Not only did Spear's tractor project, built out of 272 cans, earn her a state fair ribbon; the very unique work of art - styled in color after the popular John Deere brand - became one of the conversation pieces of the fair, especially in the community building, where it was on display.
Spear said the tractor project, which she entered in the "self-determined" category for judging, came about after her grandfather, Larry Spear of Ames, visited a store in Texas that had all kinds of things built out of cans. "He said we should make (a tractor) over Christmas break," Spear said. "I thought it sounded really cool."
Spear, the daughter of Troy and Kathy Spear, said she put out the word with relatives that she was collecting pop cans for the project. Most of the cans, some even mini-sized, came from her uncle, she said. Other family members pitched in, too.
The project also used full-size juices bottles, wood and a comet can for the smoke stack.
Spear said her grandfather is a retired carpenter, so he's used to building things, which came in handy for their project. When it came time to begin, Spear said, "we just started." They hot glued the cans together, starting with the wheels and then going up to the body of the tractor. To help in their construction, "we looked at pictures (of tractors) off and on," she said.
They did all of the building in her grandfather's basement, and then moved the project to her dad's workshop to spray paint it. It was totally finished over Christmas break.
One of the most intriguing things about the 4-H program is its emphasis on family members, especially grandparents and older relatives, working with kids on projects. Spear said it was fun working with her grandfather. "He makes these jokes and things," she said with a smile.
Mary Wilkins, Story County 4-H youth coordinator, said Spear's tractor project is one of 50 non-livestock/animal entries, that will earn a place from Story County at the Iowa State Fair this August. The number of projects per county is based on the county's total 4-H membership. Story County's present 4-H membership is about 415, Wilkins said. Each project that earned a state fair designation from the county will be judged at the State Fair, where it can earn another blue, red or white ribbon.
The biggest non-livestock/animal area for entries in Story County is photography. Wilkins said the county fair had close to 800 photography entries this year and will send 20 of those onto the Iowa State Fair. "Photos were up around 150 from last year," Wilkins said, adding that they had to borrow racks to be able to display all the photos this year.
All other entries, including livestock and animals, into the Story County 4-H Youth Fair this year were pretty even with past year, Wilkins said.
In past years, Spear said, she has done photography and horse projects at the fair. This year, in addition to her tractor project, she was also showing six rabbits and her dog. The dog had already been judged and was another highlight of Spear's week, earning the Champion Dog award in the Grad Novice A category.
As for the pop-can tractor, Spear said a lot of people had talked to her at the fair about the project, and she definitely wants to do another project with her grandfather in the future.
As for the state fair ribbon, she's still a little bit in disbelief about it. "It doesn't seem real," she said with a smile.
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