Floyd County Fair highlights 4-H members achievements

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

For well over 100 years, 4-H has brought out the best in Iowans.

And wherever there are 4-H members, there’s usually a county fair close by. All 99 counties in the state hold one at some point during the summer.

The Floyd County Fair right outside the city limits of Charles City is no different.

Charles City’s Karen Krumwiede fondly remembers growing up as a youngster and all the memories she created at the Floyd County Fair. It was time well spent  showcasing her ingenuity, showmanship and hard work.

The fair was also a perfect time to have some fun and take a break.

“This is kind of like our summer vacation. That’s what it was when I was a kid,” said Krumwiede.

Krumwiede has passed down that enjoyment of being a part of the fair to her children. Her daughter, Anna Krumwiede, was one of around 200 competitors at the Youth Enrichment Center on the Floyd County Fairgrounds Tuesday, presenting their exhibits to judges in non-livestock competition.

Anna is a member of the Riverton Lucky Clovers. That’s just one of the 12 Floyd County 4-H clubs that brought entries ranging from a Civil War re-enactment battlefield layout to a wheelbarrow planter full of brightly colored flora. Then there was the Lego set constructed into “The Empire Strikes Back” combat vehicle, an AT-AT Walker.

Anna, a soon-to-be 16-year-old junior at Charles City High School, presented her project, “Rethink Your Drink,” in the food-nutrition category. It addressed the enormous amounts of sugar that are contained in beverages. She placed different soft drinks and juices on a folded cardboard backdrop – each drink listing how many grams of sugar were in each one, along with a visual representation of that amount.

“I just want to promote good nutrition,” said Anna.

Anna said she has been competing at the fair since she was 10 and said she has won around 20 or so blue ribbons.

“It’s fun,” she said. “The judges are really nice.”

Contestants aim for a prized purple ribbon, which qualifies them to compete at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Anna was still waiting on the results from her two projects, which won blue ribbons but were still being considered for state. Judges would determine later in the day who would take home the sought-after purple ribbons in various categories.

Anna was also scheduled to show her dog, Angel, later in the day. Angel will be tested through an agility course where she has to listen to commands. Anna also has three rabbits at the fair this year.

Sounds easy showing those rabbits, doesn’t it?

Not so fast, says Anna.

“They scratch,” she chuckled. “You have to be patient.”

Anna’s mom, Karen, showed sheep at the fair when she was younger, and Karen’s husband, Steve, showed cattle. Karen said she is thankful her daughter is a second-generation fair-goer.

“Hopefully she’ll pass it to the next generation,” said Karen.

Lee Hoeft, who graduated from Charles City High this year, is no stranger to 4-H competition or FFA for that matter. Hoeft has been coming to the fair since he was 3 years old. He brought some of his photography to be judged and won a blue ribbon. He was still waiting to find out late afternoon if it qualified for state.

“There’s a lot of great projects and ideas here,” said Hoeft.

Hoeft won grand champion in the halter division with his Appaloosa horse, Marsha, two summers ago. He’ll gun for No. 1 Wednesday when he saddles up two of his paint horses, Charlie and Chip.

Charlie is white with a few patches of color and will compete in games, which is barrel racing, poles and figure 8s. Chip is entered into the halter category and is brown with a few patches of white.

“I’ve enjoyed it. It was just right for me to continue and here I am,” said Hoeft, who plans on attending NIACC this fall and majoring in ag education.

Hoeft used to be a Clover Kid, who don’t receive blue or purple ribbons, but special green merit ribbons. Clover Kids are 4-H members in kindergarten through the third grade.

Tayleigh Lantz’s two younger sisters are still Clover Kids, but Tayleigh is competing with the older 4-H’ers, and she raked in five blue ribbons on Tuesday. Some of her projects were a Kleenex jar, a sewn beach bag, a chair and a board with her name on it. Tayleigh is a member of the West St. Charles Feeders out of Charles City.

Ellie Lantz, 9, presented a cake to the judges.

“I like getting the ribbons,” she said.

The youngest Lantz, Addisen, didn’t say what project she worked on but when asked how long it took, she knew the answer right away.

“500 million years,” she joked.

The Lantzes’ mother, Brandi, said Tayleigh was going to show a sheep this year but it was born too late to be able to compete.

James Frerichs, an 11-year-old from Rockford, developed a poster board on how a bullet works. He’ll be a sixth-grader this fall and is a member of the Ulster Future Leaders.

What was the motivation behind his project, that won second-best blue?

“I just like hunting,” Frerichs said.

He said the main thing to know about a bullet is safety.

He didn’t know if he’ll check out the Bengal tigers, a featured attraction this year at the fair. But he liked what he saw last summer at the Floyd County Fairgrounds.

“There was alligators last year, I’m pretty sure,” said Frerichs.

Here are the schedule highlights for Wednesday and Thursday at the Floyd County Fair:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18

• Food stand open 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Exhibit Hall open 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Business and Vender Expo open 5-8 p.m.; midway 5-9 p.m.; food trucks 5-9 p.m.; pony rides 5-7 p.m.; petting zoo 5-9 p.m.; beverage garden open 5-9 p.m.

1 p.m. – Horse Show

1-3 p.m. – Clover Kid Make-And-Take At The Fair, YEC

5-10 p.m. – 15 and older Co-Ed Sand Volleyball.

5 p.m. – The Bengal Tiger Encounter.

6 p.m. – Bar/Cookie, Cake/Cupcakes and Pie Baking Contest, in Brick Building.

7 p.m. – The Bengal Tiger Encounter.

THURSDAY, JULY 19

• Food stand 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Exhibit Hall 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Business and Vender Expo noon-8 p.m.; midway 1-9 p.m.; food trucks noon-9 p.m.; pony rides 4-6 p.m.; beverage garden 5-9 p.m.

8 a.m. – Sheep and Meat Goat Show.

1 p.m. – Bucket Bottle Dairy Cattle and Dairy Goat Show.

1 p.m. – The Bengal Tiger Encounter.

1-8 p.m. – Little Hands on the Farm Interactive Exhibit.

2 p.m. – Bingo, Brick Building.

3 p.m. – FFA Bean Bag Tournament, Midway.

4 p.m. – The Bengal Tiger Encounter.

4 p.m. – Rabbit Show.

4-6 p.m. – Top Notchmen Polka, Brick Building.

6 p.m. – The Bengal Tiger Encounter.

6 p.m. – The Broiler Contest.

7 p.m. – Uncorked Painting Class with Robin Macomber, Brick Building.

7 p.m. – East Central Iowa Pullers, Grandstand; gates open at 6 p.m.