A 4-H Interclub 4-H show and sale held in Rimbey May 13 and 14 was a potpourri of action, presentations, awards and just plain old-fashioned fun.
The event provided the young 4-Hers from Rimbey, Bluffton and Winfield clubs with an opportunity to showcase their beef cattle and reap the benefits of a job well done.
“All the beef members of the clubs participate,” said show clerk Teri Ormerg.
Although this year’s show and sale was fairly status quo, there were some interesting highlights.
The Cleaver kids, a group of six to eight year olds from Bluffton and Winfield clubs were new to the scene.
This group of youngsters had an opportunity to work with spring calves and were later paired up with an older 4-H member to learn more about the club and what the members are involved in.
“It gave them a little taste of it,” said Ormerg.
Cleaver kids include Samantha Dalke, Issac Stout, Kwade Biever, Tyler Skeels, Amy Vandenhoven, Samantha Stout, Garren Skeels and Katie Hudson.
Mackenzie Skeels, a 12-year-old Grade 7 student at Rimbey Junior/Senior High School who is in the Bluffton 4-H Club, won several awards. Attending the show is her favorite part of 4-H.
“I was excited to win,” she said. “It is a lot of work to look after the animals,” she added.
“You have to break them to lead, feed them every day and make sure they’re okay with a show stick.”
Skeels’ 4-H animals included a steer, a heifer, a carcass steer and two cow-calf pairs, one of whom had twins.
Leanne Buist, 16, with the Rimbey 4-H Club, also won some top prizes this year. She has been in 4-H five years and enjoys it.
“It’s fun. You meet new people and learn new things all the time,” she said.
Buist, whose younger siblings Kaitlyn and Evan are also in 4-H, plans to stay in the club one more year. She said this has been her best year ever as far as winning top awards.
During the show, Darryl Friesen from Rimbey Auction Mart (1996) Ltd. was presented with a clock from the 4-H committee as a thank you for his help with show.
Tim Edge, an announcer at the show, accepted a cheque for $1,500 from Rimbey 4-H Club to go toward the proposed new agriculture centre for Rimbey.
By Treena Mielke