43
Family Fun Fest shows value of 4-H
By Sean Barron
CANFIELD
Levi Smith’s face lights up when he ticks off the long list of projects his organization has taken part in — and the many life lessons he likely will glean as a result.
“People see only so much of this at the [Canfield] fair. There is a lot more to it,” the 17-year-old Berlin Center teen said, referring to the numerous Mahoning County Junior Fair Board and 4-H Club offerings.
Levi, the Junior Fair Board’s president and the 2014 Canfield Fair 4-H King, had a handful of 4-H projects at Saturday’s first Farm Harvest Fun event at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road (state Route 46).
The free, three-hour family-friendly gathering also was a collaborative between the park system and the Mahoning County Junior Fair Poultry Club. A main purpose was to better educate people on the connection between farming and Thanksgiving while helping them understand where their holiday food originates, noted Kim Moff, an agriculture educator who also manages the fair board.
Many people associate 4-H efforts with animals and fairs, but the organization also teaches its members more about computer programming, scrapbooking, archery, sewing, rifle shooting and a host of other endeavors, Levi explained. The teen added he loves to work with the public and that being in 4-H has made him more comfortable with public speaking.
An attraction at the day’s festivities were Samarai and Gypsy, a buff-laced Polish rooster and hen, respectively, both of which belong to 19-year-old Joe Fagnano of Canfield.
“They’re judged by breed standards,” such as coloring, size and plumage, explained Fagnano, who was a Junior Fair Board 2014 Outstanding Youth Member.
Both birds are close to 2 years old and have been shown twice as part of the Canfield Fair’s Raising Fancy Poultry Project, Fagnano continued.
Also happy to be part of the fair board was Logan Moff, 18, who is Kim Moff’s daughter.
The experience has given her valuable marketing skills and has increased her self-confidence and public-speaking abilities, said Logan, another 2014 Outstanding Youth Member.
Participants also had the opportunity to have their pictures taken in front of a large inflatable turkey, then have the results sent to them via email, Kim Moff explained. Other offerings included harvest bingo and plenty of crafts.
In addition, several children such as 3-year-old Kate Walko of Poland enjoyed coloring turkeys. Thanks to her penchant for using one color, a solid-blue turkey likely will adorn the family’s refrigerator, said Kate’s mother, Julie Walko.
Logan Moff, who joined 4-H around age 5, left no doubt about the impact the organization has made in her life.
“It’s been fun, and I’ve enjoyed all of my years in 4-H,” she said. “To say that it was a big part of my life is an understatement.”