Montgomery County 4-H’ers Excel at Georgia National Fair

By Lauren Stanley Montgomery Co. Agriculture & Natural Resources/4-H Youth Development Agent

Montgomery County 4-H’ers showcased their talents in multiple areas during this year’s Georgia National Fair, competing in a variety of 4-H contests and bringing home honors in each area.

In the 4-H decorated agricultural projects contest, students create artwork from all-natural agricultural products, such as dried beans, corn, cotton, peanuts, twigs, and more. Projects are entered into categories by design theme and exhibitor age. The exhibits are showcased in the Miller Murphy Howard building on the Georgia National Fairgrounds each year. This year, Hughes Maybin took home 9th place with his entry, titled “Duck in Water.” Rhett Williamson received 3rd place for “All Gas, No Brakes,” Maggie Palmer, “Finder of Silver” 6th place, Busy Bee by Ayla Hardeman received 8th, “Meadow Pike” by Jonas Carpenter received 7th place, and Morgan Connell took an 8th place with “Turtley Awesome.” John Braddy’s piece, “God Bless the American Farmer,” received 2nd place honors and was featured as part of the America 250 Celebration exhibit.

Rhett Williamson and Alice Braddy competed in live contests during the fair. Rhett competed in the Cloverleaf Peanut Recipe contest, where 4-H’ers in grades 4-6 create and prepare a no-bake, no-cook recipe with peanuts as a featured ingredient. Participants also give a small speech about the benefits of eating peanuts and their nutrition. Rhett prepared a recipe he made called Cowboy Critters, which earned him 6th place in the contest. Alice Braddy competed in Junior Cupcake Masters, where 4-H’ers show off their cupcake decorating skills and knowledge of the nutrients in cupcakes. This year’s entries were patriotic themed, and Alice’s entry was titled “American as Apple Pie,” which earned her 1st place honors in the contest.

4-H’ers exhibiting swine projects at the fair included Alice, John, and Caleb Braddy, and Luke and Landon Burns. Exhibitors participated in showmanship, breed, and weight classes. Montgomery County 4-H’ers bringing home honors in grade level showmanship classes were Alice Braddy, 11th place in 8th grade, Luke Burns, 7th place in 12th grade, and John Braddy placed 5th in 7th grade. All exhibitors competed well, placing in various breed and weight classes throughout the weekend, including in the Georgia Bred show held on Sunday at the fairgrounds following the Georgia National Fair show.

Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships, and community awareness. As the largest youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches more than 225,000 people annually through University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities. For more information about Georgia 4-H, contact your local UGA Extension office or visit georgia4h.org.

JUNIOR CUPCAKE MASTER – Montgomery County 4-Her Alice Braddy showcases one of her winning cupcake designs and 1st place ribbon from the Junior Cupcake Masters Contest.

AG PROJECT – Montgomery County 4-Her John Braddy earned 2nd place with his agriculture project, which was featured as part of the America 250 exhibit.