STATE FAIR PICKS

Having a 4-H project selected for the Iowa State Fair is an honor. It means hundreds of thousands of people have a chance to see what the 4-H’er made while it on display in the 4-H Building throughout the 11-day fair.

“When this project was selected for the State Fair, I was super excited, and it made the hard work even more rewarding,” Sherman Sunbeam member Karly Spear said.

For her project, Spear restored an old wooden rocking chair. She got the idea when at an antique store and after checking that it was structurally sound, purchased it for the project.

“The first step of this project was to learn more about the chair’s past — what era it was from and what its purpose was. I soon found that this chair was likely a sewing or nursing rocker from the Victorian era,” Spear said. “Upon completing my research, I began sanding the chair. Next I stained the chair, then reupholstered the seat cushion.”

At the Jasper County Fair, Spear received the Quester Preservation and Restoration Award for her work. At the state fair she received a red ribbon.

Along with her static exhibit, Spear is looking forward to showing off her animals at the state fair, too.

“I am excited to exhibit my livestock at the fair,” Spear said. “I will be showing poultry, goats and cattle.”

Also on display is a sculpture from Jasper County Farmhand member Kolby Clark. The intricate work put into his wire tree made it a shoe-in to move on to the next level.

“I got the idea from a picture my mom sent me after I made a smaller one of a different type I saw on TikTok,” Clark said. “My steps to making it were cutting all the wires then wrapping them together for the trunk and branches and then putting the beads on for the leaves. I didn’t really follow a pattern, I just branched them off randomly and I did it myself. I felt pretty good about it when it was done because it looked really nice after putting it in the pot.”

At judging, Clark felt he had a pretty good chance to move on to the state fair by the comments each judge were giving. All positive feedback was given, making Clark more confident in his chances.

“It felt pretty nice when it was selected but I kind of expected it because most of the time if a judge gets something they don’t see every year it goes to state,” Clark said.

This isn’t his first project to make it to the state fair. Last year he constructed a chain mail head piece that went on to Des Moines, as well.

This year for his efforts he earned a blue ribbon. But what he’s looking forward to is a favorite of many fairgoers.

“The thing I’m most excited for about state fair is the food and that bucket of cookies that we get every year,” Clark said.

Clear Creek Wrangler member Sydney Beavers was so excited about her project being selected for the fair. It was at the top of her list when she walked through the gate.

“First thing I did was go check to see what ribbon I got on my project,” Beavers said.

She was rewarded for her efforts with a blue ribbon on her horseshoe coasters project. A unique idea, she started out by wanting to make something with western decor for her living room. The work was in the details for Beavers as she started the process of making her project.

“I had to make a template of the horseshoe to make sure they were all identical. I also tested different types of glue to see what would stick best to the hair on hide and the metal horseshoe. Using the template, I cut out all of the hair on hide leather making sure the hair was going the same direction on all of the coasters,” Beavers said. “I then used a contrasting leather lace to weave in the nail holes of the horseshoe. Once the glue on the laces was set I glued the horseshoe to the leather. With the extra lacing I wrapped it around the stack of coasters and secured it with a Concho to make a nice presentation for display.”

She did get a little help when assembling the project to make sure nothing shifted as she set the glue. Once complete, she was pleased with how well they turned out.

“I was glad the coasters looked as nice as I had expected them to and was happy with how they turned out,” Beavers said.

She wasn’t nervous going into judging at the county fair; this wasn’t her first year making projects. She also said the judges were very nice and interested in her work.

“I was happy that the judge liked my project as much as I did,” Beavers said.

Now that it is State Fair time, she is looking forward to a week with those important to her.

“I am excited to spend the week at the State Fair with my friends and family,” Beavers said.