North Sportsman’s Club in West Monroe on Fridays from July 17 through August 28, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.The 4-H Shooting Sports Program offers a safe, supportive environment where youth can learn archery skills while gaining valuable life skills. Participants develop self-confidence, personal discipline, responsibility, teamwork, sportsmanship, and strong self-esteem. Please note that Oswego County Shooting Sports programs are not hunter safety education courses.No prior experience or equipment is required. All necessary gear will be provided by the Oswego County 4-H Program. Sessions are led by certified instructors through the New York State 4-H Shooting Sports Program. These instructors are trained volunteers selected for both their technical expertise and their ability to work effectively with youth.Space is limited, so advance registration is required. Parental or guardian permission is mandatory for participation.

Jul 25, 2026, 9:00am - 2:00pm

The 2026 Annual Oswego County 4-H Fabric Sale Fundraiser has been scheduled! This much-anticipated fabric sale fundraiser to support the Oswego County 4-H Program, part of Cornell Cooperative Extension, will be held from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Entertainment Building at the Oswego County Fairground located at 291 Ellisburg Street, Sandy Creek, New York. Everything will be priced to sell, with many great deals to be found. All fabric will be sold by the piece at just $2.00 a yard. Pieces will be sold as is and will not be cut into smaller yardage. Credit and debit cards will not be accepted. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County would like to thank the community in advance for their support of this wonderful fundraiser. The sale’s proceeds benefit the local 4-H program.Looking to Donate? The Oswego County 4-H Program will be accepting donations from April 1st through July 1st of fabric and other sewing items for the sale. The following items are examples of what the Oswego County 4-H will be accepting: yard goods (dressmaking, home decorating, felt, burlap, needlework craft fabrics, vintage fabrics, quilting, solids, craft panels, seasonal, pillows, wall hangings), notions, sewing tools, patterns (must be complete), books, booklets, yarn skeins, crochet cotton, knitting supplies and needles, crochet hooks, quilting frames, hoops, cutting mats, rotary cutters, rulers, and batting. Fabric pieces should be a fat quarter or larger. Please contact Linda or Mary at 315-963-7286 to schedule your donation.Looking to Volunteer? Oswego County 4-H is looking for individuals to help us sort, fold & tag all the generous donations we have been receiving for our annual Fabric Sale Fundraiser! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Linda or Mary at 315-963-7286 to learn more. For more information about the fabric sale, joining 4-H, or how to make a monetary donation to the Oswego County 4-H Program, please contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego at 315-963-7286.