Details revealed on Franklin County’s virtual 4-H fair
June 16, 2020 at 9:11 p.m.
Due to social distancing requirements related to COVID-19, many Purdue Extension offices — along with county 4-H fair boards — across the state have had to make difficult decisions regarding each county's 4-H fair. As of Friday, June 5, Franklin County was among 30 Indiana counties that will be conducting their 4-H fair events virtually. (These counties included Bartholomew, Brown, Dearborn, Dubois, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Gibson, Grant, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lake, LaPorte, Monroe, Ohio, Owen, Perry, Pike, Porter, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland, Vanderburgh and Vigo.)
As the local 4-H fair turns to a virtual operation, this will present a whole new experience for all involved. 4-H members will exhibit their projects through a combination of photographs, videos, and documents highlighting the skills which they learned while working on their 4-H project. 4-H members will upload all the required files for each of their projects onto FairEntry, which is the web-based software accessible to each of the 92 Indiana counties for the purpose of managing county fair data.
Once 4-H'ers have uploaded their projects, each project will then be examined by judges who determine how well the 4-H member demonstrated skill mastery. Although the judging process will occur via a different method than what has been normal in previous years, all projects will still be judged on the same criteria.
With the new processes comes the potential for altered time requirements. Franklin County Purdue Extension educator and 4-H Youth Development Coordinator Angie Riffle explained that she expects the time requirements as being less extensive for the 4-H members due to being able to exhibit each of their projects from home at their own convenience. This will eliminate time that is normally spent doing things such as traveling back and forth to the fairgrounds, waiting for projects to be judged, and waiting to speak with judges about their projects. However, Riffle noted that it is hard to forecast the time requirements that a virtual operation will present for judges.
“The time of project judging is hard to determine and will generally depend on the judge and the project. All of the entries will be at their fingertips; however, there will be less time between classes, as they won't have to wait for the next group to be called up, for example. There will be additional time spent learning the system and training the judges however,” stated Riffle.
Purdue Extension Specialist Tony Carrell explained, “This is new for everyone involved. While it requires a significant amount of time on the backside to have state and county staff prepare for a virtual fair, we believe it is worth the time to do so. It sure beats the alternative, and that is to not have any exhibition.”
Franklin County Purdue Extension and the Franklin County 4-H Fair Board recognize the fact that many community members enjoy being able to view the projects the youth have completed each year. With that being said, FC Purdue Extension is working to plan ways to make the projects visible to the community members. The final plan is not complete; however, they hope to utilize FairEntry as well as other media options such as YouTube videos and possibly a post-fair newspaper insert.
Franklin County Purdue Extension is aware that some 4-H'ers may not have access to internet; therefore, they want to ensure that all 4-H'ers and their families know that they are welcome to utilize the laptops and/or Wi-Fi at their office in the Franklin County Government Center to upload pictures, files, and videos. If a 4-H member needs to utilize this service, it is requested that they call ahead to schedule a time in order to ensure that social distancing guidelines can be followed.
As the Franklin County 4-H Fair proceeds in a new format, Riffle emphasized, “The 4-H motto is “Learning by Doing” and in the true spirit of 4-H, our members, volunteers and our staff are all learning as we go this year. We are working hard to keep our youth informed and just ask for patience and understanding from the community as we navigate this new territory.”
Pertinent information and updates regarding the operations of the Franklin County 4-H Fair can be accessed via social media and the Purdue Extension website. 4-H members and their families are also encouraged to check their email frequently over the coming weeks as important information will be conveyed to them through that method.
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Due to social distancing requirements related to COVID-19, many Purdue Extension offices — along with county 4-H fair boards — across the state have had to make difficult decisions regarding each county's 4-H fair. As of Friday, June 5, Franklin County was among 30 Indiana counties that will be conducting their 4-H fair events virtually. (These counties included Bartholomew, Brown, Dearborn, Dubois, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Gibson, Grant, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lake, LaPorte, Monroe, Ohio, Owen, Perry, Pike, Porter, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland, Vanderburgh and Vigo.)
As the local 4-H fair turns to a virtual operation, this will present a whole new experience for all involved. 4-H members will exhibit their projects through a combination of photographs, videos, and documents highlighting the skills which they learned while working on their 4-H project. 4-H members will upload all the required files for each of their projects onto FairEntry, which is the web-based software accessible to each of the 92 Indiana counties for the purpose of managing county fair data.
Once 4-H'ers have uploaded their projects, each project will then be examined by judges who determine how well the 4-H member demonstrated skill mastery. Although the judging process will occur via a different method than what has been normal in previous years, all projects will still be judged on the same criteria.
With the new processes comes the potential for altered time requirements. Franklin County Purdue Extension educator and 4-H Youth Development Coordinator Angie Riffle explained that she expects the time requirements as being less extensive for the 4-H members due to being able to exhibit each of their projects from home at their own convenience. This will eliminate time that is normally spent doing things such as traveling back and forth to the fairgrounds, waiting for projects to be judged, and waiting to speak with judges about their projects. However, Riffle noted that it is hard to forecast the time requirements that a virtual operation will present for judges.
“The time of project judging is hard to determine and will generally depend on the judge and the project. All of the entries will be at their fingertips; however, there will be less time between classes, as they won't have to wait for the next group to be called up, for example. There will be additional time spent learning the system and training the judges however,” stated Riffle.
Purdue Extension Specialist Tony Carrell explained, “This is new for everyone involved. While it requires a significant amount of time on the backside to have state and county staff prepare for a virtual fair, we believe it is worth the time to do so. It sure beats the alternative, and that is to not have any exhibition.”
Franklin County Purdue Extension and the Franklin County 4-H Fair Board recognize the fact that many community members enjoy being able to view the projects the youth have completed each year. With that being said, FC Purdue Extension is working to plan ways to make the projects visible to the community members. The final plan is not complete; however, they hope to utilize FairEntry as well as other media options such as YouTube videos and possibly a post-fair newspaper insert.
Franklin County Purdue Extension is aware that some 4-H'ers may not have access to internet; therefore, they want to ensure that all 4-H'ers and their families know that they are welcome to utilize the laptops and/or Wi-Fi at their office in the Franklin County Government Center to upload pictures, files, and videos. If a 4-H member needs to utilize this service, it is requested that they call ahead to schedule a time in order to ensure that social distancing guidelines can be followed.
As the Franklin County 4-H Fair proceeds in a new format, Riffle emphasized, “The 4-H motto is “Learning by Doing” and in the true spirit of 4-H, our members, volunteers and our staff are all learning as we go this year. We are working hard to keep our youth informed and just ask for patience and understanding from the community as we navigate this new territory.”
Pertinent information and updates regarding the operations of the Franklin County 4-H Fair can be accessed via social media and the Purdue Extension website. 4-H members and their families are also encouraged to check their email frequently over the coming weeks as important information will be conveyed to them through that method.