The 2026 4-H project exhibits were on display July 20-23 at the Pendleton General Services Center in Franklin and at the Tri-County Fair in Petersburg. All the blue-ribbon projects will be on display Aug. 13-22 at the State Fair of West Virginia in Lewisburg.
Thirty purple ribbons were awarded to the 4-H’ers with the highest blue-ribbon scores above 95 points in each project category. Two blue ribbons were awarded to projects with scores between 90 and 95 points.
Seven projects with scores between 80 and 89 points received red ribbons. Three white ribbons were given to members with project scores between 70 and 79 points.
Twenty 4-H’ers are enrolled in beef, goat, sheep, swine, and horse projects and will complete record guides after they have shown or sold their animal. Seventeen green Cloverbud ribbons were awarded to Cloverbuds for project completion. To complete a project, a 4-H’er must complete the project book, make an exhibit, and fill out an activity record form.
School enrichment displays were also added to the exhibit room this year, including more than 200 exhibits from Franklin Elementary, North Fork Elementary, and Brandywine Elementary. Students at each school completed 4-H projects through a monthly classroom visit from Brook Alt, 4-H extension agent, that covered the following topics: STEM Exploration, Cloverbud 4-H, This Is 4-H, Know Your State, Ag in the Classroom, and Seeing Yourself in the Future. Exhibits from students in third through sixth grade will also be on display at the State Fair of West Virginia in the 4-H exhibit building.
In addition to ribbons, 4-H’ers receive premium money for their efforts in completing projects. Four-H’ers will receive $4 for each purple and blue ribbon, $3 for each red ribbon, $2 for each white ribbon, and $2 for each Cloverbud ribbon on the county level and from the Tri-County Fair. All projects receiving blue ribbons and exhibited at the state fair receive $3.50.
Best of show winners for Pendleton County 4-H at the Tri-County Fair included Jonah Seymour from the Deer Run Pioneers Club (This Is 4-H), Alex Adams from the Franklin Mountaineers Club (spring wildflowers), Bella Hoover from the Upper Tract Producers Club (Here’s the Beef), Everett Boner from the Upper Tract Producers Club (teaming with insects), Jax Bennett from the North Fork 4-H Club (science fun with physics), Easton Boner from the Upper Tract Producers Club (tractor operations), Ross Pownell from the Franklin Mountaineers Club (Know Your State), Branson Smith from the Upper Tract Producers Club (potatoes) and Tori Heavner from the North Fork 4-H Club (self-determined).
The People’s Choice Award, which is voted on by the visitors to the exhibits, was awarded to Connor Raines from the Upper Tract Producers 4-H Club for a self-determined project.
