HASLET — With their projects at hand, 4-H Club members from all over Denton County were ready to show off their accomplishments.

Forty-two participants rounded out their year’s projects in the 2008 4-H Roundup on Saturday at First Baptist Church in Haslet.

DRC/Gary Payne

4-H Club member Shelby Kilpatrick, 14, of Copper Canyon, prepares chicken shawarma before being judged in the Food Show competition during the 4-H Roundup on Saturday at First Baptist Church in Haslet. Shelby entered each of the event’s competitions, which included Photography, Fashion Show, Education Presentations and Share the Fun.

The competition is “designed to allow members to exhibit skills and knowledge learned during their annual 4-H project work,” said Jennifer McAlister, county extension agent for 4-H and youth development.

There were five main competitions — the Food Show, Fashion Show, Edu­ca­tion Presentations, Share the Fun and Photography — with a plethora of categories for 4-H members to enter.

Shelby Kilpatrick, 14, of Copper Canyon, came prepared to try her hand in all the main competitions. She is in the Argyle 4-H Club and the Denton Homeschool 4-H Enrichment Club.

As with all of the 14 competitors in the Food Show, Shelby came with her entry already mostly prepared, but her chicken shawarma still required some assembly work before she could present the dish to judges.

On a round, flat pita bread, she spread tahini dressing. To the center of the pita, she added thin slices of marinated chicken, ribbons of cucumbers, strips of red onions and diced tomatoes with a shake of paprika and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

She said she was a little nervous before presenting to the judges, but afterwards she said “I think I did OK.”

Judges evaluate the food on quality and appearance, said Lexie McGrane, who coordinated the food competition’s four main categories — main dish, fruit and vegetable, bread and cereal and nutritious snacks.

The contestants’ interviews, their presentation and communication skills also play a role in judging for the Food Show.

For the Fashion Show, Shelby dressed in clothing she purchased while she was in India. In the past two years, she has spent roughly 14 weeks there visiting her father, who works there.

In the Fashion Show competition, participants may wear garments they have bought or made. 

When buying clothes, 4-H members need to know how to choose quality work, how to care for the garments and whether it fits well and is age-appropriate, said Maggie Jover, fashion contest coordinator.

DRC/Gary Payne

Three 4-H members entered the Fashion Experience category of the fashion competition. They had about 30 minutes to hand-make something with available supplies, such as a pillow for a bedroom or a hair scrunchy to wear.

“I don’t care what they make, as long as they’re creative,” Jover said.

Argyle 4-H Club member Nicole Ramsey, 14, of Double Oak, entered two of Saturday’s Fashion Show categories.

She submitted a dress design for judging. The floor-length formal gown, which she made for prom, took her about a month to assemble. The hardest parts were adding the zipper and the tulle netting and making the pattern, Nicole said.

Her favorite parts were picking out the fabric — and seeing the finished product.

The gown is made of midnight blue satin, and the skirt has four layers to it. Sheer black organza layers over the gown.

She’s already looking into becoming a fashion designer or working with textiles.

Nicole has been involved with 4-H clubs since she was 5 years old.

“I like meeting new people and doing the projects and going to contests,” she said.

Shelby submitted several photos, one in each category, for the photography contest. She has been working with photography for several years and uses a digital camera.

For the animal category, she had a hard time picking between four photos, but after a little consultation she chose a photo of a tiny frog on a much larger lily pad.

For her education presentation, Shelby discussed beekeeping. She has been tending to two beehives for a year now.

She also presented a skit in the Share the Fun competition — which is essentially a talent show.

The most popular competition at this year’s roundup was photography, said McAlister, and last year’s was the food contest.

Shelby has been a part of 4-H for four years, and she likes it because she’s “learning by doing,” and making friends as well.

“With every single project,” she said, “there’s a way to mesh it with other projects. … You’re learning leadership and life skills.”

AMY DODD THOMPSON can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is athompson@dentonrc.com .