Fairfax County Holds 4-H Fair & Carnival
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Fairfax County Holds 4-H Fair & Carnival

Liam Sloan, 8, of Arlington, gently picks up a Barred Rock peep to help visitors get a closer look of the baby chick display Aug. 6 at Frying Pan Park. His mom participated in the club as a kid and claims her 4-H buddies have become doctors, lawyers, veterinarians. She says 4-H teaches kids “they can change the world.”

Liam Sloan, 8, of Arlington, gently picks up a Barred Rock peep to help visitors get a closer look of the baby chick display Aug. 6 at Frying Pan Park. His mom participated in the club as a kid and claims her 4-H buddies have become doctors, lawyers, veterinarians. She says 4-H teaches kids “they can change the world.” Photo by Marti Moore/The Connection

By Marti Moore

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

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Photo by Marti Moore/The Connection

Scott Nuzum, 35, of Fairfax stands nearly 6-feet tall against tall corn Sunday morning and shows his toddler, Sylvia, where corn on the cob comes from in a garden next to the Kidwell farm house at the 135-acre Frying Pan Park in Herndon.

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Photo by Marti Moore/The Connection

Alina Ampeh, a rising sophomore at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, says her Norwegian Fjord is a draft horse and the “oldest pure breed in the world.” She said the breed was depicted in the popular 2013 Disney movie “Frozen.” She shared her horse Sunday with other riders of the Virginia Trotters 4-H Club at equine demonstrations in the lower ring at Frying Pan Farm Park.

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Photo by Marti Moore/The Connection

Terry Downs of Fairfax helps his neighborhood environmental group and signs a petition to protect the Shenandoah salamander, an endangered species at both state and federal levels. The Salamander Savers 4-H Club is lobbying the Virginia General Assembly to name the Shenandoah salamander as the state amphibian. The group collected 50 signatures at their exhibit last weekend at the 69th annual 4-H Fair & Carnival.

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Photo by Marti Moore/The Connection

This year’s 4-H King, Daniel Wisdom of Falls Church, greets visitors Sunday in a building that housed prize-winning exhibits at Frying Pan Park. He holds an 8-week-old bard rock hen named Eliza that may start laying eggs within six months. Wisdom, 16, says he has participated in 4-H projects half his life.

Children of all ages were delighted by the sights and sounds of farm animals, amusement rides, live music, big trucks and tractor pulls last weekend at the 69th annual Fairfax County 4-H Fair & Carnival. The event was held Aug. 3-6 in the historic Frying Pan Farm Park at 2709 West Ox Road and showcased the hard work of county youth, who studied various subjects in detail — from agriculture to photography — and competed for ribbons and cash prizes in at least 18 categories.

Retired elementary school teacher JoEllen Frasch has served as a judge at this fair for 11 years and says 4-H stands for “head, heart, hands and health.” She explains this youth development organization helps children use these four tools to help better their communities.

Frasch takes pride in the fact a former student of hers at the Oak Hill Elementary School is a paid farmer at Frying Pan, attends college at Virginia Tech and plans to pursue a graduate degree in veterinary medicine.

The farm works with 4-H clubs to preserve this living history park and show how a Fairfax County farm looked almost 100 years ago.

Concession stands in the food court featured the standard festival fare of hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes plus Southern fried fish — Carolina style — by the James family of Aldie. Snow cones and a lemonade stand with fresh fruit helped visitors cope with summer heat.

Check out the local 4-H scene at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.

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