The Whidbey Homesteaders, an Island County 4-H group, made waves at the State Fair in Puyallup from Sept. 16-19.

Lucy Nowlin, 13; Abby Ruddell, 10; Juliana Larson-Wickman, 15; and Levi Yenna, 10 brought home six blue ribbons, three reserve champion ribbons and two grand champion ribbons with their goats. The group also won the top prize in herdsmanship for keeping their area clean, answering questions and presenting themselves as a community of participants. They were led by Kim Larson, leader of the Whidbey Homesteaders.

Shawn Nowlin, mother of Lucy Nowlin, said the four kids worked for 11 hours a day at the event. They worked to improve their public speaking skills and learned how to better engage the public. Nowlin said the fair was more about being a good citizen rather than a competitor.

“They learned a lot about being on a bigger stage,” Nowlin said. “They were so thrilled.”