Faces of the Fair

Cynthia Gill can trace her 4-H roots through several generations.She first participated at the age of 9 in Tennessee. Her father and grandfather were both members of the organization. And her kids are involved, too.It's fitting that the family moved to Sidney during fair week a dozen years ago. Gill, who serves as a University of Nebraska extension educator for Cheyenne and Kimball Counties, has served as a 4-H volunteer—during the year and at the fair—for the past eight years."We live in a wonderful place, but I want kids to be better and 4-H offers extra activities that interest everyone,” Gill said. “We have 23 projects that kids can choose from. There is focus on the animal projects, but we have so many other projects and there is a place for everyone or an area that they can explore." Since arriving in Sidney with her husband James, who works for Cabela's and daughters Elizabeth and Emily, Gill has been involved with the agricultural community. The UNL extension service represents a cooperative effort between localcounties and the university. While the local government provides office space, staff and supplies, Lincoln trains the four educators serving the area. Her responsibilities include 4-H and youth extension education in Cheyenne, Kimball and Banner counties. "I did some embryology in the classroom this past spring, where we hatched baby chicks,” she reported. “This fall I want to offer Steven Covey's '7 Habits for Effective Living,' a business and self-management system. I have been trained to teach the teenage version and I am hoping to teach it in some of the high schools in the area." One of her most important roles is educating on ag literacy. "People really don't understand, even in a rural area like this one, where their food comes from,” Gill explained. “That is what agriculture literacy is about. People are concerned about the welfare of animals and no one is more concerned than the producer, the farmer.”The program helps children understand that bread begins in the dirt of Nebraska fields and must go through a process involving farmers, harvesters, trucks and mills before even reaching commercial ovens. Gill involves the young students in gardening projects, giving them a hands-on taste of the process.