Laurel County 4-H Projects Culminates at KY State Fair

The Kentucky State Fair is a culminating event of yearly 4-H project work. Project work is defined by the following: “(a) Planned work in an area of interest to the 4-H member, (b) Guided by a 4-H adult volunteer who is the project leader, (c) Aimed at planned objectives that can be attained and measured, (d) Summarized by some form of record keeping, and (e) A minimum of six hours of project instruction” (National 4-H Council, 2013). 

In August 2023, Laurel County 4-H members exhibited 23 non-animal projects in the arts, crafts, home environment, and photography categories in Cloverville. Five individuals (2 teams) competed in the three robotic challenges, six youth gave country ham speeches, 12 youth competed in the poultry judging contest, 12 youth competed in the poultry bowl contest, 3 youth participated in poultry showmanship, and one youth exhibited dairy goats, and one youth exhibited beef. As youth spend approximately six hours in quality 4-H programs in each project area, Laurel County 4-H members spent a total of 378 hours enhancing their skills through hands-on 4-H project work. 

The 4-H Thriving Model is a model that links high-quality positive youth development programs at the county or club level to thriving indicators showcased through culminating project work at the Kentucky State Fair. Through participating in the KY State Fair, Laurel County youth show the following thriving indicators: (a) Openness to challenge through competing with like-minded youth from across the state, (b) Transcendent awareness as youth are made aware of the larger connection their local CES has with other counties and the University of Kentucky, (c) Positive emotions by effectively expressing their ideas about project work and maintaining their emotions through civil discourse, (d) Growth mindset as youth strive to learn more about their sparked interest in a particular 4-H core curriculum, and (e) Goal setting and management as they work and persevere toward the goal of being a champion in a core curriculum state fair project.