Showcasing all the hard work that 4-H members complete throughout the year is the goal of the annual Chester County 4-H Fair. During the event, held at the Romano 4-H Center in Honey Brook on Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 to 9, youths were able to show the animals that they have been raising and training as well as display the various non-animal projects they completed, ranging from sewing and crafts to growing vegetables.

Some projects are completed during club meetings, while others are worked on at home. "It depends on the club," explained Toni Stuetz, Penn State Extension educator. "Every child that shows a dairy goat has to do a poster on some aspect of dairy goats. It could be about a breed or different parts of the goat. They present the posters at the club meeting and share their research and resources. Some of the kids do their projects at home as part of their learning."

Lillian Petersheim of Elverson, a member of the Chester County 4-H Swine Club, showed the pig that she raised at the fair, and she also displayed several projects, including a floral arrangement and a small painting of a country sunset done in acrylic. "I was able to blend the colors without washing out my brush; it was a lot of fun to paint," said Lillian, noting that she also added fireflies to the artwork. "Every time I see a sunset, I want to paint it."

Also on display during fair week were projects by the Southern Chester County 4-H Cloverbuds Club. "(Cloverbuds) is a noncompetitive induction to 4-H," Stuetz said. "Cloverbuds is designed for children between 5 and 8 years old, and they get to explore all the different things that 4-H has to offer."

In addition to projects, the fair included various livestock competitions, such as dairy, sheep, goat and swine shows, as well as a supreme livestock showmanship contest. The fair also included a Beef Skill-A-Thon and a Sheep & Goat Skill-A-Thon, during which 4-H members take a written test prior to showing their animals. "They match byproducts with which animal they come from and identify breeds. It is a knowledge test," explained Rachel Stoltzfus, assistant leader of the Chester County Beef Club. "We will score them, and they get ribbons."

"The test is probably harder because you have to share your knowledge, but showing is a bigger deal," added Lillian. "You work with that pig (or other animal) all year long to get into the show."

Cameron Johnson of Honey Brook, another member of the Chester County 4-H Swine Club and a student at Conestoga Christian School in Morgantown, was on hand to show several hogs that he raised.

He noted that the judges assess the market hogs based on well-developed muscles and other factors like structural soundness and minimal excess fat. "They are looking for a muscular hog, with definition. You really want to see the shoulders and the rump," he explained, noting that the pigs he raised averaged about 240 pounds each.

Cameron raised one pig this past year for a specific purpose - the pig was auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to support the medical expenses of a local 9-year-old child who had brain surgery. "Cameron and his family and Cedar Meadow Meats donated the pig. He raised it, and it is being sold to benefit the young lady," noted Audrey Reith, extension educator. "His act of kindness has touched many in our agricultural community."

4-H is the youth development program of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension. The four H's stand for head, heart, hands and health.  4-H membership is open to all boys and girls ages 8 to 18. For more information about 4-H, call 610-696-3500 or visit https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h/counties/chester. More information and photos from the recent 4-H Fair are available at www.facebook.com/chestercounty4H and www.facebook.com/TheRomano4HCenterofChesterCounty.