July has proven to be a very busy time of year for 4-H! 4-H families have been facing the heat, working hard, and going without sleep to showcase their projects at the county fair. As the 4-H agent, I am excited to be a part of this annual tradition that creates life changing opportunities for our local youth. I appreciate the help from K-State Research and Extension co-workers, volunteers, superintendents, and the Crawford County Fair Association to make it all possible.
Memories and friendships are things you get to take home with you at the end of fair. You will never forget the time you win your first big grand champion purple rosette or the friends that help you with your daily tasks at the fair. The 4-H program builds lasting friendships that are sustained on the common themes of hard work, respect for others, and persistence. The fair highlights the projects youth have been working on all year, but if you look a little closer it also highlights the life skills they learned. These are the skills they will take with them as their time in 4-H comes to an end.
It is important to keep perspective during those long and hot fair days. 4-H is about positive youth development. It doesn’t matter if you got a grand champion or a white ribbon. What matters is what the youth learned from their project and how they apply that knowledge in the future.
As the years go by you won’t remember every moment spent at the fair you will remember the lessons learned and the memories made which is what 4-H is all about.
W