The Idaho State Fair kicks off this Friday. But starting Monday, contenders dropped off homemade quilts, canned goods, pottery and paintings in hopes of winning a blue ribbon.
And kids from across the Treasure Valley are stepping up to compete after months of preparation. They sit in the back of the Expo Idaho building waiting to be interviewed by judges about their 4-H project. Adult volunteers sit across from them asking what parts of their project went well, and what didn’t go so well.
The program takes months to finish. Some are entering rabbits and hens, even heifer cows they’ve raised from birth.
Thirteen-year-old Analynn Hirtle has a folder with spreadsheets on the eight rabbits she’s entering this year.
“We bring them up to the table and they judge them on how good they are in quality. And then we have showmanship. And so that's where we judge them,” said Analynn.
But 4-H isn’t just about farm animals. Nine-year-old Summer Hirtle tracked her project in a binder full of labeled spreadsheets.
"Since I'm doing gardening and sewing, I have gardening and sewing in my record book. And there are judges who judge how you do and they rate you on it,” said Summer.
On Friday, the kids present the results of their work to judges. They’ll also rate each other’s projects.
4-H started in the early 1900s as an after-school program for rural kids to learn about agriculture innovations. Now, nearly six million kids are registered worldwide.
You can see Analynn’s rabbits and other 4-H critters starting Friday, at the Small Animal building on the fairgrounds.
