Bryan County 4-H had an informational night recently at the Clay Jones Community Center to show how 4-H helps children build confidence, learn new skills, and make lifelong friends.
“What we’re doing tonight, is trying to get new kids signed up and our own 4-H’ers signed up for the fair before it gets going,” said Kris Goodwin, president of Bryan County 4-H Adult Leaders Council. “So, that way they’re in to be able to enter their exhibits.”
There are two different age groups in 4-H, ages 9 through high school and Clover Buds, which is 5-8 year-olds.
Trent Hunkapillar is the advertising director/event planner for Bryan County 4-H and he said the welcome event is to get more children involved with 4-H.
“We’re a small group at the moment and we’re wanting to grow that group because it’s a countywide event and countywide community group of people that can come in and as you look around the room, you see all of the different options that we offer for kids,” Hunkapillar said. “Sometimes, when people think of 4-H, they only think of the animals or working with animals. As you can see, we have performing arts. We have crochet. We have shotgun, air rifle, archery, horticulture, poultry, food science, and we also host day camps for leadership training and interview training.
“There’s tons of stuff we do throughout the year, and I just don’t think the community is aware of everything that can be done through 4-H.”
Hunkapillar said that 4-H members operate the concession stand during the Bryan County Free Fair.
“We also have a lot of our 4-H kids enter exhibits, and those exhibits sometimes win prizes and if they win here locally, they get sent up to state in the city,” Hunkapillar said.
Goodwin said that if the 4-H members win at the state fair in Oklahoma City, they receive prize money.
According to Hunkapillar, 4-H members participate in archery, air rifle and shotgun tournaments.
“They participate in a district tournament and a state tournament,” Hunkapillar said. “We even have a young man that has been to nationals. He did so well at state, he went to national competition the last two years.”
