Minnesota 4-H did what it could to provide an authentic State Fair experience last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it wasn’t the same.
“It felt like there was something missing,” said Allison Wright, a junior at South Dakota State University.
4-H’ers recorded videos of members walking animals in a circle, lining them up and setting the feet, and submitted them for judging.
“You could watch how they made a ceremony out of all the videos and how you placed, and the judges gave the reasons, but it missed the piece of working as a team as a county at the state level,” Wright said. “And you couldn’t talk to people from other counties and make connections and friends.”
But this year, 4-H’ers loaded their trailers, hit the road and traveled back to St. Paul for a more traditional experience of showing animals, sharing projects and engaging with the public. After a week of activity, local club members collected photos of their fond new memories, which were submitted to the Leader.
For seventh-grader Avery Kohls, this was the first year at the State Fair with 4-H.
“I had a lot of fun showing,” she said. “And it was fun to watch other people showing.”
Kohls showed a composite Charolais heifer and had a static show in animal science.
Wright, who placed eighth out of 21 with a Holstein grade winter calf and received a purple ribbon for livestock demonstration, still had a good time when the weather turned.
“When it was downpouring rain we had to do a trailer run,” she said. “It was a foot deep. All of our shoes and pants were soaked but we had a good time laughing.”
Memories with others stood out for Kohls as well.
“I got to see all my friends from other counties in Minnesota,” she said.
