Bartholomew County 4-H Fair is family tradition for Schwartzkopfs

Hauser High School student Marnie Schwartzkopf says fair week at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair is the best part of the year.

“I would give up Christmas for fair week,” the 15-year-old says. “It is a time to do things I love to do and hang out with people I have known for years.”

For Schwartzkopf, her brother, Kale, and parents Mary and Jeff, spending a week at the 4-H fairgrounds in the hot July summer sun is a family tradition.

“It is where my husband and I met,” Mary says. “It has always been a part of our life and family life. We take off that week for vacation. It is a great week to see everyone, socialize and hang out together.”

The couple are each former 10-year 4-H members who passed on the tradition to their kids, Mary says.

The Schwartzkopfs’ tradition is very common, says Matt John, leader of the 4-H poultry club and former 10-year 4-H member. For many families, 4-H involvement is generational.

However, as 4-H involvement expands beyond the farm and sheds the misconception that participation is defined by cows, sows and plows, the types of project areas offered each year likewise reflects the organization’s growth and diversity.

“The big thing you realize is as the population moves away from farming and rural areas it is reflected in 4-H,” John says. “Projects have been developed for kids in suburbs, and those who come from families whose primary occupation isn’t farming, to participate.”

Since encouraging her daughter to get involved in 4-H, Mary says the biggest change she’s seen since she was a member has been with the projects.

“There are so many more options for projects,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what your interests are, there is something you can do.”

Mary says watching her daughter mature through her 4-H experience is one of the best things about the program.

“When we started her in 4-H we did help her and as she gets older it is truly her project,” Mary says. “We are pretty hands off anymore. When she started she did what we asked her to do; now we do what she asks us to do.”

Schwartzkopf’s projects for this year’s fair are a prime example of how 4-H offers something for everyone.

For seven years, the soon-to-be high school sophomore has shown animals at the fair and says the experience has allowed her to learn about responsibility and increase her self-confidence.

“It has prepared me for a lot,” the 15-year-old says. “It gives you a lot of skills you can use in the future.”

When she began her 4-H journey, Schwartzkopf showed pigs for a little while, but her work with sheep eventually didn’t allow time for both.

As Schwartzkopf says she has always been of small stature, gaining the necessary physical strength it takes along with learning to care for the sheep on her own has been a challenging learning experience.

But it is one she wouldn’t trade for anything.

“Showing sheep is definitely my favorite,” she says. “I’ve made a lot of friends through sheep and I think it has helped me most out of all my projects.”

This summer, in addition to showing sheep, Schwartzkopf is also completing projects in sewing, welding and the performing arts.

Admitting welding is about as far on the opposite end of the spectrum from sewing as one can get, Schwartzkopf says a friend who did welding as a project and came up with some pretty cool pieces inspired her to give it a try.

“A lot of my friends were doing welding and they said, ‘You could probably get into this,’” Schwartzkopf says. “And we have a welder, so I thought, ‘I can do it and see if I’m any good at it.’”

When asked about what she is doing for her welding project this year, Schwartzkopf laughed and said she hasn’t figured it out quite yet.

Taking care of her three sheep, Ross, Monica and Joey – whose names were inspired by the 1990s television sitcom “Friends” – has required a good amount of time.

“I have been to a couple of open shows this year getting them ready for the fair and used to being in the ring,” Schwartzkopf says.

But despite all the hard work, Schwartzkopf says she would do whatever she could to help other youth get involved in 4-H as it is a fun and life-changing experience.

“I would definitely tell them to do 4-H,” she says. “And I would help them to figure out what interests them.”