Dawes County 4-H Newsletter

Aug. 28-Sept. 7: Nebraska State Fair

Aug 29-30: 4-H Weekend at State Fair!

Sept. 7: Office Closed - Labor Day

Sept. 9: State Fair Projects return to office

DEADLINE DATES:

August 20: State Fair Entries are due to the Extension Office

August 25: Food State Fair entries are due to the office by 9 am

September 11: Special Nominations due to office

Thank you to ALL for another successful county fair! We are so proud of everyone's accomplishments, growth, and passion for 4-H!

Also, please take a moment to send a thank you to the Dawes County Ag. Society (Fairboard), Dawes County 4-H Council (you can bring it by the office), and any other volunteers and express your gratitude for their hard work in making the county fair better each and every year. The 4-H Council, superintendents, and Ag Society are all volunteers, taking time away from their families and jobs to make a difference for our 4-H program.

The Dawes 4-H Council and Extension Office want to a say a BIG THANK YOU to so many groups and individuals. The County Fair wouldn't be possible with all of the groups and individuals below. :)

• Sponsors and Donors
• Superintendents
• Jr. Superintendents
• Event help including ring stewards, announcers, gate line up, and more
• Livestock Sale Buyers
• Livestock Sale Committee
• Ag Society
• Pine Shaving and Wood Chips Donors
• Water Donations
• Individuals who improved the fairgrounds

"When will I receive my cake/pie and static auction check?"

New this year - all cake/pie and static auction checks will be released the same time as livestock sale checks.

"When will I receive my livestock sale check?"

The livestock sale committee has sent all buyers an invoice (they do this the Monday after fair). Now we wait until the majority of checks come in and are deposited before the 4-H Foundation is able to write the sale checks. Please allow 4-6 weeks for this process.

"When will I receive my fair premium money?"

The Dawes County Ag. Society will again pay the premium money which can be picked up at the Achievement Banquet in October.

"When will my awards I won at the fair get here?"

Awards should be available in September. The quicker everyone picks their prize, the quicker we can get them ordered. You will not be able to pick up your prize until we have your thank you to your award sponsor.

Congrats to our exhibitors selected for State Fair! Thank you to those who have already dropped off static projects. Here is a list of our State Fair eligible projects. Static projects eligible for the Nebraska State Fair need to be dropped off to the Extension Office by 4 pm on Thursday, August 20th. Food, Floriculture, and Horticulture items need to be dropped off by 9 am on Tuesday, August 25th. DON'T FORGET your supporting information.

