August 19, 2025 • 6 mins
On this edition of ACF 411, Russ talks to Kelly Coble of the OSU Extension about the 4-H program at the 175th Allen County Fair!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another edition of ACF four one one, the
official podcast of the Allen County Fair, and I'm your host,
Russ Decker. We're here in the podcast parlor, which used
to be the milking parlor, here on the north end
of the dairy barn, here at the Allen County Fairs.
So special guest joining us today. We're kind of surprised.
We have Kelly Copple with us from OSUE Extension. And
(00:23):
your job is really big at the fair because you're
in charge of four H.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, I have a lot of things I do during
the fair. So yeah, we are managing all the shows,
getting all of those things ready. We hire all the judges,
we get all the people in making sure that all
of our animals get sold off to packers, that they
get on the trailers to go those places. Right now,
(00:48):
we're selling some of our individual carcasses to people so
that we can make sure that those get sold and processed.
But yeah, we have a lot of things going on.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
So four H Junior Fair, just keeping track of garth
can be probably a full time job.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Health it can. It can.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So let's talk a little bit about a building. I
think a lot of people may not visit, and they
probably should. Up on the north end of the fairgrounds.
You know exactly what I'm talking about, So tell us
about some of the projects that they'll find up in
the where we have those special projects. Yep.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So our Youth Exhibits building is located upfront and it
has all of our special interest projects in it, and
those there's about two hundred different different projects that you
can take and they include things like cooking, laundry, leadership projects,
some healthy living projects, sewing. Some of my favorites are
(01:44):
the gardening projects, and then an extension of those learning
how to either can or process and freeze some of
those projects that you might grow in your garden.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
And then we.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Also showcase all of our FFA projects, So you're getting
to see some really nice woodworking projects down there, and
you're getting to see some of their welding and their
electrical projects that they want to display at the fair.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So I know that you know, we talk about this
all the time. There are so many different opportunities for
kids in four h and FFA, but you know, for
everything from making a rocket to growing a plant, and
it is if I remember, is there fourteen hundred projects this.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Year Yeah, so up in that front building there is
probably just shy of a thousand up there, and we
are right around between like eighteen and like eighteen and
nineteen hundred overall projects in here. So that includes like
all of our live sock, all of our breeding and
all of those things, and then our dog projects that
(02:45):
they just come in on one day and so you
don't really get to see those unless you're here on
that on our first Saturday. And so but yeah, in
four h you know, you can take the live sack projects,
but you can also take a dog project. You could
have a cat, if you have a lizard, any kind
of thing that you have at your house, you can
pretty much enter into a project.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So, see, you just got a curiosity because with a dog,
I get it because you can teach them to heal
and walk and fetch and things. I have cats and dogs,
but cats you really can't teach them anything, can you know.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
So our cat projects are more about like grooming, taking
care of them, different things like that, they learn different
breeds of cats and those kind of things.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Because I'm thinking if you have a kid that can
teach a cat to do anything, they probably should be
at the State Fair.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yep, yep, and a lot. Most so, almost all the
two hundred projects that you have up there are special
interest projects. They that judging is in July, and it's
done in like mid July, because we send the majority
of our winners to the State Fair and so those
individuals get a chance to go to the State Fair.
(03:54):
They get a chance to show off those projects and
they're competing mostly every county can send one kid for them,
and so you're competing against eighty eight different individuals. And
so they have the opportunity to win a clock trophy,
so that is the best project that they had that
day in that category or the top ten percent receive
(04:15):
Outstanding Project awards, and so we did receive a handful
of those this year and we were really excited for
our kids that got to go. And for the most part,
those are on display also down there, their clock trophies
or their outstanding ribbons.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So one last question, and I will let you go,
because we trapped you in here. I'll confess we did that.
Let's talk about Thursday Friday. We have a livestock sale.
Folks that have never participated in the sale as a buyer,
what's involved? I mean a lot of people are thinking, well,
I don't really, I'm not going to be a buyer
at the livestock sale because what would I do with,
you know, a hog or a chicken.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yep, So we started something brand new this year. So
on Thursday, we are going to start. What we have
is online add ons and so those add ons just
go directly to the kids. They we do a premium
only auction and so that just means that you're giving
kids additional dollars on top of a market check that
they're getting. If you are interested in buying an animal,
(05:13):
you are more than welcome to buy that animal as
long as it's a carcass animal. But for the most part,
it's just an additional check that those kids can get.
You're we also have people who come into the ring
and they are just they might be the bring buyer there.
But so yeah, we have online options. You can come
to the fairgrounds and you can do an add on
(05:35):
in person in either the Junior Fair Office or the
Senior Fair office, or you can send me an email
to also add that on to those youth and they
are super appreciative of all those add ons that they
get because most of them use that money to then
buy next year's project, or we hear kids about all
the time they used it for their first semester of college.
(05:57):
I mean, those kind of things. But if it's a
younger member, for sure, they're probably using it to then
buy next year's project to get started early.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Excellent, Kelly Cobble, Thanks for stopping in unexpectedly. Yeah, into
the podcast parlor, and I'm sure we'll see you around
the fair.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
You will see me here all week.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
All right, thanks, we'll catch you well. We'll be right
back here at the ACF four one one podcast studio
in just a minute from the Allen County Fair
Welcome to another edition of ACF four one one, the
official podcast of the Allen County Fair, and I'm your host,
Russ Decker. We're here in the podcast parlor, which used
to be the milking parlor, here on the north end
of the dairy barn, here at the Allen County Fairs.
