Several Cottonwood Extension District (Barton County) 4-H members placed with high ratings at the Kansas State Fair. In order to advance to the state fair, 4-H members must qualify at the county fair or in some cases in a district contest. Some competitions allow only one member to represent the county and in some divisions all exhibits that qualified with a purple ribbon are allowed to enter.

In the State 4-H Fashion Revue, Alexa Straub received a purple ribbon rating and was recognized with the top 20 out of over 80 in the competition. Alexa and Katelyn Reh served as narrators for the constructed and the buymanship state fashion revues. 

 Isabelle Mayers was named the Champion in the intermediate age group of Dog Showmanship. Noah Deines received a purple and placed fifth overall in Agility I. In the intermediate showmanship group, Noah Deines and Sean Hames received purples. Jesseca Hames received blue in senior showmanship and Nicole Rziha received a blue in junior showmanship. 

 Talen Barry qualified for the State 4-H Horse show and was named Champion in English Pleasure and placed sixth in horsemanship class. Rebekah Harmon placed second in Trail, fourth in Showmanship, fifth in Working Ranch horse, sixth in reining, seventh in horsemanship, eighth in English Pleasure, and ninth in English Equitation. Rynn Harmon placed 4th in Stock Type mares. In the Pleasure Pairs class Rebekah and Thomas Harmon placed third in the state. 

In the State Poultry Judging Contest, Dathan Proffitt was named the first place intermediate individual. Liam Proffitt placed 22nd and because we did not have three team members there was not a team score. 

The Intermediate Photography Judging team placed 14th in the state. Team members were Alaina Straub, Tate Martin, Hailey Hicks and Natalie Williams. Paige Koehn, Lexi Straub and Emma Mayhill judged in the senior division. Paige placed as the 37th individual.

Lily and Grace Hoskins were the intermediate representatives for the Family and Consumer Sciences judging contest. They placed 11th in the state. Lexi Straub and Paige Koehn placed 18th in the Senior FCS judging contest. 

Arts and Crafts exhibits are displayed but not judged at the State Fair and each county is limited to a number of exhibits based on the county’s project enrollment. Morgan Kaiser created a Dot Picture that was selected to be on display at Rock Springs Ranch during the next year. Other exhibitors were Alexa Straub, Natalie Williams, Tate and Haleigh Martin. 

The top honor in the photography division went to Alaina Straub whose photograph was chosen to be displayed at Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Center for the year. Photos chosen for use by the Kansas 4-H Foundation were exhibited by Katelyn Reh, Alexa Straub, Caden and Caylee Rowan. Ryan Niles received a purple ribbon. Members receiving blue ribbon ratings were Sage Martinz, Parker Smith, Paige Koehn, Payton Mauler, Luke Wondra, Sierra Ferguson, Molly Kasier, Jason Villarreal and Ailey Williams. Molly Kaiser also received a red ribbon. 

In Clothing and Textiles, the purple ribbon winners were Elsa Lopez, Clarise Snapp, Alexa Straub, Aubrey Snapp, BrayLynn Anshutz and Katherine Snapp. Kylie McCormick, Mikayla Watts and Hailey Hicks received blue ratings. Tate Martin received a red ribbon. 

The Fiber Arts department combines crocheting, knitting, quilting, weaving, needle arts, and ethnic arts. Alayna Irwin received a blue ribbon on her knitting project. Dinah Newman and Alayna Irwin both received a blue rating on their crocheted items. Alexa Straub received a red. Hailey Hicks received a red ribbon on her cross stitched picture. Haley McCormick placed with a blue on her T-shirt quilt, Grace Hoskins received a red on her quilt and Kylie McCormick got a white on a pillow. In the Ethnic arts, Hailey Hicks and Jayla Wyant each got a blue on their felted projects. 

In the foods project, Kirsten Miessler, Lily Hoskins and Ailey Williams received purples. Mikayla Watts and Kylie McCormick placed with blue ribbon ratings. Nicole Rziha, Grace Hoskins and Jayla Wyant received reds. Peyton Schneider, Nathaniel Wutka and Paige Koehn placed with white ranking. 

Parker Dicks received a blue on his Shooting Sports promotional poster and Elsa Lopez placed with a red. On the Spacetech rocketry exhibits, Noah Deines received a blue and Jayla Wyant received a red. 

 In the Horticulture department, Lily Hoskins received a blue on her tomatoes and in crops Payton Mauler received a blue rating on his jar of hard red winter wheat. 

 Steele Brack was a participant in the 4-H/FFA State Livestock Show. Steele placed second in class 10, third in class five with her market lambs and fifth with her Natural market lamb. In breeding ewe she placed with a second, third and fourth. She showed fourth and fifth place market goats. She also participated in showmanship and was first in her intermediate class. 

In the 4-H Dairy Goat show, Mathew Hicks exhibited the Reserve Champion recorded grade senior doe, 5 years and older. He also received four additional blue ratings for his dairy goats and a blue in showmanship. Katherine Hicks received a blue with her LaMancha and a blue in showmanship. 

Berny Unruh is the 4-H and Youth Development Extension Agent in the Cottonwood Extension District. She is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune. She can be reached at 620-793-1910 or at bunruh@.ksu.edu.