4-H groups ready for fair

By MEGAN SHERIDAN Staff Reporter | Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Emily Swan, left, and her sister Heidi work with their sheep on the family’s farm in South Beaver Dam.The Dodge County Fair may only last for five days, but members of the Leipsic 4-H group have been preparing for months.

Youth have the option of choosing a project from 34 different categories ranging from knitting and crocheting to raising cattle or sheep. Most 4-H youths end up taking on a number of projects that allow them to get hands-on experience in a field they enjoy or in which they have interest.

Emily Swan, 14, and Heidi Swan, 13, have been showing sheep through 4-H for the past four and three years respectively. They purchase their sheep from a breeder in late April or early May when they are about six to eight-weeks-old and spend a lot of time training them.

"It would take about an hour for us to get them inside with the halters on them and now it's like five minutes," Heidi said.

For Heidi, training her sheep is the thing she finds most rewarding.

"I like that when we first get them they don't know anything, but when we take them to fair they do such a good job depending on how you teach them," she said.

If the girls do well, their sheep end up being purchased

"Two years in a row I got $7 per pound, and they (the sheep) weighed about 125 pounds," Emily said.

Ashley Santier, 10, also of Leipsic 4-H has been doing projects for the fair for many years. She decided to do a music project this year.

"I'm doing the music project, I'm making a scrapbook of all the concerts and plays I've been to," she said. "I really like music and playing music."

Brianna Lerwick, 9, another member of Leipsic 4-H decided to do a number of projects.

"This year I'm doing lots of different projects. I'm doing crocheting, cake decorating, woodworking, electricity, computers and home environment," she said.

Lerwick finds information for her projects in magazines, online and through family and friends. She usually has three months to put together her projects.

"We try to start a little before school ends, so early June or before so we can get all of them done for the fair," she said. "I only had two projects last year."

She admits that her favorite of all the projects is crocheting which she did last year and is doing again this year.

"It turns out so well, and it's so easy to do," Lerwick said.

msheridan@capitalnewspapers.com