Nolan Stroup wasn’t nervous before he approached the judges table. He felt pretty good when he left too.

“I’m just waiting to see what happens,” said Stroup, 12, of Lebanon, who had finished his presentation to judge Anita Leach in the Displays category at the Linn County Fair on Monday. “I wasn’t worried about the presentation.”

Leach, of Mill City, had more than 20 entrants to judge during the day. A first-time judge, she approached it with plenty of enthusiasm.

“When I was a kid I was in 4-H and this is very exciting. It’s such a great program,” she said. “I work in Sweet Home with someone who was scheduled to judge, but she couldn’t do it so I volunteered to do it for her.”

Judges were viewing static events all day Monday, along with interviewing presenters.

“We have guidelines to follow concerning sources, why they chose the topic they did and applications,” said Leach. “This event is visual too. It’s important how it presents and if it is readable.”

Stroup’s 9-year-old sister, Jesse, also made a presentation Monday. Like her brother, she spent more than two weeks putting her project together, and like Leach, this was her first competition.

“I had a good time learning about it,” she said of her presentation on cleaning horse hooves.

The presentations provide an aspect that veteran judge Rick Fletcher says is a key to the 4-H program.

“Going through the process and learning skills is important. It teaches on many levels,” said Fletcher, who has been judging various events for 28 years. “The interview is a chance for them to let us know what they want us to see.”

Monday he was interviewing 4-H members on their computer projects. One of the entrants was 15-year-old Gabriel Gunselman of Lebanon, who designed a graduation booklet for his church.

“It’s taken me a couple of weeks to put it together,” he said.

Fletcher said Gunselman’s project was a good example of what kids can pick up from preparation.

“He learned he had to find better ways and different applications to complete it,” he noted.

Fletcher, who mostly has judged forestry and natural science presentations, said he loves the opportunity to work with kids.

“I was sitting in the other seat when I was a kid,” he said. “This is important to a lot of kids; it teaches life skills and it’s a lot of fun.”