A local 4-H member received third-place honors in the 2009 National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference on Nov. 19 at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville.
This annual conference allows 4-H’ers from all over the country to compete in educational events that help them learn to make and defend decisions, speak publicly and gain poultryrelated skills.
Rebecca Simpson, the daughter of James and Linda Simpson of Cave Springs, won the State Chicken BBQ Contest in June, making her eligible to compete in this national competition.
She not only had to cook four chicken halves in a specified time, but she also had to present an 8- to 10-minute Powerpoint presentation about the poultry industry. During the barbecuing, the contestants were judged on their efficiency in starting a fire(no gas grills or easy light charcoals), controlling the fire, preparing their chicken for cooking and their skill in barbecuing. After these things were judged, a new panel of judges evaluated the degree of doneness, appearance of the cooked chicken, the texture and taste of the fi nished product.
After the actual cooking part of the contest was finished, the participants competed in the presentation component of the contest. During this competition, the contestants were judged on their speech subject matter and their visual presentation as well as their ability to answer the judge’s questions.
Rebecca was presented a $300 savings bond for the third-place award.
4-H is a youth development organization open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 19 regardless of race, color, national origin, gender or disability. For more information, call the Benton County Extension Office at 271-1060.
Our Town, Pages 16 on 12/20/2009