4-H CELEBRATES ITS 100 YEARS AT THE TEXAS STATE FAIR

DALLAS – Last year, after numbers were released showing for the first time, more than a million young Texans were involved in 4-H programs, each 4-H’er celebrated being “One in a Million.”

This year, in honor of 4-H’s 100th anniversary nationwide, Texas 4-H marked another first – the 4-H Centennial Booth, the organization’s first booth at the Texas State Fair, said Gayle W. Hall, Extension 4-H and youth development specialist.

Through the auspices of Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs, Texas 4-H as an organization had a definite presence at the state fair, which was presented this year from Sept. 27 to Oct. 20 at Fair Park in Dallas. Other sponsors were Texas Cooperative Extension, the 4-H Foundation, the 4-H Center, TXU, Oncor Grant’s Landscaping in Pittsburg, Texas, Ag Workers Mutual Insurance, and International Paper.

Displays at the booth focused on 4-H history, and included photos of 4-H’ers with several U.S. presidents, beginning with William H. Taft in 1912 and continuing through to George W. Bush; a 4-H quilt made in the 1940s; several uniforms from back in the days when 4-H’ers wore uniforms; and an antique tomato canner that dates to the early years of the 20th century.

Nationally, 4-H was founded in 1902. In Texas, the organization traces its beginnings to 1908, when Tom Marks, an Extension agent in Jack County, founded a corn club for boys. That first club started out with 25 members.

Four years later, Edna Trigg, home demonstration agent in Milam County, organized a tomato club for girls.

From those small beginnings, Texas 4-H has grown into the statewide youth leadership program it is today, serving young people in all 254 counties.

An organization that big and growing – both in membership and programs offered – needed to have a booth at the state fair. But preparations for and organization of that booth took a lot of hard work and the services of many volunteers – before, during and after the fair. 4-H is, after all, largely a volunteer-run organization, Hall pointed out. In fact, Hall herself served as chief volunteer at the 4-H Centennial Booth during the entire run of the fair.

Hall and two volunteers – Robert Grant from Pittsburg and James Covey, now a freshman at Austin College – constructed the booth.

“We worked for two days to put the booth together,” she said. The booth, which was actually a partially-covered fenced area with tables, display areas and DVD-viewing area, was located in the Food and Fiber Pavilion on the state fairgrounds.

During the nearly month-long run of the fair, volunteers manned the booth each day from opening to closing. They included county agents, 4-H’ers both past and present, friends of 4-H and other interested individuals willing to give some of their time to this first-time-in-a-century event.

One of these volunteers was Helen Piehl of Amarillo, a trustee on the 4-H Foundation board of directors and long-time friend of 4-H. “I started 4-H when I was a little girl and have worked in 4-H most of my life,” she said. “I was a Gold Star winner in 1950.”

Still, driving to Dallas from Amarillo to spend several days working at the 4-H Centennial Booth is above and beyond her regular duties for 4-H. “I’m doing this for fun!” she said. “4-H has been really fun for us (her and her husband). We just loved it. All our grandchildren are in 4-H – all five of them!”

Her sentiments were shared by several visitors to the 4-H Centennial Booth, one of whom said she had been “recycled three times” as a 4-H’er – once for herself, once for her children and a third time for her grandchildren.

She was only one of many multi-generational 4-H’ers and families who stopped by the booth to admire some old photos and collect recipes. Many of these former 4-H’ers were willing – even eager – to write down their personal response to “What 4-H means to me” and put these responses in a box set up for that purpose.

The booth also featured a dozen recipe cards, free for the taking. Each recipe had its fans, but the one most commented on was this one, from a 4-H’er in Nacogdoches County:

APPLE CRISP ½ cup butter, softened 3/4 cup packed brown sugar ½ cup flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup 40 percent bran flakes 4 cups sliced peeled apples Shredded Cheddar cheese

Cream butter and brown sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour and cinnamon, mixing well. Stir in cereal. Place apples in shallow baking dish. Sprinkle cereal mixture over apples. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with shredded cheddar cheese.

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Not only is 4-H one of the largest youth development programs in the United States, said Hall, but it also offers programs in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia and Northern Mariana Islands.

And even though 4-H has its roots in agriculture, of today’s nearly 7 million members, “more 4-H’ers – 58 percent – live in cities than on farms,” Hall said, adding that 52 percent of the members are boys; 48 percent are girls.

The classic agricultural-based programs 4-H is famous for have been joined by other programs designed to fit the needs of youth in more urban areas.

To learn more about 4-H and what it offers to young people, contact a county Extension agent.

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