4H award ideas

[diamonddls]

New the awards committee at our local club. Looking for some suggestions of awards/gifts. Budget friendly ideas are a bonus. Looking for fun and unique ideas.

 

[I hate heifers]

I have been doing this for several years for our County Fair.  I always try to find something they can use, not just display.  If you have someone local that will make items, that is always good.  Metal cut-outs, picture frames, embroidery, etc...and they will often do it for little to no cost since it is for 4-H.

 

[oakview]

The useful stuff is fine and greatly appreciated, but I still remember the first trophy I won almost 50 years ago.  Actually there were two that year, champion heifer and champion steer.  My kids remember the first trophies they won, and the cattle.  (they also remember the lambs, though perhaps not as fondly!)  Now it's the grand kids turn.  Grandson Ben had the champion Shorthorn heifer at the county fair his first year.  He put it on top of their TV entertainment center that afternoon.  When they returned home from the fair at night, he walked in the door, looked at the trophy on display, and proudly said, "There it is!"  The grand kids put a lot of work into it and they should feel proud of their accomplishments. 

The Iowa Shorthorn Association presents awards at our annual banquet in recognition of champion steers and heifers at any county fair in Iowa.  Awards might include show sticks, show halters, lots of possibilities.  This is a highlight of the year for a lot of those kids  (a great idea for the Shorthorn Association, too) and is greatly appreciated.  I still remember the first baseball uniform I got when I made the County League team.  I still remember the first basketball suit I got when I made the high school team.  I still remember the silver trays I won when I had Iowa Champion bulls at the state fair.  But I still remember Oakview Augusta's Secret and the first trophy I received most of all.