In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, Estill County 4-H started a new program called the 4-H Fair Project Series. This was a fun way to combat the infamous “Zoom Gloom”, and we used this program as a tool to reach and help youth be engaged in our programming. Within each project, youth learned about multiple different program areas including Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, Expressive Arts, and healthy living. Estill County 4-H had thirty-five youth participate in our Virtual Fair Project Series. This was not just a follow along meeting, but each lesson had handouts and educational presentations. Due to this program, Estill County 4-H had sixty-eight entries sent on to the Kentucky State Fair in 2021. Within those entries, twenty-nine projects received a blue ribbon, twenty-two received a red ribbon, and sixteen received a white ribbon.

In hopes of growing this program and introducing our new agents in the county, 4-H collaborated with FCS and ANR to lead various State Fair level projects youth could enter. Our new FCS agent, Judy Vaughn, led a salsa canning class where thirteen youth participated. We then worked with our new Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, Emma Lee, to teach a program about container gardening and houseplants. This program had fifteen youth participate. This collaborative effort was a fun way to help the new agents meet parents and youth of the community.

For the 2022-year, Estill County 4-H had a 37% increase in projects submitted and qualified to move on to the state fair in comparison to 2021. Out of those ninety-three entries that were sent on to the Kentucky State Fair, thirty-six projects received a blue ribbon, twenty-nine received a red ribbon, and twenty-eight received a white ribbon. We had the opportunity to grow our 4-H Fair Project Series program with the collaborative efforts of working with our FCS and ANR partners.