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4-H Fair Unites Putnam Community
by Edward Paul Greiff
Loren Wiede (14), Greg Lichodolik (17), Dena Altavilla, Marjorie Keith and Pat Madigan take a break from their preparations for this year’s fair.
For three days stating Friday, July 26, over one hundred youths and three hundred adults will volunteer their time, talents and efforts to provide visitors to the 31st Annual Putnam County 4-H Fair with indelible memories. The 4-H Fair always brings the County-wide community together like no other event.
"It’s the culmination of a year’s worth of work, and a chance for kids and adults alike to showcase their individual and team projects," says Pat Madigan from the Cornell Cooperative of Putnam County.
"4-H provides us with the opportunity to do things we would not otherwise be able to do or afford to do," says seventeen-year-old Greg Lichodolik and fourteen year old Loren Wiede. As members of the 4-H Techno Team Video Production Team, they learn about using computers to edit film, as well as proper camera use, including lighting, sound, camera positioning, and other technical concerns.
Greg commented, "With the Techno Team Video Production Team, we got grant money to buy cameras and computers that allow us to edit film and create our own commercials, and I would never have had a chance to do that."
Program Director Dena Altavilla said they got one grant from the 4-H foundation and the Putnam County Legislature for a little over $28,000, and a second grant from the Putnam County Youth Bureau for $3,500.
At the fair, the ten member Techno Video team will man an actual video studio, where visitors can spontaneously participate in a video production.
Besides the Techno Team, Loren Wiede also participates in an animal project with rabbits. She says, "You have to show the judge and teach him about your rabbit, the body parts, and show him you know about rabbits."
Dena Altavilla said that some of the children exhibiting animals would also be camping out at the Fair. As part of their herdsmanship responsibilities, they cannot leave the animals unattended.
"In addition," she said, "We opened up the camping overnight to our Teen Action Groups who don’t have animals. They will be helping with setting up and cleaning up each night and morning." Altavilla said that she and other staff members, as well as about twenty-five other adults would also be camping out at the fair grounds.
Greg Lichodolik and Loren Wiede participate in other projects such as the 4-H Puppeteers Players Group. This group received $6,000 in grant money to purchase professionally made puppets and receive instruction from a professional puppeteer. They are currently developing skits that they will be showing at the fair to help small children, including "Stranger Danger" and another about fear of the dark,. After the fair, the 4-H Puppeteers Players Group will take their show on the road to local elementary schools and libraries.
Loren Wiede has been to Albany and participated in the Youth Conversations, where over 120 young people discuss how to improve the Town, County and State. Items on the agenda for improvement now include better public transportation, sidewalks, and community centers or other places for kids to congregate.
Dena Altavilla said, "Because there are not a lot of places for kids to go, both the 4-H kids development program and the 4-H Fair provide opportunities for kids to get involved in positive things."
To highlight all that participants do in preparation for and at the fair, Pat Madigan said, "2002 marks 4-H’s Centennial Celebration. On Sunday at 4:00, we are doing a big Power Youth award ceremony, where we will be giving out awards and recognition of the youths and their work. Every kid is recognized and receives an award. There is not an occasion where a youth will participate and not be recognized. They are judged against a standard of excellence — not in competition with each other."
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