Showin’ & Growin’ 4-H Club begins second year

The Showin’ & Growin’ 4-H Club is kicking off their second year as a club full of anticipation for the Miami County Fair. While showing livestock in August is a sweet treat, the 4-H members work year round as a club to accomplish many tasks and goals.

Recently, the club served the community through a project at First Place Food Pantry in Troy. With the pantry providing groceries to 800 families a month, many hands are needed to make this happen. The club members, along with parents and little siblings, stocked shelves, packaged items to fit family sizes, and packed refrigerator items in bags in preparation for pick up.

The members will gather before the fair starts to assemble a show ring in the poultry barn. This helps direct the flow of traffic during a show and makes the exhibitors feel special to have a designated area to show off their 4-H project. Adams Greenhouse generously came alongside the club and donated flowers in pots to add color to the barn.

This new club is made up of six families, including ten members, three cloverbuds, not old enough for 4-H, and three cloverbuddies, which is what we call the little siblings under five. You’ll find the club by larger than life signs in the sheep and cattle barns in the shape of an ear tag with the club name in black. In the poultry barn, each exhibitor has the same sign, in a miniature form, attached to their cage. Together, they plan to exhibit market sheep, dairy beef feeders, breeding heifers, market chickens, market ducks, fancy poultry and call ducks.

With the club meeting for the first time in November of 2024, they have been able to accomplish a lot leading up to the fair. The week of shows and friends is just a small part of what 4-H really is. Together, they attend educational opportunities, serve the community, lead activities, work with their livestock, and have fun doing it as a club.

Club members include Hayden and Hailey Clark, Landon, Braxton and Easton Marchal, Paisley and Lola McCarroll, Silas, Jerid and Ty Raines, Cash Wheelock, Mason, Makayla, Maria, Mavrick and Mariam Weikert.

The Miami County Fair is August 8-14.