4-H youth demonstrate talents and aplomb
MARINA TULLOCH of Hot Springs qualified for finals of 4-H Competition Days with her “Dragons Alive!” presentation. (Carolyn Hidy photos/Clark Fork Valley Press)
DANE CHOJNACKY of Trout Creek shows how to “Rebuild a Turbo” during 4-H Competition Days preliminaries in Thompson Falls last weekend.
The annual 4-H Communication Days kicked off last weekend in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs.
About 86 Sanders County youth gave informative and creative presentations, generally three to five minutes long, showcasing a diverse and admirable range of talents at Thompson Falls High School on Saturday, March 9 and Hot Springs School on Sunday, March 10.
Some demonstrated their sports skills, including shooting a basket, pitching a baseball, shotput and wrestling. Outdoor skills on display included everything from pitching a tent to parkour, fly-fishing, setting a trap, and firearm safety. Practical skills in first aid, agriculture and livestock, horsemanship, cooking, dog training, and auto mechanics were well represented, as were the arts and sciences, with music, entomology, international travel, beading, and even dragons and medieval weaponry.
Many 4-H alumni might remember this event as “Demonstration Day.” Organizer Shirley Kinkade explains that the change reflects a wider variety of formats. Participants choose to present a demonstration, prepared speech, illustrated talk, video, or an impromptu speech with only three minutes to prepare once they are given a topic. All Sanders County 4-H members in at least their second year are asked to take advantage of this opportunity to share something they know while gaining experience in public speaking. Several first-year members opted to give it a try this year as well.
Twenty-five finalists compete for ribbons, scholarships and other awards at the finals Sunday, March 17 at Plains School, beginning at 1 p.m.
The finalists are listed in the advertisemenet below.
Judges from throughout the community volunteered to listen, ask questions, and evaluate speakers. Twenty-five finalists will compete for ribbons, scholarships to 4-H camp, and other awards Sunday, March 17 at Plains School.