Shawano County 4-H will celebrate the centennial of Wisconsin 4-H with an historical program and free fireworks show at this year’s Shawano County Fair.
Terri Brunner, 4-H program assistant with the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Shawano County, said that after 100 years, the 4-H organization continues to fulfill its mission throughout the state.
“The main focus of 4-H has remained the same, and that is to help grow responsible citizens,” Brunner said.
Wisconsin 4-H began in Walworth County in 1914 as a rural-based program to help children learn skills required to be successful on farms, such as preserving food and growing crops.
The first Shawano County 4-H club formed in 1923.
Joe Stellato, Shawano County 4-H and youth development director, said 4-H expanded beyond agriculture and the rural mindset in the 1950s and ’60s, which helped clubs offer many new avenues for development.
“There was a need to teach (agricultural) skills at the time of the club’s founding, and now 4-H has advanced over time to include activities that are more meaningful and beneficial to nonfarming kids,” Stellato said.
Stellato said 4-H remains the largest youth group in Wisconsin, offering its members activities in animal projects, photography, arts and crafts, cooking, sewing, shooting sports and visual arts to name a few.
Brunner said the wide variety of activities has contributed to the success of 4-H over the years.
“There is a lot of leadership development that goes into not only the hands-on learning but then being able to teach others how to do that and step into those kinds of roles,” Brunner said.
To celebrate the 4-H milestone, the Shawano County 4-H put together a youth planning committee to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming fair.
4-H members Mason Jauquet, 15, of Pulaski, and Casey Clark, 17, of Shawano, presented an idea leaders did not think was going to be possible.
“We talked about a lot of ideas on what we should do, and we thought fireworks would be really cool,” Jauquet said. “Fireworks are used to celebrate big things, and I think that really ties in with the 4-H celebration.”
The idea was brought to a Shawano County Agricultural Society meeting by Clark’s dad, Doug. There, Jerry Bamke, an Agricultural Society director and owner of Fireworks Country in Wittenberg, said he would sponsor the fireworks.
“It’s for 4-H, and I think it’s just really important,” Bamke said. “I feel like fireworks are a great way to open the fair.”
The celebration will kick off at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Shawano Speedway track with a program that will include historical facts, a trivia contest, T-shirt giveaways and 4-H songs. Leadership awards will also be presented, and past and current members can share their favorite memories of 4-H.
“Everyone is welcome,” Brunner said. “We even have a big slingshot we are going to use to shoot stuffed centennial cows into the audience.”
The free fireworks show will take place at 9:30 p.m. at the grandstand.
“It is going to be one of the larger fireworks displays in the county, I can tell you that much,” Bamke said.
Jauquet, who has been a 4-H member for about eight years, said he is grateful for everything the club has offered him.
“4-H gives you so many opportunities to do things you would never get to do otherwise,” Jauquet said.
Brunner said the centennial celebration is a testament to the club’s positive impact on its members.
“When you listen to a lot of people’s backgrounds, a lot of people will attribute their leadership development as being a part of 4-H,” Brunner said.
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