Good evening District 27. Today I had the opportunity to spend some time attending the Bennett County 4-H Achievement Days and Rodeo. The day started off with attending the annual pancake breakfast at the fire hall. Martin VFD Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Chris O’Bryan and his team of volunteer firefighters were serving up the flapjacks and ham early this morning from 6:30 to 9:00 AM. His crew of volunteers made certain that you did not walk away hungry.
At 1:00 PM, I walked over to the fair building where the Market Beef Judging and Showmanship competition for seniors, juniors, and beginners was underway. I was impressed with our local 4-H Club members who showcased their steers to the judge while audience members awaited the judge’s final decision. I recognized many of the 4-H seniors and juniors from my days of substitute teaching at the Martin Elementary Grade School. It’s amazing how these students have matured over the years and are a shining example of what is in store for the future of Bennett County.
After the beef judging and showmanship competition, I wandered over to the exhibit hall to check out the various arts and crafts creations that were made by our 4-H members along with the creations submitted by local community members in the open class division. It continues to amaze me the amount of outstanding talent that is available within our local area.
After viewing the exhibits, I watched the Lego building competition. There were a lot of kids who participated in the Lego building competition. As a civil engineer, even I would have loved to participate in this competition. The children had 20 minutes to come up with a creation based on a random spin of the wheel. It always amazes me how kids can be creative in taking an idea and bringing it to reality. All it takes is a little encouragement and support from their peers to showcase what skills they have.
Finally, I checked out the various cake winners. There were a lot of cakes from the looks of it. It made my mouth water, and I decided I had enough for one day as those cakes were making me hungry. So, I quickly zipped home and grilled a nice New York steak, baked potato, carrots, corn on the cob, and a tossed salad for my dinner.
Overall, I enjoyed the day at the fair. The fall-like weather was ideal to get out and see what our youth have been up to. I see there are plenty more events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
On the inside brochure of the calendar of events for the fair and rodeo, I read the following 4-H Pledge:
“I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”
The young 4-H members have all taken this pledge. This 4-H pledge is grounded in values that we cherish as a community, state, and country. As a child growing up on a farm, I had many classmates who were active 4-H members. My siblings and I were not afforded the opportunity to participate in 4-H activities and therefore, none of us have taken the pledge. Today, I take this pledge along with all the 4-H members out there because I believe that these values are worth sharing with the future generation of kids across rural America. If elected your state senator, I will advocate for legislation that upholds these American values that have been passed down from one generation of 4-H members to another.
In closing, I want to thank all those parents and volunteers who put in so much time behind the scenes in providing our local 4-H members an experience they will remember for a lifetime. The parents and the volunteers are the backbone of making the Bennett County 4-H program and Achievement Days and Rodeo a successful event year after year. Enjoy the rest of the fair and rodeo this weekend. God bless.
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