Fair Weather

Still smiling (at least for the camera) on Sunday afternoon after a successful fair!

It's been "fair weather" the last couple of weeks around here. And I'm not talking temperature or precipitation.

The girls were here for the Stafford County Fair. They didn't get to stay until the end because judging for their Shawnee County 4-H Fair began. Then, last weekend, we went to Topeka to see the culmination of a year's worth of 4-H projects for Kinley and Brooke. They had quite a fan club, since Eric's parents (and our friends) Alan and Christy were also there.

Since I led with Kinley's photography achievements last time (click HERE for that blog), I'm kicking off the Shawnee County Fair review with Brooke. This was Brooke's second year in 4-H and her second year in the foods and nutrition project.

At their fair, they take a photo of the food and then show the picture and a ribbon sticker - not the actual food.

She got a purple on her Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies and a blue on her Apricot Bundt cake. Both are recipes that Jill entered in 4-H during her Stafford County 4-H foods days. (The cookie was slightly modified.) We got to sample practice versions at their house during the weekend. They were mighty tasty!

She got two blues for her arts and crafts projects. Her painting ...

... and her tissue flowers. (I remember making bigger versions as a kid!)

In her second year in clothing buymanship, Brooke got reserve champion for her tennis outfit and champion for her dressy outfit for the buymanship judging.

In the style show portion, the script was flipped. She got reserve champion for her dressy outfit.

And she got champion for her tennis outfit.

Here's a better smile, but without the accessories. (It was the last thing of the fair. She was ready to be done.)

On Saturday, she represented the family and helped with the annual pancake feed that serves as a fundraiser for the 4-H program.  Part of the fun is working with 4-H friends.

All the Grandmas and Grandpas were served by these lovely ladies and other 4-Hers. But Kinley and dog Summer had a dog show to get to!

They got a purple ribbon in showmanship. Things didn't go quite as well with obedience and agility. However, this was the first year for both of them. They worked hard by going to training classes with their 4-H club and the Humane Society, but both are novices. Summer is just a year old - basically still a puppy - and there were lots of distractions. (I will testify that they have made TONS of progress!)

They'll keep working at it.

Kinley had a banner year. Besides her purple-ribbon photography, she got champion for her framed and matted dog portraits in the arts and crafts division. 

Her tennis picture - made with painted beans - got a blue. (She got the idea at the Stafford County Fair and decided to do the tennis ball since she's a tennis player. Thanks Taci and family for the how-tos!)

She got a purple on her two-layer cake, decorated to look like a pizza.

And she got reserve champion in the 9-11 age division for her angel food cake. Her mother and I especially saw that as a victory: Our angel food cake attempt when Jill was a 4-Her was the least successful thing we ever tried. When we turned it over to cool, it fell right out on the counter. My Grandma Neelly's angel food cakes were superior. I guess the ability to make them skipped a few generations!

Sure, it's fun to collect ribbons. But 4-H is about way more than the fair at the end of the year. 

I pledge my head to clearer thinking
My heart to greater loyalty
My hands to larger service
And my health to better living
For my club, my community, my country and my world.
The 4-H Pledge, Written in 1919 by Kansas 4-H Leader Otis Hall

It would probably be a better world if all of humanity would think about the principles that 4-Hers vow to uphold. Clearer thinking, greater loyalty, larger service, healthy living, better living ... those are all attributes that would do this old world a whole lot of good.

For more than 120 years, 4-H has been changing lives. Back in 2006, we celebrated 100 years of Kansas 4-H. The youth program has been part of the national landscape since 1902.

Me with a 4-H foods and nutrition project talk

 The girls are the fourth generation in our family to be involved in the Kansas 4-H program. My parents were members back in the 1940s in Pratt County. Both were members of the Lincoln Bluebirds 4-H Club in Pratt County, the club that my siblings and I later joined. (During my time in the club, we consolidated with another club and became the Lincoln Climbers.)

All four of their children and all seven of their grandchildren were part of the 4-H program, two in Pratt County in the same club their grandparents attended, two in Stafford County and three in Clay County. Now that continues for five of their 10 great-grandchildren in Clay and Shawnee Counties. 

Jill and Runaway, her bucket calf.

Randy's parents were leaders in the Stafford County 4-H program, too, though we're not sure they were 4-H members themselves. For a dozen years, Randy & I were community leaders of the Corn Valley 4-H Club, the same club Randy was a part of back when he took his first cow to the fair. I'm still the 4-H foods superintendent at the Stafford County Fair. 

Randy with one of his first 4-H beef projects

Eric's family also has lots of ties to 4-H, especially Grandpa Alan, who served as an extension agent and director in both Kansas and Iowa. 

The 4-H website says:

The 4-H idea is simple: help young people and their families gain the skills they need to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative economy. That idea was the catalyst to begin the 4-H movement, and those values continue today.

The 4-H program continues to MAKE THE BEST BETTER!

I'm thankful that it's been all that and more for my family ... and will continue to be, no matter the color of the ribbon.

