By Jackson Schneider
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Thursday marked the official return of the Riley County Fair. Night one of the five nights of festivities featured the return of the Kaw Valley Rodeo, carnival, sheep showing, and more.
Children of all ages escorted their prize sheep through the arena in front of a large crowd admiring each one, with loud cheers from the rodeo just across the park, but one of the busier areas of the fair was the 4-H exhibit, showcasing projects from sewing to rocketry, and painting to baking. There was even a booth of energetic 4-H Ambassadors excited to meet new potential members.
The Ambassadors spoke with anyone and everyone, advocating for new members to try a project and get involved with the organization that plays a gargantuan role in the fair.
"Everything in this building," said Bob Sawyer, a Riley County 4-H Ambassador on what all kids can do in 4-H. "I mean, we've got photography, rocketry, entomology, geology, gardening, cooking, arts and crafts, and if there's nothing on the list that they like, they have what they call 'self-determined' and they can pick their own."
Sawyer, a 20-plus year advisor in 4-H, said he learned his love for the organization when he got involved as a child, and enjoys passing that love on to each of the children he comes across in the group.
Also heavily-involved in 4-H is Mandalyn Otto, an eight-year veteran in the program who got her start thanks to her parents being members when they were young.
"It's a cause that I am so passionate about because a lot of kids do not come from these 'legacy' families and they want to learn these skills. They want to learn how to train their dog, they want to learn to take photos, they want to learn public speaking, and all this... it's important that they have a way to do that," said Otto.
The Riley County Fair brings 4-H to hundreds of kids each year who might not have otherwise known about the organization at all, and through the work of the Ambassadors, more and more will have future opportunities to learn a multitude of projects, and have more of a reason to come to the fair each year than the funnel cakes and thrill rides.
