Wasco County 4-H Oregon

08/27/2026

Are you a high school student who is interested in working with younger kids in STEM programs? We're hiring a few STEM Leaders in September to work with Wasco County and Hood River County youth in after-school STEM programs. Read all about it!

08/27/2026

Wow - who’d have thought our county would make it to the big screen of rural news.

Come check out our Wasco County 4-H youth in action this week at the Oregon State Fair Grounds! We have youth exhibiting sheep, goats, swine, poultry, and rabbits.

08/19/2026

What a turnout! The Wasco County Youth Livestock Auction was surrounded by an incredible community of support for our 4-H and FFA youth. From buyers in the seats to folks cheering them on, we are so grateful for everyone who showed up and showed these kids just how much their hard work matters.

It’s not too late to support our kids!

To help support Wasco County 4-H Market Animal projects, please visit

www.oregon4hfoundation.org

and designate 4-H Oregon Wasco County Program Fund under the “I want to give to” section of the give now page.

All funds raised between now and September 1st will be divided evenly between 4-H participants with market animals in the Wasco County Youth Livestock Auction this year.

As an alternate payment method, the Oregon 4-H Foundation can also accept mail in checks during this time made out to Oregon 4-H Foundation, with Wasco County 4-H in the memo line, to 4238 SW Research Way, Corvallis, OR, 97333.

Thank you, Wasco County!

08/17/2026

Not only did we have a fair - we had FUN!

Old friends, new friends, a water fight, movie night, older kids stepping up to help and set the example, and plenty of memories made along the way.

One of 4-H’s many lessons is resiliency, and these kids showed us exactly what that looks like: adapt, overcome, and keep going - with a little fun along the way. 💚🐄🐑🐓

08/15/2026

HERE’S A WAY TO HELP AND THIS ONE SUPPORTS ALL OF OUR KIDS EQUALLY.

All funds raised online through the Oregon 4-H Foundation between now and September 1st will be divided evenly between 4-H participants with market animals in the Wasco County Youth Livestock Auction this year.

If you'd like your support to reach every youth, consider making a donation here:

www.oregon4hfoundation.org

Designate 4-H Oregon Wasco County Program Fund under the “I want to give to” section of the give now page.

As an alternate payment method, the Oregon 4-H Foundation can also accept mail in checks during this time made out to Oregon 4-H Foundation, with Wasco County 4-H in the memo line, to 4238 SW Research Way, Corvallis, OR, 97333.

📣 HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP OUR YOUTH TODAY!

The Wasco County Youth Livestock Auction is happening today, and there are several ways you can show up for the kids who have worked all year to get here.

🐄 COME SUPPORT YOUTH IN PERSON
Register as a buyer and bid on an animal, or make an add-on contribution to a youth’s sale. Every bid and every add-on sends a powerful message to a young person: your hard work matters. Enjoy a tri-tip dinner afterwards!

For more information about ways to support youth at the Wasco County Youth Livestock Auction, Inc. please email [email protected]

Checks for in-person auction support should be made payable to Wasco County Youth Livestock Auction.

Our youth have spent months caring for animals, keeping records, learning responsibility, practicing perseverance, and preparing for this moment. Whether you’re in the seats bidding, adding on, writing a check, or making a gift to support 4-H as a whole - you are part of their success.

Come cheer them on. Bid if you can. Share this post. Give if you can. But most importantly, show these kids that their community is proud of them. ❤️🐑🐖🐄🐐

08/15/2026

08/15/2026

We love the kids - but we can’t forget the parents! There are 4-H and FFA parents… and then there are 4-H and FFA parents during fair week. 😂

Look at this picture for a minute.

One parent is helping her daughter get chickens out to weigh - baby on her hip, because of course.🐔👶

And the other person in the foreground? She saw a need and stepped in. What started as helping wrangle animals for weigh-in turned into clerking the entire small animal show. Because that’s what happens during fair week. Someone needs help, and somebody says, “Sure, I can do that.”

These families have hauled animals, cages, tack, feed, equipment and approximately everything but the kitchen sink…twice… just to show once!

They’ve driven the miles. Made the late-night feed runs. Fixed what broke. Found what was lost. Remembered what everyone else forgot. Held babies. Held chickens. Held clipboards. Held doors. Held it all together.

And somewhere along the way, a parent who came to support their own kid ends up helping someone else’s kid, too.

That’s the part of 4-H and FFA that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

It’s the parents who see a need and fill it.
The families who pitch in.
The people who say, “What can I do?” instead of “Is that my job?”

So here’s to the 4-H and FFA parents who are exhausted, sunburned, undercaffeinated, covered in dust, and somehow still asking:

“What do you need?”

That’s the part of fair we hope our kids remember, too. 💚

08/15/2026

A note from our 4-H Program Coordinator, Leah:

After a week I don’t think any of us will forget, I wanted to share a little perspective from behind the scenes.

