The Fremont County Fair is in full swing and one of the highly-anticipated aspects of the fair is the annual 4-H Family of the Year Award. This year, the coveted honor went to the Comstock family.
"It's a huge honor, we've watched over the years as really special and hard-working families receive the award," said Sarah Comstock.
Sponsored by the Daily Record, the 4-H Family of the Year features a special family that is particularly dedicated to 4-H. The family is selected for the honor by the Fair Board and the previous year's recipients are always there to present to the new family.
Randy, the father of the four-strong family, grew up in Fremont County and was involved in 4-H beginning in infancy. In 1980, he officially began his 4-H career and completed a variety of projects, including bicycling, photography, ceramics, junior leadership, rocketry, and cake decorating. He served as a junior superintendent and won a trip to the 4-H Congress in Chicago from 4-H Achievement in Safety. He also attended Western Round-Up for winning the Grand Champion Cake Decorating competition at the state fair level. Currently, Randy serves as the rocketry leader and conducts the rocket launch at the fair.
After meeting and marrying his wife, Sarah, the two settled down and had two daughters Grace, 19, and Rachel, 16.
Sarah also grew up being an active 4-H participant. She turned her pre-fair interest in fashion into a 4-H career in clothing construction. She partook in the highly competitive Fashion Revue and twice took home the Grand Champion award. After settling down with Randy in Fremont County, she served as the fashion revue superintendent and then became the superintendent for the open crafts and novice youth divisions.
Grace and Rachel have each had busy careers in 4-H and, though Grace has moved on to college, both sisters have enjoyed successful campaigns.
Grace spent 14 years as a 4-H member and took part in a huge variety of events, including, but not limited to, child development, foods, clothing, heritage arts, rabbits, and cake decorating. Many of her projects went to the state fair level. In 2022, she received the High Point Home Economics Award.
Rachel, not to be outdone by her big sister, has competed in rocketry, cake decorating, foods, design and decor, and rabbits. She has found a special passion for rabbits and was the Resident Grand Champion Small Animal Showman in 2022 and also won Best Rabbit Record Book both on an intermediate and senior level. She currently serves as a junior superintendent.
As a special sort of generational continuance, Randy's boyhood family consisting of his mother, father, and sister also won the award as did his grandfather's family many years ago.
"It's pretty cool to be the third generation of families to get that award," Sarah said.
Being involved with 4-H has a little something for everyone, but for the Comstocks, it goes deeper than finding simple enjoyment in participating.
"We've bonded over volunteering together, doing family service together, it causes us to be a stronger family by everybody helping and pitching in together," Sarah said. "It's made our family stronger, for sure."
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