Kingfisher County’s 2021 Free Fair opens with a new face as one of its organizers at the county OSU Extension Service.

Well, recently-hired 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator Heather Jones may be new to current 4-H members, but not necessarily to their parents.

Jones started her professional career in the Kingfisher County OSU Extension Office 20 years ago, then resigned about five years later after the birth of her second son.

Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in human and environmental sciences and a master’s degree in general education, both from the University of Central Oklaho ma.

She followed her first stint in OSU Extension with 11 and a half years with the Department of Human Services, where she worked as a child welfare specialist.

The last 18 months, she served as advocate supervisor for Blaine and Kingfisher counties’ Court Appointed Special Advocate programs.

“I love being back in Extension and seeing the new generation of youth whose parents were 4-H members I had in the program over 15 years ago,” she said. “Oops, I just aged myself.”

Jones sa id the biggest changes she sees in her job now as compared to two decades ago is in technological advances.

“It’s just like everywhere else. Most of the training is through Zoom or online,” she said. “But the biggest change is 4-H enrollment. All 4-H enrollment is completed online.”

Jones said she is working on new ideas to encourage growth in both membership and recognition for the county 4-H program and welcomes input from parents, leaders and the county 4-H ambassadors.

“I would love to see all the county FFA programs and the 4-H program overlap for the youth who are involved in both programs,” she said.

Jones also is working to find more opportunities to develop leadership skills and find college scholarships for local 4-H members.

But right now, she said she’s “just trying to figure everything out again” about how to help organize and operate the county fair.

“I’ve been promoting the county 4-H steak sandwich fundraiser and organizing and promoting the Farmhand Olympics, which were canceled last year due to COVID restrictions,” she said.

Jones said she’s also been helping fellow county educators Bryan Kennedy and Lindy Peterman set up the fairgrounds Exhibit Building in preparation for exhibits that will be coming in this week.