Hundreds of Schuylkill County and Pennsylvania 4-H members, along with numerous local, county and state officials, came together yesterday at the Schuylkill County Fair in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Pennsylvania's 4-H program.

"We all have a lot of fun hanging out with each other and competing in many championship shows," said Ben Miller, 11, a fifth-generation West Penn 4-H Club member, as he showed off his heifer cow to fair visitors.Ben's father, Heath, who was a West Penn 4-H Club member for 10 years, said, "Ben really shows pride in his work," describing the tasks involved in taking care of a cow.Heath added that the kids also enjoy competing in national championships.One of the key speakers during the celebration ceremony was Pennsylvania first lady Susan Corbett, wife of Gov. Tom Corbett. She said she was never a 4-H member, but was very aware of them and made numerous visits to the Schuylkill County Fair, which started in 1983.In addition to congratulating the group on its 100 years, Corbett told the crowd, "He (the governor) asked me to tell you how proud he was to sign House Bill 761, which is legislation that eliminates the inheritance tax on family farms and allows farmers to pass their land onto next generations without taxes that require they sell part of their properties. We were very proud to do it. It's a really important part of saving our farms."Other speakers and guests during the celebration were Paul Kennedy, president, Schuylkill County Fair; Zane Schropp, 14, who read a speech detailing various challenges for rural communities; Sen. Dave Argall (R-29), who also presented a Senate Citation to recipient, Rachael Wehr, president, West Penn 4-H Club; Rep. Mike Tobash (R-Schuylkill/Berks), who also presented a House Citation to recipient Madeline Daubert, president, South Schuylkill 4-H Dairy Club; Schuylkill County Commissioners Frank Staudenmeier and George Halcovage; Darla Romberger, Schuylkill County Dairy Princess; Briana Shealer, 4-H educator and youth coordinator for the Penn State Extension; Barron "Boots" Hetherington, special agricultural adviser to Gov. Corbett and many others.Following the celebration ceremony at the fair's M & T stage, 4-H members from various Schuylkill County clubs laughed as they took part in placing toppings on a four-tiered ice cream cake donated by Turkey Hill. In addition, Boyer's Food Markets also donated nine cakes, which were cut up by fair volunteers and local dignitaries following the presentation."We're celebrating 100 years of 4-H in Pennsylvania and Schuylkill County, " said Shealer. "Our theme this year is 'Rural Beginnings and Global Success,' which is what 4-H is all about."The 4-H website stated that during the late 1800s, researchers at public universities saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept the new agricultural discoveries being developed on university campuses. However, they found that young people were open to new thinking and would "experiment" with new ideas and share their experiences and successes with adults. In this way, rural youth programs became an innovative way to introduce new agriculture technology to their communities.The seed of the 4-H idea of practical and "hands-on" learning came from the desire to make public school education more connected to country life. Early programs tied both public and private resources together for the purpose of helping rural youth. Building community clubs to help solve these agricultural challenges was a first step toward youth learning more about the industries in their community.A.B. Graham started one such youth program in Clark County, Ohio, in 1902, which is considered the birth of the 4-H program in the United States. The first club was called "The Tomato Club" or the "Corn Growing Club." T.A. "Dad" Erickson of Douglas County, Minn., started local agricultural after-school clubs and fairs also in 1902. Jessie Field Shambaugh developed the clover pin with an H on each leaf in 1910, and by 1912 they were called 4-H clubs.The website added, "When Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act in 1914 and created the Cooperative Extension System at USDA, it included work of various boys' and girls' clubs involved with agriculture, home economics and related subjects, which effectively nationalized the 4-H organization. By 1924, these clubs became organized as 4-H clubs, and the clover emblem was adopted."Pamphlets given out during the celebration stated that 4-H has grown to become the nation's largest youth development organization. The 4-H idea is simple: help young people and their families gain the skills they need to be proactive forces in their communities' and develop ideas for a more innovative economy.That idea was the catalyst to begin the 4-H movement, and those values continue today. As one of the first youth development organizations in America, 4-H opened the door for young people to learn leadership skills and explore ways to give back. 4-H revolutionized how youth connected to practical, hands-on learning experiences while outside of the classroom."We have approximately 200 members in our 10 clubs; however, we reach more than 2,000 children in our school systems. And without our dedicated leaders, parents and the support system that you see up here on our stage, we would not be here for the past 100 years," Shealer said.Among those in the large crowd were representatives of all Schuylkill County 4-H Clubs, who were proudly holding up banners and wearing their colors."We do community service projects in our clubs. It's one of our goals, and we are doing a service project countywide here at our fair. It's called 'Tying The Generations Together.' Our clubs and our community here at the fair are doing just that at the 4-H Building by tying blankets that we will donate to citizens around the county," Shealer said.For information about the West Penn 4-H Club, visit it on Facebook or via www.4-H.org.