Months of preparation will soon pay off for many 4-H members as they compete at the fair this week. Entries in categories ranging from livestock and dog agility to posters and photography will be judged and send some hopeful 4-H’ers to the Minnesota State Fair.

Catrina Andree, 13, can’t remember a time she wasn’t involved with 4-H. She has been an active member most of her life since her parents are the superintendents of the poultry division.

“I love 4-H,” she said. “It’s one of the best [groups] to be in.”

This year, she will compete in the poultry division, along with the dog and horse shows.

Catrina had a hard time hatching and getting chicks this past year, but her spirit remains high.

“It’s not anything to get your hopes down for,” Catrina said. “It’s nice to be able to teach younger 4-H’ers how to learn from their mistakes.”

Preparation for her events began in January with her chicks, and the spring for her horses, but she has been working with her Border Collie since it was a pup.

15-year-old Emily Allas has gone to the State Fair and won blue ribbons before, and she would like to do just as well this year.

At the Mower County fair next week, she will compete in a dog project, as well as some general projects in the 4-H building like the citizenship project, safety and health project, and gardening.

“I like being able to meet new people and participate in the different events,” Emily said.

For 15-year-old Dani Jax, her favorite part of 4-H is seeing the progress she has made since she joined the club as a third-grader.

“I like starting out with different projects and seeing growth in those areas,” she said.

She will show dairy, goats, and photography among other events.

She started to prepare in the winter for her general projects, but began to work with her animals about three months ago.

She takes her animals on walks routinely, and has started to wash them as the fair approaches.

At the fair, she says her favorite part is “talking to the public, and teaching them about what it’s like to participate in the fair.”

4-H events begin at 9 a.m. on Aug. 2,6 with the horse show in the Horse Arena at the fairgrounds.