Sanders County 4-H members returned to the fair after an uncertain year due to implications of COVID-19. While the livestock auction took place last year, many 4-H members missed out on the social aspect of the event.

As you make your way into the rabbit and poultry section and hear the all too familiar sound of a rooster showing off and chicks chirping away, on the other side are the rabbit entries.

Juli Thurston, MSU Extension Agent for Sanders County, said while the number of 4-H exhibitors is down this year, enrollment is steady. "I can't pinpoint a reason why the numbers are down this year," she said. "Sometimes summer can just get away from you but we have new members and new cloverbuds this year, so it's looking promising."

Vanessa Horner, who has been a 4-H member for the last eight years, entered three of her rabbits into this year's show.

"It's relieving to be back after not being here last year," she said. "I love showing my rabbits and not being able to do that just felt weird."

Sisters Kendall and Cooper Spurr, with their rabbits Mya and Tiana, competed and placed in this year's show. Cooper's father, Steve, said she placed first in interview and showmanship. "She was also named reserve champion for her poultry entries," he said. "Kendall started as a cloverbud this year and she also has chickens entered in open class."

Spurr said he noticed numbers were down for rabbit and poultry entries as well, saying the uncertainty of the fair possibly being canceled again this year may have caused 4-H members to not want to participate.

Swine Barn Superintendent Ryan Burk said hog entries were down as well. "We have 33 hogs this year," Burk said. "Usually, the numbers are around 46 or 47."

Burk said the low numbers can't be fully attributed to COVID as he says sometimes the numbers are just down some years. "That kids are still doing their thing though and we haven't had any kind of issues," he said.

"I'm excited to be back," said South Side Sparks 4-H member Mikiah Cook, standing beside her pig Achan. "It's a little weird being back and not always remembering what's going on, but it's been great."