Somerset County 4-H Computer Club Designs Interactive Fair App

Written by Jennifer Korneski, 4-H Program Coordinator

The magic was truly back this year at the Somerset County 4-H Fair! We had perfect sunny weather, beautiful displays, and dedicated volunteers who made it all come together.

There are a ton of behind-the-scenes preparations in order to make the fair happen and one very special group, the computer club, made it easy for fairgoers to navigate throughout the fair.

High schoolers Cy Westbrook and Callum Dingwall led the project and began design of the fair app months before the fair, constantly making tweaks and enhancements. They were on top of any questions that arose during the fair and already have a vision for where they want to take the app next year.

The app included a schedule of events, map of the fairgrounds, scavenger hunt activity, descriptive listing of 4-H clubs, link to SC4-H website, and a listing of Fair Sponsors with links to their websites. About 300 people used the app each day. The app made it easy for people to not only find events and tent locations but to connect to the 4-H website www.4histops.org.

These brilliant teens thought of everything! The Scavenger Hunt included 15 clues, with hints if needed, so fair goers could explore the fair and visit the club tents in a fun way. When the scavenger hunt was finished, participants stopped at the computer club booth in the Arts & Science Tent to receive their trophy which was created, in real time, on their 3-D printers.

The Computer Club received a 2022 Fair Manager Merit Award for their innovation designing the fair app.

We congratulate and thank the members of the Somerset County 4-H Computer Club and their leaders Paul Westbrook and his wife Nada Boustany, for sharing their talents and time to create such an innovative and helpful tool for the fair.

Meet the Computer Club at our upcoming Open House on September 29 at from 6:30 - 8:30pm.