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Ellis County 4-Hers honored at 86th annual Achievement Banquet

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The 86th Annual 4-H Achievement Banquet was recently held at the Ellis Co. Fairgrounds in Hays to honor Ellis Co. Heroes.  4-H recognized local law enforcement and veterans for their service to the community and country.  They also recognized 4-H members, leaders and supporters.

More than 150 4-H members, their families, and special guests attended the annual awards banquet sponsored by the Ellis County 4-H Council.

Nominated as outstanding 4-H members from the 4-H clubs were:
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The Senior winners were Lane Fischer and Emily George and the Junior winners were Ean Dexter and Maggie James.
Receiving several special honors for outstanding leadership in the Ellis Co. 4-H program was senior member, Lane Pfannenstiel.

Lane was awarded the Kansas 4-H Key Award, awarded to only 10% of members across Kansas for their leadership contributions. Lane was also awarded the “I Dare You” leadership award. His letter of recommendation stated “Lane’s greatest quality is his willingness to lead through service.  He is always eager to lend a helping hand and volunteer.  His leadership is evident, not only in his achievements, but in his character and day to day actions.”  Lane was also awarded the 2016 Rosemary Smith 4-H Scholarship given by her family in memory of long time 4-H Leader Rosemary Smith.

Receiving a Gold Certificates for their Kansas Award Portfolios were Anna Kuhn – Jr. Beef; John Stremel – Jr. Bucket Calf;  Kylie Dreiling – Jr Cat;  Taegan Shannon – Jr. Clothing;   Devlyn Jochum – Jr. Dog;  Isabelle Jones – Jr. Foods;  Kaleb Neher – Jr. Meat Goat;  Quentin Rupp – Jr. Photography;  Cyrus Vajnar – Jr. Swine;  Haley Rees – Jr. Visual Arts;  Lane Pfannenstiel – Sr. Beef;  Ethan Jensen – Sr. Entomology;  Tanner Haselhorst – Sr. Leadership;  Laura Montgomery – Sr. Poultry;  Jacob Schmeidler – Sr. SpaceTech; and Conrad Vajnar – Sr. Swine.  Senior KAP winners will advance to the NW Area competition in January.

Wade Pfannenstiel and Victoria Lumber were recognized as the “Friends of 4-H” for their support of the Ellis County 4-H program during this past year.

Each 4-H Club in the county has the opportunity to nominate a business and an individual who they feel have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Ellis Co. 4-H.  The Ellis Co. 4-H Council makes the final decision on who to recognize as a “Friend of 4-H”.

Wade Pfannenstiel is this year’s individual Friend of 4-H.  Wade has given his time and talents to improvements at the fairgrounds for many years. The nomination says “Wade has more heart and care for our county fair than most.  Year after year he has dedicated his time not only to the livestock portion of the fair, but other events as well.” He was nominated by the Ellis Sunflowers and Gemini Jrs. 4-H clubs.

Jim and Becky Scheck, owners of Victoria Lumber, are this year’s business Friend of 4-H. They have supported the Fair Livestock Sale for the past few years, receiving the Top Buyer traveling trophy a number of times.  They also worked to help build the new bathroom facility on the Ellis Co. Fairgrounds that will be used by many of the 4-H members. They were nominated by the Bits N Spurs and Victoria Viking 4-H clubs. The clubs wrote on their nomination forms, “Victoria Lumber and the Scheck family gave a great deal to building the new bathroom facility. It will be appreciated by all 4-H families.” Another club wrote “over the past several years, very few businesses and families have contributed as much time, effort and financial support to the betterment of 4-H in this community. They deserve a huge thank you for their generosity.”

Ellis Co. 4-H members present received their certificate of completion and were awarded their membership pins based on the number of years and level of involvement in the local and statewide 4-H program activities.

The evening concluded with the 4-H Scholarship & Development Fund holding their silent and live auctions to raise money for 4-H camp and graduating senior scholarships.

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