The Penn State Cooperative Extension Office in Carbon County recently held its annual holiday ornament contest for 4-H members.

Georgia Farrow, program assistant and youth development/4-H, said this is the 12th year the extension has held the contest.She noted that one of the reasons the extension office sponsors the annual contest is to bring awareness to the Christmas tree industry, which is one of the leading agricultural industries in the county.Ornaments that were submitted by the 4-Hers are currently on display on a Christmas tree, donated by Yenser's Christmas Tree Farm, in the Penn State office, located along Lentz Trail in Jim Thorpe.Criteria for entries include that all ornaments must be handmade by the 4-H member and depict a 4-H project theme. Ornaments must be no larger than four-inch by four-inch, and are judged on creativity and originality.The winners for this year's contest were announced in two levels: beginner level (8-12 years old) and intermediate level (13-16 years old).Winners include, beginner level: Lynea Reiner, Weatherly, first; Alianna Hernandez, Weatherly, second; and Shayla Conner, Lehighton, third. Alex Hawk, Lehighton; Clara Modica, Saylorsburg; and Abigail Hernandez, Weatherly, recieved honorable mentions.In the intermediate level, winners were: Jacqueline Malloy, Lehighton, first; Brandon Ruch, Lehighton, second; and Kaitlyn Conner, Lehighton, third.Penn State Cooperative Extension is a community-oriented educational organization that provides programs such as the 4-H program, in which children and teens up to age 18 can learn about a variety of topics from sewing and basket-making to traveling and agriculture while building a strong social network.For more information, contact the cooperative extension office at (570) 325-2788 or email

gaf4@psu.edu.