There’s been a lot of kindness this week. So many people have stopped to thank me, check in, or tell me they can’t believe what our 4-H community has pulled together. And every single one of those messages means more than you probably realize.

But I think it’s time to turn our attention away from this feat and back toward the kids.

Because what do I see when I look at this desk?

I see thank-you notes and cookies from 4-H clubs and kids.

I see a water bottle that has been sitting there all day, still mostly full - because classes needed to be printed, things needed to be planned, turkeys needed to be weighed, problems needed to be solved, and there were still laughs to be had.

I see a bag of clothes thrown together so I could go be part of the water fight with the kids and then come back afterward to enter results, print gate sheets for showmanship classes, and have a final meeting with our youth livestock auction board members about tomorrow.

I see folders, fair supplies, a computer, a printer, and approximately 47 things that need to happen before 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

But more than anything, I see a week that is about kids.

And tomorrow is Showmanship Day.

Youth will walk into that ring and be judged on their ability to show their animal. Their preparation. Their knowledge. Their confidence. Their ability to communicate with their animal and respond to what the judge asks of them.

It is, quite literally, all about them.

And that’s where our attention belongs.

I can confidently say that most 4-H Program Coordinators across Oregon would have answered this call. Because when you know these kids - when you’ve watched them work, worry, grow, show up, and pour their hearts into something - you don’t really have a choice.

You show up, too.

This isn’t a miracle.

It isn’t one person pulling off the impossible.

It’s a community that refuses to let kids down.

It’s Extension staff, fair staff, superintendents, volunteers, families, auction supporters, businesses, and neighbors all saying, “Okay. What do we need to do next?”

And for me, it’s a dream fueled by a whole lot of love for this community… and an absolutely unreasonable amount of Diet Pepsi.

So thank you for the thank-yous. Truly.

But now - let’s turn the spotlight back where it belongs.

On the kids. 🍀❤️

And tomorrow, that spotlight is theirs.

📸 Showmanship Day: Check the photos on this post for the full schedule and ring times. Please take a minute to look it over so you know when and where you need to be.

🐑🐄🐖 Youth Livestock Auction: Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. at the Hood River County Fairgrounds.

Come cheer these kids on. Watch them show. Bid on an animal. Tell a 4-H or FFA member you’re proud of them.

Because after everything this community has done to make this week possible, tomorrow is about the reason we did it in the first place. ❤️🍀

08/14/2026

🎶 Yeah, we got a little 'ole convoy
Ain't she a beautiful sight 🎶

Hood River volunteers were on site at 8:00 a.m. setting pens before most of us had even figured out where we were supposed to be… and then stayed all day helping families check in, sort out logistics, and get animals settled!

In Tygh Valley, the Wasco County Facilities & Fair crew acted as our fairy godmothers - with trash cans, hoses, cones, signs, and more loaded and ready to go.

This week, most exhibitors already had most everything moved out to Tygh Valley… only to turn right back around and pick it all up again.

From there, it was campers to Hood River, livestock on trailers, and a whole new fairgrounds to learn on the fly - new layout, new check-in process, new everything. A few flat tires along the way didn’t help the schedule, but they also didn’t stop the convoy. And honestly, neither did anything else.

Because this wasn’t just move-in day; it was a convoy in every sense of the word.

Everyone was moving, but no one was moving alone.

People were flagging each other into parking spots, helping back campers into tight corners, and jumping in to unload animals wherever hands were needed. If someone didn’t know where to go, someone else did. If someone was overwhelmed, someone else stepped in. If a someone needed help, there were suddenly five people there who “just happened to be walking by.”

And in between incoming trailers, gates swinging, kids hauling buckets, parents trying to find the right check-in line - the magic of 4-H and FFA communities came to life.

A huge thank you to Morrow County Grain Growers for letting us borrow their side-by-sides to get around Hood River - our feet are forever grateful.

Oregon 4-H stepped in with a $50 gift card for every family to help offset the unexpected costs - a small gesture that made a difference in a very long day.

Coastal kicked off our event with a bucket for each exhibitor, one of our favorite annual traditions!

Neal Creek Forest Products, LLC had shavings delivered in record time - and Hood River Garbage brought the dumpster on extra short notice.

And in true fair fashion, volunteers went above and beyond in ways you can’t plan for - like the one who even hung up laundry to dry because there simply wasn’t time to do it ourselves before we joined the convoy.

Trailers are parked. Animals are settling in. Exhibitors are finally catching their breath. And somewhere in the middle of all the chaos, kindness, quick pivots, and a couple of flat tires… it’s starting to feel like a fair again.

Now… Convoy, move ’em on down the line. We’ll see you tomorrow for market and breeding shows!

Thank you, Hood River Community - we couldn’t do this without you!

08/13/2026

Here's a map - please enter off of Summit Dr. We are here to help you navigate these new grounds! Unload - then please park trailers in the outdoor arena as pictured.