Talk of the town: 4-H projects showcased at Floyd County Fair
By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com
By noon on Tuesday, 200 student exhibitors began presenting close to 800 projects to Floyd County Fair judges.
So what kind of projects was Lesley Mehmen Milius, director of the Floyd County ISU Extension Office, excited to see this week?
“I won’t know until tomorrow,” Milius said on Monday.
Members from 12 Floyd County 4-H clubs have projects spanning from STEM or arts topics, to baking and home improvement — with just about everything in between.
Club members lined exhibits in the Youth Enrichment Center with photos, baked goods samples and a few heavy-duty projects — including a striking patio table and seating set — which will be showcased for the rest of the week to fair visitors.
In the past few years, websites like Pinterest — an image-saving and sharing social network — have changed the way students search for their inspiration, Milius said.
“Pinterest has made a big impact on our members and what they show. It’s broadened their world,” Milius said. “It used to be those with different projects were the kids who have gone to other county fairs. Now, it’s opened a lot of possibilities.”
The internet may have made inspiration easier to find, but it hasn’t taken away from long-time traditions: students still bring forward new takes on the projects their parents or grandparents may have done in years past — a family recipe passed down, or refurbishing a family heirloom.
Judges ask the club members to talk about what goals they wanted to accomplish with each project — and what they learned on the way.
“Fair is that time of year you really see those kids hit their accomplishment time,” Milius said. “The goal is to never hear the kid say, ‘I want a blue ribbon.’ That’s not in their power to accomplish that goal. What did they want to learn — to measure ingredients, or how to crochet and make different types of knots, or they wanted to learn about different types of wood or painting styles.”
It takes more than 100 volunteers to keep the Floyd County Fair running for a week among different events such as crafts, livestock or running the auctions. But during the rest of the year, volunteer 4-H club leaders and the ISU Extension office are the link between kids and project resources.
The Extension office holds project days in the spring to help kids explore topics for project ideas with business experts — learning how to sew with Stitches, painting with Rustic Corner or learning food and nutrition at Hy-Vee.
“I think there’s going to be a little bit of that perception always, that it is only about agriculture or animals. It’s totally not true,” Milius said. “In my mind, we really aren’t focused on just that. … If you want to do something in 4-H, the sky is the limit.
“From building a Lego tower to your own robot, restoring a car, you can do all that in 4-H.”
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