STAFF REPORT :::
Spalding County 4-H members on Nov. 9, participated in the Food Showcase competition at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton.
The nine local participants practiced weekly since the summer to gain knowledge in food safety, health, nutrition, My Plate and serving sizes. They joined 80 4-H members from across the state in event competitions including Food Challenge, Egg Prep, Turkey Barbecue and Chicken Barbecue, working to become Master 4-H’ers, which is the highest honor in 4-H.
During the competition, participants prepared food based on contest rules and guidelines, and gave an oral presentation of their recipe and preparation of their dish.
Spalding County individual participants included Clair Knapp in Junior Egg Prep, Heather Dorn in Senior Egg Prep, Kaylee Collins in Chicken Barbecue and Gabriel Whitlock in Turkey Barbecue.
For Food Showcase Teams, the participants included Jhaycee Barnes, Kaylee Collins, Heather Dorn and Hope Stewart on one team, and Marcoiya Sutton, Elyce Wages, Gabriel Whitlock, and Kaley Wilder on a second team.
The Spalding County 4-H staff said everyone who participated did a wonderful job and gave it their all and is proud of the hard work and dedication the participants gave throughout practices and competition.
Junior 4-Her Clair Knapp placed second in the Egg Prep contest. Kaylee Collins and Gabriel Whitlock placed first in their respective contests, Chicken Barbecue and Turkey Barbecue, making them state winners and Master 4-H’ers.
This recognition also earned them a trip to the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference later in November in Lousiville, Ky., to compete against state winners across the nation.
Special appreciation was extended to 4-H Program Assistant Rebekah Hanson for coaching the participants and Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Cindee Sweda for assisting with nutrition and food safety practices.
For more information on 4-H, please contact Spalding County Extension at 770.467.4225, email uge2255@uga.edu or visit http://www.ugaextension.org/spalding.
