In the 4-H Hall, 4-H’ers anxiously waited with projects in their laps to conference with a judge Monday afternoon. Some had different art projects and paintings, while others were waiting to show off food they made.

“They take a lot of pride in them, so it’s fun to see what they make,” Mower County 4-H Coordinator Kristen Krell said.

Though the Mower County Fair officially starts today, 4-H’ers got an early start Monday. About 370 4-H’ers from kindergarten to one year past high school will have projects judged this week.

“They can bring whatever they want, we’ll find a judge for it,” Krell said.

Unlike other 4-H events where projects are just dropped off, the students must conference with judges to discuss their work for general exhibits.

“It’s different than anything else at the fair,” Krell said.

Caitlin Drees, 11, brought a large variety of projects, including: a blueberry pie, canned green beans, flowers and a tile coaster. So far, she has won three first-place ribbons. Besides her 4-H projects, she’s looking excited to enjoy the fair midway.

“I’m [looking forward to] the rides,” she said.

Cassidy Shute, 10, has been preparing for one of her events since December, when she started working with her calves. Her other projects in categories like indoor gardening, fine arts, photography and food took her about two months to complete. According to Shute, her conference “went good” and she is ready for the fun of the fair.

Jenna Hetzel, 8, discussed a marigold she’d grown and a photo of a sunset.

Her judge, Beth Postier, said one of the toughest parts was finding a ribbon to match Jenna’s photo of a sunset.

“We had to span these out to find that perfect color,” she said.

—Jason Schoonover contributed to this report.