4-H fun at the County Fair and Rodeo

Originally published in

The Chief Vol. 132 July 21, 2023

WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.

The Columbia County Fair is back in full swing, and the ultra-popular Columbia County Rodeo will return this weekend, bringing unbridled action to the county for its 108th year.

The theme this year is “Spurring Up Summer Fun,” and the fair will offer a host of activities, including carnival rides, 4-H livestock shows and auctions, food, drink, and of course, the rodeo.

One of the staples of the fair each year is the Columbia County Youth Livestock Auction. It provides an opportunity for people to purchase livestock that is raised by Columbia County 4-H Livestock Club members and get high-quality meats while supporting youth and their agriculture projects.

“This is a huge fundraiser for our youth, we hope you’ll take the time to go over and purchase an animal or simply watch the process. These youth have done a great job raising and caring for these animals, and they will be the first to tell you, they are very proud of what they do,” the fair website states.

Benefits of 4-H

Four industrious youths from Clatskanie are participating in the 4-H Livestock Club and hope to sell their swine at the auction on Saturday.

James Kujala (12), Rhiley White (12), Gavin (14) and Logan Larson (12) have all taken on the task of raising pigs this year and are ready to reap the rewards of months of hard work. While the goal of raising livestock is always to sell it, it can be hard to say goodbye to the animals the youths have raised.

“This is my first year, but my father did 4-H for many years, and my grandma also had some involvement in 4-H. My pig Webby, she was the runt of the litter, so she missed weight by a little bit, so I need to find people to sell her to,” Kujala said. “I’m going to be a little upset that Webby is gone. It’s going to be a mix [of emotions]. I’m going to be a little bit happy about the money and excited to do it next year.”

Gavin Larson has been involved with the Clatskanie 4-H Livestock Club auction for the last two years, and this year will be his third year raising chickens and his first year raising a pig. Last year, Gavin raised Grand Champion market chickens, the highest possible placement. Raising pigs has been a bit different.

“It’s been much more eventful than my previous years just doing chickens. It’s definitely been a lot more work than chickens; chickens are just a breeze,” Gavin Larson said. “I like doing pigs. Again, they’re difficult, but not so difficult that they’re overwhelming.”

Gavin got his pig when it was just eight weeks old, and it was born in January of 2023. Since taking charge of the pig, Gavin has needed to feed the pig each morning, ensure they have water, and clean out their pens when they get dirty.

“It’s a pretty simple process out loud, but it’s eventful sometimes,” Gavin Larson said.

With more than 6 million members, 4-H is the largest out-of-school youth program in the United States, according to Oregon State University Extension Association website. 4-H empowers young people to find what sparks their curiosity, learn skills and leadership, and impact their communities. 4-H is over 100 years old and began as a way for new agricultural developments to be shared with young people in rural communities.

For Rhiley White, this is his second year raising a pig for the 4-H auction, and he’s really appreciated the opportunities that the 4-H program has afforded him. White says that people have some misconceptions about 4-H.

“I’m glad that you guys are getting an inside view of it to see that it’s not all really hard work; it’s really, really cool,” White said. “There’s actually a lot of fun things you can do. [People] don’t know about the 4-H meetings that you go to to learn all the information. Those can get really fun; I mean, our 4-H group plays little games every month, so we can get to know each other. So it’s some hard work, but mostly really fun.” White said this year he went in with a new respect for raising pigs after his first year. One of the highlights for him this year was getting to see the different personalities of the pigs as they raised them. As to the money, though White is only 12, he said that he’s thinking about putting some of the money toward a car in the future and the other funds towards college.

White said that the process of raising the pig isn’t about just getting it ready to show; it’s about building a bond with the animal and giving it the proper attention and care.

Meetings start in August and continue through the livestock auction at the County Fair, according to White. In addition to raising livestock, being part of 4-H presents other opportunities for members. This year, Kujala has prepared some static exhibits for the fair. Static exhibits are projects that you create for 4-H, and they can receive recognition for their projects.

“I really enjoyed making three static exhibits. I made some digital art, a poster, and a photo of the Grand Canyon,” Kujala said. “[They’re] like projects that you show the 4-H, and they can be in certain topics like computer programming, woodworks, or photographs and digital art. After you do it, you get ribbons for each. Blue’s the highest ribbon besides Reserve Champion or Grand Champion.”

Kujala said that all three of his projects received blue ribbons and that the static exhibits will be displayed at the state competition. When asked what that competition will look like, Kujala said that he’s not sure, but he’s excited to be a part of it.

“I have no idea what it looks like because it’s my first year, and I’ve never made anything to state before, so it’s going to be fun,” Kujala said.

Each of the kids expressed excitement about the fair this year and talked about the fun that comes along with it, from the concession stands to getting to see all of their friends around the fairgrounds.

The Columbia County Fair

The Columbia County Fair will be at the Columbia County Fairgrounds located at 58892 Saulser Road in St. Helens.

Daily tickets for the fair at the gate are:

Youth $ 7 Adults: $ 13 Seniors /Vets: $ 7

For those interested in going to the fair on multiple days, there are season passes available for:

Youth: $ 25 Adults: $ 50

Seniors /Vets: $ 25

For those interested in partaking in the thrill rides at the carnival, the price for “ride bracelets” is $40 at the gate. Parking will not be free for the fair, and people should expect to pay $5 to park at the fairgrounds.

The hours for each day are:

Friday, July 21: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Saturday, July 22: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Sunday, July 23: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year’s fair and rodeo will have some new features, chiefly that attendees can pay for V.I.P. seating at the rodeo and $20 V.I.P. parking for more convenient proximity. Attendees can pay $35 to reserve seating at the rodeo, separate from the general admission area. The purchase price for V.I.P. seating also includes entry to the fair.

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