Aug. 10—For Sandy Evenson, the Northwest Montana Fair is more than a summer holiday. The annual event, which showcases hundreds of livestock and home goods projects from 4-Hers, is simply a way of life.
“I don’t think I’ve really ever missed a fair,” the 63-year-old said. “It’s just part of life. It’s always been important.”
Evenson joked that she got her start in the 4-H world as a toddler, sitting in her highchair and watching her mother cook. Growing up on the family farm near Stillwater, she often spent her free time helping her father feed the family’s cattle or fixing irrigation pipes in the fields. Her parents were both 4-H leaders, as were Evenson’s paternal grandparents, and there was little question in Evenson’s mind that she would take up the family tradition.
“We just didn’t know anything different as kids,” Evenson said, with a shrug.
Once she was old enough, Evenson joined her parents’ 4-H club, the Stillwater Beavers. A few years later in 1972, after Evenson said a horseshow sparked a dispute among club members, the family left to help found a new 4-H club titled Breeding and Fattening Livestock, or B&F Livestock for short.
As the name suggests, the club primarily focused on livestock rearing. Evenson specialized in beef breeding, though she also showed projects in cooking, sewing, knitting and crocheting. As the eldest of four daughters, Evenson said her favorite part of 4-H was the opportunity to learn from older kids.
“They paid attention to you,” she said. “They looked after you. I guess they mentored you.”
In 1980, Evenson began her own career as a 4-H leader. B&F Livestock’s former club leader had unexpectedly retired, and, after some not-so-subtle pressure from her younger sisters, Evenson agreed to take over, saving the club from a potential shutdown.
At first, Evenson said she was hesitant to step into the role. At just 18 years old, freshly graduated from high school, she was unsure that she had the expertise to mentor other young agriculturists, but her own tenure as a 4-H student had also taught her the value of trying new things.
“Everything’s always evolving and there’s always new ways to do things,” she said. “Sometimes it is getting out of your comfort zone and learning what’s out there.”
As a 4-H club leader, Evenson cultivated a similar sense of curiosity and open-mindedness in her club members. She catalyzed cultural exploration through an annual club fundraiser in which members cooked and sold Norwegian flatbread called lefse. When members expressed interest in the new project topics being offered by 4-H, which ranged from shooting to robotics to poetry, Evenson helped connect them with local mentors. And she made sure the club welcomed kids from all backgrounds, especially those who may have been turned away from other extracurricular activities.
Evenson recalled mentoring one girl who had a disability that limited her ability to speak. Verbal presentations are a central component of 4-H projects, so Evenson and the girl’s older sister worked with her to ensure she still got to participate in the annual fair. Decades later, Evenson said she had lost touch with the family, but the memory still left her misty-eyed.
“It makes me feel really good,” she said with a self-deprecating laugh as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “It brings tears to my eyes.”
Evenson’s commitment spurred nominations for various leadership roles with the Flathead 4-H Foundation, the Montana 4-H Foundation and the Montana 4-H Leaders Council, but she never strayed too far from B&F Livestock. Forty-five years later, she is still the acting leader for the club, which boasts anywhere from 10 to 70 members each year.
Evenson said a lot has changed since she showed her first 4-H project. Fewer kids grow up on farms, like she did. Phones and social media detract from the need for in-person social events.
But Evenson still believes there is value in 4-H’s pledge, which centers around the merits of clear thinking, loyalty, service and health. Standing in the Trade Center at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, one week before the festivities were set to kick off, Evenson said she was excited to see her club members showcase those virtues during the upcoming livestock exhibitions.
“I think it’s better to be down here in this barn than at the concert or at the carnival,” she said. “There’s life lessons in this barn.”
Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or hsmalley@dailyinterlake.com.