Clearer Thinking, Greater Loyalty, Larger Service, Better Living

Buyer ribbons, 2021 Stafford County Fair

I pledge my head to clearer thinking
My heart to greater loyalty
My hands to larger service
And my health to better living
For my club, my community, my country and my world.
The 4-H Pledge, Written in 1919 by Kansas 4-H Leader Otis Hall

Our family's newest 4-Her experienced her first fair last week. 

 

Kinley collected a champion ribbon for her six decorated cookies, along with a bonus $20 premium, for her frosted watermelon cookies. (The recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction. Click here for the recipe.)

And while it's great to collect those purple ribbons and extra prize money, I hope what she ultimately collects from the 4-H experience is to take the 4-H pledge and the 4-H experience to heart. 

 

It would probably be a better world if all of humanity would think about the principles that 4-Hers vow to uphold: Clearer thinking, greater loyalty, larger service, better living ... those are all attributes that would do this old world a whole lot of good.

For 115 years, 4-H has been changing lives. Back in 2006, we celebrated 100 years of Kansas 4-H. The youth program has been part of the national landscape since 1902.

The 4-H website says:

The 4-H idea is simple: help young people and their families gain the skills they need to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative economy. That idea was the catalyst to begin the 4-H movement and those values continue today.

 

Kinley comes from a long line of 4-Hers, including her maternal great-grandparents.

 

Bob & Janis Moore - Pratt County Fair service award recipients

 in 2011

 

My family's involvement with 4-H started with my parents back in the 1940s. Both were members of the Lincoln Bluebirds 4-H Club in Pratt County, the club that my siblings and I later joined. (That club later merged with another, and we became the Lincoln Climbers.)

 

All four of us and all seven of the grandchildren have been part of the 4-H program, two in Pratt County in the same club their grandparents attended, two in Stafford County and three in Clay County. Now some of their great-grandchildren are 4-Hers - some in Clay County and Kinley in Shawnee County.

 

Randy also spent his childhood in 4-H.  Randy's parents were leaders in the Stafford County 4-H program, too, though we're not sure they were 4-H members themselves. For a dozen years, Randy & I were community leaders of the Corn Valley 4-H Club, the same club Randy was a part of back when he took his first animal to the fair.

That's not Kinley's only 4-H legacy. Eric's dad spent his career in Extension in both Kansas and Iowa, so, of course, Eric and his brothers were active 4-Hers. Eric and Jill actually met for the first time at the Kansas 4-H Emerald Banquet when they were seniors in high school - Eric earning a state scholarship for his work in 4-H and Jill earned state project winner in foods and nutrition. (It evidently wasn't love at first sight, since they didn't start dating until later as students at K-State.)

 

I grew up in rural Kansas (and stayed there), so I was curious how a county fair in the "big city" of Topeka would differ. And I suppose there were some differences ... but there were similarities as well. 

 

 

When Jill sent me the photo of Kinley getting her foods entries judged last week, I couldn't help but think of Jill's first experience, too. 

This photo was from Jill's very first year for foods judging. She looks a little scared by the whole process. It also makes me think about how much she - and I - learned during her 4-H career. The top picture shows a microwave cake. Yes, it was a category back in the early '90s. We should have skipped that particular entry. But, then again, we both learned a lot from that cake ... and all the other cakes and cookies and breads after it.

Jill's very first year of 4-H foods judging

By the time she was veteran 4-Her, Jill was teaching others, and she, too, was serving as a foods superintendent at the county fair.

There are definitely more options for families and kids than there were when I was a child – whether that’s playing MAYB ball during the summer or other activities. But I contend that 4-H gives kids – and their families – more long-time skills than any of those other activities.

 

Besides collecting ribbons for her foods and crafts for her first year in 4-H, Kinley and her parents worked at the pancake feed, a fundraiser for the 4-H program. (For Pratt and Stafford County 4-Hers, it's always time in the concession stand.)

Kinley & Eric before their shift at the pancake feed. As Uncle Brent says, 4-H t-shirts haven't evolved a lot from the '90s.

She worked in another fundraising booth on Friday. (Both sets of grandparents were willing customers.) And, on Saturday, she got to tour the fairgrounds with her fellow club members, which may help her figure out her project choices for her second year of 4-H.

She got a couple of other purple ribbons - one for her "Glamping" table setting

... and another for her raspberry thumbprint cookies. She got blues on her mango muffins and her poured painting art project.

Animal projects may not be in the future for our Shawnee County 4-Hers ... though Brooke was certainly a fan of a miniature horse named Spot. She also joined Grandma and Grandpa in watching the dog agility contest while Kinley and her parents worked at the pancake feed. 

I didn't do livestock either, but both Jill and Brent did. And it taught them a lot. How to get from Point A ...

to Point B ... by digging in your heels and practicing - day after day after day.
They learned about dependability and consistency and experienced a whole lot of other character development, too.

