SPRINGFIELD, Ill – Last weekend, youth from across Illinois gathered at the Orr Building at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield to showcase their hard work in the General Projects show. Young representatives from Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion counties showcased their amazing knowledge and talents in a wide range of subjects, such as animal science, civic engagement, foods and nutrition, horticulture, visual arts, and much more.
At the General Projects show, exhibitors who received the top score in each class received a Champion Medal, and those with the second-highest score received a Reserve Champion Medal. Those who presented an inspirational, innovative, or unique exhibit, they received an Inspire Award. Just over 200 4-H exhibitors from these four counties had the opportunity to attend the State Fair after being selected as State Fair delegates and alternates in their respective counties. Of that group, nearly half of those exceptional 4-H’ers brought home the title of Champion, Champion Reserve, or Inspire Award recipient.
State Fair General Projects Results:
Champions
Agronomy: Corn: Andrew Talbert (Iroquois) – Champion, Day 3
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement 3: Andrew Todd (Champaign) – Champion, Day 3
Clothing and Textiles: Sewing 2 Clothing: Lucy DeAth (Vermilion) – Champion, Day 3
Clothing and Textiles: Sewing 3 Clothing: Clare Wagner (Iroquois) – Champion, Day 3
Clothing and Textiles: Shopping in Style - Intermediate: Jaylin Lavicka (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Clothing and Textiles: Costume Design - Beginner - 1-2 yrs in project: Elizabeth Fatka (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Computer Science: Beginning Visual Programming: Logan Winkel (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Consumer Education: Entrepreneurship: Be the E!: Izzie Zwilling (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Creating with Building Bricks: Art: Keegan Hanson (Ford) - Champion, Day 3
Creative Writing: Creative Writing: Charity Kidwell (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Entomology: Entomology 1: Rogan Reynolds (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Foods and Nutrition: 4-H Cooking 101 Cookies: Greyson Norman (Vermilion) - Champion, Day 3
Foods and Nutrition: Science Fun with Dairy Foods: Savannah Froehling (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Foods and Nutrition: Food Preservation Jams Jellies Preserves: Elsie Wiesbrook (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Geology: Pebble Pups 1: Robert Koch (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Geology: Geology Innovation: Trisha Gundapuneni (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Health: Health Innovation: Tanush Hanumolu (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Horticulture - Floriculture: Round Arrangement: Olivia Diskin (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Horticulture - Floriculture: Wedding Bouquet: Maya Anderson (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Horticulture - Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits: Herb Container Display: Emmaline Hildenbrand (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Horticulture - Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits: Vegetable / Fruit Display: Caleb Zwilling (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Horticulture - Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits: Vegetable Plates: Alec Cleary (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Intercultural: Passport to the World - Individual: Helen Harris (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Natural Resources: Outdoor Adventures 1-3: Alma Gunderson (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Natural Resources: Exploring Your Environment 1: Cheyenne Cavanagh (Ford) - Champion, Day 3
Natural Resources: Exploring Your Environment 2: JR McMillan (Ford) - Champion, Day 3
Natural Resources: Sportfishing 1: Brently Brown (Vermilion) - Champion, Day 3
Natural Resources: Fish and Wildlife Innovation: Nathaniel Miller (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Theatre Arts: Theatre Arts 1: Maisy Rader (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Theatre Arts: Theatre Arts 2: Kate McKinstry (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Theatre Arts: Theatre Arts Innovation: Wilhelmina Stites (Vermilion) - Champion, Day 3
Tractor: Tractor A: Lucas Herriott (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Visual Arts: Quilting: Quilting the Best Better: Ellianna Bice (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Visual Arts: Wood: Ryan Schmitz (Champaign) - Champion, Day 3
Weather: Weather and Climate Science 3: Hannah Snodgrass (Iroquois) - Champion, Day 3
Reserve Champions
Agronomy: Corn: Bridon Borchers (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion,
Animal Science: Animal Science 1-2 Years in Project: Fulton Kirkpatrick (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Clothing and Textiles: Sewing 3 Clothing: Aley Vaske (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Clothing and Textiles: Shopping in Style - Intermediate: Avery Schroeder (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Clothing and Textiles: Clothing Embellishment Stitched: Lily DeAth (Vermilion) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Communications: Journalism, News & Social Media: Felix Pollard (Ford) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Computer Science: Beginning Visual Programming: Jackson Kesler (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Creating with Building Bricks: Building: Claire Oprondek (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Creating with Building Bricks: Creature: Evan Johnson (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Creating with Building Bricks: Scene / Storytelling: Colson Herriott (Champaign) - Day 2, Reserve Champion
