Area residents found success again at this year’s Wright County Fair, with both youth and adults receiving awards and bragging rights.

 

Members of the Northern Peak 4-H club brought home a number of ribbons.

 

Josie Wagner received grand champion in interpretive reading, in which she read the first chapter of The Book Thief by Mark Zusak. She received a blue with her chocolate chocolate chip muffins and a blue in aerospace with a model rocket.

 

“It was only the second model rocket I’ve ever built,” said Wagner. “I’ve never been in that category before.”

 

She also received a participation award in showmanship for her California White chickens and a blue in white egg layers. It was her first time showing in poultry.

 

Isaac Wagner received a red in vegetable garden, where he showed carrots, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, cabbage and broccoli, and an honorable mention for his red sauerkraut. He also received a red in breeding pen with his Speckled Sussex chickens, a red in brown egg layers and a participation award for showmanship.

 

His brother, Cameron Wagner, received a red in vegetable gardening, red in brown egg layers with his Red Stars chickens and a participation award in showmanship.

 

Kiley O’Koneck won a blue ribbon in the horseless horse category with an interactive question and answer display she created, a blue on a photograph of her sister and a red on her lake photo. She also received a red on a cloth purse she sewed.

 

“I think I did pretty good,” said O’Koneck. “It was the first time I had ever sewed.”

 

Her brother, Elijah O’Koneck, brought home reserve champion for his model rocket in the aerospace category, and a blue and an honorable mention in the self-determination category with an old banana seat bike he refurnished. It was his first year bringing projects to the fair.

 

“I thought it was a cool bike and my dad gave me the idea of refurnishing it,” he said. “I sanded it, took it all apart, greased the chain, painted it, reupholstered the seat and put it back together.”

 

It was also Nick Olson’s first year bringing a project to the fair and he received a blue with his maple syrup tapping demonstration. Along with explaining the process he used a tree stump, bucket and hoses to illustrate the process.

 

“I was kind of nervous, but once I got done I was fine,” he said. “The judge had done maple syrup tapping when he was young too.”

 

Two more first time participants were Macie and Eli Groth. Macie received a blue in citizenship with the Tennessee state float she created and a red for her photograph of roses.

 

“I felt pretty good about them,” she said of her presentations. “The judge of my float asked about adding more detail which I though was surprising.”

 

As a Cloverbud, Eli Groth received participation ribbons for his two entries, a photograph of sea otters at the MN Zoo and his Can’t Leave Alone bars, which was the first time he’d made them.

 

Kallie Sylvester, a member of the Kicking Clovers 4-H club, received blues in each event she competed in. On Logan, a pleasure horse, she participated in showmanship, (which she also received reserve grand champion in) western pleasure, western horsemanship, English pleasure and English equestrian and trails.

 

On another horse, Bugs, she competed in barrels, pole weaving, jumping figure eight and key race.

 

“I’m looking forward to the state fair,” she said. “I want to say thanks to my parents for supporting me and to my trainer, Mallory Storm.”

 

In the adult categories Regina Coehn won a number of ribbons, including a blue in the advanced dried wreath category with a wall hanging she crafted, a blue with her grape vine wreath and a red for a second wreath. 

 

In embroidery she received a blue and a red on her pillowcases and a blue and a white on her dish towels. 

 

She also received a red for her slicer pickles, and in vegetables she won blues on her broccoli, rhubarb and white onions, and reds on her green peppers, banana peppers, beets and white grapes.

 

Father Dennis Backer entered a number of his homemade jams in the canned and preserved foods category again this year.

 

“My strawberry and strawberry rhubarb both took blue ribbons,” he said. “My blueberry and wild raspberry took red, and my carrot cake jam didn’t place at all, which was the first time I haven’t received a ribbon on one of my jams.”