4-H builds friendships and traces family lineage

Since 4-H was founded more than 100 years ago, it has become the nation’s largest youth development organization.

4-H focuses on helping young people and their families gain the skills needed to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative economy.

Although impacting every member, 4-H has left a big impact on one local member, Pierce Lucas.

“4-H is a large part of why I am who I am,” Lucas explained.

Lucas is 14 and was homeschooled during the earlier part of his school years. Because of this, he struggled to make friends, until he joined 4-H. Lucas has been a participant in 4-H for the last six years, and he likes it more and more each year.

Lucas’ mom played an instrumental role in his signing up.

“I was looking for a way to make friends, and my mom said she always wished she was a part of 4-H, so I figured why not,” Lucas said.

The plan worked, Lucas raved about all the friends he has made, and continues to make, through his time in 4-H. The friends he has made is his favorite part of 4-H.

When asked what he will remember about 4-H, he said, “Everything.” But his favorite memories include the camps and trips he has been apart of and the 4-H Roundup.

The 4-H Roundup takes place on the Purdue University campus. The event is open to members in grades seven to nine, and participants sign up for a couple classes. Although the topics vary class to class, the over-arching goal is to help build skills.

Lucas also wants to set the record straight.

“4-H is more than animals,” he said.

He explained how he and his mom jokes how 4-H is 50/50, “farmer 4-H v. city 4-H.” The “farmer 4-H,” of course, being the animal raising and shows, and the “city 4-H” being the skill building aspect. Lucas is in the “city 4-H.”

He used to show dairy, but he gave that up to transition into being a Junior Leader. Lucas described being a Junior Leader as “a leader to some, a follower to others.” Some of Lucas’ favorite “city 4-H” activities include the Junior Leadership Program, Harrison Helpers Club, and the genealogy program.

Lucas is the secretary for the Junior Leadership Program. Through this program, Lucas learns about the community service and how to implement community service.

He was also able to attend the State Junior Leader Conference through the Junior Leadership Program.

“It’s designed to have a good time and learn about who you are as your own person,” Lucas explained. Participants of the conference sign up for eight classes, and topics range from sewing to first aid to culture appreciation to rock painting and nutrition.

The Harrison Helpers Club is a small, local club. The club was one of Lucas’ first tastes of 4-H, having joined in the fourth grade. He also serves as the secretary in this club, so he is responsible for taking meeting minutes and helping lead the meeting with the president.

“You start with your parents and grandparents, and then after every year, you just add a ‘great’ and go from there,” explains Lucas. The genealogy project allows members to trace back their bloodlines as far as they can find.

Lucas managed to trace his family lineage back to the 1500s.

“It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of research. It’s cool to read about people that I have never met, but because they lived I do too,” Lucas explained. “People I don’t know impacted my life in ways they don’t know,” he said.

Registration for 4-H opens Sunday, Oct. 1. Joining members can enroll online at https:// v2.4honline.com. 4-H is available to anyone in grades 3-12.

Enrollment costs $15 per member, or for families signing up more then three members, $45. Any questions can be directed to the Purdue Extension Elkhart County Office at (574) 533-0554.

Frequently asked questions and answers can be found at extension.purdue.edu/county/ elkhart/4-h.html.

Elkhart County celebrating 150th fair

Shelly Wilfong, a member of the Elkhart County Fair Board, has been researching the history of the Elkhart County Fair. While this is the 150th fair, it is not the 150th annual fair. Wilfong, who is the assistant superintendent of Wawasee Community Schools in Syracuse, was a history major and a 10-year 4-H’er.

“I just enjoy looking at this stuff,” she said.

The first fair was held in Elkhart County in 1851 on the grounds of the Elkhart County

Courthouse in Goshen. At some point, the fair was moved to the area that is now Ninth and Madison Streets in Goshen.

During the Civil War, the fair took place twice, but records show they were small and not very successful.

“You could tell they were distracted,” Wilfong said.

From 1868-1873 there was no fair, the idea of holding an annual fair just fell by the wayside. In 1874, the fair was brought back with local papers calling it: “The first real fair,” while other sources called it the 16th fair.

It was during this time the fair organization purchased 20 acres east of US 33 and south of Fish Lake Road (now CR 34).

Wilfong said she found sources dating back to the 1970s, which showed area newspapers consid- ered the fair in 1851 to be ‘the original” fair.

The 1874 fair is the first one that starts to look like the fair most people are familiar, with different projects along with livestock.

In 1892, the grandstand burned down with no official cause for the fire given.

“There were some who thought it wasn’t an accident,” Wilfong said. At the time, the grandstand was used for harness racing, which was extremely popular at the time.

Due to economic hardships from the year before and a national economic downturn, the 1893 fair was the last one as the property went into receivership. There was no fair from 18941907.

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