Twelve-year-old Reese Randall, Lawrence, tries to lead a steer into the livestock arena Tuesday at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds. Most 4-H members got their animal entries into the pens by the early evening.

Lacey Hunsinger, 16, a member of Vinland Valley 4-H club, left, and Katie Jones, 18, a member of the Clinton Eagles, give Jones' Rhode Island Red a bath Tuesday at the Douglas County 4-H Fair. Livestock entries were entered Tuesday, and today all buildings and exhibits open to the public from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

In a stable that sounded more like a slaughterhouse, Casey George, 16, armed with electric clippers, grapples with a pig.

Compared with the other hogs, which scream and squeal to no end, Casey’s pigs are docile. They’re getting a makeover, one of the final preparations before they’re put on display today at the Douglas County Fair.

“[You have to] make them so they’re all groomed up for the show,” explained Casey’s sister, Brittnay, 12. “They look cleaner, and it’s easier to wash them.”

All over the fairgrounds Tuesday, young 4-H club members groomed chickens, rabbits, pigs and cows. They’re all on display today at the fair, and club members say the night before a show can be fraught with stress and worry.

“You work all year trying to get yourself prepared for it,” said Kahlyn Heine, 18, president of the Clinton Eagles 4-H club. “You remember that you’re trying to do the best you can do. It’s stressful.”

With a year of anticipation building up to the presentations today, it’s no wonder that some club members toss and turn the night before.

“These are some of the biggest events” of the fair, said Margaret Kalb, executive secretary of the fair board. “These kids put a lot of time into feeding them and caring for them.”

In between shaving her pigs, washing their ears and scrubbing them down, Brittnay George has one plan to alleviate the tension: “Just get lots of sleep.”

Heine, who is showing three dual-purpose pullets (a type of chicken), said the inevitable stress is worth it in the end.

“It’s all about showing people that you are handling yourself in a mature way … and preparing yourself for life afterward,” she said. “You’re always going to keep that sense of ownership.”