CELEBRATING 10-YEAR 4-H’ERS | FAIR RESULTS | MEET VOLUNTEERS WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN CO BARTHOLOMEW UNT 2020 SOUVENIR SCRAPBOOK Y 4-H F AIR 2020 SOUVENIR SCRAPBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS All content © 2020 The Republic. All rights 4-H Volunteers 2 reserved. No portion of this publication 10-Year 4-H’ers 6 may be reproduced in any form without BARTHOLOMEW permission from the publisher, except as COUNTY 4-H FAIR 4-H Results 16 permitted by U.S. copyright law. 4-H VOLUNTEERS Meet some of the people who make the fair happen every year MARCUS SPEER How long have you been involved with 4-H or in a lead- might meet their future spouse! Now, our daughter is com- ership role with the fair? pleting her eighth year in 4-H. I became a 4-H leader in 1994. For 27 years, I have been What keeps you volunteering year after year? the leader of the SRC Farmers Jr./Sr. 4-H Club. I also was on the Bartholomew County 4-H Council for 14 years from I remember how important 4-H was to me, and I have come to appreciate how that was made possible through other 1997 to 2010, which included four years as president and volunteers. One of my 4-H leaders was Mike Carson. He in- eight years as treasurer. I was elected to the Bartholomew spired me to want to volunteer for the same club that we had County 4-H Fair Board and served for three years (2008- been a part of as 4-H’ers. When I first started volunteering, 2010), and I was assistant treasurer for the three years. I I was able to work alongside Mike, and I thoroughly enjoyed continue to serve as an director assistant (DA) on a couple that. I knew that I wanted to volunteer for many years. fair board committees. Whenever I think about concluding my volunteering years, I What role do you play now in the 4-H and/or fair think of some of my members and how I would like to keep program? leading them for all of their 10 years in 4-H. Now, I have a I continue to serve as the adult leader of the SRC Farmers nephew and also cousins in my group, so that keeps me Jr./Sr. 4-H Club. I am assisted by two assistant leaders, Josh energized to continuing my volunteering. Murphy and Adam Lienhoop. I schedule all meetings and provide a short informational program at each meeting. I I have always loved attending the Bartholomew County 4-H also assist with judging day before the fair. Fair and seeing the projects on display especially those from the members in my club. Were you in 4-H as a child or as a leader? What did you I also want to keep the SRC group going because from what like about it? I understand, my club is the oldest continuing 4-H Club in Yes, I was a 4-H member for 10 years (1984-1993), which Bartholomew County. It traces its roots back to the township include five years as a Junior Fair Board Member. I was one clubs in the early days of 4-H in this state. SRC stands for of the first group of youngsters to be a part of 4-H Clover South Rockcreek, and the club has always been headquar- Buds (long before there was Mini-4-H). I can remember tered in Rockcreek Township. how excited I was to start attending 4-H meetings when I was in fourth grade. It was so much fun and I always tried to Why is the fair important for the community? have perfect attendance to the meetings (only missing one The fair brings the 4-H program and the community at-large meeting in my first nine years). together in a special way. Fair weeks allow us to show the achievements of the 4-H program from the smallest to the 4-H taught me about the importance of learning new skills largest project and from the youngest to the oldest 4-Her. and completing projects that you begin. I was also excited It serves as a completion of the 4-H year and allows so to join the County Jr. Leaders program my fifth year. It was many to connect and reconnect year after year. I’ve always so fun to socialize with 4-Hers from around the county and said that the three things that I look forward to every year is to serve on the Junior Fair Board. Through Junior Leaders, I Christmas, VBS and the county fair. I always miss the fair the meet Jennifer Barr when we were 14. We celebrate 22 years Sunday after its completion. of marriage in December. So, I always tell 4-H’ers that they 2 | 2020 BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY 4-H FAIR SOUVENIR SCRAPBOOK TR-35041865 2020 BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY 4-H FAIR SOUVENIR SCRAPBOOK | 3 4-H VOLUNTEERS Meet some of the people who make the fair happen every year JULIE DECKER ZacharY MOREY How long have you been involved How long have you been involved with 4-H or in a with 4-H or in a leadership role with leadership role with the fair? the fair? I was a 10-year member of 4-H, and I am now serving my I have been a participant or a leader first year as a fair board member after being elected in for 20 years. I started participating in January. Clover Buds at age 3 and have been involved ever since. Were you in 4-H as a child or as a leader? What did you like about it? What role do you play now in the 4-H During my 10 years, I was active in many aspects of the and/or fair program? program. It has always been something I have looked I am a leader for the Bartholomew forward to each year, not only because it is a program that County Blacksmith Club and the Happy was always associated with activities and people I thor- H-ers Club. I also am on the 4-H Council. oughly enjoyed, but it taught me how to become a more responsible, well-rounded Were you in 4-H as a child or as a leader? What did you like individual. Many of these leadership skills I still apply to my everyday life. about it? What keeps you volunteering year after year? I started showing in Clover Buds at age 3. From there I was a Our community and all of the 4-H members, both past and present. I want to be 10-year member in 4-H. After I graduated from high school, I able to be a part of the same program that provided me with lifelong skills and became a leader for both the Blacksmith Club and the Happy memories. The fair is something I still truly look forward to and want to allow others H-ers. to experience as well. My favorite part was learning so many different skills. In my Why is the fair important for the community? years as a 4-H’er I was able to complete over 100 projects. I The fair is an event that has a place for everyone. Between the 4-H program, grand- learned so much from others in the program. stand events, the fair food, and involvement of multiple people and businesses, it What keeps you volunteering year after year? really is a great place for both friends and family. This is one of the largest events Plain and simple — the kids. These kids are amazing and most that Bartholomew County has each year and reminds us of the importance of have a real desire to learn new skills. I also keep volunteering working together and supporting one another for a common goal. because I see the value of the program. This is the only pro- gram I know of that anyone with any interest can participate and compete in. Why is the fair important for the community? BECKY SPEAKER The fair is the showcase for all the hard work that has been put in over the year. During the fair people from the community How long have you been involved with 4-H or in a leadership role can learn about all kinds of topics just by reading the projects with the fair? in the community building or by watching the livestock shows 10-year 4-H’er, then fair board member since 2008. where they can learn about different breeds and attributes of the livestock. What role do you play now in the 4-H and/or fair program? Currently a fair board member, supporting livestock shows and auction. The fair becomes the part where the community gets to see a little taste of what 4-H is. Were you in 4-H as a child or as a leader? What did you like about it? Yes, I was a 10-year 4-H’er; I loved spending time at the fair with friends, working with my dad on livestock projects and learning new things by taking different projects (like electric). What keeps you volunteering year after year? I like working with old and new friends and the sense of accomplishment when we complete a show, a task or a day at the fair. Why is the fair important for the community? The fair brings people together – whether it’s at the food booth or in the streets or the show arena.