Sunshine Acres 4-H Club Shines at Carlton County Fair

BARNUM, Minn. — Members of the Sunshine Acres 4-H Club near Cromwell made a strong showing at the Carlton County Fair, earning numerous championships and reserve championships while several members qualified for the Minnesota State Fair.

Among the club’s standout exhibitors was Brinn Jordan, who advanced to the Minnesota State Fair with her horse, Vinny. Jordan, who is entering eighth grade, is in her fourth year of showing horses and her second year showing Vinny.

Jordan earned blue ribbons in nine of her 11 events at the Carlton County Fair and qualified to compete in those events at the State Fair. She chose to enter seven events, including poles, keyhole, barrels, ranch pleasure, showmanship, horsemanship and English equitation and pleasure. While she enjoys the variety of horse events, Jordan said she especially likes the speed events. “I like the stuff where you go around the barrels and stuff more than the pleasure thing,” she said.

Jordan will compete in the seventh-grade division at the Minnesota State Fair Horse Show, scheduled for Sept. 18-21. This is not her first experience at the State Fair. Last year, her first year showing Vinny, the pair placed in several events and finished among the top competitors.

Jordan also captured the Grand Champion title in the Round Robin competition at the Carlton County Fair. The event tests an exhibitor’s knowledge and ability to handle animals from several species, with participants rotating through animals including beef and dairy cattle, meat and dairy goats, pigs and poultry while answering questions from judges. “It’s basically a chance to show your knowledge about all the animals,” Jordan explained.

Her accomplishments extended beyond horses and livestock. Jordan also entered static projects at the fair, including garden produce. Her potatoes and plums earned Grand Champion honors, while her peppers and flowers received Reserve Champion recognition. Although she could have taken qualifying produce to the State Fair, she decided to take her chickens instead.

Strong Showing in Poultry

Sunshine Acres also dominated the poultry competition at the Carlton County Fair.
Club members won every poultry showmanship Grand and Reserve Champion class but one — four classes in total. In addition, Sunshine Acres members captured the Grand and Reserve Champion honors in every chicken class entered by a club member.
The poultry success added another impressive chapter to the club’s already strong showing at the fair.

Beef Exhibitors

Sunshine Acres members also had a strong presence in the beef barn. Riley Olesiak earned Showmanship Reserve Champion and Reserve Champion Market Beef, while Maci Soderbloom was named Reserve Champion Prospect Calf and Reserve Champion Cow/Calf.

Other club members exhibiting beef included Hayden Olesiak, Micah Olesiak, Briggs Jordan, Quinn Volmers, Braxton Richards and Braelyn Richards.
The Sunshine Acres 4-H Club is made up of a growing group of young people from the Cromwell area. In addition to those exhibiting livestock and projects at the fair, club members include Ryden Olesiak, Drake Rose, Braham Jordan, Eliza Wise, Abe Wise and Ryder Smith.
Soderbloom serves as the club’s vice president.

Four Sunshine Acres members — Brinn Jordan, Maci Soderbloom, Riley Olesiak and Hayden Olesiak — will represent the club at the Minnesota State Fair.
For these young exhibitors, success at the county fair is about more than ribbons. It is the result of months of caring for animals, practicing skills, preparing projects and learning how to compete while building friendships and confidence along the way.
For Jordan, that hands-on experience is one of the best parts of 4-H. “I appreciate being able to care for animals and then get to show them off at the fair,” she said.

Sunshine Acres’ performance at the Carlton County Fair demonstrates the wide range of talents and interests found within the club — from horses, beef and poultry to gardening, photography and creative projects.

For the four members headed to the State Fair, the hard work continues as they prepare to take what they have learned in Cromwell to Minnesota’s largest annual celebration of 4-H.Screening Friday, Sept. 25.

A Dinosaur Valley Built From Legos

Adding another creative dimension to the Sunrise Acres 4-H Club’s presence at the Carlton County Fair was Cooper Dahls, who brought an impressive Lego creation to the fair as a static exhibit.

Cooper created a large dinosaur-themed display he called “Dinosaur Valley,” building the scene from scratch rather than following a single Lego set or pattern. The display featured numerous dinosaurs, vehicles, trees, characters and other details arranged across the scene.
Among the featured dinosaurs was a T. Rex equipped with what Cooper described as a mini gun, along with other dinosaurs inspired by the Jurassic World movies. The scene also included characters such as Claire and Owen, a baby dinosaur and a variety of other creatures.

Cooper estimated that he used at least 500 Lego pieces to create the display, including individual pieces used for the dinosaurs and landscape. Some of the trees were built using a special Lego construction technique that Cooper discovered and used to create the unique shapes.
The project took about five hours to build, although Cooper’s interest in Lego construction clearly extends well beyond this particular project. He is already thinking about what he might create for next year’s fair, including the possibility of a Lego Titanic.

The large Lego Titanic set Cooper knows about contains thousands of pieces, making a full-size version of the ship an ambitious project. For now, however, his Dinosaur Valley provided fairgoers with an opportunity to see how imagination, creativity and a collection of Lego pieces can come together to create an original exhibit.

Cooper was also busy with other 4-H projects at the fair, including showing a Silver Mini Satin rabbit and chickens, as well as photography. His Lego project demonstrates one of the many opportunities available through 4-H, where members can turn their individual interests and creativity into projects they can share with others at the county fair.