The North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club and 4-H youth members continued their historical excellence at the Cuyahoga County Fair this year. The Club, led the past year by Homesteaders Club president Kayla Kucharski, continues its path of growth with 4-H youth displaying their 4-H projects and skills at the annual Cuyahoga County Fair, held August 11-17.
Throughout the year, 4-H members work on animal (market and companion animal) and non-animal projects to present at the county fair as part of 4-H, the nations largest positive youth development program. This year, 4-H members took a combination of animal and non-animal projects to the county fair, and several youths also competed at The Ohio State Fair, including the Homesteader’s Owen Szpak, whose 4-H market broilers were purchased by North Royalton Mayor Paul Marnecheck.
“We appreciate the support of Mayor Paul Marnecheck, who once again joined the Market Auction as a guest auctioneer for items auctioned to support the Bruce Kucharski Sr. Memorial Scholarship,” said Bruce Kucharski, Homesteader’s Co-Advisor and market auctioneer. The scholarship is awarded yearly to 4-H youth, and this year’s recipients included Natalie Fitzgerald, a 13-year Homesteader’s member and sophomore at Kent State University majoring in criminology and who also is an MSII cadet in the ROTC program.
The Homesteaders earned many of the top spots and blue ribbons for their projects at the 4-H Market Show including: Grand Champion Mini Steer, raised by Benjamin Hechko, and Reserve Champion Mini Steer, raised by Christian Bryk, Alex Hechko, Kayla Kucharski, and Catherine Hechko taking 3rd through 5th places respectively.
The Hechko siblings also swept the top three awards in Market Hog, with Benjamin taking Grand Champion, brother Alex taking Reserve Champion, and sister Catherine taking third place. The siblings all appeared on New Day Cleveland to talk about their longtime involvement in the North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club. Alex credits the 4-H program with not only giving him a lot of opportunity, but teaching him lessons in communication, hard work, and time management, given his other responsibilities and activities, including Boy Scouts and soccer, among other things. Alex rebuilt the 4-H judging dais for his Eagle Scout Project this year, updating the Cow Palace infrastructure, which now features a fresh pine judging dais and repainted backdrop.
“National 4-H data shows that 4-H youth are two times more likely to have the goal of being a leader, three times more likely to participate in community service, and two times more likely to report living life with intentionality and purpose,” said Cuyahoga County 4-H Extension Educator Robin Stone.”Alex’s Eagle Scout project leaves a tremendous impact and a long-lasting legacy on the 4-H program.”
Homesteaders also swept the top five spots in the Market Broiler competition, with Jackson Ungerecht taking Grand Champion, Alex Hechko taking Reserve Champion, and Ben Hechko taking third place. First-time market project participant Dakota Platt took 4th place, and Owen Szpak,fifth place. Jackson Ungerecht also took Grand Champion in Market Duck, with 4-H alum Jacob Durda purchasing them at the market auction.
Local businesses and organizations and individual supporters, like the Durda family, are the backbone of the Market Auction, and include the Cuyahoga County Farm Bureau, which purchased several items at the auction, and also awarded four college scholarships, one of which went to longtime Homesteader Kayla Kucharski, who will be a freshman at The Ohio State University this fall majoring in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. The Cuyahoga County Fair also generously awarded four scholarships, two of which went to NR Homesteaders, one to Kayla Kucharski and the other to Henry Pierce, a sophomore at Purdue University majoring in Biochemistry and a Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Scholar.
Longtime supporters Brecksville Kids Dentistry, Sullivan Orthodontics, and Greystone Veterinary Hospital & Urgent Care came out again to support 4-H projects at the auction, whose sales totaled nearly $60,000. These 4-H projects would not be possible without the longstanding support of these local businesses who support the 4-H Club members each year at the market auction.
One of the largest and hardest 4-H projects to complete in terms of time, cost, and physical size is the steer project; the Grand Champion Steer (Full Size), raised by 4-H member Cooper Kaiser, was purchased by 4-H alum and owner of Greystone Veterinary Hospital & Urgent Care, Dr. Lindsay Kostal, who is donating both her steer and hog purchase to Neighborhood Pets Outreach and Resource Center in Slavic Village.”Supporting and mentoring 4-H youth is crucial to growing both the agriculture industry and veterinary medicine,” said Kostal.”I’d love to see more local businesses out here next year supporting the auction – and the hard work of the 4-H youth who learn responsibility, dedication, and time management with these projects.”
Look for the North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club next month at the Village Green, for the annual City of North Royalton’s Halloween Madness event, Saturday, October 17th from 2-5p.m., where they will have a showcase of their companion animals, including chickens, goats, dogs and more.