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LAST MINUTE MUSINGS: A little bit of everything at 4-H exhibit hall
Much like the buffet at the Putnam Inn or a Monical’s deluxe pizza, the Putnam County 4-H Fair offers a little bit of everything.
That’s the lesson learned in a quick stroll through the west side of the Fairgrounds Community Building.
That, my friends and fellow fairgoers, is the 4-H exhibit hall, where one might find anything ranging from homemade arrows to enormous cucumbers to a thousand things in between.
And all of them the result of the blood, sweat and tears of a local kid plying his or her trade.
One of the more eye-catching exhibits is the pristine, four-tiered cake exhibited by Alaina Chew.
The North Putnam 2023 valedictorian, Chew is no stranger to success in the classroom or in 4-H, as her exhibits have been at or near the top tier of the cake decorating project for several years.
The 10-year 4-H’er goes out in style with a grand champion entry that displays a different technique for each tier, several intricate flowers and even a fondant plaque on top that toasts, “Cheers to Ten Years.”
One aisle over, it’s a burst of yellow that catches the eye in the form of the grand champion latch hook entry.
This is the submission of 11th-grader Peyton Freeman in the form of a sunflower rug.
Nearby an oversized insect is perched on top of a display case. The vision of third-grader Gatlon Kean, it’s a pipe wrench that, when soldered to some other scrap metal, has been turned into a grasshopper.
Kean’s entry was good enough for reserve grand champion in other basic craft in his very first year of 4-H.
Another display case holds the aerospace entries, from which Shane O’Donnell’s “Big Bertha” rocket shines most brightly, not only owing to its yellow paint job with black and red trim, but also the purple ribbons lying nearby.
The third-grader exhibited the top rocket in Putnam County.
Finally, tucked in with other home environment entries near the door is an old Singer sewing machine table. But this antique won’t be mending any stitching anytime soon.
Instead, ninth-grader Stone Stauch has turned it into a planter. Not only are plants growing from dirt in the table’s four side drawers, but a box and sheet of glass installed in place of the now-absent sewing machine turn the table’s main surface into a terrarium.
Stauch’s entry garnered grand champion honors.
These entries and hundred of others make a trip to the Putnam County Fair — the exhibit hall in particular — worthwhile this week.
However, would-be admirers are advised to hurry, as Indiana State Fair entries (a class in which all of these projects abide) are due in Indianapolis this Thursday, leaving just two more days to view them locally.
And none of this says anything about Adult Open Class entries right next door or the home-grown goodness on display at Harris Hall or the various livestock shows or midway or all the food on offer from various vendors.
So get out to the Putnam County Fair before it ends on Friday. There really is a little bit of everything.