LAWRENCE CO. – The Lawrence County 4-H Fair is now underway for many community youth. 4-H fair week is a week packed full of fun times that include meeting friends, perfecting their presentations and animals and eating their favorite fair foods.
But, behind the scenes, there is a lot more than just meets the eye. 4-H is a year-long undertaking that the youth take very seriously and are dedicated in making sure their projects are completed correctly. and their animal’s stay clean well fed and healthy.
4-H builds life skills by leading hands-on projects in areas like science, health, agriculture, and civic engagement. Being active in the 4-H organization can help develop our community youth in areas like confidence, independence, resilience, and compassion.
Cody Craig, a 2021 Bedford-North Lawrence High School graduate has been able to show in 41 states and has won many awards for his work. He is the son of Charlie and Missy Craig. He plans to attend Purdue for Chemical Engineering.
Maggie Peek is in her 5th year of showing horses. “It is really rewarding when I win in my class in horse shows. It is great to see my hard work pay off” states Maggie.
Peek could be seen Saturday evening tending to her horse. Like many, she was ensuring every detail was right and that her horse was fed accurately and timely.
Rhett Rainey, 13, was busy cleaning his stalls for his sheep Saturday evening. Rainey has been in 4-H for the last five years and operates his own business.
4-H began more than 100 years ago and is the nation’s largest youth development organization.
The program is designed to help young people and their families gain skills needed to be proactive in their communities and to equip them with skillsets that enable them to adapt to life challenges that lie ahead of them in life.
The 4-H Clover was developed by Jessie Field Shambaugh with an H on each leaf in 1910 and by 1912 the 4-H Club was the name of the group.
In 1914, the Smith-Lever Act created the Cooperative Extension System at the USDA and nationalized 4-H. By 1924 4-H Clubs were formed and the clover emblem was adopted.
The Lawrence County 4-H Youth represent the community well in their leadership and partner well other youth and adults throughout the county.
List of events at this year’s Lawrence County 4-H Fair:
2021 4-H Activity Fair Schedule
Monday, July 12
- 9 a.m. – Dairy Females and Steer Show
- 9 a.m. – Horse and Pony Western Pleasure
- 3 p.m. – Market Beef Show
Tuesday, July 13
- 9 a.m. — Swine
Wednesday, July 14
- 9 a.m. — Dairy, Boer & Pygmy Goats (Show Arena)
Thursday, July 15
- 9 a.m. – Poultry Show (Show Arena)
- 2 p.m. – Beef (Show Arena)
Friday, July 16
- 9 a.m. – Sheep (Show Arena)
- 10 a.m. – Cat Show (Exhibit Hall)
Saturday, July 17
- 2 p.m. – 4-H Livestock Auction