Entomology: Entomology 2: Ashlyn Estes (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Entomology-Beekeeping: Beekeeping 3: Garrett Koester (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Family Heritage: Family Heritage: Zooey Mallast (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Foods and Nutrition: 4-H Cooking 401 French Bread: Danielle Behrends (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Foods and Nutrition: Food Science 1 - 4: Kelvin Moose (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Forestry: Forests of Fun 1: Cade Acton (Vermilion) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Health: Sports Nutrition: Lane Kesler (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Horticulture - Floriculture: Outdoor Mixed Planter: Emmy Gerber (Champaign) - Day 2, Reserve Champion
Horticulture - Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits: Vegetable / Fruit Display: Nathan Zwilling (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Natural Resources: Sportfishing 3: Levi Todd (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Natural Resources: Wildlife 1: Graham Pilcher (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Photography: Photography 1: Payton Kaufman (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Ready4Life: Ready4Life - Career: Sophie Deem (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Robotics: Junk Drawer Robotics 1: Owen Winkel (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Service Learning: Service Learning 1: Jack Reynolds (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Theatre Arts: Theatre Arts 3: June Rader (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Tractor: Tractor B: Hunter Dudley (Vermilion) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Visual Arts: Food Decorating - Advanced: Jenna Siergiej (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Visual Arts: Paper 3D: Nathan Johnson (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Visual Arts: 3-D Design / Mixed Media: Phylicity Leonard (Iroquois) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Visual Arts: Open Form and Emerging Techniques: Izabella Mallast (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Woodworking: Woodworking 2: Lydia Zwilling (Champaign) - Day 3, Reserve Champion
Inspire Award Recipients
Aerospace: Aerospace Display: Sawyer Baxter (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Animal Science: Animal Science 3 or more years in Project: Roxy Campbell (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement Group: Sidney Crawford (Ford) - Day 3, Inspire
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement Group: Cheyenne Cavanagh (Ford) - Day 3, Inspire
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement Group: Josiah Rahn (Ford) - Day 3, Inspire
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement Group: Wyatt Dassow (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Civic Engagement: Civic Engagement Group: Nora Hawn (Ford) - Day 3, Inspire
Clothing and Textiles: Costume Design - Beginner - 1-2 yrs in project: Erin Lynch (Ford) - Day 3, Inspire
Computer Science: Advanced Visual Programming: David Chen (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Creative Writing: Poetry: Effie Swartzendruber (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Entomology-Beekeeping: Beekeeping 3: Alyssa Chen (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Esports: Esports: John Henry Siergiej (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Foods and Nutrition: 4-H Cooking 201 Scones: Hailey Kaeb (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Foods and Nutrition: 4-H Cooking 301 Yeast Bread: Oaklyn DeBolt (Iroquois) - Day 3 Inspire
Forestry: Forests of Fun 1: Arthur Malkewicz (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Horticulture - Floriculture: Cut Flower Specimens: Callie Gregg (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Horticulture - Floriculture: Propagated Plants Cuttings / Layer / Division / Seed: Nola Clyden (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Intercultural: Passport to the World - Group: Aubrey Boas (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Intercultural: Passport to the World - Group: Mackenzie Boas (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Intercultural: Passport to the World - Group: Anna Riggs (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Leadership: Leadership 2: Harper Shike (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Natural Resources: Outdoor Adventures 1-3: Hayden Carmichael (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Natural Resources: Wildlife 2: Autumn Kanosky (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Photography: Photography 1: Caleb Smith (Vermilion) - Day 3, Inspire
Plants and Soil Sciences: Plants and Soils 1: Abby Tindle (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Tractor: Tractor D: Eli Hasting (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Video / Filmmaking: Animated Video - Individual: Justin Pettice (Vermilion) - Day 3, Inspire
Visual Arts: Quilting: You Can Quilt: Payton Olson (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Visual Arts: Chalk / Carbon / Pigment (Drawing and Painting) Division A: Canvas: Norah Oprondek (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Visual Arts: Heritage Arts: Marina Price (Champaign) - Day 3, Inspire
Visual Arts: Wood: Lucie Edwards (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
Welding: Welding: Landen Kraft (Iroquois) - Day 3, Inspire
To learn more about how to get involved with 4-H in Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, or Vermilion counties, visit go.illinois.edu/cfiv4H.
About Illinois 4-H: Illinois 4-H is the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension and is administered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. 4-H grows true leaders, youth who are empowered for life today and prepared for a career tomorrow. The hands-on approach in 4-H gives young people guidance, tools, and encouragement and then puts them in the driver’s seat to make great things happen. Independent research confirms the unparalleled impact of the 4-H experience, demonstrating that young people are four times more likely to contribute to their communities, two times more likely to make healthier choices, two times more likely to be civically active, and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.