• Luke Bruns - Geospacial Geocache
• Luke Bruns - Heritage Family Genealogy/History Notebook
• Caseton Brunsch - Visual Arts Mediums Original Acrylic Painting
• Payton Burrows - Visual Arts Mediums Original Acrylic Painting
• Sara Carrick - Cooking 401 Family Food Traditions
• Sara Carrick - Horticulture Yellow Onions
• Carson Decker - Visual Art Themes Original Art Inspired by Landscapes
• Benjamin Eaton - Aerospace Rocket - painted by hand
• Benjamin Eaton - Wood Science Woodworking article
• Harper Ebmeier - Design Decisions Accessory-Recycled/Upcycled Item for the home
• Kadence Fisher - A Stitch Further Dress or Formal
• Kadence Fisher - Cooking 401 Ethnic Food Exhibit
• Kadence Fisher - Cooking 401 Double Crust Fruit Pie
• Magdalena Fisher - Cooking 201 Biscuits or Scones
• Magdalena Fisher - Cooking 401 Double Crust Fruit Pie
• Caule Gibbons - Cooking 401 Specialty Pastry
• Caule Gibbons - Design Decisions Furniture-Recycled/Remade
• Caule Gibbons - Wood Science Woodworking Article
• Bensyn Gooder - Steam: Beyond the Needle Embellished Garment With Original Design
• Grady Gooder - Horticulture 4-H Vegetable Garden Collection of five kinds of veggies
• Grady Gooder - Horticulture Yellow Summer Squash
• Raimee Gooder - Design Decisions Accessory-Recycled/Upcycled Item for the home
• Raimee Gooder - Horticulture Basil
• Kody Keim - Horticulture Jalapeno Peppers
• Kody Keim - Horticulture 4-H Herb Garden Display
• Kody Keim - Welding Welding Furniture
• Lillian Keithly - Cooking 301 Dinner Rolls
• Lillian Keithly - Quilt Quest Inter-Generational Quilt
• Lillian Keithly - Shopping in Style Best Buy for Your Buck (Ages 8 -13)
• Violet Keithly - Cooking 301 Specialty Rolls
• Violet Keithly - Visual Art Themes Original Art Inspired by Artist's Choice
• Kayden Kvistad - Cooking 301 White Bread
• Tinley Lesmeister - Design Decisions Accessory - 3D
• Max Lindsey - Design Decisions Accessory - 3D
• Julia Nicholson - Floriculture Foliage potted houseplant(s) of all the same variety
• Julia Nicholson - Food Preservation - Unit 2 Jellied Exhibit - 1 Jar
• Julia Nicholson - Heritage Other historical exhibits
• Julia Nicholson - Steam Clothing 2 - Simple Sewing Bottom
• Alexander Obando - Cooking 301 Shortened Cake
• Alexander Obando - Photography Unit II Black and White Photography Display or Print
• Alexander Obando - Photography Unit II Creative Techniques & Lighting Display or Print
• Alexander Obando- Photography Unit II Candid Capture Display or Exhibit Print
• Mikayla Obando - Photography Unit III Still Life Print
• Mikayla Obando - Visual Art Themes Original Art Inspired by Plants or Animals
• Mikayla Obando - Wildlife and How They Live Wildlife Arts
• Tatianna Obando - Design Decisions Accessory-Recycled/Upcycled Item for the home
• Tatianna Obando - Visual Art Themes Original Art Inspired by People
• Roudy Schommer - Design Decisions Accessory-Orig made from wood
• Emery Serbousek - Food Preservation - Unit 2 Pickled Exhibit - 3 Jars
• Emery Serbousek - Food Preservation - Unit 2 Dried Fruits
• Emery Serbousek - Steam: Beyond the Needle Fashion Accessory
• Karsen Stokely - Photography Unit II Expression Through Color Display or Print
• Karsen Stokely - Visual Arts Mediums Original Ceramic Pottery
• Garett Tollman- Cooking 201 Coffee Cake
• Garett Tollman - Floriculture Marigold
• Garett Tollman - Horticulture Green Summer Squash
• Garett Tollman - Photography Unit III Advanced Composition Print
• Garett Tollman - Range Management Parts of a Range Plant Poster
• Lee Troester - Entomology Entomology Display, First-Year Project
• Josephine Werner - Quilt Quest Level II Quilted Exhibit - Large
• Josephine Werner - Quilt Quest Level II Quilted Exhibit - Medium
• Jo Willard - Heritage Other exhibits depicting the heritage of the member’s family or community

We have several youth competing in-person at the Nebraska State Fair on August 29-30! We wish them tons of luck and safe travels.

• Amelia Betson - Fashion Show, Weed and Grass ID, Culinary Challenge
• Miranda Betson - Fashion Show, Weed and Grass ID, Culinary Challenge
• Hazel Bieganski - Culinary Challenge
• Luke Bruns - Horticulture Contest
• Skyler Edelman - Beef Show
• Lillian Keithly - Fashion Show, Culinary Challenge
• Joe Lambert - Swine Show
• Leea Lambert - Sheep Show
• Lizzy Lambert - Sheep and Goat Shows
• Julia Nicholson - Fashion Show, Rabbit Show, Dog Show
• Kendall Sellman - Beef and Swine Shows
• Reid Sellman - Beef Show
• Garett Tollman - Beef Show

Attached is a complete list of the Dawes County Fair results. This is the list that Premium Amounts will be calculated from. Please let us know if you believe there are any errors.

Nebraska 4-H will host 4-H Day at the Nebraska State Fair on Sunday, August 30, 2026, from 2-4 p.m. in Raising Nebraska. The event will celebrate the people, accomplishments, and experiences that help prepare Nebraska youth to be Beyond Ready for work and for life.

