Jamie Lewis, 15, of Cortland, a member of 4-H Goats & More, gives some love to her 6-month-old, 109-pound male Boer goat named Cleatus at Wednesday’s fair. She won first place in the Junior Fair Goat Show.

BAZETTA — Jamie Lewis, 15, followed a three-generation family tradition when she began participating in 4-H activities seven years ago.

This year, she won a first-place ribbon for showcasing in the Junior Fair Goat Show Wednesday morning.

“I just had to go into this,” Lewis said. “This has just really made me a better person. It has taught me patience and clarity.”

Lewis has grown up in a farm family, so they have a large number of animals at home.

Lewis’ sister, Marlie, received a second-place ribbon in the same category that Jamie placed first. A younger brother also competed in the novice level of the goat competition.

Lewis encourages other young people to participate not only in various activities dealing with the care and raising of animals that are available to 4-H club members, but also in other club activities.

“4-H is such a beautiful thing to be involved in,” Lewis said. “You make so many friends and connections. You do so many things.”

“Our family first became involved with 4-H more than 60 years ago when it was still at (Warren G.) Harding High School,” mom Marcy Lewis said. “This is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. We are just happy to see our kids here and doing well.”

Marcy said 4-H builds a sense of character, responsibility and accountability in young people.

Triton Williams, 12, of Newton Falls, has been participating in 4-H for three years. He won a first-place ribbon for showmanship in the Junior Fair Goat Show for his age category.

“He went from being timid with the animals and just wanting to hang out in the barn and pet them and feed them to actually taking ownership of his project and really learning,” Caylin Williams, Triton’s mother, said.

Caylin described being a 4-H member when she was a teen.

“My parents instilled in us the importance of agriculture and making sure there is always food on your table for your family,” she said. “Eventually, (my husband and I) had a small hobby farm and when Triton turned 7 years old, he said he wanted to show animals.”

Now Triton is showing goats and steers.

Caylin said she is a teacher and adviser in her local 4-H chapter.

“4-H is about giving back to the community,” she said. “It is about giving back to the people who have supported you.”

Trumbull County 4-H has more than 600 youth members, Trumbull County Commissioner Denny Malloy said during the presentation of a proclamation to the Junior Fair Board at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting at the fairgrounds.

Trumbull County has 25 traditional clubs and 95 adult volunteers who provide guidance to its youth members. Children from 5 to 18 can participate in 4-H programs.

“4-H would not be possible without the 95 trained adult volunteers who spend countless hours mentoring, educating and listening to these fine young members,” Malloy said.

Ohio 4-H has a long history that began in 1902, according to Ashlee Meardith, OSU extension educator for the Trumbull 4-H program, noting 4-H began in Trumbull County in 1915.

It is now in all 50 states and 80 countries around the world. In 2025, 4-H programs involved 79,235 animals and its youth members participated in 13,346 programs, which included communication and expressive arts, technology and engineering, as well as food and nutrition.