The 4-H Communication Days Finals were held Sunday, March 19 at the Plains High School. There were a total of 15 finalists competing on Sunday, including three in the senior division and 12 in the junior division.

Demonstrations began at 1 p.m. and were all completed by 3 p.m. Each demonstration was scheduled for a maximum time of 15 minutes and given in front of three judges. The demonstrations ranged from training your dog how tot sit, impromptu speaking, and how to cook chicken-fried steak.

Rachel Wrobleski gave an impromptu speech on what she would say to a Montana legislator about the funding for 4-H. She was very poised, confident, and had outlined her speech in just three minutes after drawing the topic from the judges.

Andrew Wrobleski is in his first year of 4-H and gave a very educational and fun demonstration on the “Clothes of the American Riflemen”. He began by showing his posters of what the clothes were and began to put them on one at a time. He then talked about the accessories of the riflemen, which he added to his clothing.

Cody Burke gave a demonstration on how to cook chicken-fried steak. What was interesting about his demonstration was a personal fact he shared about himself that he had to work with while cooking.

“I am color blind and I had trouble knowing if it was cooked or not cooked,” he said.

Cody used a thermometer to cook the meat to the proper doneness he desired, which was medium well done.

Jessica Bronner gave her demonstration titled “Giving Life to a Dead Light Bulb.” She donned safety glasses, gloves, and an apron as she gave a step-by-step description of how a regular (not LED or florescent) household light bulb can be made into hanging vases, an oil lamp, a terrarium, or a trinket holder. She spoke about the specific ways to safely take off the end cap and clean the inside of the light bulb properly.

“After you have removed the bottom black glass from the base or end cap of the light bulb, use a screwdriver to carefully break the glass that is inside and wire filament. Then rinse the light bulb in water to get rid of the clay that was coating the inside of the light bulb,” she said.

She then showed the judges and those watching how clean and clear the light bulb had become.

The fist-place winner in the junior division was MacKenzie Robinson, who will be going on to 4-H Congress. Those junior division winners receiving either a certificate to Murdoch’s or a scholarship to a 4-H camp were; Ben Croft, Cody Burke, and Bethany Burke. The first place winner for her impromptu speaking was Rachel Wrobleski, who will be eligible to go on to 4-H Congress. The senior division 1st place winner in demonstrations was Jesssica Bronner, who becomes eligible to go on to 4-H Congress.