4-H members and their families, volunteers, alumni, and supporters, are invited to attend an afternoon of recognition, activities, and celebration. Guests can enjoy special interactive activities, visit the 4-H Photo Booth, and receive complimentary UNL Dairy Store ice cream (while supplies last). A recognition program will begin at 3 p.m., honoring outstanding Nebraska 4-H volunteers for their dedication to youth development and recognizing members of the Nebraska 4-H Leadership Academy. Discounted Nebraska State Fair gate passes for August 30 are available for purchase in advance at https://go.unl.edu/2026nsf4hdaypasses. The special offer includes half-price gate admission for teens and adults (service fee applies; limit two tickets per purchase).

Nebraska 4‑H encourages youth, families, alumni, and friends to join the celebration and to recognize the individuals and experiences that make 4‑H an important part of preparing young people for successful futures.

The Achievement Banquet will be held on Sunday, October 18th at 2 pm at the Crawford Community Building. Look for details in September newsletter on how to apply for awards for the banquet.

Another 4-H year has come and gone and it is time to recognize all that went above and beyond during the year to ensure our program was successful. We’ll be celebrating the 2026, 4-H year and honoring those individuals at the Achievement Banquet in October.

The nomination process is simple—just submit a brief paragraph that recommends the person, making sure to include which award you are nominating them for, and send it to the Extension Office by 4:30 September 11th. The recipients will be announced at the Achievement Banquet. You can email your nominations to tessa.reece@unl.edu.

Recognition is a very valuable tool to let people know how their sometimes simple gestures have made a major difference in the lives of our 4-H families.

· Key Leader Award – Dawes County 4-H Foundation: Recognizes a 4-H volunteer who continually goes the extra mile.

· Helping Hand Award – Bob and Judy Hawthorne: “I pledge my hands to larger service….” This is an award to recognize the volunteer or leader who is always willing to lend a helping hand to every activity.

· National Leadership Award: (Formerly I Dare You award) is open to youth ages 15–18 who have completed their freshman year in high school and show outstanding qualities in servant leadership. Award recipients receive a personalized award certificate, a copy of William H. Danforth’s classic motivational book I Dare You! and are eligible to apply for the “I Dare You” Scholarship.

· Outstanding 4-H Member - Recognizes the 4-H member, who continually meets and exceeds expectations, has achieved their 4-H goals for the year, always encourages other members to become involved, answers questions, etc. They can be in any age division to win this award. It’s all about head, heart, hands and health – not age!

· Outstanding 4-H Junior Leader - Please nominate the junior leader who has stepped up to assist other youth, a club or was extremely active throughout the year.

· 4-H Appreciation - A business or person that really goes all out for 4-H. They may be a major sponsor for awards or just always donating time, energy or their employees to help the 4-H program succeed.

· Heart of 4-H - “I pledge my heart to greater loyalty…” This award is designed to recognize that special someone who goes out of their way time and time again to ‘make the best better’. A great way to say thank you to someone who truly is the heart of 4-H in Dawes County.

· 4-H Alumni - A 4-H Alumni who has continued to be a contributing member of 4-H in Dawes County. If you have questions about whether or not a leader or volunteer is an alum, please contact the office.

· Outstanding 4-H Club - Has your club gone the distance and then some? If you think your club has really achieved a lot this past year, nominate them and tell us what all you have done. No club is allowed to win this award two years in a row.

These people are YOUR voice! Please contact any of them if you have an idea for a new or existing event or activity, have concerns with the program, or just want to have input in the decision-making process.

4-H Council:
President - Boone Huffman

Vice President - Kevin Keim

Secretary - Dina Connell

Treasurer - Bailey Lesmeister
Members - Kris Vahrenkamp, Buffy Hourt-Allred, Melissa Nicholson
Youth Members: Garett Tollman, Kody Keim, Amelia Betson, Rhett Lesmeister

Extension Board:
President - Tony Denke
Vice President - Tim Milner
Secretary/Treasurer - Angel Lindsey
Members - Cody Gibbons, Willy Cogdill, Kyli Heiting

4-H Foundation:

Ryan Sellman, Chris Garrett, Bill Cogdill, Jan Soester, Roy Lambert, Jeff Lien, Kris Vahrenkamp