Whitakers make 4-H family project
Four-H is truly a family affair for the Neil and Cathy Whitaker family of Marion. The parents and their three daughters are all intensively and extensively involved in 4-H. This year's Marion County Fair, Aug. 6-9 at Hillsboro, is no exception.
"The whole family has to be involved for the child to succeed, to get anything out of it," said Cathy Whitaker.
She served as a community leader for three years, and has been sewing leader for the past eight years.
Neil was a photography leader in 4-H for years, and also served as a wildlife leader. "He still helps with a lot of things," his wife said.
The family is with the Happy Hustlers 4-H Club of Marion. It has 32 members, "Mostly younger kids," said Megan Whitaker, 17. Megan is currently the club president, and her sister, Katie, 15, is vice president.
Annie Whitaker, 9, is the club's junior recreation leader. "We encourage kids, even older ones, to get into 4-H," said Megan and Cathy Whitaker.
Being in 4-H teaches you patience, Cathy said. Annie said, "the fair is the hardest part. But the Style Revue is the best part."
Her outlook may be a little "biased" on that one point, as she won the grand champion award at last year's Style Revue. Megan and Katie each won a champion award in the Revue.
Megan, a senior-to-be at Marion High School, has been in 4-H nine years. Katie has been in the program for seven years, Annie four years.
Megan said she took a class in photography, so that is now one of her interests and competitive areas at the fair. She also is involved in sewing and foods, about equally between the two.
For the fourth straight year, she will have a booth at the fair on self-determined performing arts. Megan also is involved in leadership studies and training.
Theater is her main interest. She hopes to major in theater studies at Southwestern College in Winfield or at Emporia State University.
One of her fair entries is her golden satin Renaissance prom dress she made for this past spring's MHS Prom.
Her photography entries may include a color photo of sister Katie on vacation at the Badlands, one of her three-year-old second cousin Kayla, one of the fountain in Marion's Central Park, and a still life photo in black and white of eggs in a basket.
Katie will enter an All-American red, white, and blue cookie jar she has made, and a cross-stitch piece that says, "Faith, Family, Freedom, Friends."
Her 4-H interests are crafts, clothing, leadership, foods, and photography.
She will enter a peasant-style blouse, yellow and pink. Crafts are her main project, she said. She also has performed community service projects.
She was an Exploring leader her first year in 4-H, and dealt with cooking and crafts.
Annie is into clothing, foods, crafts, and cats. She has made a ceramic cat to enter at the fair. She has two real cats at home, Little Gray and Buddy.
She is involved in the 4-H Cat Project, which entails caring for, feeding, and playing with one's feline friends. She will have a booth at the fair about this.
Katie Whitaker said, "Four-H gives you a chance to experience a lot of different things. A chance to do community service, too."
Megan Whitaker said, "You get to meet a lot of different people. It makes you expand as a person, learning about them and then you realize, in high school, that you can get (college) scholarships through 4-H."
