Here comes the judge

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MALDEN — For Barb Schlund of rural Malden, participating in and volunteering with 4-H seems to run in the family.

Schlund, who has volunteered as a Bureau County 4-H Fair judge for the past 10 years and has helped with the former Bureau County Green Cavalry 4-H club, said that she began participating in 4-H when she was in fifth and sixth grade.

“My parents were former leaders and my in-laws were leaders for 30 years,” Schlund said. “It’s in the blood, I think.”

Schlund remembers participating in Macon County 4-H while growing up in Decatur.

“Back then it was an all-girl group and it was only cooking and sewing,” she said. “When I was in it, I mostly took cakes and brownies to the fair.”

Schlund remembers that when she participated in 4-H, judging was not done through conference judging, as it is now. Youth now talk with an adult judge about their project and receive immediate verbal feedback and suggestions.

“You just left your food there with a hundred other kids’ food,” she said.

Schlund began volunteering with Bureau County 4-H 10 years ago when three of her children, Cindy, Tommy and Sarah, were participating in the Bureau County Green Cavalry 4-H club. She has judged the foods division at the 4-H fair and has helped with the club throughout the year.

Schlund said that as a foods judge, she tries to demonstrate ways that kids can improve their cooking skills, as well as making positive comments about each child’s project.

“I give them positives, and find things they can improve on,” she said. “I’m always amazed when we get a really advanced kid. They’re really creative with what they do.”

Schlund judges the cake decorating and candies categories. She said the candies are tasted during judging, while the cakes are solely judged by their appearance.

Schlund said she has enjoyed her experiences as a 4-H judge during the past 10 years.

“I like seeing the kids come in and get excited about their projects,” Schlund said. “You can tell who the new ones are because they’re very eager, and they are first in the line. It’s a lot of fun.”

Schlund has been on every side of the 4-H Fair, as a participant, as a parent, and now, as a judge.

“As a parent, you’re anxious for your kids to be judged, and if you get held back in line you get even more anxious to see if they’ll go on to state with their project,” she said.

Schlund said that she likes seeing parents spend time alongside their children at the 4-H Fair.

“It’s nice to see parents at the fair,” she said. “In a lot of organizations kids will just get dropped off, but here there really are a lot of parents that stay. It’s nice that some parents take their vacation days during the 4-H Fair.”

Schlund said this year’s 4-H Fair will be the first one with a new merger between the club in which her children participated, Green Cavalry and the former South Princeton club, forming a new club, Open Door.

The 2008 Bureau County 4-H Fair will be held at the Bureau County Fairgrounds beginning today, Thursday, and will run until Sunday.