Mower County 4-H’ers participate in demonstration day at the Mower County Fair – Austin Daily Herald

1 of 4

Haylie Meyer gives a demonstration on rabbits during the Demonstration Day in the 4-H Building during the Mower County Fair Thursday. Jed Nelson/intern@austindailyherald.com

Lydia Drees shows off a recipe for a rhubarb slush during Demonstration Day at the Mower County Fair Thursday. Pictured with her is Mower County 4-H summer intern Rayea Roberts. Jed Nelson/intern@austindailyherald.com

Haylie Meyer gives a presentation on getting out of ruts during Demonstration Day in the 4-H Building Thursday at the Mower County Fair. Jed Nelson/intern@austindailyherald.com

Lydia Drees and her brother Reuben Drees give s presentation during Demonstration Day Thursday at the Mower County Fair. Jed Nelson/intern@austindailyherald.com

By Jed Nelson

The Mower County Fair’s 4-H demonstration day was held Thursday afternoon in the 4-H Building and Poultry Barn. 

Participants presented projects in front of an audience for this year’s Mower County Fair. Mower County’s 4-H summer intern Rayea Roberts said Thursday’s demonstrations were for participants to highlight their skills and creativity.

“There are two demonstrations, one is the general demonstrations, and the other is our livestock demonstrations. We’ll have speeches, a food demonstration, and a couple of people demonstrating poultry,” Roberts said. “A lot of the 4-H’ers work individually when creating projects, but sometimes there is collaboration. The projects can be about anything, which is the fun part about it.”

Lydia Drees opened the demonstrations with a great way to beat the summer heat: a rhubarb slush recipe. She discussed proper preparation techniques and steps to make the drink. She also delved into the science behind some of the ingredients and why they are healthy and beneficial to one’s diet. 

“I like the opportunity that 4-H offers me to learn and share knowledge,” Drees said. 

Haylie Meyer followed it up with a speech on how 4-H students can get out of ruts they may be in. Through personal stories and experiences, Meyer discussed the benefits of 4-H’ers exploring new projects and branching out into other avenues 4-H offers. 

She stated that by taking on new projects and showing different species, one may feel less bogged down by doing the same things over and over again. 

“The biggest thing about my project was what I would have wanted to know five or 10 years ago when I started,” Meyer said. “I took what questions I had and thought about how I could answer them and leave people with a good message.” 

Meyer stated that her experience being in 4-H has been a positive one.

“I love the learning experience and people so much,” she said. “Everybody is so welcoming and willing to help you with new things.”

Meyer also closed the demonstrations by presenting her rabbit, demonstrating how to prepare rabbits for the fair. 

Aside from demonstrating how to make a delicious rhubarb slush recipe, Lydia Drees presented poultry alongside her brother Reuben. Accompanied by a rooster and hen, the Drees siblings demonstrated characteristics of both male and female chickens. 

“To prepare, we brainstormed topics that would resonate and be pertinent to anyone viewing our demo,” Lydia said. 

Much like Meyer, both Reuben and Lydia have had great experiences in 4-H. They hope to make even more great memories when they present at this year’s Minnesota State Fair. 

“I love all the things that I’ve learned through 4-H,” Reuben said. “When I started showing poultry, I knew next to nothing about how to hold them or their different parts. I’ve also met a lot of great people through 4-H.”