So special guest joining us today. We're kind of surprised.
We have Kelly Copple with us from OSUE Extension. And
(00:23):
your job is really big at the fair because you're
in charge of four H.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, I have a lot of things I do during
the fair. So yeah, we are managing all the shows,
getting all of those things ready. We hire all the judges,
we get all the people in making sure that all
of our animals get sold off to packers, that they
get on the trailers to go those places. Right now,
(00:48):
we're selling some of our individual carcasses to people so
that we can make sure that those get sold and processed.
But yeah, we have a lot of things going on.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
So four H Junior Fair, just keeping track of garth
can be probably a full time job.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Health it can. It can.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So let's talk a little bit about a building. I
think a lot of people may not visit, and they
probably should. Up on the north end of the fairgrounds.
You know exactly what I'm talking about, So tell us
about some of the projects that they'll find up in
the where we have those special projects. Yep.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So our Youth Exhibits building is located upfront and it
has all of our special interest projects in it, and
those there's about two hundred different different projects that you
can take and they include things like cooking, laundry, leadership projects,
some healthy living projects, sewing. Some of my favorites are
(01:44):
the gardening projects, and then an extension of those learning
how to either can or process and freeze some of
those projects that you might grow in your garden.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
And then we.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Also showcase all of our FFA projects, So you're getting
to see some really nice woodworking projects down there, and
you're getting to see some of their welding and their
electrical projects that they want to display at the fair.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So I know that you know, we talk about this
all the time. There are so many different opportunities for
kids in four h and FFA, but you know, for
everything from making a rocket to growing a plant, and
it is if I remember, is there fourteen hundred projects this.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Year Yeah, so up in that front building there is
probably just shy of a thousand up there, and we
are right around between like eighteen and like eighteen and
nineteen hundred overall projects in here. So that includes like
all of our live sock, all of our breeding and
all of those things, and then our dog projects that
(02:45):
they just come in on one day and so you
don't really get to see those unless you're here on
that on our first Saturday. And so but yeah, in
four h you know, you can take the live sack projects,
but you can also take a dog project. You could
have a cat, if you have a lizard, any kind
of thing that you have at your house, you can
pretty much enter into a project.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So, see, you just got a curiosity because with a dog,
I get it because you can teach them to heal
and walk and fetch and things. I have cats and dogs,
but cats you really can't teach them anything, can you know.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
So our cat projects are more about like grooming, taking
care of them, different things like that, they learn different
breeds of cats and those kind of things.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Because I'm thinking if you have a kid that can
teach a cat to do anything, they probably should be
at the State Fair.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yep, yep, and a lot. Most so, almost all the
two hundred projects that you have up there are special
interest projects. They that judging is in July, and it's
done in like mid July, because we send the majority
of our winners to the State Fair and so those
individuals get a chance to go to the State Fair.
(03:54):
They get a chance to show off those projects and
they're competing mostly every county can send one kid for them,
and so you're competing against eighty eight different individuals. And
so they have the opportunity to win a clock trophy,
so that is the best project that they had that
day in that category or the top ten percent receive
(04:15):
Outstanding Project awards, and so we did receive a handful
of those this year and we were really excited for
our kids that got to go. And for the most part,
those are on display also down there, their clock trophies
or their outstanding ribbons.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So one last question, and I will let you go,
because we trapped you in here. I'll confess we did that.
Let's talk about Thursday Friday. We have a livestock sale.
Folks that have never participated in the sale as a buyer,
what's involved? I mean a lot of people are thinking, well,
I don't really, I'm not going to be a buyer
at the livestock sale because what would I do with,
you know, a hog or a chicken.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yep, So we started something brand new this year. So
on Thursday, we are going to start. What we have
is online add ons and so those add ons just
go directly to the kids. They we do a premium
only auction and so that just means that you're giving
kids additional dollars on top of a market check that
they're getting. If you are interested in buying an animal,
(05:13):
you are more than welcome to buy that animal as
long as it's a carcass animal. But for the most part,
it's just an additional check that those kids can get.
You're we also have people who come into the ring
and they are just they might be the bring buyer there.
But so yeah, we have online options. You can come
to the fairgrounds and you can do an add on
(05:35):
in person in either the Junior Fair Office or the
Senior Fair office, or you can send me an email
to also add that on to those youth and they
are super appreciative of all those add ons that they
get because most of them use that money to then
buy next year's project, or we hear kids about all
the time they used it for their first semester of college.
(05:57):
I mean, those kind of things. But if it's a
younger member, for sure, they're probably using it to then
buy next year's project to get started early.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Excellent, Kelly Cobble, Thanks for stopping in unexpectedly. Yeah, into
the podcast parlor, and I'm sure we'll see you around
the fair.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
You will see me here all week.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
All right, thanks, we'll catch you well. We'll be right
back here at the ACF four one one podcast studio
in just a minute from the Allen County Fair
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