Champion Livestock Project winners were announced at the 4-H Spirit Night Oct. 22 at the Junior Fair Building. The winners (from left) are listed with the animal species at which they excelled. Susie Foos, beef; Hunter Frobose, sheep; Lauren Strow, rabbit; Logan Browne, goat; Nathan Spencer, poultry; Hannah Frobose, swine; Jonelle Nissen, senior horse; Jonna Nissen, junior horse; and Alexis Miller, dairy. (Photos courtesy Jayne Roth, OSU Extension)

On Oct. 22, 4-H members, along with family and friends gathered in the Junior Fair
Building, for the annual "Spirit Night."Numerous awards were announced with members recognized
for their achievement.ProjectAmong the top awards presented were the champion livestock project winners.
Each livestock project is set up and tallied a bit differently. Although each department incorporates a
judge’s interview, skill-a-thon contest score, showmanship and judging or show ring placing component,
some departments weight them differently. For example, many departments use the Skill-a-thon score as
the "tiebreaker" but in poultry and rabbits it is the showmanship event that is used for this
purpose. Whatever scoring system the departments use, it is quite evident that to win this highest honor
a livestock exhibitor can win in Wood County, one must be skilled in all areas of the project.

Recipients of the 4-H Career Achievement award are April Michaelis (from left) Allen Limes and Ben Wilhelm. The awards were presented Tuesday night at the Junior Fair Building during the annual 4-H Spirit Night.

Project winners are listed with grand champion first, followed
by the reserve champion:Beef: Susie Foos, Blue Ribbon Rangers; Morgan Mazey, Livestock UnlimitedDairy:
Alexis Miller, Farmcrafters; Mathew Cline, FarmcraftersGoat: Logan Browne, Livestock Unlimited; Bryn
Parker, Black Swamp TrailblazersHorse (Senior): Jonelle Nissen, Horses R Us; Brecken Schaller, Wood N
HorsesHorse (Junior): Jonna Nissen, Horses R Us; Aria Morgan, Sunset SaddlersPoultry: Nathan Spencer,
Saddles and Surreys; Ben Wilhelm, Leaders of TomorrowRabbit: Lauren Strow, Leaders of Tomorrow; Kaeleb
Borner, Livestock UnlimitedSheep: Hunter Frobose, Livestock Unlimited; Morgan Mazey, Livestock
UnlimitedSwine: Hannah Frobose, Livestock Unlimited; Hunter Frobose.LeadershipOutstanding Leadership
Awards were presented to Olivia Lause, Colorful Clovers 4-H Club; and Raegen Vickers, Gold Medal 4-H
Club.In her introduction, Lause was touted as being "a tremendous leader in her club and on the
county level being very involved in the 4-H program for the past 13 years. No one can challenge her
commitment to being one of the top youth in the county and region."

Among the winners announced at Tuesday’s 4-H Spirit Night were (from left) Brianna Schumaker, Horse Good Sportsmanship; Olivia Lause, Outstanding Leadership Award; and Lauren Nissen, Ohio Achieve-ment Award (Wood County Horse Winner).

