1) More than 12,000 4-H Entries Expected at 2010 Kansas State Fair

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Kansas 4-H members ages nine and up are eligible to enter projects at the Kansas State Fair, but only eligible after first earning the top award in the project category at the county fair.

That means 4-H entries at the Fair come with high praise, and also means seeing the various projects in 4-H Centennial Hall may inspire others to join 4-H and learn by doing, choosing a new 4-H project (if already involved in 4-H programs) or provide the nudge that's needed to complete a hobby project or try something new, said Justin Wiebers, speaking on behalf of Kansas 4-H.

The 2010 Kansas State Fair (in Hutchinson, Kan.) is scheduled Sept. 10-19, and 4-H Centennial Hall is located at the north end of the fairgrounds, said Wiebers, who is a Kansas State University Research and Extension associate 4-H youth development specialist and building coordinator for 4-H Centennial Hall at the Kansas State Fair.

Kansas 4-H offers more than 30 educational 4-H projects and seeing the completed projects under one roof is testimony to experiential learning in 4-H, said Wiebers, who noted that

former 4-H members often cite a 4-H project as the spark for their career interest or a lifelong hobby.

During the 2010 Fair, 4-H Centennial Hall will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 10-18, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 19, closing day. Please note: Projects and exhibits will be displayed as soon as possible after judging, but may not be available for viewing early in the day Sept. 10.

4-H rabbit, poultry, livestock and crop exhibits are displayed at various locations on the fairgrounds: inquire at the Information Booth in 4-H Centennial Hall for details.

"All are welcome," said Wiebers, who noted that people who don't have children or a connection with 4-H usually enjoy looking at the exhibits, which include Kansas geology and insect collections.

More information about educational opportunities in Kansas 4-H is available in 4-H Centennial Hall, at K-State Research and Extension offices throughout the state, and online at: www.Kansas4-H.org. More information about the Kansas State Fair is available at www.kansasstatefair.com.

2) Kansas 4-H GIS Day is New Program for Families, Children at 2010 Kansas State Fair

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Kansas 4-H is hosting a 4-H GIS Day for children and families attending the 2010 Kansas State Fair on Saturday, Sept. 11.

"We're focusing on technology and offering several Geo-Mini Sessions focusing on the application of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.," said Beth Hecht, Kansas State University Research and Extension associate 4-H specialist in geospatial literacy.

The 4-H GIS Day is new to Kansas 4-H offerings, and an opportunity for children and families to learn more about the technologies that have become an essential part of daily living. It will be based in 4-H Centennial Hall (at the north end of the fairgrounds) and children and families need not be 4-H members to participate, she said.

There is no charge to participate, either, although a parent will need to leave his or her drivers license as a deposit in checking out equipment, Hecht said.

Families who have a hand-held GPS unit are encouraged to bring it with them, if possible, said Hecht, who explained that workshops will include tips about the technologies and how to use it, and a Geocaching exercise on the fairgrounds.           

GIS technology is part of our everyday lives, even though we may not always realize it, Hecht said.

Popular Websites such as Google Earth typically rely on GIS technologies, she said.

According to Hecht, 4-H GIS Day will provide an opportunity for fair goers to try their hand at GIS applications. Participants also will be invited to submit local concerns of their community by placing them on an interactive GIS map throughout the day.

Instruction on how to retrieve the map at a later date also will be shared, she said.

The high-tech event is offered in cooperation with representatives from Kansas State University Department of Geography/Gissal (Geographic Informational Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory), Fort Hays State University Department of Geosciences, DASC (Data Access and Support Center), the Kansas Association of Mappers, and ESRI (an international leader in GIS software), Hecht said.

Children and families visiting 4-H Centennial Hall also are encouraged to allow time to look at the 4-H project exhibits. More than 12,000 projects are expected at the Kansas State Fair this year, and looking at the various interpretations of the projects often can be helpful for children and families in choosing 4-H projects of interest for their personal growth and development as a 4-H member or participant in other 4-H programs, Hecht said.

More information about Kansas 4-H is available at K-State Research and Extension offices throughout the state, and on online at: www.Kansas4-H.org. More information about the 2010 Kansas State Fair is available at www.kansasstatefair.com.

3) Acoustic Guitar Among Top 4-H Projects
On Display at 2010 Kansas State Fair

Note to editors: For an electronic image of Amanda Wilson with her guitar, please call Donise Osbourn at 785-532-5806 or e-mail: dosbourn@ksu.edu.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Kansas 4-H is anticipating more than 12,000 project entries at the 2010 Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, Kan., Sept. 10-19. While visitors to 4-H Centennial Hall (which is located at the north end of the fairgrounds) typically marvel at the quality and variety of the projects, the 2010 entries -- including an acoustic guitar -- should continue to earn rave reviews.



According to Mike Vogt, Kansas State University Research and Extension agent in Marshall County, Kan., Amanda Wilson's acoustic guitar is a "great story."



Wilson is a 10-year 4-H member of the Waterville Busy Beavers 4-H Club and is in her 7th year in the woodworking project. Wilson said that she decided to make the guitar when snowbound during a holiday school break.



Her father, Roger Wilson, who is a band teacher, had ordered the wood for another project that he had planned to build, but decided instead to encourage his daughter in building the guitar.



"The back and sides of the guitar are made of padauk (a tropical wood); the front is spruce, and the neck mahogany with exotic zebrawood striped trim," she said.



"The hardest part was bending the sides; I had to be careful not to crack the wood," said Wilson, who explained that if she had cracked the wood, she would have had to start over.



