7,000 Exhibits

It is a cloudy, wet morning here in northeast Indiana. The rain forecasts were mostly correct — we received about an inch overnight. As I walked through the landscaping this morning with my coffee, you could see the plants bursting from the rain. The flowers seemed more vibrant. While sipping my coffee and enjoying the colors, I went through the list of things we need to finish today in preparation for this year's county fair, and I found myself thinking about the challenges 4-H and other organizations face.

Our county 4-H started a Flashback Friday where they post newspaper clippings from the past about 4-H or the Allen County 4-H Fair on social media. A few weeks ago the flashback was to 1967 with the headline: 7,000 Exhibits Ready For Fair Opening Today.

That headline hit me — hit me hard — on Saturday when I was helping enter my son's projects for judging, because the tables and racks in the building were bare, spread out to give the impression of being full.

My wife and I talked about the drop in enrollment in 4-H and Boy Scouts afterward. She said more people are involved in sports and travel teams. That got me thinking about the carrot at the end of the stick.

The carrot in sports, for many, is a college scholarship and fame.

The carrot in 4-H and Boy Scouts is preparing you for life and making you a better citizen.

Back when that headline in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette celebrated 7,000 entries, the carrot of becoming a better person through practical lessons resonated. Learning to Make the Best Better — through baking, photography, sewing, livestock, and dozens of other projects — resonated with youth because it would help them function in the world. The same was true in Boy Scouts.

Both sports and 4-H teach teamwork, goal-setting, and how to handle wins and losses. But after that, the paths diverge. Sports replaces those shared lessons with the promise of victory and the faint shimmer of fame. 4-H and Boy Scouts replace them with something quieter — the mundane, durable skills that let a person actually show up in life.

I often hear adults say, "Kids these days…" followed by some complaint about eroded skills or morals. But should we be surprised when enrollment in the activities that build those skills has fallen dramatically?

My children are third-generation 10-year 4-H'ers and second-generation Eagle Scouts. I hope my grandchildren make it four generations. I do hope the lessons I learned, and that my children learned, find their way into the next generation — not through programs or enrollment numbers, but through the quiet example of people who still believe that making the best better is worth the work.