4-H, FFA members receiving scholarships from Wayne County Fair livestock sale proceeds

Peter Becker, Tri-County Independent
·3 min read
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The 161st Wayne County Fair near Honesdale is underway. From the beginning, the fair has carried an agricultural theme, which is very prominent at the north end where members of local 4-H clubs and the Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters of Wayne County take care of their market animals and show them for judging with hopes for prize ribbons.

Fair attendance can run as many as 80,000 to 100,000, depending on the weather, Fair President Roger Dirlam stated. For many attendees, the animals at the livestock barns are a highlight of the fair, where they are reminded of where our food supply originates.

Many of the animals these young people raise are sold at an auction on the last day of the fair (Saturday, Aug. 12). Proceeds from the sale come back to benefit several 4-H and FFA members picked for scholarships.

2023 scholarship winners

Orley Mae White, speaking as a 4-H representative, reported that the following graduating senior 4-H and FFA members will be assisted with the costs of higher education and careers from the Nebzydoski-White Memorial Jr. Livestock Scholarship Fund:

  • Nicholas Bonham, son of Frank and Carrie Bonham, is a member of the Pleasant Mount Go-Getters Club. He plans to help operate Bonham Farms, the family farm which has been operating since the late 1800s.

  • Eilie Burleigh, daughter of Mercedes Clune and Jennifer Cameron Burleigh, is a member of the Pleasant Mount Go-Getters Club. She plans to attend Penn State University, majoring in biology.

  • Carley Fries, a member of the Waymart Horizons Club and the Honesdale FFA Chapter, plans to work on her grandparents' dairy farm and to learn the landscaping business by working for a local landscaper. Her parents are Max and Jimmie Ann Fries.

  • Charles Moran, son of Daniel and Julie Moran, is a member of the Bethany 4-H Club and of the Honesdale FFA Chapter. He is enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.

  • Eoghan Murphy will major in cybersecurity at St. Bonaventure University. He is the son of Brendan and Heather Murphy and is a member of the Pleasant Mount Go-Getters.

  • Jordyn Noble is the daughter of Colleen Franklin. She is a member of the Cherry Ridge 4-H Club. She has been accepted to Lackawanna College and will be pursuing a cardiac sonography degree.

  • Laynee Nugent, daughter of Matt and Jada Nugent, is a member of the Waymart Horizons Club. She will be attending Kutztown University majoring in business management/supply chain management.

  • Gabrielle Rydzik, a member of the Pleasant Mount Go-Getters Club, is the daughter of Jason and Julie Rydzik. She has been accepted into the University of Scranton's occupational therapy program.

  • Mackenzie Weist is the daughter of Jennifer Weist. A member of the Pleasant Mount Go-Getters Club, she will attend Johnson College and obtain a degree in veterinary nursing.

The Market Animal programs, along with the 4-H and FFA members' leaders, parents and Wayne County Penn State Extension Office staff, guide and educate them to carefully raise their market steers, hogs, sheep, goats, and rabbits. Their projects are complete once they turn in all the required paperwork, and they exhibit their animals in various competitions at the Wayne County Fair.

At the close of the 2023 sale, the Sales Committee will have donated 396 scholarships totaling $534,633. This year, the nine senior FFA or 4-H members will each receive $2,000.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: 4-H, FFA members receiving scholarships from livestock sale proceeds