4-H Youth the Foundation of Indiana State Fair

When you visit the Indiana State Fair, you can almost get overwhelmed by the amount of things to do. You can eat your way around the fair with food stops all around the track, find games to ride or play like putt-putt in the FFA Pavilion, shop in the Mercantile Building, and much more! What we can’t forget is that the fair is about much more than that- it’s about the kids!

“It is about the 191,000 4-Hers that we have across the state,” says Dr. Casey Mull, Purdue Extension Assistant Director and Program Leader for 4-H Youth Development. “This is the biggest celebration of the year of their achievements, of their accomplishments, that they’ve had learning through their 4-H programing throughout the year.”

For those unfamiliar with 4-H, they might think it’s just about livestock. While that’s a big part of 4-H, it’s not the only way to get involved.

“Whether it’s that youngest 4-Her in the 3rd grade that may be accomplishing standing up in front of a group of their peers to give a demonstration for the first time, or whether it’s that young person that is in their 10th year of 4-H and has a championship animal on the dirt. We’re going to be celebrating all of them throughout the fair.”

4-H is working to get today’s youth “Beyond Ready” for what comes next, whether that’s college, the workforce, or military service. Mull says they have big goals for increased participation.

“We currently have about 6 million youth involved in the 4-H program nationwide and by 2030 we want 10 million young people that are beyond ready to take on whatever is going to be facing them and facing our communities across the world.”

Mull encourages fairgoers to visit the 4-H Exhibit Hall on the northwest side of the fairgrounds as well as the livestock barns. The Indiana State Fair runs through August 17th and is closed on Mondays.