New take on classic 4-H projects

Local 4-H clubs are preparing for the 2018 Western Montana Fair Aug. 6-11 at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. This is the opportunity for 4-H members to share their projects that they have been working on for the past 4-H year.

Potomac Valley 4-H Club members Gavin Kelly and Haley Helena are taking projects including leather craft, vet science and food preservation. For more than 500 years these skills have been important to daily life.

This was Kelly's second year taking leather craft and food preservation projects in 4-H.

Kelly found some challenges involving lacing in his leathercraft project when he made a billfold wallet for his Dad. If Kelly could do anything differently, he said he would have read the project requirements earlier so he knew what he had to complete and worked on the leather a bit each week. Kelly also made a guitar strap and a coaster.

Kelly made applesauce for his food preservation project. He also said that sterilizing jars for canning can be difficult.

This was Kelly's first year taking horseless horse and hogless hog. Missoula County 4-H offers animal projects without having the animal, so member can learn about the animals before owning one.

He said he enjoyed his horseless horse project because he got to ride a horse named Susie and learned all about how to work with horses.

"It was awesome! I also enjoyed seeing how the finished projects turned out," Kelly said.

"My 4-H projects taught me things like patience and hard work to help me problem solve in everyday life."

Next year Kelly will take market hogs to the fair for the first time.

Helena has been a Potomac Valley 4-H member for three years. Her projects this year include rabbit, dairy goat and vet science.

Helena encountered animal challenges when her rabbit Puddles contracted mites. She had to take him to the vet but he is healthy now after the treatments.

For her goat project she will be showing her Nigerian Dwarf doe and her Nigerian Dwarf doe with dam. 

One of her goats had triplets, and the third kid wasn't getting enough milk. (The udder on a goat has only two teats.) To solve the issue Helena put the mother goat in the milking stand twice daily to make sure he was nursing enough.

"I enjoyed raising baby goats," she said. "It was a great experience."

For her vet science project she learned about vaccinations and pregnancy testing cows with leader Jeanne Hall.

Helena is looking ahead to next year as well. If she were to do anything different she would add photography as a project.

"4-H has taught me about responsibility", said Helena.

Kelly and Helena's projects will be at the Fair Tuesday through Friday. The rest of the Potomac Valley 4-H and Seeley Lake Trailblazer 4-H clubs projects will also be on display and in the livestock barns and exhibit buildings as well.

Visit http://missoulaeduplace.org/images/4-h/documents/2018%20fairbook%20schedule.pdf for the 4-H schedule of events.