— TAHLEQUAH — When JoElla Retherford was growing up, she was active in 4-H, and now, her daughter Katie is enjoying being a part of the organization.

Retherford said Katie, 10, is working on some sewing projects, but is also spending time with her father learning to work with wood.

“Her dad’s a cabinet builder, and she was excited to do some woodworking projects with her daddy,” she said.  

The Retherfords will get a chance to show off their skills at the Cherokee County Fair, set for Sept. 12-15 at the fairgrounds at 16436 U.S. 62.

Cherokee County Extension Educator Heather Winn said patrons will see and experience all the usual sights and events, including the terrapin race and cat and dog shows.

“Saturday is when all of the large livestock is going to be shown, but Friday night is always a busy evening, because we have the dog and cat competition, and the rabbit and poultry show,” Winn said.

Retherford said a big misconception is that 4-H is all about animals.

“There’s so much more to it, including personal development and shooting sports,” she said. “A lot of these projects provide experience that can come in handy. My brother and I were on a meat judging team, and he’s a butcher now at Reasor’s.”

The main fundraiser for 4-H is a steak dinner scheduled for 5 p.m. Sept. 14.

“I think we have 500 steaks,” Winn said. “We want lots of people to come out and support the dinner, because (the money from ticket sales) goes back into our 4-H program to help kids go on trips and do all the things we do with the members the next year.”

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Cherokee County Extension Office, 1440 S. Cherokee, or from any 4-H member.

Visitors to the indoor exhibits will have access to a wide variety of arts and crafts, and everyone is welcome to participate in the free competitions.

“We always have some wonderful photography exhibits, and anyone can enter the fair,” Winn said. “It doesn’t cost anything to enter, and you don’t have to be a 4-H or FFA member to participate. There is an open class they can enter. And the dog and cat shows can include anybody who would like to bring their pet out.”

Oklahoma Home and Community Education member and fair volunteer Glenda McCollum, who is also a member of Aprons and Lace HCE club, has about 40 entries for the fair.

“Most of my entries pertain to clothing construction or sewing, or some type of quilting,” she said. “This will probably be my 40th or 41st year to be in the fair.”

Rob W. Anderson writes for the Tahlequah Daily Press.