42 4-H, FFA members take home top awards
Gracyn Archuleta, 10, models her hand-painted upcycled clothing in the 4-H fashion revue last week during the La Plata County Fair. Gracyn won grand champion in the junior artistic style in “Upcycle Your Style” contest. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)
The 2021 La Plata County Fair is over, but 42 young people walked away with top awards for their hard work.
The seven-day event includes dozens of competitions and community events, including auctions, dances and barbecues. Each year, members of La Plata County 4-H and FFA work on craft and livestock projects to present at the fair competitions for prizes.
Here is the list of grand champion winners for 2021:
- Adam Harris, intermediate filmmaking.
- Aspen Bumgarner, breeding goat.
- Aspen Bumgarner, market goat.
- Benjamin Elliott, foods and nutrition in Cooking 301, Unit 3, Senior.
- Bennett Esterday, gardening.
- Brianna Greer, junior clothing construction, STEAM 2.
- Bristol Lesky, breeding beef.
- Bristol Lesky, market beef.
- Brooke Cronister, beekeepers.
- Cheyanne Ford, visual arts in Level 2, Portfolio Pathways, Senior.
- Cole Wagner, intermediate welding.
- Delilah Peine, photography in Level 1.
- Evvy Hansen, dairy goat.
- Grace Howell, single market turkey.
- Grace Howell, turkey market pen.
- Grace Howell, market pen.
- Grace Howell, grand champion of show.
- Grace Howell, poultry.
- Gracyn Archuleta, junior artistic style in “Upcycle Your Style” contest.
- Hailey Jahnke, waterfowl.
- Hailey Jahnke, bantam.
- Isaac Greer, model rocketry in Unit 6.
- Joslynn Hatcher, market swine.
- Kayden Halls, market goat showmanship, junior.
- EDITKimber Hatcher, market sheep.END
- Kylee Cheese, market goat showmanship, intermediate.
- Lanston Howard, shooting sports, shotgun.
- Lauren McCourt, computers.
- Leia Albrecht, heritage arts in Unit 2, Knitting, Senior.
- Liam Moore, robotics.
- Nathan Greer, intermediate leathercraft in Unit 10.
- Paige Smith, foods and nutrition in Cooking 101, Unit 1.
- Raymond Davis, cake decorating in Unit 6.
- Shane Elworthy, foods and nutrition in Food Preservation, Unit 41 Freezing, Intermediate.
- Shaylee Owen, self-determined projects.
- Shaylee Owen, self-determined projects, County, Senior.
- Somona McCaw, meat pen.
- Tanley Howard, companion animal/pet project.
- Tenley Haddon, market sheep.Truman Lee, woodworking.
- Veronica Brown, outdoor adventures in Unit 1.
- Violet Mazenko, market goat showmanship senior.
- Zane Esterday, foods and nutrition in Cooking 201, Unit 2, Junior.
This story has been updated with the correct grand champion winner for the market sheep competition, Kimber Hatcher. Incorrect information was given to The Durango Herald.
"Puzzled at the Parking Meter" won a first place ribbon and was the reserve champion in the photo competition at the 2021 La Plata County Fair. Waldemar Winkler said he was walking downtown near the train station when he saw the couple trying to figure out the parking meter. "It was one of those quick shots," he said. "They were clearly tourists, but even I get totally puzzled sometimes when I look at our parking meters. It's like, how has this changed." (Courtesy of Waldemar Winkler)
