AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
Mike Lemmer: The sounds of livestock fill the air at the Garfield County Fairgrounds as the summer of 2026 culminates in the county fair. And no county fair is complete without 4H. Garfield County 4H Director Jessica Russell says the kids have been hard at work all year on their livestock and projects.
JS: These guys start even before the new 4H year, which is in October. Our beef kids get their beef before then usually, and they’re working on it all year long. This is the peak of the year.
ML: Garfield County has 20 4H clubs with around 250 kids participating throughout the county. Russell says that in addition to the county fair, they keep busy with other projects throughout the year as well.
JS: A lot of our clubs and our council will do community service projects trying to stay relevant in the community, and then we also do events in Christmas and the spring. It’s a great way to make friends, learn new skills and really feel like you’re part of a team and belong somewhere.
ML: 4H Member Dottie Legg-Glenn from Silt has been involved in the program for around three years now, and currently serves as County Council Vice President.
DLG: 4H has been a great way for me to be able to express myself and learn more. It is definitely a lot of work, but you learn a lot that can help you in the future. You may not think it’s a project, but it definitely will be. Originally, I joined wanting to do livestock, and then I found out I can do other projects as well, and it works better for me to do shooting sports as I live in town. My favorite part of Fair has got to be seeing how these kids work together when they don’t necessarily have the same projects, but we always find a way to help each other.
ML: Chance Taylor from the Silt area has been a 4H member for 8 years now. He encourages all Garfield County kids to get involved with 4H.
CT: I would say definitely do it. It’s fun and opens up a whole new world for some people. Some of my favorite parts of being in this is definitely the community and a bunch of new friends I get to meet and know about.
ML: The 4H kids get to keep all of the proceeds from their livestock auctions at the county fair, and the chosen few will move on to the Colorado State Fair. 4H is funded through the Colorado State University Extension Service. To learn more about their local programs, simply search for Garfield County 4H.
