By Patricia Jones, Alliance Community Task Force: Creating Opportunity
Now that Heritage Days is over, it's time to look ahead to our next big summer event, the Box Butte County Fair in Hemingford, August 5-10, 2025. The theme this year is "100 Years. Countless Memories."
I grew up in Northeast Nebraska and was a member of a 4-H club in Cuming County for ten years. So many memories of the wonderful experiences I had in 4-H and all the friends I made during those years! I still have my green 4-H record book with the booklets for the projects I signed up for every year.
The county fair was the highlight of the summer. We worked for months on the items we would be showing, trying to earn those purple ribbons and the honor of having something selected for the state fair. Friendships were formed with kids from the other clubs, and there were dozens of clubs in Cuming County. Each club had its own booth; there were lots of friendly competitions. Each day at the fair involved something new: getting projects turned in to be judged, giving demonstrations, building parade floats, rides on the Midway.
Through 4-H I learned to sew. My sisters and I made most of our own clothes. In those days, that was primarily skirts, dresses, pajamas, and pantsuits. I continued to sew many of the clothes for my family, with great fabric departments here in Alliance at L.B. Murphy, Ben Franklin, Pamida, JCPenney, and Alco.
When that second child was born, sewing was something I had to give up. I was a working mom and just didn't have the time. About then, clothes became much cheaper in the stores. I found I was spending more on fabric and patterns than a finished item would cost me to buy. It wasn't the same quality, but my priorities had changed.
My 4-H projects also focused on kitchen skills. The first project was always those famous 4-H oatmeal cookies. When that was mastered, we could move on to other baked goods like cakes and pies, batter breads and yeast breads. Canning fruits and vegetables was something most families did during that time. We studied nutrition and planned meals, and advanced projects at the fair required us to submit a menu showcasing the baked good being judged.
Our Extension Service chartered a bus for all of us "4-H junior leaders" to go to the East Coast my senior year. I remember going to the Capitol and meeting our Congressmen and climbing the steps in the Washington Monument. George Washington's home at Mount Vernon was a stop on our trip. The Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania welcomed us. New York City was mind-blowing for a bunch of rural Nebraska kids, who got to ride a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and go to the top of the Empire State Building. Our bus driver even swung us up to Canada so we could see Niagara Falls!
My husband Earl was in 4-H in Rapid City. His projects revolved around building motors, crystal radios, and other electronic projects. And his horses.
4-H programs used to be a staple of rural America, but now they reach out to all youth, all socioeconomic backgrounds. Today 4-H is America's largest youth development organization, with six million young people working through projects that help prepare them for their lives as adults. Kids can join clubs and work with adults who mentor them. Or they can access online, interactive activities through CLOVER at 4-h.org.
Hands-on projects means kids learn by doing. 4-H is managed by extension services tied to universities like UNL. Projects have evolved since my time in 4-H. There is still a focus on agriculture and on healthy living. Those projects Earl enjoyed would now fit under STEM.
I've been paging through my old 4-H notebook, and I've found my favorite recipe as a kid. I think I'll go make a loaf of Nut Brown Buttermilk Bread.