This summer will mark the eighth year that the Boulder Outlaws 4-H Club has participated in the Jefferson County Fair. It started out with several rabbits and a couple of hogs. Now, the Outlaws have 30 members, and their entries threaten to overfill the fairground barns, with project displays on everything from steers to sewing.
The ability to show at the Jefferson Fair (instead of hauling animals and kids down to Madison County’s Fair in Twin Bridges) and rapid growth during post-Covid has enabled the club to establish more of a presence throughout Boulder, as 4-H members take an active part in community service and agricultural science projects.
Regional 4-H leaders, including Megan Dawson, Andrea Sarchet, and 4-H Youth Development Agent Merissa Ford, explain that the program is teaching local youth valuable life skills to help them grow into citizens who understand leadership and give back to their community.
Ford in particular is excited about recent 4-H development in the Boulder area and beyond. “The 4-H club in Boulder is growing and thriving,” she says. “We have some really spectacular kids who are making, raising, and creating some really cool 4-H projects. We also have a strong group of teenagers who are in the Junior Leaders 4-H Club and are stepping into roles at the club level as well as the county-wide program level. They are mentoring younger members in their projects and planning events across the dual-county 4-H program to benefit the over 300 members in the Madison-Jefferson 4-H program. I am looking forward to the Jefferson County Fair and seeing the culmination of their dedication and passion for their projects!”
While involvement in leadership and indoor projects (such as photography) continues to grow along with the club, nowhere has the growth been so explosive as in the livestock arena. “We are gaining more kids and animals every year,” Dawson says.
A total of 20 animals will be put up for sale at the livestock auction during the fair this year, including steers, lambs, hogs, and a pen of three Heritage turkeys. Numbers are expected to rise in the future, as the club’s younger members get older, and more youth join the 4-H program.
Support from Jefferson County residents and local businesses is a big reason these kids have access to the opportunities 4-H offers. Dawson suggests several ways interested persons can give 4-H youth a helping hand:
Become a certified 4-H volunteer: 4-H volunteers assist with running the club, preparing for club events, and acting as chaperones for youth at state-wide 4-H events.
Volunteer as a project leader/judge: Project leaders are people with expertise in a certain project area (such as cake decorating) who guide the kids in their projects and teach what they know. Project judges conduct interviews, judge projects, and give out ribbons at the fair.
Buy a 4-H market animal: The 4-H Livestock Auction will be held outside the livestock barn on Saturday, Aug. 23. Buyer numbers will be available for pickup from 2 to 3 p.m., and the sale will start at 3.
For more information, stop by the livestock barn during the Jefferson County Fair or check out the Boulder Outlaws 4-H Club on Facebook.
