50+ Lifestyles

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

By Kari Smith

My 4-H Experience

The words still echo in my mind today:
I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking,
I pledge my HEART to greater loyalty,
I pledge my HANDS to larger service,
and my HEALTH to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Yes, I am a 4-H girl and walking through any fair
triggers very strong memories for me. While most people attend the fair for the grandstand shows, deep fried food, and great deals from vendors, my memories of the fair are about accomplishments.

As a child, I was a member of the Busy Beaver 4-H Club, and we met the first Tuesday of every month at the fairgrounds. Months and months of preparation were spent preparing us for this one week, really one day, maybe even 10 minutes of sitting in front of a judge at the county fair.

I was a third generation 4-H member. My mom’s side of the family were farmers and showed animals at the fair, along with completing projects in sewing, baking, and gardening. However, I did not grow up on a farm, I grew up in-town, so none of my projects included animals like they did for my mom. I learned to cross stitch, grow things in the garden, sew, bake bread, and tell stories through photography.

Preparing calves for show.

That is, until the day my mom heard about this program called, ‘Adventures in Dairy Land,’ and it was an adventure. I went to a special training where I learned everything a third grader could possibly want to know about cows, only to find out this class was about a lot more than learning about cows.

You see, I didn’t want to be part of this group. I didn’t really want to learn about cows, and then they dropped the bomb. I was going to have to show a cow at the county fair. Okay, it wasn’t a cow, it was just a calf, but still I was expected to dress in white jeans, white button up shirt, boots and lead a calf in a couple of circles then get it to stand perfectly while judges walked around with clipboards and critiqued my performance. I honestly do not remember what ribbon I received, but I still remember learning that not all calves are nice. The calf they assigned to me was ornery and wanted to be in the arena as much as I did.

You see, there were days that I did not want to work on my projects for the fair, but I eventually did because a champion prize at the county fair, resulted in competing at the state fair. This was a huge accomplishment that every 4-H student wanted. Being a member of a 4-H club taught me that with the use of my head, heart, hands and good health, I could be anything I wanted to be.