Neat to Compete

It amazes me everytime I attend one of the Douglas County 4-H Contests. The kids there are not only competing, but learning life skills that will follow them throughout their lives. I have had the pleasure in the past week to see our 4-Hers exhibit outstanding qualities through participation in two contests.


The Creative Cooks Contest was held Saturday, May 3. What a fantastic display of youth capabilities! The originality of themes was great fun to see; there were medieval, camping, teddy bear, Irish, and even duckie themes to name just a few. The competitors were articulate as they spoke with the judges about nutrition and preparation. This is truly a competition that "wows" everyone who attends. If you haven't attended, mark your calendars as soon as next year's date is announced. There are some recipe booklets of the foods that were spotlighted at the competition still available at the 4-H Office and they are FREE.

Then on May 7, several 4-Hers were brave enough to compete in the Speech and Demonstration Contest. I truly admire these young people because many of us have difficulty speaking before an audience, but these 4-Hers are mastering the art. Probably the greatest challenge in this contest is the impromptu speaking in which each contestant is given a topic and ten minutes to develop the topic into a three minute speech. Talk about nerve-racking - you really have to admire these kids!















If you see any 4-Hers who competed in these contests, please tell them what amazing young people they are. They all did great work and should be commended.

Thanks for reading,
Mary Baldwin