This year’s Stephenson County 4-H Hay Bale Decorating Contest was a huge hit—voted on by fairgoers in a lively popularity contest! Now in its third year, the contest brought an extra dose of charm to the fairgrounds, with participants showcasing their imagination, craftsmanship, and 4-H spirit.
All 10 Stephenson County 4-H clubs took part in the contest, turning round hay bales into whimsical works of art. The decorated bales were placed strategically throughout the fairgrounds, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to enjoy the displays as they explored the event. Special thanks go out to Jake and Abby Mielke, Gary Mielke, and Die Hard Farms, LLC for preparing the hay bales for the clubs to decorate.
The creativity on display was nothing short of inspiring, with so many clever entries that transformed simple hay bales into colorful, eye-catching scenes. Fair visitors stopped frequently to admire the artwork, snap photos, and share how much they enjoyed the festive touches scattered across the grounds.
After an astounding number of votes were cast, one club clearly stole the show:
🥇 First Place: Florence Crickets — earning twice as many votes as the next highest competitor!
🥈 Second Place: Country Cuzins
🥉 Third Place: Snappy Snazzers
The top three clubs will receive gift cards from Blain’s Farm & Fleet of Freeport, a proud sponsor of Stephenson County 4-H!
“The hay bales added such a fun and festive atmosphere to the fair,” said Jen Schultz, Stephenson County 4-H and Youth Development Program Coordinator. “It was wonderful to see the joy they brought to visitors of all ages. Our 4-H members truly outdid themselves this year.”
Congratulations to all participants for your creativity, teamwork, and dedication. Your designs sparked countless smiles and showcased the incredible talent of our Stephenson County 4-H community. To see all ten photos of the hay bales, visit go.illinois.edu/jsw and search “News Releases”.
About 4-H:
4-H empowers youth to learn by doing, developing leadership, citizenship, and life skills through hands-on experiences in their communities. For more information on Stephenson County 4-H, visit go.illinois.edu/SC4-H or call (815) 235-4125.
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 700 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 six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.