But the 4-H program does more than help you figure out how to lead a calf in a show ring or how to show a pig or bake a loaf of bread.

I like a meme that a 4-H mom shared after a fair earlier this summer (sorry it's blurry, but I think it's still readable):

I'm thankful that it's been all that and more for my family ... and will continue to be.

Thanks to all those extension agents, fair boards and volunteers who keep the 4-H program growing well into its second century of impacting the lives of Kansas youth and their families.

 

My Trouble with Pigs (and Covid-19)

My cleaning binge has uncovered a fairly valuable book. It may not be a bestseller, but it was definitely good for some deep belly laughs from the author's parents.

Jill was 10 at the time, so we'll excuse her spelling of "troubles." And the challenges of spelling out "Fritzemeier" are clearly evident on her book cover. With a name that's 11 letters long, you may have to drift onto the next line to complete the word.

It even had an ISBN number on the Stafford School library. It was classified as nonfiction because it chronicled Jill's journey with her 1994 4-H swine project., her first year in the project. Here is most of it (illustrated with photos from her 4-H book):

One day, I went over to Jeremiah's house with my family to get a pig. I hated the smell! I got a girl and a boy and then we weighed them. I named my pigs Pork and Beans. Leonard pulled them by the ears; I hated that.

Finally, we took them home. I loved them! I fed and watered them every day for a week.  Then I got tired of doing that. But I still had to water them. Once my dad left the water running. I did not have to water them that day. I left the water on too long and the whole pen was wet. ...

Two to three weeks later, dad broke his leg, so Grandpa, Mom and Brent helped me with the pigs. Sometimes, dad did, too. One day, I ran screaming up to our house. My mom thought my pigs were dead. I thought they had run away because I did not see them. They were behind the boards, and we had to fix the pen. It made us late for swimming.

Six weeks later, we took them to the fair; Dad still had his broken leg. I got a red ribbon, which I was not happy with. I sold Beans to the Farmers National Bank for about $150.00. Plus I got $80 for being in 4-H. 

Pork was slaughtered, which I was not happy about. When we had a meal from him, I did not eat it unless my mom and dad said I had to. I have not bought much with my money, but I have put half in the bank because mom and dad made me.

Our kids were never the most successful exhibitors in the Stafford County Fair swine show. But those red ribbons didn't mean there weren't valuable lessons learned along the way ... like feeding and watering an animal - even if you got tired of doing it. Or completing a job - even if it meant you were late to something fun like swimming.

We were mean parents. Yes, mom and dad made her put half in her account to begin a college savings fund. Her 4-H livestock projects ultimately helped her go to college. Same goes for her brother. And, in her teen years, some of the other funds she generated went toward jeans (or other clothes) that Mom might have deemed too pricey. She could make up the difference with her own money, if she so chose. And there was a lesson there, too.

It's been a long time since we've had 4-Hers at our house now. But we still provide money for awards. I continue to serve as the 4-H foods and nutrition superintendent at the county fair (and I've lost count of how many years I've done that, but probably for a quarter of a century - yikes!).

 It wasn't business as usual this year. With Covid-19, we didn't do conference judging for foods.

All the fun extras - like the concession stand, kiddie tractor pull and other entertainment - were sidelined in an effort to social distance and keep people safe. There were no open class entries, so I didn't have my normal armload of 8 x 10 photos to enter.

Conference judging teaches 4-Hers - and parents - a whole lot. A sheet of comments can't compare, but that's all we could do this year.

I witnessed my children's growth from the time they were first-year 4-Hers to the time they were confident, committed 4-H veterans.
This photo was from Jill's very first year for foods judging. She looks a little scared by the whole process. But year after year, she got better and better at it, and the judges eventually probably wondered if she'd ever quit talking.  And by the time she was veteran 4-Her, she was teaching others, and she, too, was serving as a foods superintendent at the county fair.

To me, that's the value of 4-H. It's not the ribbons, though, of course, the kids want the blue ribbon at the time.

Instead, it's the "sticktoitivness" that keeps kids feeding, watering and walking their animals or trying that recipe yet again or ripping out a crooked seam - the list goes on and on.

Runaway the bucket calf and Jill both being stubborn

You sometimes have to dig in your heels and keep practicing - day after day after day so that - eventually - you can persevere.

Runaway and Jill at the fair.

It means building things - whether physically building a woodworking project or a craft or a cattle pen - or building relationships between kids from other communities and adults who volunteer their time to help.

No, the county fairs around Kansas - and elsewhere in the U.S. - are a shadow of themselves this year. The Kansas State Fair has been canceled, as have many other state fairs across the U.S. But 4-H is still standing tall in what's important - To make the best better.

Growing through 4-H isn't like magic (though that self-determined project was one of Brent's favorites when he was a little guy.) 

 

There's no sleight of hand. It requires putting in the time and effort - as an individual, as a family and as a community.

 I pledge my head to clearer thinking,

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service

And my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world. 

Now if we could just get adults to do the same - especially that "clearer thinking" part.