Her activities have included being an officer on the Junior
Fair Board, a counselor at 4-H Camp and Science Camp, a Leadership Board member, aCarTeens instructor,
and on the 4-H Committee.Lause is attending the University of Toledo, majoring in speech language
pathology."For 10 years (Vickers) has helped shape the Wood County 4-H landscape by her intense
determination to lead others in any given situation," read her introduction.During recent years she
has been a 4-H Camp counselor, officer of the Junior Fair Board, CarTeens instructor, and as introduced,
"a member who is willing to jump in with both feet and lead any program no matter what the
situation might be. Add those experiences along with a tremendous work ethic, sincerity, a person of
character and trustworthiness and you have an outstanding leader."Vickers attends Ohio State
University majoring in dentistry.Career achievementThe Career Achievement Award recipients honored are
Ben Wilhelm, Leaders of Tomorrow 4-H Club; Allen "AC" Limes, Simply Stock 4-H Club; and April
Michaelis, Tontogany Four Leaf Clovers 4-H Club.Wilhelm’s introduction said "he has given his
community and 4-H Club much to be proud of."This young man is active in the poultry department and
is willing to share his knowledge with younger members. This year he topped off his career with a
reserve champion meat chicken trophy; was second in Senior Showmanship and the reserve champion poultry
project winner. He was the Junior Fair King second runner-up. He is also active on both the Junior Fair
Board and is also a dedicated member of the Bowling Green FFA.His introduction concluded, "Juggling
so many tasks takes time and commitment and our recipient could do this with tremendous
success."Limes was acknowledged as "a gifted livestock showman, producer and leader throughout
his 10 year 4-H career."His win this summer in the Showmanship Sweepstakes demonstrated his
knowledge with many animals, predominantly beef, sheep and swine.In addition to livestock he has given
leadership to 4-H Camp as a counselor for three years. 4-H officials note, "He was always creating
exciting new events and games for kids."He is attending University of Findlay.Michaelis is credited
with giving her "all" to the 4-H program.She has spent numerous summers at 4-H Camp as
counselor and at 4-H and NW Ohio Conservation Camp. She is also very devoted to the Junior Fair Board
elected as their treasurer and as the poultry department superintendent.Officials credit her with
excellent project work, FFA activity and "outstanding academic work."Highlights of her 4-H
career include numerous years of showing turkeys, making quilts for children at the St V’s neo-natal
unit, participating in a variety of leadership projects and being named to the 4-H Honor Court. She is a
freshman at Bowling Green State University and a member of the Falcon Marching Band.Kroger awardsThe 4-H
Kroger Awards were presented to Cassandra Shaffer of the Champion Drive 4-H Club for clothing; and
Vickers for nutrition.Shaffer has spent numerous hours behind her sewing machine for the past nine
years. She has completed 11 clothing projects, placing every year. She also represented Wood County
three times at the 4-H Fashion Revue at the Ohio State Fair. this year this seamstress took on the task
of completing three clothing projects, and earned first place ribbons with each project. The 2013
graduate of Elmwood High School also took dairy projects which kept her very busy this past
summer.Vickers has been cooking up winning projects since 2004. In her first year, she received a first
placeaward. She followed suit year after year by taking numerous nutrition projects. Every year she has
had winning county projects and made five trips to the Ohio State Fair representing Wood County 4-H and
in 2008 she received an "Outstanding Of The Day" for her Star Spangled Foods Project.With this
honor she becomes the third person since the inception of the award in 1961 to have received the Kroger
Award for both nutrition and clothing. She is a 2013 graduate of Perrysburg High School.Horse awards4-H
Horse Good Sportsmanship Award: Brianna Schumaker, Black Swamp Outlaws.4-H Horse Advisor’s Scholarship:
Receiving $500 scholarships given by the Wood County Horse Advisors Committee were Sara Clark, Wood N
Horses and Stephanie Low, Black Swamp Outlaws.Other awardsSpirit of Leadership Award: Lindsay Davis,
Jackson Livestock; Trevor Buehrer, Green Meadows; Trever Vaughn, Soaring Eagles; Logan Browne, Livestock
Unlimited; Mark Rochester, Colorful Clovers; Kalyn Swihart, Portage Valley; Eva Scott, Beaver Creek
Boosters; Sara Caris, Beaver Creek Boosters; Caroline Battin, Beaver Creek Boosters; Liz Hirzel,
Colorful Clovers; Maddi Vaughn, Soaring Eagles; David Krukemyer, Blue Ribbon Rangers; Patrick Shull,
Farmcrafters; and Eddie Cantwell, Blue Ribbon Rangers.Ohio 4-H Achievement Award: Lauren Nissen, Saddles
and Surreys 4-H Club.4-H Ambassador: Wood County has had many outstanding 4-H’ers who have been selected
to be an Ohio 4-H Ambassador. This year, two teens have traveled the state sharing their 4-H experiences
and has encouraged numerous youth to join 4-H. Those inducted to ranks of ambassador are Keira Miller
and Kalyn Swihart.