The 4-H in Cayuga County

I was looking through some donated items at the Town Hall and found some old 4-H programs.
One is from the 10th annual Big 5 Picnic at Enna Jettick Park held n Wed., August 3rd, 1938. The "Big 5" were the Grange, Farm Bureau, Home Bureau, 4-H Clubs and Dairyman's League.
A farm kid anticipated this event all year long. We practiced our baking, gardening, animal husbandry, sewing and other skills with an eye on the blue ribbon prize for first place. And a lucky few were selected to go on and compete at the NYS Fair in Syracuse. Heady stuff.
There is probably not a 4-her out there who doesn't have a story about how the angel food cake refused to rise or the jersey cow balked at show time.
The general program was a 10:00 a.m. judging of homemaking exhibits and livestock. At 11:00, the county horseshoe pitching tournament was held, followed by a concert by the Meridian Band.
At noon, everyone had a picnic lunch brought from home. 4-Hers certainly didn't go out to restaurants.
Sports and other contests were held starting at 1:00 p.m. and at 2:00 was the horse pulling contest. There were some real workhorses entered, and the loads they could draw amazed the crowds.
Then at 4:30 (with a repeat at 6:00) was the entertainment. In 1938, it was Les Kimris and his Aerial Act.
The Enna Jettick Park, nowadays known as Emerson Park, had several exhibits. They were on the verandah of the Pavilion and included fruit, vegetables, baked goods, crafts and other items from the 4-H, Juvenile Grange, Home bureau and Farm Bureau. After placing their items on display, an anxious 4-her would look over all the other exhibits to see how theirs stacked up against the competition.
Several local merchants and individuals are mentioned in the program for their contribution to this yearly event. Sears, Penney's, the GLF, Harry's Tire Shop, Langhams's, Fred Rondina and many others made it possible for so many to have such great times and memories of days gone by.