As Lorain County 4-H prepares for its time in the spotlight at the Lorain County Fair, Minnie Taylor wants to use the opportunity to remind people that 4-H is about a lot more than the fair.

Taylor, extension educator for 4-H youth development at the Ohio State University Extension in Carlisle Township, wants to spread the word that 4-H is for everyone — you don’t have to live on a farm or even have a garden.

In fact, the newest of Lorain County 4-H’s 88 chapters is based at Harrison Cultural Community Centre in urban Lorain.

“In that area there’s not a lot of afterschool activities, so they need a central place that they can go to,” Taylor said.

At Harrison they’ve already started a vegetable garden, but 4-H’s offerings aren’t limited to agriculture. There are more than 300 4-H programs, and they range from the traditional to areas like photography, public speaking, creative writing, parliamentary procedures and cake decorating.

Minnie Taylor gets ready for the Lorain County Fair in her office at the OSU Extension in Carlisle Township. (Photo by Rona Proudfoot, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

4-H also takes science programs into schools, operates a teenage driving program in conjunction with the court system, holds Youth Government Day during which members spend the day in county offices and sends a delegation to Washington, D.C., each year to see the federal government in action.

“It’s really about life skills, making the best with what you have and setting goals for yourself,” Taylor said.

That’s what’s laid out in the 4-H creed, “to become a useful citizen” by training the head, heart, hand and health — the four H’s.

Membership numbers have remained relatively unchanged in recent years, according to Taylor, but she points to the recession as a reason to get involved — 4-H is free.

4-H members participating in the fair have been working on their projects for nearly a year.

“As soon as fair’s over, they take a break, and then they get right back into it” in September or November, Taylor said.

As the fair nears, 4-H members and volunteers are busy with “the logistical, behind-the-scenes type things which the fairgoer doesn’t see,” such as getting judges lined up and coordinating the trophies, plaques and prize money for each show.

Asked what this year’s fair will hold, “hopefully great weather — that’s the number one thing,” Taylor said.

She’s looking forward to the watermelon- and pie-eating contests. The watermelon-eating contest was a big hit in its first year last year.

“We thought that the kids would have a ball, but the adults really got into it,” Taylor said. “We had more adult men want to be a part of that.”

There will also be a walking contest. Fairgoers who get stamps at enough participating booths — which requires them to walk extensively around the fairgrounds —will receive a free bottle of water from 4-H and the Lorain County General Health District.

“(The purpose is) making people walk and think about it,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to teach nutrition and the value of staying healthy and exercise.”

And don’t forget about 4-H once the fair fun winds down, Taylor said. Anyone interested in par-ticipating in 4-H can find a group through their school, church or community center or can contact the OSU Extension at (440) 326-5851.

“We cross denominations and racial lines. There’s something for everyone in the 4-H program,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of richness in the traditional 4-H program. Being able to care for some-thing else other than yourself, to care for an animal, whether it’s a dog project or a cow or goat. Then there’re other opportunities for kids who don’t have the opportunity or the land to be able to show livestock.”

Taylor has high hopes for that new 4-H chapter in Lorain.

“When we look at the statistics in the paper about the things that kids are getting into, all the ruckus in Lorain with teens, I think structured activities such as the 4-H program offering a variety of opportunities for kids is something that’s very needed now even more than ever,” she said. “If they don’t have anything to do, they’ll find their own.”

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.

WELLINGTON — The county’s 4-H clubs are once again elevating trash to art.

The annual trash barrel painting contest gives the otherwise mundane barrels fairgoers will pitch their garbage into a bit of life and also conveys a message.

This year’s theme, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” is part of the contest’s ongoing theme of protecting the environment, said Maggie Kelch, spokeswoman for Ross Environmental Services, which spon-sors the contest with the Lorain County Solid Waste Management District.

“We supply the trash barrels at the fairgrounds and do this contest as an education program for the kids,” she said.

But fair President Brian Twining said the fair remains woefully behind in offering recycling for those who are looking to get rid of their waste while attending the fair.

“It isn’t where it should be,” he said.

The fair has a few scattered recycling containers but has never really had much success with the program, he said.

“Everyone thought it was just a garbage can, and it hasn’t really progressed,” Twining said.

