BROOKINGS Today through Thursday, Dacotah Bank Center belongs to 4-H while the annual Brookings County 4-H Achievement Days take place.
We do 4-H so that were better prepared to enter the world as young, contributing adults, Sonia Mack, 4-H youth program adviser for Brookings County said. We do 4-H because the life skills learned along the way while working through projects whether that be making cookies, or working with an animal project, or actively participating in shooting sports the life skills learned while working towards project mastery are invaluable.
And 4-Hers will be showcasing those skills this week with a wide variety of exhibits and displays that are free to attend and open to the public.
Todays agenda features display exhibit judging, a companion animal show, a rabbit showmanship competition, and a rabbit show. Food is available for purchase from the Midwest Fresh Food Truck.
Tuesday will have a public presentation contest, poultry showmanship competition, a poultry show, and a sheep show. Food will be available for purchase from the Little Prairie Coffee Company, Mortlands Food Truck, and Karmas Korn. Theres also special entertainment lined up in the evening.
Well turn the arena into the showring cinema, where we will be watching a movie on the big screen, enjoying popcorn, and anybodys welcome to attend, Mack said. Bring a lawn chair, bring a beverage. Popcorn will be provided. You know, G-rated beverages water or soda.
The movie will be Racing Stripes a 2005 film about a zebra who believes hes a racehorse. The film is rated PG, runs one hour and 41 minutes, and will be shown at 8 p.m.
Wednesday will have a dairy goat show, dairy cattle show, a day camp sponsored by the Farmers Union, a barnyard Olympics competition, and both a beef fitting contest and a beef show. At noon, the Brookings County Farm Bureau will hold a free burger feed; and throughout the day Karmas Korn, Little Prairie Coffee Company, and Mr. Bs Mobile Caf will have food available for purchase.
Thursday is the grand finale with a swine show, meat goat show, fashion revue show, good neighbor awards ceremony, the sale of champions event, and the round robin showmanship contest and awards. The annual 4-H barbeque meal takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. Its open to the public and features pork prepared at the SDSU Meat Lab, served alongside SDSU ice cream.
Its a free will donation for supper, Mack said. Its a suggested donation of $8, but its a free will donation. And all of that goes back to our Brookings County 4-H premium and helps to reward youth.
Thursday concludes with 4-H graduation ceremonies an event that will be particularly poignant for Mack because her daughter is among this years graduating class.
Im going to be completely out of the 4-H mom role after a lot of years. Im still the 4-H youth adviser, just not also wearing the 4-H mom hat I dont have to worry about the deadlines any more they wont apply to me, Mack said.
She said graduation is an emotional experience every year.
They have been with me on their entire 4-H journey. And its a little bittersweet to see them go. Yet I have seen them grow, and so I guess that is the sweet part of it, Mack said. You know youre losing such a good kiddo. So thats tough. But we also know that they have grown in all of their project work and will succeed. And theyll be able to put those skills to work when they get out into college, or maybe theyre going into the workforce. But theyre also likely to come back and be volunteers after graduation, and thats one of the pieces that makes them so special.
She invites everyone to come see whats happening at Dacotah Bank Center this week.
I would encourage everybody that has just some free time over the week to come check out 4-H and just take note of the variety. 4-H is not just about cows and ploughs, Mack said. We have things like arts, we have theater, we have shooting sports, we have robotics, we have 3-D printing and those are just all intertwined with the more traditional projects that people might associate with 4-H. But you wont know unless you come take a look.
She said shes proud of the skills, maturity, and growth the 4-Hers are demonstrating this week.
The exhibits and the presentation of project work during achievement days speaks to those life skills and so many more. Theres perseverance, theres responsibility, theres just respect for each other, Mack said. Just having a skill set that so many of their peers dont that makes youth, young adults, a very valuable component of communities, whether that be as students, as employees, and just members of society as a whole.
A complete agenda of this years four-day event is posted at the SDSU Extension – Brookings County 4-H Facebook page.
Email Jay Roe at[email protected].
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