Sixty-nine White County 4-H members competed in the 4-H Talent and Fashion Revue that was held April 11 at the White County Central School Auditorium. In the talent portion of the competition, 4-H’ers could enter in the instrumental, vocal or dance category. There were a total of 34 4-H’ers who entered the talent category. Winners of the instrumental were: Juniors: 1st Place - Meredith Williams, 2nd Place - Elisha Holst, 3rd Place - Emma Williams, 4th Place - Bethany Runyan, and 5th Place - David Brister. Ben Williams received 1st Place in the senior division. Contestants were judged on technique, quality of sound, interpretation, stage presence, and degree of difficulty, among various other areas.

Junior winners of in the vocal division were: 1st Place - Cassidy Brewster, 2nd Place - Caeley Minard, 3rd Place (tie) - Carrigan Seibert and Anna Ireland, 4th Place - Sarah Brister, and 5th Place - Ananda Holt. In the senior division, Amari Holt placed 1st, and 2nd Place went to Kayla Waller and Katy Cross in a tie. In the dance division, Carly Jackson received 1st Place, Katlynn Burchfield and Haylee Hamby received 2nd Place (tie), and Tori Lovelady and Madi Claire Jackson received 3rd Place (tie). There was also a noncompetitive division for Cloverbuds, who are 4-H’ers between the ages of 5 and 8.

A total of 35 4-H’ers that participated in the Fashion Revue. There were several different divisions in which youth could participate. They included purchased casual, purchased dressy, constructed casual, and constructed dressy. Participants were judged on such things as knowledge of fiber and fabric characteristics, uses, care, and ability to evaluate the garment quality, appearance, fit, and fashionability.

Winners of each category were: Junior Purchased Casual: 1st Place - Stephanie Williams, 2nd Place - Malisa Thompson, 3rd Place - Tori Lovelady , 4th Place - Brandon Altom , and 5th Place - Kaeli Sutter. In the senior division, Ben Williams placed first.

Winners of the Junior Purchased Dressy were: 1st Place - Emma Williams, 2nd Place - Meredith Williams, 3rd Place - Elisha Holst, 4th Place - Ananda Holt, and 5th Place - Madison Powell. In the senior division, Shuyler Breckenridge won first place.

Winners of the Junior Constructed Casual were: 1st Place - Carly Jackson and 2nd Place - Sarah Brister. Junior Constructed Dressy winners were: 1st Place - Madi Claire Jackson, 2nd Place - Taylor Harrell, 3rd Place - Grace Burr, and 4th Place was Savannah Runyan.

The top five winners in each category received ribbons.

The BBQ Broiler contest is another exciting 4-H competition. It was held Saturday March 29 at the White County Fairgrounds. Junior and Senior 4-H’ers each received a whole chicken that had been split. They barbequed each half and then turned in the best of the two for judging. They were judged on their equipment, how they started their fire, controlling their fire, timing, appearance of finished chicken, and doneness. The top five winners will go on to compete at the District BBQ Broiler contest April 28 at Batesville.

There were 13 White County 4-H’ers that participated. The top five winners were 1st Place - Monica Kidd and Barbara King (tie), 2nd Place - Brandon Altom, 3rd Place - Stephanie Williams, 4th Place - Dale Pillow, and 5th Place was Katlynn Burchfield.

These are just three of the eight county competitions that give White County 4-H’ers an opportunity to compete. The White County 4-H program offers many opportunities for young people to participate in that are fun yet educational. Arkansas 4-H is open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 19 without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability, or any other legally protected status.

For more information on 4-H in White County, contact the University of Arkansas White County Cooperative Extension Service at 501-268-5394 or 1-800-467-8166. The Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.