It’s an issue Twining said the fair board will likely revisit for next year’s fair.

For this year’s barrel painting contest, there were 31 entries from 18 4-H clubs that were judged for their neatness, creativity and conformity to the theme, according to a news release announcing the winners.

The nine winning entries will be on display at the Junior Fair barn throughout the fair. The rest will be scattered around the fairgrounds.

“We were very impressed with the artistic talent and creativity of the 4-H clubs who entered the contest,” said Sally Pecora, project manager for the Solid Waste District. “Choosing the winners was a challenging task for the judges.”

In the 5- to 8-year-old category, winners were Brownhelm Perfection, first place; Big Dogs, second place; and Blue Ribbon Buddies, third place.

In the 9- to 12-year-old category, winners were Bits & Spurs, first place; Sunset Riders, second place; and Brighton Buckeyes, third place.

In the 13- to 18-year-old category, winners were Brownhelm Perfection, first place; Another 4-H Club, second place; and Columbia Cisco Kids, third place.

First-place winners will receive a $75 prize, while second-place finishers will receive $50 and third-place finishers will get $25.

The prize money and ribbons will be awarded on Junior Fair night on Aug. 27.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

LORAIN — A fire this morning at a South Lorain duplex has forced a man from his home.

A neighbor called shortly after 9 a.m. to report smoke coming from the home, on East 32nd Street just west of Pearl Avenue.

Another neighbor, Gabriella Rodriguez, 13, said she was at her grandmother’s house across the street when she smelled smoke. Gabriella said she went outside as firefighters were arriving and saw flames when they opened the door.

The fire, which was electrical, started in the first-floor living room of 1764 E. 32nd, according to Lorain Fire Capt. Jeff Fenn. The fire likely originated with an extension cord, which caught the living room contents, including carpet, newspapers and other items, on fire, Fenn said. Smoke filled the home’s second and third floors, and firefighters had to break out most of the unit’s windows, according to Fenn.

.

The home’s other unit, 1766, which was unoccupied, sustained smoke damage as well, Fenn said.

Fenn estimated damage at $15,000.

Neighbors said the occupant of 1764 had the left the home about a half-hour before they spotted smoke. Fenn said the occupant, who is owner of the duplex, returned to the home while firefighters were there and “was pretty shocked.”

“He took a lot of pride in his property and was taken back by loss,” Fenn said, but he said he has insurance.

The owner of the home is Cornejo Hilario, according to the Lorain County auditor’s Web site.

The home isn’t liveable, Fenn said, but the owner declined help. He was given the phone number for the American Red Cross in case he changes his mind, Fenn said. Fenn didn’t know where the man was staying.

.

Felicia Farlow, who lives across the street about five houses away, said she heard sirens and went outside.

“I walked out onto my front porch and could see the smoke and smell something awful, almost like melted plastic,” she said. “We never saw flames, just lots of smoke.”

She said she saw a driver run over the fire hose, catching the hose on his truck and dragging it down the street. The man was pulled over by police down block, she said.

East 32nd Street resident Felicia Farlow took this picture of the duplex fire this morning in South Lorain.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.

LORAIN — The Lorain Fire Department battled an intentionally set fire at a vacant South Lorain home overnight.

The home, 4306 Maple Drive, was valued at about $30,000 and was a total loss, according to Lorain Fire Capt. Jeff Fenn. The home was a story and a half and approximately 1,500 square feet, he said.

The call came in at 3:25 a.m. and kept fire crews on the scene for three hours.

“There was fire coming out of all four sides of the home and all the windows on arrival,” Fenn said.

Firefighters let the fire burn through the home’s roof and then sprayed it with water from the tower truck, he said.

“That way we hit it and killed it in a hurry,” Fenn said. “If we’d tried to fight it by spraying water through the windows, we’d still be there right now.”

.

The home was vacant and had been vacant for possibly up to nine years and had no utilities, Fenn said. Witnesses at the scene told firefighters there had been a vagrant living in the home, but firefighters didn’t see anyone, and there was no one in the home, according to Fenn.

How the fire was started has not been determined, but investigators determined it had been intentionally set, Fenn said. He said no arrests have been made and there are no suspects at this time.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.