Willing Workers 4-H’s booth paid homage to its 80th anniversary
A happenchance discovery from a 1945 diary entry provided a glimpse into a local 4-H club’s history, offering a missing piece that helped to connect back to the early days of Willing Workers 4-H and to trace the beginnings of the group to at least 80 years ago.
Club co-adviser Kim Comer reports it was quite by coincidence that Linda Weeks Thornton found in her mother, Clara Weeks’ 1945 diary that she ran across several entries about 4-H and her Willing Workers club.
Thornton knew her mother had been an adviser, but the details from that many years ago had previously been unclear.
In the diary entries, Weeks detailed 4-H club activities, such as having meetings, helping some with their dresses, going to judging, having the Style Revue, and taking the club to the Creamery for ice cream.
Discovering the 1945 date for these early years of the club was something that had not been able to be pinpointed before, despite extensive research by Comer and others.
“We have never been able to locate any exact documents to the very beginning of our club, even though we did extensive research with the Historical Society, Extension offices, etc.,” Comer said.
“I’ve been down every rabbit trail I possibly could, tracing back every older member I could reach out to, any past adviser’s families, etc.
“Most think of our longest running adviser, Lucy Roby, as the first adviser, but we know Clara (Weeks) was before her. Lucy started in 1953, and continued for 53 years, until her passing in 2006.
“We know Wanda Schlumbohm was also an early adviser, but via her daughters, they did not move here until 1952. We know she was at least a 25 year adviser.”
With this recent finding by Thornton in her mother’s diary, the Willing Workers 4-H club was able to mark a special anniversary at the Logan County Fair this year, alongside the fair’s 175th anniversary as well.
The theme for Willing Workers’ 4-H booth centered around its 80th anniversary, including showcasing a number of historical throwbacks to the diary entries and photos of the early advisers, including Weeks, Roby, Eunice Yoder and Schlumbohm. The booth was on display throughout the run of the 2025 fair from July 6-12 in the 4-H booth building.
“We were able to put together a picture from every decade, Lucinda (Grandstaff Holycross)’s 1960 first year sewing project and spotlight our earliest advisors,” Comer said.
“With this being an anniversary year for the fair, it was excellent timing to also celebrate 80 years of Logan County Sewing.
“Most of the ladies I spoke with and helped all they could with research are now in their 80’s and one was in her 90’s. We know we have a solid 80-year history, but think we possibly go back further. The last documentation we had was in 1945.”
When 4-H first originated over 100 years ago, it started with five projects, and sewing was one of the five. Today, the Willing Workers 4-H Club has nine members and 13 projects, Comer said.
The handiwork of current members’ sewing projects were included in the Willing Workers’ 4-H booth as well, including expertly-tailored dresses, coats, business wear and loungewear, along with quilting projects.
Comer expressed appreciation to all of the individuals who contributed pictures and other items for the display from their personal archives, including Linda Weeks Thorton, Diane Schlumbohm Rice, Lucinda Grandstaff Holycross, Nana Madden, Christi Roby Ranzau, Marjorie Graham Bixler, Breanda Leasure and Deanna McIntosh.
The longevity of the early advisers carries on for current advisers Comer and Joann Bell, who have served with the Willing Workers 4-H for 25 years and more than 41 years, respectively.
“Ironically, we had a newspaper clipping from 1976 that had us both in the picture from back in the day as winners in the 1976 Style Revue,” Comer said of she and Bell.
“We didn’t know each other back then, and not in the same club. She was a member of Willing Workers. I was a member of Bloomfield Sew and Grow.”
The many hours spent advising and mentoring the 4-H members is rewarding in a number of ways, Comer noted.
“I do love to see the kids’ skills improve and grow every year when we start a new project. I have them here teaching them for 10 years of their lives, and it’s neat to see them grow and mature in their skills.
“We’ve had a few go on in college continuing to grow their sewing and fashion skills. One has started her own leather-making company.
“I tell them all to number one, teach it forward to someone else and number two, for those who go further, go learn great things and come back and teach me.”
