NORTH JACKSON — For Cooper Selley, 15, and his sister Caylee, 13, the hard work of 2020 will come to a head during this year’s Junior Fair, happening now at the Canfield Fairgrounds.

The two Western Reserve High School students, son and daughter of Cheri and Lee Selley, had a busy year and August meant full schedules for both.

Cooper said his calendar was pretty much full with sports, regular chores around the farm and raising a market lamb and hog project.

“I get up at 6 a.m. and spend two hours at school training for the cross country team,” he said. “After that I come home for an hour, then head back to school for another two-hour practice for band.”

Cooper is a percussionist with the high school band, a commitment he tries to maintain while working with the lambs at least twice daily.

At first the lambs were confined to a pen, but the Selleys found they could let them run free. The three lambs don’t leave the backyard and the hardest part of the running time involves trying to keep them out of “mom’s flower bed.”

“I get some good cross country practice by keeping them away from my mom’s flowers,” Cooper said.

Caylee also will have a market lamb and a market hog in this year’s fair. She also is on the cross country team and has to get up early.

One hard part of Junior Fair animal projects is raising an animal that will end up being food. When Caylee first started with animal projects six years ago, it didn’t bother her as much as it does now.

“When I was younger I didn’t care as much, but now I am more involved,” she said.

Caylee said one does develop a relationship with their animal project, but it is all about understanding where food comes from.

“I always tell them our bacon has a name,” dad Lee said.

Mom Cheri added, “4-Hers raise the animals, know them, and know the end result. It is still sad when they go.”

The Selleys are two of the present 38 members of the Western Reserve Rangers 4-H Club. Last year was the club’s 50th anniversary and most of this year’s membership will be attending this year’s Junior Fair.

The Selleys are a typical Western Reserve Rangers family,” 4-H advisor Robin Reph said.

Cooper said he learned a lot through his involvement in 4-H, but his goals are to eventually get into law school.

jtwhitehouse@tribtoday.com