Local 4-H members did a fantastic job representing La Plata County at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo.

This event is such a great learning experience. We had members entered in a variety of general, natural-resources and home-economics projects. We even had a few of these projects win Grand Champion awards.

In particular, Faith Baker of the Westerners 4-H Club in Redmesa was Grand Champion of the overall Cake Decorating contest. If you saw her cake, you would probably agree. It was beautiful. By winning, she is nominated to attend the 4-H National Congress in Atlanta this fall. The National Congress is a premiere 4-H leadership opportunity.

The Colorado State Fair holds many different 4-H contests. These contests require courage and dedication from members who travel to Pueblo to compete at the state level. Raymond Davis and Bethany Quimby of the Mountaineers 4-H Club competed in the Cake Decorating contest. Isabella McGaw and Josie Vigil of the Florida 4-Leaf Club entered the Creative Cooks competition. Shaylee Owen of the Mount Allison Go-Getters 4-H Club participated in the Demonstration contest and Isabel Whitehead showed off the coat she made with wool in the Fashion Revue contest.

To find out more about all the project results and contests, visit http://bit.ly/2cd5W6j.

La Plata County 4-H members proudly represented our agriculture roots in the livestock shows at the state fair. We had members participate in the Beef, Sheep, Goat and Swine shows in the large animal categories. We also had members show in the Poultry and Rabbit small animal competitions. These members have worked extremely hard over the years to reach their goals of competing at the state level. The memories and connections they make at state fair will last a lifetime.

We also showed off our Western heritage through members competing in the 4-H Horse competitions. Each year, we seem to have more and more members take the challenge of going to Pueblo to compete against 4-H Horse participants from across Colorado.

Lastly, each year, we are proud to send members to the 4-H Shooting Sports State Shoot. This growing 4-H project continues to highlight our young shooting sports enthusiasts. These competitions are a great way to gain confidence and camaraderie.

None of these events would be possible without the support of 4-H volunteer leaders and parents. These hardworking people give their time, energy and money to make a difference in the lives of our local youths. Our program promotes developing these youth-adult partnerships. We firmly believe these partnerships make a better community for us all.

County and state fairs may be over for this year, however, the 4-H community will keep plugging along. We invite new families to join us for the 2016-17 year. New enrollment will start next month. If you are interested in learning more about community clubs, call the Extension Office at 382-6465.

Finally, we will be hosting the 4-H Harvest Festival at the Old Fort in Hesperus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 1. This is a great opportunity to learn more about 4-H, and with a variety of games and activities, it will be a fun event for the whole family.

Greg Felsen is the La Plata County 4-H youth development agent. Reach him at gregory.felsen@co.laplata.co.us or 382-6463.