4-Hers find success at Minnesota State Fair

Carlton County had 18 young people participate in the Minnesota State Fair encampment this year. The 4-H program offers programming throughout the 12 days of the fair, serving more than 5,500 exhibitors and showcasing building exhibits, demonstrations, Share the Fun programs, arts programs and other opportunities.

4-H livestock departments include beef and dairy cattle, dairy and meat goats, poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, doves, turkeys, pigeons), rabbits, sheep, swine, llamas and alpacas.

Other 4-H contests include herdsmanship, showmanship, judging teams, public presentations, non-livestock exhibits and county 4-H club exhibits. Purple ribbons indicate a "grand champion" in a category, beyond the blue ribbon designation.

Along with independent exhibitors, 4-H groups in the county include the Barnyard Buddies, Rowdy Wranglers, Sunshine Acres, Esko Cloverleaf, and Nemadji.

Here are Carlton County ribbon winners in non-animal categories. We will round up the animal exhibitors next week:

• Grace Lavan received a purple ribbon for her poster on the effects of the construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline on gray wolves on the Fond du Lac Reservation.

• Ethan Lavan received a blue ribbon for his presentation on the effects of the pandemic/food supply chain, city populations and time on urban chicken-keeping.

• Joshua Bleskacek received a blue for his photography display.

• Thomas Carlson received a red for his geology display.

• Avianna Bergstad received a blue for her fairy garden.

• Alyssa Blazevic received a purple for her food and nutrition display.

• Ruth Sandstrom received a blue for her exploring animal display about fermenting feed.

• Natalie Vargo received a purple for her painting.

• Summer Kiencle received a blue for her painting.

• Nia Petry received a blue for her drawing.

• Weston Davidson received a blue for his craft.

• Kaelyn Schneider received a purple for her upcycled clothing and fashion revue.

• Kora Webster received a blue for her pop-tab shirt and a red for her demonstration.

• Brayden Davidson received a red for his stalk of oats.

• Blaike and Lainey Skalko Olesiak received a red for their public presentation.

• Jonah Sandstrom received a red for his demonstration on how to solve a Rubik's cube.

• Joni Giersdorf Thompson received a blue for her public presentation.