by Ken Alexander
The Ashcroft 4-H Club attended the 80th Annual Provincial Winter Fair at the Circle Creek Ranch in Knutsford on Sept. 20-24, and the members faired well and enjoyed the big event.
“It was a fantastic fair with a great committee, and our kids did awesome,” says club spokesperson Diana Hoggard.
In a time when 4-H Club membership around the province is waning, the Ashcroft 4-H Club is resurging.
Hoggard agrees that decreasing membership is a problem for all clubs, including the local club. They have club members from Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and 16 Mile.
Hoggard notes they have three full-time members and a lot of pre-clubbers, who are called Cloverbuds, who will be the future of the club. “Yes, we have lots of young ones coming up,” she adds.
“They start in sheep until they’re nine or 10 and then they can go into beef. We’re going to have a lot bigger club – more sheep and more beef.
“These are kids from farming families and parents who were in 4-H, so it’s kind of a generational thing.”
While other clubs have included photography, small engines, and other options to increase the membership, Hoggard says they haven’t got the leaders to do that.
“If we got the leadership we certainly would expand from just sheep and beef. I know Clinton is basically all photography with only a couple of beef.”
The Provincial Winter Fair wrapped up the season for the 4-H Clubs, and the final day is when the animals are sold. She notes that the sale went really well and everyone sold their animals.
“There were more than a few tears shed when the animals were sold,” says Hoggard. “The kids get pretty attached to them.”
The Ashcroft 4-H goes to a few shows during the season, as well as an Achievement Day with Clinton, and wraps up with the Provincial Winter Fair.
If people want more information about 4-H or want to get their children involved, they can contact Ashcroft 4-H A Leader Monty Kinvig at (250) 457-0041 or come out to one of the events.
“We’re always open to more kids and that’s the main message,” notes Hoggard.
“It has done wonders for my son … I’m just amazed. Come and check us out; our registration for 2019 is on Jan. 1. Call Monty for details.”
Placing
Mackenzie Woodburn
Sheep: First in 4-H Homegrown class; second in 4-H Market Class with Tigz; second in Open Market Class with Dennis; second in the Group of 2 with Ashcroft 4-H member Waylon Hoggard; fourth in Showmanship.
Beef: First tier of showmanship and made it back for the championship class with her steer Ol’ Blue; first in weight class with her Ol’ Blue.
Waylon Hoggard
Beef: First in Best Group of Three Steers; second in Jr. Beef Judging; second in the Group of 2 with Mackenzie Woodburn; third in Jr. Showmanship with his steer Nacho; and runner-up Jr. Aggregate.
Alison Spooner
Sheep: Reserve Champion Ewe with her lamb; second and third in Market Class; fifth in showmanship.
Ashcroft Cloverbuds
Maddy Gavaga
Sheep: Champion Youth Showman in Sheep; second in Market Class with her lamb.
Beef: Third in the Heifer Class; fourth in Showmanship with her heifer; fifth Market Class with her steer.
She also had a blast in the Cloverbuds scavenger hunt.
Fallon Gardner
Sheep: Reserve Champion youth open Showman in Sheep; first in her Showmanship heat; third, fifth, and sixth in her Ewe Classes.
Layne Sidwell
Sheep: Fourth in his weight class; sixth in Showmanship.
Presli Schalles
Sheep: Third in Showmanship; fifth in Weight Class.
Bailey Krause
Sheep: Second in Market Lamb Class.
Jacob Krause
Sheep: Second in Showmanship; third in the Market Lamb Class
Kalin Speller
Sheep: Third in Showmanship; third in his Weight Class.
Kalin won the Cloverbuds Scavenger Hunt.
Monica Schalles
Sheep: Fourth in her Weight Class.
Talley Schalles
Sheep: Sixth in the Open Ewe Class.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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