Today we wrapped up the 2024 4-H fair at the Northwestern Michigan Fair in Traverse City. It’s been months of practice and a week of competitions, fair food, laughter, and rides.
Each year my husband Jason leads a 4-H group called Farm and Fleece. The group includes our son Hunter, families who have purchased alpacas from us, and local kids who don’t own their own alpacas. The youth that use our alpacas are required to come onsite and practice with their chosen animal to prepare both alpaca and human for the week long competitions.
Our alpacas are at the fairgrounds all week and so are Jason and Hunter. I stay home and run the farm, but do visit for competitions and to check in my furry children both past and present. Since we sell 4-H alpacas to local farms I get the added bonus of seeing many of my former alpacas each year. It’s such a treat and something I so look forward to.
As I visited last night I could tell everyone is exhausted. It was a great week, but the week is long and there is so much going on.
Each year I’m proud of the kids and the animals, but this year, I’m super proud of the kids’ efforts and the growth we’ve seen from year to year. It is so fun and rewarding to see the youth transform year to year. They grow confidence, they learn patience, and their love for alpacas continues to flourish.
As I reflect on the week, here are the standout moments for each participant:
- Allie – Allie is our smallest 4-H participant, and this was her very first competition. She did great! Allie’s alpaca Financy was also in her first 4-H competition and Financy towers over Allie. It’s hard to trust an animal when you are smaller than it, but Allie didn’t let this stop her. She powered on and held on tight to Financy to perform wonderfully.
- Audrey – Audrey showed Kaitlin, who is a nervous alpaca and still pretty young. The competition took both Audrey and Kaitlin out of their comfort zones, which produced growth for human and alpaca alike. Both did great and both gained confidence. Audrey has grown so much since starting 4-H and it is so fun watching her mature.
- Marlee – Marlee returned to fair with her favorite alpaca Seven. They are old pros together and you can always see how incredibly strong their bond is as she competes. Seven knows Marlee is his person and that he is the only alpaca for her. Marlee’s adorable smile tells you she knows it too. If you want to see a true love between alpaca and handler, just look for Marlee and Seven.
- Halle – Halle likes to pick the hardest alpaca on the farm and this year she continued the tradition. Halle was at our farm every chance she could get to practice with alpaca Jessica and build her trust. As Halle loved on Jessica pre-competition you could see the bond they shared, and you could see how much Halle’s efforts have made an impact on Jessica’s trust for humans. Halle is a busy girl and mom Shannon has been amazing at making sure their schedule could accommodate all the training. We are thankful for Halle and her determination to imprint on our herd.
- Tessa – This girl was at our farm every day practicing with young Ryan. Rain or shine Tessa would show up to love on Ryan, practice walking, and work those obstacle course tricks. Ryan decided the show ring was much too boring, and he had “ants in his pants” the entire time. Tessa handled it with grace, and she did not let his behavior derail her. She showed determination, patience, and pure grit. After they were done Tessa was back in the ring to help young Allie with her alpaca. Again, Tessa showed patience and had a smile on her face the entire time. This is what 4-H is about. It’s more than ribbons. It’s about personal growth and we’ve seen amazing growth in Tessa.
- Adam – Adam is relatively new to alpacas, but not to showing animals. He is a horse pro, and you could see this as he took the ring with his alpaca Leo. Leo was one of our most stubborn alpacas, but you would never know it by watching Leo and Adam in the show ring. Leo looked like a total champion and it paid off. Adam walked away with the Grand Champion banner, and he deserved it 100%.
- Hunter – Hunter decided he wanted to take the hard route, instead of using his tried-and-true alpaca Chase, he brought Captain America (Cappy) back into the show ring. Cappy remembered his training and his love for Hunter, which allowed those two to walk away with the Reserve Champion banner. We’ll admit we were surprised, but Hunter knew Cappy better than any of us and he knew his favorite alpaca would rise to the occasion. As Hunter always says, Cappy is a good boy.
- Darlene – Darlene and her alpaca Henry were so fun to watch. Henry didn’t like the 4-H competition, and like Tessa’s Ryan, he fought Darlene with every step. Darlene kept her head up high, she maintained that show smile, she stayed by Henry’s side to finish and did so with grace. And just like Tessa, the experience and the grit are worth so much more than the ribbon. The 4-H program teaches you to persevere and stay strong even when it is most difficult. Darlene did just that!
- Marin – Marin came back from college to compete with Financy in the open class. Marin does our farm tours and is around our herd each weekend while home from college in the summer. This girl (the human one) loves to compete, and our alpacas love her. While Marin hasn’t had lots of time to practice, you couldn’t tell. She and Financy did great. It is always fun to watch Marin and see her smile light up the barn as she competes.
We have the Farm and Fleece alpaca group and rent out our alpacas for all the reasons you read above. It’s growth for the kids, it’s growth for the alpacas, and it does our hearts so much good watching it unfold. This is why “4-H Grows Here” and why we participate year after year. We are proud to be a 4-H farm and to help seed growth in the youth around us.
As we wrap up the fair it is bittersweet for me. Our son Hunter is leaving for college in a few weeks and this momma is a hot mess. For 18 years he and I have been best friends and we’ve shared a true love for alpacas. My friend and my fellow alpaca lover is leaving to continue his growth, but man is hard to watch him go. I found myself crying a lot through the 4-H week – part because I’m so proud of the young man he has become and part because I’m so going to miss all of these moments together.
If you have 4-H as an option in your area, consider joining and taking an alpaca. It is an amazing experience, and it is one your children will take forward with them into adulthood.
Words are great, but photos tell the true story. Here are some of my favorite moments of the week.
