Jackson named 2025 Logan County ‘Outstanding 4-H’er’
By Nikki Burkhamer
Examiner Contributor
Jaidyn Jackson won the 2025 Outstanding 4H Member of the Year Award, as presented at the 2025 Logan County Fair. She showed beef steers, a beef feeder, and two market goats with success at the fair this year.
The 2025 Riverside High School graduate has thrived during her years in 4-H.
“4H is honestly a wonderful experience, and I am so grateful,” she said at the 4-H Awards Ceremony Friday, July 11. “It taught me a lot of responsibility, like leadership skills and how to make new friends, because I’m an only child. I didn’t have any siblings, so it taught me to come more out of my shell.
“I used to be afraid of public speaking, and then they just pushed me into it. 4-H will help you enhance your skills, and it’s just an overall wonderful experience.”
She wanted to be sure that the area young people know that they could also join 4-H, even if they don’t live on a farm.
“You can still join 4-H; there’s still projects that you can do. There’s sewing and outdoor scrapbooking. You also do not have to own an animal to show through 4-H. Some FFA programs, once you get into high school, actually, have programs where they’ll get you animals, if you want to show them at the fair. So, you might be able to see if your school offers that if you are interested.”
Jaidyn recently served as the salutatorian for her graduating class. She gushed about the ways that 4-H helped her deliver the speech she gave in front of the huge crowd at her graduation. She insisted that being the Logan County Fair Princess, her freshman year, helped her gain the confidence and comfort needed to be a public speaker.
“I was so nervous, but when I went up there, and saw everybody, my nerves just went away, and I started speaking from the heart,” Jaidyn said. “Doing these interviews and being on the radio, have helped me a lot with speaking publicly.
“I, also, did Showman of Showmen, several years ago, and Joel Penhorwood would say that I had to be on the microphone. That was just awesome. It’s really brought me out of my shell, and it has taken me out of my comfort zone.”
The Tingley family was new to 4-H in 2025, and they garnered many awards, ribbons and titles.
Juna Tingley won first place for public speaking, and she was her judge’s favorite for her leadership project.
Juna was pleased, and she said, “I worked pretty hard on that project, and it has built my confidence a lot for speaking.”
A huge amount of time was put into her project with “writing, speaking, and practicing speeches,” Juna admitted.
John Tingley had two of his projects and presentations chosen for Judge Favorites.
He said he was “excited because I get to go to the State Fair for all my projects, and it feels kind of nice that all my judges really liked how I presented.”
Jediah Tingley, who didn’t think she had the confidence or other skills to win the many awards she was bestowed with this during fair week, said, “It feels good. For my ‘Makeover, My Space’ project, I had to make a lot of decisions for that. It took five weeks, at least.”
She did a full room design, and she “ripped it down to the studs. She put the drywall back up, slowly put trim back in, put flooring down, she rewired the outlets, and put in new flooring, and she made lots of decisions,” her mother Jackie Tingley explained.
“I keep saying we’re not a 4-H family, but they keep proving me wrong,” Jackie said laughing.
Olivia Ruffner is the Logan County 4-H Educator. She has been in that position for about eight months. Originally from Wood County, she has felt some pressure to present the many events that she had to help organize for the fair, this year.
Ruffner tried very hard “to get everything right, and to make sure we have the right amount of ribbons and awards. Then behind the scenes, it’s the judging interviews and the Skillathons that need graded and things like that, so I was nervous that we didn’t have everything but it all came together very well.”
Now that the fair has concluded, Olivia reflected on how she felt about the way the kids she influenced performed in their activities for the 175th annual exposition.
“I feel a little emotional, because some of these kids have become like my own kids. They’re not my kids, obviously, but I’ve watched them grow this year.
“I almost love them like my own at this point because I know their families. I know their siblings and their projects and everything. I’ve met their aunts and their uncles.
“We’ve gone to camp, and we’ve spent a lot of time there together. It’s so emotional, and it’s so awesome to watch these kids do all the hard work they do. There are amazing kids, here in Logan County, and it’s been wonderful to watch them succeed.”
2025 Logan County Junior Fair Award Results:
375 Leadership Road Trip: Where are you going?
1st Place and State Delegate: Valerie Knight
377 Finding Your Voice: Public Speaking Made Easy
1st Place and State Delegate: Junah Tingley
496 My Favorite Things
1st Place and State Delegate: Dylan Case
584 Photography Basics, Book 1 – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and State Delegate: Allison Estep
2nd Place and State Alternate: Serenity Curtis
585 Photography Basics, Book 2 – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and State Delegate: A’Liyah Johnson
2nd Place and State Alternate: Kristen Thompson
365.00 Self-Determined – General, Other
1st Place and State Delegate: Stephens Spofford
497 Scrapbooking: A Guide to Preserving Memories
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Olivia Gast
1st Place and Sr State Delegate: Kara Klinger
494 Makeover My Space
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Jediah Tingley
459 Let’s Start Cooking – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Luna Miller
462 Yeast Breads on the Rise – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and State Fair Delegate: Vernicia Austin-Onyema
