Crook County 4-Hers earn ribbons at FCS Show

The 58th Annual Western Family and Consumer Science Show was held at the Central States Fairgrounds in Rapid City. While this is called a show, it consists of various contests for developing life skills that 4-Hers, youth and adults may participate in. It runs in conjunction with the Western Junior Livestock Show.

The 2020 FCS Show had 175 contestants with over 450 entries. The contestants came from South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana.

Crook County participants earning ribbons were: Liberty Cook (Junior) – Produce, Skill-A-Thon, blue; Kellie Phillips (Junior) – Dress Revue, purple, Dress Revue, purple; Pete Hlavka (Adult) – Top Adult in Meat Identification, purple; Kathy Olson (Adult) – Meat ID, blue.

The show is volunteer-run by a group of people from South Dakota and Wyoming. The contests are bread baking, meat identification, family life photo, scrapbook pages, home living, place setting, fashion revue both sewn and purchased, public presentation, ingredient measuring, Family and Consumer Sciences judging, Produce ID and judging and a Family and Consumer Sciences Skill-a Thon.

The public viewed the exhibits after many contests and the Saturday contests were followed by an honoree tea, public fashion show and awards presentation. 

This year the Board of Directors of the Western Family and Consumer Sciences Show recognized as their honoree, the Leddy Family of Stockhom, SD. Donnie and Krecia attended the honoree tea.

The three children of the family, Kiera, Kadon and Korbin competed in both the Livestock and Family and Consumer Sciences Show in many, many areas. They are now in college and high school.

Krecia addressed the audience and stressed how much the show had helped her children and the special friendships and bonds that continue with volunteers of the shows. The family has been supportive of the show by contributing both items and money to the Silent Auction and their family business, The Cattle Business Weekly has promoted and encouraged many to participate in the show.

Nate Anderson, Sturgis also addressed the audience at the awards presentation as he told about the Denver trip that he was lucky enough to have won for his participation in the show. Nate used his public speaking and former modeling skills to encourage younger members to work hard so they could win the trip. Nate is a student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where he is studying to be a bio-medical engineer.

The Western Junior Home Economics Show, which is now referred to as the Western Family and Consumer Sciences Show, was started in 1962 as a companion show to the Western Junior Livestock Show, which was 25 years old at the time. The first contests were a Dairy Food Demonstration and Dress Revue.

It has grown with the help of 4-Hers, parents, Extension personnel and volunteers to be a two-day show participated in by youth and adults from many states. Likewise, many people have been donors who have helped provide funding for the annual show.