Grounds buzzing with activity days before the fair
Vicki Bechtel, center, carefully exams canned goods during judging on Sept. 28 in the art hall at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds. Josie Sellers | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Days before the Coshocton County Fair starts the fairgrounds is buzzing with activity. Vendors are setting up, booths are being decorated and ribbons are being awarded.
One of the items judged prior to the fair are the canned goods and charged with inspecting them was Vicki Bechtel from Fredericktown.
“They are fun to look at and make me hungry, especially the jams and jellies,” she said.
Bechtel got involved with judging canned goods through 4-H and said she looks for color, uniformity and size, and clarity of the broth or juice.
“I think everyone did a really good job,” she said. “There are a lot of good canners in the county.”
While she was working on awarding ribbons Sept. 28 in the art hall, there were several people around the corner in the youth building wrapping up displays for their clubs.
The 4-H Clubs who display in the youth building were challenged with decorating around the theme 4-H is an Adventure.
“People in this building historically have poured their hearts and souls into their booths,” said Jan Luce, an advisor with Rock Run 4-H Club and a retiree of the OSU Extension Office. “They are very creative, work very hard and give it their all.”
The booths are a place for 4-H members who take non animal projects to show off what they worked on and the ribbons they won when their projects were evaluated this summer.
“It’s all about recognizing the kids and their hard work,” Luce said.
Beth Anderson, the club’s organizational advisor, said their club decided to decorate their booth with an explorer theme.
“A lot of 4-H projects are an adventure,” she said. “We had one club member do a project on muskrats and that took him on an outdoor adventure and even livestock projects are truly an adventure with getting an animal, keeping it alive and bringing it here to the fair. A lot of times 4-H projects can spark an interest and lead kids down a career path.”
Category: Arts & Entertainment
