A decade’s worth of hard work, early mornings and late nights reaches its pinnacle this week.
The Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair always offers a sense of closure, as 4-H members showcase their animals and projects for the year. They get to celebrate their accomplishments with friends and family, while relishing time spent with their peers.
For most of those 4-Hers, they’ll start back up with new projects in the fall. But for 10-year members, this is the last hurrah.
“I’m pretty excited. In January, when this was all starting to hit that this would be the last time I could do this, I was sad. But I’ve done this for 10 years — it’s time to move on,” said Kara Dougherty, a 4-Her from Needham. “At the same time, I’ll miss it, but I’d like to be part of it as an adult, whether that’s as a volunteer or a leader of a club.”
Fifty young people will take part in their final county fair in the coming days, closing out 10 years in the 4-H program. Their time has been marked with one-of-a-kind experiences, from service projects with fellow club members to nights alone working with their animals or putting together their projects.
They’ve turned in LEGO projects, showed peacocks and raised nearly every kind of animal. Memories of dusty, hot July days, long hours in the livestock barns and the fun of an afternoon water fight permeate their memories.
To see it come to a close is bittersweet, they say. But what they’ve taken from 4-H will stay with them forever.
“I don’t think I’m ready. Another year would be nice, but I’m glad I stuck with it and I got to see all of these different people,” said 10-year member Trevor Sichting. “Especially working with the younger ones, who you can help now. You look at the ones who helped you when you were that age, and want to do the same for the younger ones now.”
When Sichting started 4-H 10 years ago, he was primarily focused on showing pigs. But quickly he discovered another exciting opportunity that has stuck with him — showing dairy steers.
Sichting has stuck with those two animals for most of his time in 4-H, finding enjoyment in working with both.
“If you’d asked me four years ago, I’d have said cows were my favorite, but they’re about the same now,” he said.
Growing up, Sichting’s family had been involved with 4-H, and being around animals all his life, he wanted to be part of it once he was old enough. Over the years, he’s put in a lot of work raising his animals, but has taken away so much enjoyment that it has been worth it.
“You meet a lot of people, and that’s what is all about, just having a good time,” he said.
The 4-H program is designed to develop a variety of skills and abilities in its members. For 10-year member Rachel McDonald, no skill was more valuable than learning to work with other people.
“Most of all, I’ve learned a lot about leadership,” said McDonald. “I also learned a lot about the skills of inclusion. In 4-H, you have a group of kids ranging from ages 9 to 18, so you have to learn to make sure everyone is included and engaged.”
McDonald was inspired to join 4-H by her father, who had been a member growing up and always spoke very highly of it. After a group of 4-H ambassadors came to her elementary school to talk about the program, the third-grader was excited to join.
“It seemed like something that was really fun that I’d like to be a part of. So I decided to try it out,” she said.
The decision has been a positive one. Since signing up, McDonald has tried out dozens of different activities and projects. She put together projects looking at electricity, worked on shooting sports and tried her hand at painting and drawing. As she advanced year to year, she also joined 4-H Junior Leaders, a group that mentors younger members, as well as being part of the 4-H Honor Group.
But the passion that emerged from her time in 4-H has been photography.
“I learned all about the manual settings on a camera, so I learned all sorts of things about shutter speed, aperture and things like that — instead of just clicking a button, really learning about taking photos,” she said. “I ended up making a second job out of it, with my own photography business taking senior photos and family portraits, things like that.”
For Tyler Rumble, 4-H and the fair have been part of his life literally since he was born. Both of his parents are in charge of public safety for the fair — Rumble’s first fair experience came when he was 2 months old.
The Morgantown resident entered his first open class project when he was in preschool, and started Mini 4-H when he was in kindergarten, graduating to the full 4-H program in third grade.
His main interest has been in entering LEGO projects.
“LEGOs are what got me into 4-H in the first place,” he said. “From there, I’ve expanded and done other projects and stuff.”
Each year, his LEGO creations get more and more intensive. Rumble starts brainstorming ideas in the fall, making sketches and figuring out how he could turn his ideas into a physical creation.
His submissions throughout his 4-H career have included a firehouse — a nod to his parents’ public safety careers — as well as a log flume ride based off of Star Wars and a replica KISS concert.
This year, he’s crafted a replica of the Johnson County Fairgrounds Grandstand, complete with a working tractor taking part in a pull.
“Sometimes, they’ve been based off of things I’ve done in real life or things I’ve been a part of,” he said. “I wanted to base it on real life.”
Dougherty got a jump on showing animals in 4-H as a second-grader. Her brother was in the program and preparing to show sheep at the fair, so she wanted to help. By the time she could join 4-H the next year, she was ready to show sheep as well.
Her experiences showing animals took off. In addition to sheep, Dougherty has entered rabbits, goats, ducks and chickens. She also did a variety of arts and crafts: painting, drawing, mosaics, ceramics and more.
Few things have been more memorable than showing peacocks, though.
“I didn’t start showing those until a few years ago, when I learned you could show those. I had them, but I only take one every year,” she said.
Winston, her peacock, is a calm bird who does well at the fair, Dougherty said. To transport him, she puts him in a large dog crate, with his regal tailfeathers trailing out of the cage.
“They don’t take it out of the cage, just because with all of the people, you don’t know how he’ll react to that. But they put him next to the other peacocks, how they stand, their colors, the condition of their feathers,” she said. “Whichever one wins stays in the big cage in Fitzpatrick Hall.”
