4-H Achievement Program opens fair

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Published: Tuesday, 17 June 2014 17:49

“Rising Above the Rest” is the theme for the 2014 Pulaski County 4-H & Community Fair which runs Saturday June 28 through Thursday July 3 at the county fairgrounds in the Winamac park.

One of the primary features of the fair is to showcase the projects completed by our 4-H youth - demonstrating what they have learned in this valuable program which develops talents as well as important skills and values. For many years now 4-H members include “city kids” as well as “farm kids.”

Caylin Duffy and Dustin Dahn were crowned the 2014 4-H Royalty at the annual 4-H Achievement program which opened the Pulaski County 4-H & Community Fair June 28. Members of their court are Brittany Fox, Caleb Bucinski, Donna Zehner and Madison Ruff.

This year is the 112th year for the national 4-H program - and the 110th year in Indiana. Pulaski County has almost 350 youths in the 4-H program. They participate because it’s fun and they make new friends. But along the way they learn how to undertake a project and carry it through to completion - and how to do it better next year!

On Saturday (June 28), Pulaski County 4-H honored its top achievers at the annual 4-H Recognition Program which traditionally opens the fair. 

The 4-H Royalty consists of the two individuals with the highest ranking from the judges regardless of gender, or other bias. The 4-H Court consists of four individuals with the next highest scores. To be considered for the 4-H Royalty, the member must complete an application and submit it with his/her record of achievement; be at least 15 years old; be at least a fifth-year member; provide a letter of character reference; and interview with the royalty judges.

The selection of these “royal” youth is not only a crowning achievement in their own lives, but it also launches the week-long excitement for the 4-H’ers and others who devote so much effort to the fair.

Crowned as the 2014 4-H Royalty were Dustin Dahn and Caylin Duffy. Their court members are Brittany Fox, Caleb Bucinski, Donna Zehner and Madison Ruff.

The Renae Eber Memorial Award was presented to Alivia Kruger. The Farm Bureau Tenure Award recipients were Shannon Bierrum and Eric Newman.

Adult volunteers recognized for milestone years in 4-H included: Allan Daily and Larry Hoover (20 years), James Buczek (25 years0, Gary Kruger (30 years), and Howard Conner (45 years).

Caleb Bucinski	Dustin Dahn	Caylin Duffy
Brittany Fox	Madison Ruff	Donna Zehner

Caleb Bucinski, the son of Joe and Laura Bucinski, is a member of the Harrison Hustlers and Junior Leaders 4-H clubs. He will be a junior at Winamac Community High School, and this is his eighth year in 4-H. His favorite project is the swine project because it teaches responsibility, patience, and economics. His advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Do a project you love doing, try as many new things as possible, and doing everything you do to its fullest potential.” His future plans are to attend Purdue University to major in psychology or pre-med.The members of the 4-H royalty and court represent the true values of the 4-H program. This year the eight 4-H’ers who were considered for these honors are as follows:

Dustin Dahn, the son of Brian and Rosa Dahn, is a member of the Busy Beavers 4-H Club. He will be a junior at Abeka Academy, and this is his eighth year in 4-H. He served on the 4-H Royalty Court last year, and has won the Fred Hintzman Award. His favorite project is shooting sports because it teaches firearm safety and how to educate others. His advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “Take the projects you enjoy and the projects you want to learn more about" and “the most important thing is do not procrastinate” In the future he would like to pursue a career in engineering or law enforcement.

Caylin Duffy, the daughter of Sandy and Charles Hurd, is a member of the Harrison Hustlers 4-H Club. She will be a senior at Winamac Community High School, and this is her ninth year in 4-H. Her favorite project is swine. She loves meeting new people each year and loves getting her pig ready for the show. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Always make sure you start your books and papers early, don’t wait until the last minute.” In her future she would like to attend Purdue University or IUPUI to major in elementary education.

Brittany Fox, the daughter of Angie and Joe Fox, is a member of the Franklin Farmers 4-H Club. She will be a junior at Winamac Community High School, and this is her eighth year in 4-H. Her favorite project is swine because she loves taking care of her pigs, getting them ready for the show, and also because she has been in the project since mini 4-H. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Don’t put your projects off until the last minute and with animals, work hard to get them so that they walk easily and are calm around other animals.” In the future she would like to go to college to be a marine biologist.

Madison Paige Ruff, the daughter of James and Sheila Ruff, is a member of the Van Buren 4-Leafers and Junior Leaders 4-H clubs. She will be a junior at Winamac Community High School and this is her eighth year in 4-H. Her favorite project is swine because her whole family gets involved and she gets to make friends in the swine barn. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is “Don’t procrastinate, don’t stress, and just have fun.” In the future she would like to attend Indiana University to become a pediatrician.

Donna Zehner, the daughter of Greg and Mary Zehner, is a member of the Tippecanoe Industrious 4-H Club. She will be a senior at Culver Community High School and this is her ninth year in 4-H. She has won grand champion in foods, sewing, and microwave cooking. Her favorite project is sewing because she is allowed to design and make her own clothing at little to no cost. Her advice to younger 4-H’ers is to “strive for greatness and if ever defeated, accept it, learn from it, and move on.” In the future she would like to attend college to become a medical examiner.