474 Beyond the Grill – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and State Delegate: John Tingley
463 Sports Nutrition: Ready, Set, Go – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Emmery Howell
2nd Place and Jr State Alternate: Audriena Smith
485 Racing the Clock to Awesome Meals – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Jediah Tingley
1st Place and Sr State Delegate: Claire Brown
484 Snack Attack! – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Erin Stoner
2nd Place and Jr State Alternate: River Carter
487 Take a Break for Breakfast – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Brooks Bodin
216 Purr-fect Pals
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Christion Kelley
1st Place and Intermediate State Delegate: Xavior Wilson
220 Pocket Pals
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Brandon Steinmetz
200 All About Dogs
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Saber Jenkins
217 Climbing Up: Level 2
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Saber Jenkins
599 The Writer in You
1st Place and State Delegate: Gillian Knight
2nd Place and State Alternate: Cannon Wood
641 Beekeeping
1st Place and State Delegate: Emma Strayer
499 You Can Quilt!
1st Place and State Delegate: Audra Harford
2nd Place and State Alternate: Beatrice Warren
406 Clothes for High School and College
1st Place and State Delegate: Valerie Knight
426 Clothing for Your Career
1st Place and State Delegate: Kaitlyn Adams
409 Sew Fun
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Delia Rose
2nd Place and Jr State Alternate: Emery Warren
410 Designed By Me
1st Place and State Delegate: Emersyn Gordon
411 Em*bel*ish A 4-H Guide to Wearable Art
1st Place and State Delegate: Kaitlyn Adams
2nd Place and State Alternate: Charlotte Jackson
419 Terrific Tops
1st Place and State Delegate: Charlotte Jackson
498 Quilting the Best Better
1st Place and State Delegate: Valerie Knight
2nd Place and State Alternate: Audrey Warren
415 Ready, Set, Sew Active!
1st Place and State Delegate: Audra Harford
420 Outerwear for Anywhere
1st Place and State Delegate: Carly Strayer
417 Dress-Up Outfit
1st Place and State Delegate: Gillian Knight
2nd Place and State Alternate: Audrey Warren
418 Loungewear
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Emily Adams
1st Place and Sr State Delegate: Beatrice Warren
424 Clothing for Middle School
1st Place and State Delegate: Lila Adams
413 Sundresses and Jumpers
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Charlotte Jackson
430 Shopping Savvy
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Lila Adams
750 Rifle Project
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: Cohen Elliott
751 Archery
1st Place and Jr State Delegate: John Tingley
2nd Place and Jr State Alternate: Joel Johnson
611 Explore the Outdoors
1st Place and State Delegate: Raya Poore
623 Outdoor Adventurer: Beginning Fishing
1st Place and State Delegate: John Tingley
2nd Place and State Alternate: Avalyn Ballinger
624 Outdoor Adventurer: Intermediate
1st Place and State Delegate: Brooks Bodin
541 Crank it Up: Level One
1st Place and State Delegate: Cam Rutan
555 ATV Safety
1st Place and State Delegate: Owen Bayliss
757 Crossbow
1st Place and State Delegate: Olivia Gast
573 Arcs and Sparks
1st Place and State Delegate: Wyatt Gordon
692 Growing With the Seasons – Sponsored by Mix and Match
1st Place and State Delegate: Claire Brown
Judges pick for their top overall interview:
Judge 1: Junah Tingley
Judge 2: Allison Estep
Judge 3: Stephens Spofford
Judge 4: Jediah Tingley
Judge 5: John Tingley
Judge 6: Braylee Ballinger
Judge 7: Gillian Knight
Judge 8: Valerie Knight
Judge 9: Gillian Knight
Judge 10: John Tingley
Judge 11: Wyatt Gordon
Judge 12: Claire Brown
Skill-A-Thon Event Results:
1st Place Sheep: Piper Slemmons
2nd Place Sheep: Adam Luthman
1st Place Poultry: Alivia Kinney
2nd Place Poultry: Isaac King
1st Place Goat: Lincoln Roell
2nd Place Goat: Julianna Meddings
1st Place Rabbit: Lane Kipker
2nd Place Rabbit: Lux Kipker
1st Place Horse: River Carter
2nd Place Horse: Amelia Jackson
1st Place Dairy: Wyatt Gordon
2nd Place Dairy: Lincoln Roell
1st Place Swine: Zhoe Seeley
2nd Place Swine: Carter Seeley
1st Place Beef: Wyatt Gordon
2nd Place Beef: Lincoln Roell
General Livestock Judging:
1st Place Sr: Ricky Tevis
2nd Place Sr: Zhoe Seeley
3rd Place Sr: Madi Zedeker
1st Place Jr: Henry Reese
2nd Place Jr: Isaac Dillon
3rd Place Jr: Carter Seeley
BOOTH AWARDS:
Bellefontaine Fire Department judged the contest
Most Creative: Liberty Livestock
Best Display of Projects: Willing Workers
Best Explanation of Club Work: Mix & Match
People’s Choice: Logan County Livestock
People’s Choice: Showin & Growin
Coloring Contest Results:
1st Place 5 and under: Skylar Snapp
2nd Place 5 and under: Addie Foreman
1st Place 6-8: Ainsley Kingfowler
2nd Place 6-8: Christian Kelley
1st Place 9-12: Caleb Kelley
2nd Place 9-12: Riley Wygle
1st Place 13-18: Katie Shafer
2nd Place 13-18: Kara Hartzler
1st Place 19 and older: Paige Lameosk
