Clearwater County 4-H members earn top honors at Minnesota State Fair

ST. PAUL – Two youths from Clearwater County earned top honors for their 4-H exhibits judged this year at the Minnesota State Fair.
Maija Hecht earned a purple ribbon for her fine arts exhibit and Abigail Davies earned a purple ribbon for her foods and nutrition display. Both attend school in Bagley.
Clearwater County 4-H’ers who received blue ribbons on their general projects at the Minnesota State Fair were Brady Anderson, Mackenzie Dahl, Emily Hanson, Katelyn Lindgren, Jackson Lindom, Noah Nelson, David Nyegaard, Kirah Otting and Taylor Volker.
Minnesota 4-H’ers from 87 counties brought nearly 3,000 projects that were judged in the 4-H Building at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair. The 4-H’ers all placed high at their county fairs with their projects, thereby earning them the top honor of showing at the State Fair this year.
Education is integral in the “learn by doing” philosophy of 4-H. Though the projects and animals shown at fairs during the summer get a lot of attention, 4-H is about developing “purple ribbon kids” throughout the year. Participation in 4-H provides all 4-H youth with critical experiences and skills, such as communicating, problem solving, and decision making – which will serve them throughout their lives.
The array of 4-H projects exhibited this year spanned a wide range of topic areas, including robotics, alternative energy, aerospace, photography, performing arts, clothing, small engines, geology, flower gardening, landscaping, wildlife biology, fine arts and much more.