By Jolene FarleyLocal 4-H members are busy putting the finishing touches on their projects for the Rock County Fair next week. Monday is the deadline for entering non-perishable items such as crafts, clothes, etc.Wednesday is the deadline for pets, foods and other perishables.Zach Van Westen, Steen, a member of the Hills Blue Ribbon 4-H Club, began his project, restoring a barge box farm wagon, for the fair on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2002. He remembers the exact date he started because it was his 13th birthday. After hauling the wagon home from Monroe, S.D., he immediately began tearing it down.Zach’s grandfather, Hilbert Van Westen, purchased the wagon in 1960 and hauled many loads of corn, beans and oats over the years.Zach decided to tackle the restoration of the wagon for his 4-H project with the help of his father, Dale. They logged many hours on the wagon this spring. During the project, Zach learned to use a cutting torch, a sandblaster and a paint sprayer.Because it was so time consuming to restore, the wagon is the only item Zach is entering in the fair this year. Last year, his projects included a birdhouse, bookshelf and lamp.Zach’s sister Alaina, 10, is entering a lamp, a quilt, a pillowcase, a picture, wind chimes and food. Meagan and Natalie Stueven, Hills, are close to completing their projects and are confident they will be ready.The girls are also members of the Hills Blue Ribbon 4-H Club. Their mother, Sue, is the leader of the club."It isn’t quite as rushed as last year," Sue Stueven said. "It’s not the night before and we’re still sewing."The girls are entering a variety of projects, including cats, calves, a horse and various craft projects.They got ideas for their projects from magazines and the Internet."They have a lot of fun," Sue said. "We try to keep it fun and we try to keep it learning for them."Entrants will know whether their projects earned a purple, blue, red or white ribbon at the fair by Wednesday or Thursday, according to Stueven.