Completing the project took several months, said Wilson, who finished the project just three days before the entry deadline in the fair.



Wilson credits 4-H projects with helping her learn how to develop her skills and make something that she can take pride in, which, this year, is the classic acoustic guitar that will be on display at the Kansas State Fair.



Look for the guitar among other award winning 4-H projects in 4-H Centennial Hall, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 10 -18 and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 19 (closing day). To be eligible for entry at the state level, a 4-H member's project must first earn the top award in the project category in his or her county, said Justin Wiebers, Kansas State University Research and Extension associate 4-H specialist and coordinator, 4-H Centennial Hall. 



Amanda is the daughter of Roger and Darlene Wilson.



More information about educational opportunities in Kansas 4-H is available at local K-State Research and Extension offices and online: www.Kansas4-H.org. For more information about the Kansas State Fair, go to www.kansasstatefair.com.

4) 4-H Judging Results at Kansas State Fair on Web         

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Thanks to technology, the need to know often is only a click away.

As in recent years, 4-H judges' rankings at the 2010 Kansas State Fair, Sept. 10-19, will be posted at www.Kansas4-H.org  as soon as possible after the results become available, said Justin Wiebers, 4-H Centennial Hall building coordinator at the Fair.

Posting the results electronically makes it possible for families to access the results from their home or other computer location, said Wiebers, who is a Kansas State University Research and Extension associate 4-H specialist.

Checking the results of the judging also can be of interest to fair visitors and other interested parties who want to see how their opinions compare to the judge's, said Wiebers, who noted that computers also will be available in 4-H Centennial Hall for checking results.

More information about educational opportunities in Kansas 4-H is available at in 4-H Centennial Hall during the Fair, at K-State Research and Extension offices throughout the state, and online at: www.Kansas4-H.org.

5) At the Kansas State Fair, 4-H Food Sale to Benefit Youth

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- More than 2,000 4-H food entries from around the state are expected for judging at the 2010 Kansas State Fair on opening day (Sept. 10), but only representative samples will be displayed, said Diane Mack, Kansas State University Research and Extension northeast area 4-H specialist and coordinator for the 4-H foods entries at the Kansas State Fair. 

Display space is an issue, but the fresh foods should be enjoyed, rather than allowed to deteriorate on display, said Mack, who noted that foods not displayed will be sold after judging during a 4-H Food Sale, beginning at 5 p.m. in 4-H Centennial Hall (at the north end of the fairgrounds) on Sept. 10.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit Kansas youth participating in the International 4-H Youth Exchange Program (IFYE), said Beth Hinshaw, K-State Research and Extension southeast area

4-H youth development specialist who is coordinating the food sale with Mack.

"Travel scholarships funded by the sale help Kansas youth develop a greater understanding of the larger world, Kansas' role in a global society and their role in both," said Hinshaw, who, as an IFYE participant, traveled to Switzerland.

"We're all people," said Hinshaw, who, as an advocate for the youth exchange program, explained that getting to know each other and learn to appreciate cultural differences is important in living in harmony in a global society.

The food sale typically continues until the building closes at 9 p.m. (on Sept. 10), and resumes on Saturday, Sept. 11, when the building opens at 9 a.m. and continues until all food is sold, she said.

More information about educational opportunities in Kansas 4-H is available in 4-H Centennial Hall at the Fair, at K-State Research and Extension offices throughout the state, and online at: www.Kansas4-H.org.

More information about the Kansas State Fair is available at www.kansasstatefair.com.

6) 4-H-FFA Wheat Contest a Trial Run in Crop Production -- State Awards to be Presented Sept. 11 at the Kansas State Fair

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- The 4-H/FFA Wheat Plot Variety Contest is a perennial favorite with future food producers, but also among the most demanding projects students can choose.

Contest requirements begin with seed pick-up and continue through planting, harvest and post-harvest, when young producers are asked to evaluate the variables with each variety they produced and prepare a report about their successes and failures during the crop year, and changes they might make in planting a future wheat crop.

"The contest typically offers challenges wheat producers experience, and that's what helps to hold future growers' interest," said Deryl Waldren, Kansas State University Research and Extension 4-H northwest area specialist and contest coordinator.

The future food producers' efforts will be on display at the 2010 Kansas State Fair in the Kansas Showcase Building, which is located one block east and one block south of 4-H Centennial Hall.

More than a dozen future growers will compete for top prizes, which include a Champion Award ($250) provided by the Kansas Wheat Commission; a Reserve Champion Award ($100) provided by the Kansas Crop Improvement Association; and Award Plaques for the 1st-5th place award recipients and cash awards for the 3rd-5th place award recipients provided by the Kansas Grain and Feed Association.

The state awards presentation is scheduled Sept. 11 at 11:30 a.m., and participants earning the top awards will be asked to speak about their experiences as future food producers, he said. 

The project requires a one-acre test plot, but owning or living on a farm is not a prerequisite for participating in the project, Waldren said. Would-be food producers interested in the contest may farm with a grandparent or extended family, friend, neighbor or other community-minded individual who has expressed an interest in providing an opportunity for a young adult to try his or her hand at crop production.

One of the pluses of the contest is that young adults considering a career in agribusiness as a future food producer can experience what his or her career might be like, said Waldren, who is an enthusiastic supporter of the contest.

For more information about the 4-H/FFA Wheat Plot Variety Contest or participating in future contests, contact Waldren at 785-462-6281 or by e-mail: dwaldren@ksu.edu. More information about the Kansas State Fair is available at www.kansasstatefair.com.

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