Bugs, photography and crafts: 4-H members put their skills on display at N.C. State Fair

There are over 100 categories that 4-H members can enter at the N.C. State Fair.

4-H is an educational program run through North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, which are both land-grant universities. 4-H, which can be recognized by its green, four-leaf clover logo, stands for head, heart, hand and health.

"It is a program for young people, ages 5 through 18, that allows them to participate in clubs or participate in camps," said North Carolina 4-H superintendent Shannon McCollum.

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The program's goal is to help kids develop life skills.

"The ones that we really focus on are citizenship, leadership, community service and civic engagement," explained McCollum. "Pretty much any of the life skills that there are."

"[We] provide young people the opportunity to belong to a group, to have that caring adult that helps them in their class work [and] in their project work," added McCollum. "It helps young people with generosity and giving back to their community."

The N.C. State Fair gives members an opportunity to put the skills they've learned through 4-H on display.

"We have our livestock program, which is a huge program, where young people show their steers or lambs ... whatever their animals might be," said McCollum.

Fairgoers can also head to the Education Building on the fairgrounds to see hundreds of entries for arts and crafts competitions from 4-H members.

"We have crafts, we have photography ... we also have entomology, which is a collection of bugs, that seems to be a popular one," said McCollum.

Preparation for the projects entered into the fair is a year-long affair, according to McCollum.

Members can also participate in their county's exhibit, which is based on the needs of the county's 4-H club.

"They have to come up with a theme, and they have to think about how they're going to showcase their county program," said McCollum.

This year, 4-H programs in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties created an exhibit spotlighting famous 4-H members, while Johnston County's exhibit featured a beekeeper mannequin and gardening.

Like almost every other program, 4-H did not escape the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. But, McCollum said club organizers were able to keep kids engaged despite not being able to meet in person for a while.

"We were hit pretty hard in participation, but our staff across the state did a fantastic job providing virtual programs that our young people could do at home with activity kits. You know, our numbers are down, but that's to be expected," said McCollum.

"[Kids] enjoy doing crafts at home. They enjoy doing crafts with their 4-H clubs, with their families. It provides them an opportunity to be creative, especially this past year during the pandemic a lot of them have been at home with their families," she added.

As the N.C. State Fair returns after a year of cancelations, it gives 4-H members a chance to return to a sense of normalcy.

"It's just real important for them to have that opportunity to showcase their crafts or their pictures that they've taken ... they're finally able to get back together as a group," said McCollum.

The opportunity for members to showcase their skills doesn't end at the N.C. State Fair either. There are presentation competitions, lifestyle programs and projects and activities throughout the year.

"There's always something going on in 4-H. Each county is very different in what they focus on because it is based on the needs of that particular county," said McCollum."

McCollum said the overall goal of the program is to create "competent, capable, caring and contributing members of society."

"It is extremely important to provide those opportunities to young people," she added.