Hello! My name is Riley Hampton. This summer I served as the 4-H Intern for Oregon State Extension in Umatilla County. I am super grateful for my time working with OSU Extension this year. This summer has been full of amazing and fun work.
This summer internship was bookended by two fairs. At the beginning of the summer, I was able to help with our very first pre-fair, where exhibitors were able to compete in food contests, public speaking, fashion revue and more. This, being the first pre-fair for Umatilla County, was a learning experience for all and I am very proud of how it turned out.
During the week of pre-fair, I was able to lead Cloverbud Camp, a day camp for young 4-H members. The activities I designed were made with learning and doing in mind. Cloverbuds learned about plants and plant care while taking home their very own hanging plant. They learned about soil profiles at snack time, participated in a science experiment that resulted in their very own lava lamp and they created art that they were then able to turn into fair. Overall, I am very proud of my work with pre-fair and Cloverbud Camp.
With pre-fair over, focus now shifted to the Umatilla County Fair. But before we could devote too much time to the week, there were a few more competitions that needed our attention. After nine years of being an active 4-H member, this was my first year ever seeing 4-H dog show, horse showmanship and shooting sports!
Now, finally, the big one. Umatilla County Fair took place publicly from August 7th to the 10th. However, the fair truly began far before the 7th. Throughout the week, I strove to help in any way I could. This allowed me to really see what it takes to run a fair after participating in them for so long. I have a newfound respect for all those who understand the work it takes to organize an event of this size.
Genuinely, this summer has been amazing. I have had such a good time working as an OSU Extension Intern and I hope to continue this experience in the years to come. So, goodbye for now, and happy end-of-summer to all!