In All Fairness, Branna Loves 4-H
Thursday, July 17, 2025 – where will you be? If you’re anywhere around the Noblesville area, the only place to be is the annual Hamilton County 4-H Fair! Where else can you enjoy a lively week of exceptional entertainment all in one place? I can almost smell the corn dogs and elephant ears, just thinking about it! But, boy has it evolved since its inception in the early 1900s.
The establishment of the first 4-H club in Indiana, the “Indiana Boys Corn Club,” was conceived in 1904 by John F. Haines, the Hamilton County Superintendent of Schools. Currently located on Pleasant Street, the earlier sites included various city streets and parks in Noblesville, Sheridan, Walnut Grove and Westfield before finding its way to its current location in 1948.
The “Corn Club,” claiming a whopping 93 members, has evolved a bit over the past century. With an early focus on agricultural education and hands-on learning, our current local 4-H program provides approximately 2,000 county youth with countless experiential opportunities.
4-H has a profound place in my heart as well. My mom, dad and grandmother started the Stringtown Pikers 4-H club before I was even able to join myself. Back in my day, a child had to be 10 years old to enter this fantastic forum for existential, hands-on learning. I was only 8 at the inception of our club that was centered on the country kids living in proximity of what is now known as Hague Road, specifically, the Morse Reservoir neighborhood area. It was truly a family / community affair. The club meetings consisted of project workshops, silly songs, playing games and my favorite part – the all-important snack time that concluded each meeting.
To say that 4-H was an educational experience is an understatement. From learning to keep a detailed record book of projects and progress, to specialized classes from every subject from baking to the barnyard, the opportunities to bolster our brain power and enlighten our life skills were beyond measure. I learned everything from building a (functional) extension cord from scratch and crafting the perfect chocolate chip cookie to memorizing the manual, “The Fifty Trees of Indiana.” To this day, I still treasure traipsing the tree-lined trails of our beautiful state parks in search of my forest favorite – the tulip tree. Also known as our state tree, this tantalizing timber is touted as the tallest deciduous tree in all of eastern North America. Yep, a never-known fact if not for my days as a Stringtown Piker.
Aside from the copious opportunities for obtaining applied aptitudes, this is where I learned a love for public speaking. The speech, demonstration and annual “Share the Fun” talent contests led to a love for creative communication and individual expression.
Then, there were those teenage times in “Junior Leaders,” where I actively engaged with adolescents from every school in the county. I found fond, lifelong friendships with fellow camp counselors and other young, community-minded volunteers. Some of these avid acquaintances carried through my college years at Purdue, which happens to be the purveyor of 4-H programs and practices throughout Indiana. I am forever grateful for the 4-H fellowships that have even followed me into my golden years. The vast and varied pragmatic projects and practices provided in my 10-year formative 4-H tenure created a career, rather a LIFELINE, for which I couldn’t be more thankful.
Although 4-H is the foundation of the county fair, I mustn’t be remiss in remarking about multitudinous myriad of fabulous fair foods, displays, events and amusements to capture the fancy of every member of the family. So, my advice to you … mark your calendar! In all fair-ness, you won’t find more family fun and adventure than the Hamilton County 4-H Fair!
Branna (McCarty) Shores believes that “HOME is where your story begins.” A Noblesville native and proud graduate of NHS and Purdue University, she is a professional speaker, advocate for mental health and work / family balance and retired social worker. Branna is the mother of two grown daughters, six precious grandchildren and wife of one brave husband! Her passions include singing, writing and sharing the lighter side of life through lessons learned, both personally and professionally. She can be contacted at branna18@gmail.com