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SLAYTON - Lola Rambosky was in 4-H back in the 1940s. These days, she is seeing the third generation of her family compete at the Murray County Fair.

Back when she was Lola Swan, she was in the 4-H club from Lake Sarah Township and competed at the Murray County Fair in canning, food preservation, bread, baking and gardening. She earned a state fair trip in 1946, "went about two years in a row," Rambosky said. "That's when you had to bring all your pans along and demonstrate. I made a Swedish tea ring for bread." She also canned green beans.

"When I was in 4-H back in the 40s, that was our entertainment," said Rambosky. "We put on ice cream socials and invited our neighboring 4-H clubs."

The fair and 4-H may not be the primary social outlet for youth these days but Opdahl's children and grandchildren all found reasons to participate.

Rambosky's children, Janet and Joan, competed and now, her grandsons, Chris and Alex Opdahl of Slayton, participate in 4-H.

"I wanted to be in," Joan Opdahl said. "I enjoyed the projects." She competed in food preservation, "the home economics" projects. Her sister, Joan, now of Marshall, competed in the same projects and had beef cattle.

Janet's husband, Dennis Opdahl, was also in 4-H. The Opdahls are Chris and Alex's parents.

"Other kids on the bus, in school and the neighborhood were in 4-H," Dennis said, so he wanted to join, but first, he had to convince his parents. "I had to throw a temper tantrum to get in."

The experiment worked and he was in 4-H for nine years, starting with rabbits and moving on to showing livestock, dairy, and swine, and competing in conservation.

"I made seven trips to the state fair, mostly in dairy," Dennis Opdahl said.

Alex has been in 4-H for five years and competes in fishing sports, hunting, trapping, swine, foods and gardening.

Chris, 18, recognizes the 4-H family tradition, but said "I wanted to" be in 4-H. He is a member of the Badger Lake 4-H Club, "the oldest 4-H club in Murray County," he said.

"I've been in since kindergarten with Cloverbuds, but I've been in regular 4-H for 10 years," Chris Opdahl said. "First year, I showed gardening, home ec, food projects. Second year, I started with pigs" which he still shows. "I have chickens, too.

"I have friends in it and I like doing it," he said.

Dennis moved from participant to leader nearly 40 years ago.

"I've been a leader 36 years," Dennis said. "It's not nearly as structured as it was when I was in 4-H. If you missed so many meetings, you got kicked out. Now, it's pretty much anything goes. If someone wants to join to show cattle or play softball, do trips or camps, that's fine. They figure that it keeps them involved in some type of an organization."

"There were more kids in when I was in 4-H," Janet said. She is the FACS teacher at Murray County Central High School.

Chris pointed out the population is shrinking in the rural areas and Dennis added it's just tougher to schedule everything.

"When I was growing up in the '60s, almost all the moms were at home," Dennis said. "You're not working around just the kids' schedule, but the parents,too."

Chris said it helps to have all the knowledge from the older generations.

"Yeah, if there's something that goes wrong - which it usually does - it's nice to have people around to help out," he said.

All three generations say they work together on projects, "very" extensively, Chris said.