Next weekend, the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H Agriculture Expo will return to the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, bringing a variety of animal shows, auctions and workshops spread over three days, Aug. 4-6.
Cassy Rankin, program coordinator for the Kenai Peninsula District 4-H, said Thursday that the annual expo is “a weekend to focus on agriculture and 4-H in the community and in Alaska.”
There’s going to be the usual assortment of animal shows and the annual auction, she said, as well as a new farm truck show open to the community, a display of antique tractors, an expanded kids corner with crafts, and workshops centered around broccoli, beekeeping and identifying funding opportunities as an agricultural producer.
“There’s something for everyone,” Rankin said. Small and large animal shows are held Friday, the auction is Saturday, and a horse show is Sunday.
Small animals will be featured Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Animals featured in the category include chickens, turkeys, rabbits and geese. Large animals include swine, cattle, goats and sheep, who will be shown from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A judge is traveling from Washington to officiate the shows, Rankin said.
The expo, Rankin said, is something 4-H members build toward all year. She said the participants spend the time raising animals to meet industry standards for market quality. That means they have to learn to feed and ethically care for their animals. They have to provide good lives for them.
“They learn a ton,” she said. “You’ll ultimately see that work in the livestock ring. Months and months of hard work that that 4-H’er has put in with that animal.”
Also new this year is the “Ag Olympics,” set for Sunday at 2 p.m., which will show off “the muscle work” of agriculture. Rankin said that included carrying jugs of water or tossing bales of hay.
Admission to the expo is $4 per day, or $6 for a weekend pass. Kids 5 and under get in for free. Admission on Friday can also be secured by making a donation to the Kenai Peninsula Food Pantry.
For more information, visit facebook.com/kpen4H.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
