4-H at the 2013 State Fair

October 8, 2013

In 2013 the New York State Fair (NYS Fair) opened an exhibit in the Grange Building celebrating its history. That exhibit included a video created by 4-H Youth Development showing 4-H presence at the State Fair over the years (see below).

4-H youth development plays an integral role in shaping communities across New York State. For twelve days 4-H'ers from around New York state have come together to work and play as exhibitors, members of Press Corps, and Junior Superintendents at the State Fair. Educators and 4-H'ers alike demonstrated their skills and earned recognition in 4-H's three mission mandate focus areas: civic engagement, healthy living, and science, technology, engineering, and math.

4-H  fair exhibit evaluations are based on the Danish system of judging. Within the Danish system, each exhibit is compared to the ideal for that exhibit given the exhibitor’s experience and age. Exhibits are not placed in a ranking, rather each item is judged on its own merit. Participants receive either a blue ribbon (excellent), red ribbon (good), or white ribbon (worthy work). The emphasis is placed on learning. 4-H'ers who do exceptional work earn purple rosettes.

In Press Corps, 4-H'ers capture the magic of the 4-H exhibits in the youth building by writing articles and taking photos. Check out the results and the news articles by 4-H'ers from the state fair.

For more information on New York State 4-H and their programs, check out their website , contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H office, like 4-H on Facebook and follow 4-H on Twitter.