4-Hers succeed at Western Montana Fair

MISSOULA - Potomac youth who partake in 4-H projects work hard during the 4-H year which runs from October to the end of September. This year at the Western Montana Fair, 20 Potomac 4-H members participated in more than 40 areas including animal and non-animal projects.

The Cloverbuds Project is for 4-H members ages six to eight. They met monthly and created snow scenes, paintings and birdhouses for their fair projects. Tom and Camilla Peterson made the birdhouse kits for the Potomac Cloverbuds. Tom is a woodworker and had dowels and pre-drilled holes in the kits.

Harper Vezina was a Potomac Valley Cloverbud this year and she made a stained wooden birdhouse decorated with three birds. Her dad Jason Vezina appreciated all the support and help from the Cloverbud leaders and helpers.

"[Tom] did a really nice and fantastic job," Vezina said of the Cloverbud kits.

Potomac sheep and goat projects practiced weekly at various 4-H members homes throughout the summer. They walked their sheep and goats down roads, through meadows and practiced showmanship skills. The hog and beef projects also walked and cared for their project animals. All projects required documentation in workbooks and participants worked on keeping their feed records updated.

During the fair, the temperatures were in the 90s every day. The 4-Hers including Potomac's Sawyar Cooney took care to make sure their animals were comfortable. He would lightly spray Blue, his hog, with water and then gently rub and pet her back, rubbing the moisture around her skin. The sheep and goats were content with their food and water, and nestled deep in their pens of shavings.

Potomac's non-animal projects lined the shelves on the exhibit barn, from photography to woodworking to sewing. The Potomac 4-H members said they had a great fair week, and brought their smiles and projects to ribboned closure by the end of the fair.

2021 Project Results

4-H uses the Danish system in the judging process. Top ribbons include 1st place to 3rd place, grand and reserve champion, followed by a purple group (P – top in their class), blue group (B), red group (R) and white group (W – participation ribbon) according to the placing received. Results as of press deadline Aug. 16.

Potomac Valley 4-H

Lur Hamon-Combe: Cloverbud Certificate

Brayden Cooney: Market Lamb Interview, Red; Market Lamb, Red; Breeding Sheep Interview, Red; Breeding Sheep, White; Photography Interview, Blue; Photography Project, White & Red

Layne Cooney: Market Lamb Interview, Red; Market Lamb, Red; Woodworking Award; Woodworking interview, Blue; Woodworking project, Blue

Sawyar Cooney: Market Hog Interview, Red; Market Hog, Blue; Hog Showmanship, Red

Ashbeigh Hall: Breeding Beef Interview, Blue; Breeding Beef, Blue; Hereford Standard, Third place in the heifers between 1-2 years old; Market Beef Interview, Blue; Market Beef, Red; Purple; Breeding Sheep Interview, Blue; Breeding Sheep, Red, Red, Red

Cooper Hathaway: Market Hog Interview, Purple; Market Hog, Red; 5th Place Novice Hog Showman; Hog Showmanship, Purple

Elizabeth Hathaway: Cloverbud Certificate

Lucas Jurasovich: Cloverbud Certificate

Claire Kelley: Horse Interview, Red; Western Horsemanship level 2, Blue; Novice Horse Showmanship, Blue; Bareback Equitation, Blue; Sewing Judges Choice Award; Sewing Interview, Blue; Sewing Projects, Blue, Blue, Blue & Purple Judge's Choice Award

GraceLynn Knapp: Dairy Goat Interview, Blue; 2nd Place in Nigerian Dwarf Goats birth to 6 months; 2nd Place Grades 24-35 month Milk Goat; Dairy Goat projects, Purple, Purple, Purple; 5th Place Dairy Goat Showman

Leah Nelson: Market Lamb Interview, Purple; Market Lamb, Purple; Breeding Sheep Interview, Purple; Breeding Sheep, Blue, Blue, Red; 1st place Junior Sheep Showman; Senior Sheep Showmanship, Purple

Erik Petersen: Cloverbud Certificate

Colter Schultz: Market Beef Interview, Blue; Market Beef, Red; Beef Showmanship, Blue

Hadley Spethman: Horse Interview, Blue; Western Horsemanship Level 1 Blue, English Horsemanship Level 1, Red; 2nd Place Novice Horse Showman; Novice Horse Showmanship, Blue; 1st Place Bareback Equitation Ages 9-11 Walk Trot; Arena Trail Red

Harrison Spethman: Dairy Goat Interview, Purple; 1st place Nigerian Dwarf Birth to 6 months; 1st place Nigerian Dwarf 12-23 months dry; Mini Dairy Goat, Purple, Purple; 1st place Novice Dairy Goat Showman

Kinsley Spethman: Cloverbud Certificate

Cade Sutton: Cloverbud Certificate

Kinley Sutton: Cloverbud Certificate

Harper Vezina: Cloverbud Certificate

Callum Waletzko: Poultry Interview, Blue; Poultry Project, Purple; 2nd Place Junior Poultry Showman, 2nd Place Poultry Showmanship, Purple Breeder Purple

Seeley Lake Trailblazers

Dani Sexton: Market Beef Interview, Purple; 3rd Place Market Beef; Market Beef, Purple; Beef Senior Showmanship, Purple