The Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Agriculture Expo, an annual celebration of the work done by the group’s youth in the community, returns to the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex this weekend with events from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28.

Cassy Rankin, program coordinator for the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H, said Monday the expo is a celebration of the kids at its center, who have spent as much as a year raising animals and learning about agriculture. She said they’re the future of locally grown food on the Kenai Peninsula.

“This is where they share their passion,” Rankin said. “For agriculture, 4-H and their community.”

Animal shows will be held the first day of the expo, with small animals from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and large animals from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A 4-H Round Robin Showmanship competition will close out the evening once the shows are done.

On Saturday, auctions will be held for the animals raised. This year’s expo is part of the Soldotna Progress Days celebrations, so the auction will be held in the afternoon to accommodate the parade and fair. Check-in is at noon and the auction starts at 2 p.m.

Rankin said the event has grown rapidly in recent years. The teens who participate are now taking on some of the responsibilities of organizing, like running Sunday events including the petting zoo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Ag Olympics from noon to 2 p.m. and the Kid’s Corner Crafts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A series of Ag workshops will also be held each day in the center conference rooms. On Friday at 2 p.m., the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension will host “All Things Potatoes.” Saturday at 4 p.m. Northern Eagle Markets will host “Syrup Production.” On Sunday, at 2 p.m., Cook Inlet Gardens will host “Pretty Peony Arranging.”

Through the expo and beyond, Rankin said the young agriculturists “learn by doing.” They’re learning as they raise animals, teaching their younger peers and sharing what they learn with the community.

“There’s so many things that are special about when a youth raises an animal,” Rankin said. “They understand agriculture, the circle of life and where food comes from.”

The 4-H participants are raising animals to “industry standard” then seeing those animals to plates in their own community.

For more information, including a schedule of events, find “Kenai Peninsula District 4-H” on Facebook. A horse show traditionally held as part of the ag expo will be held the following weekend, Sunday, Aug. 4 at 9 a.m.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.