08/20/2026
๐ฃ*1,050 PARTICIPANTS. ONE GRAND CHAMPION HAM. PENDLETON COUNTY 4-H!*๐ฃ
Hayden Turnerโs 2015 Non-Smoked Ham was named GRAND CHAMPION HAM OVERALL, topping both the Smoked and Non-Smoked divisions at the Kentucky State Fair!
After having the Reserve Grand Champion Ham last year, we were thrilled to earn a spot in the champion cage again- this time with the Grand Champion!
Hayden also earned:
โข Overall Champion 2015 Non-Smoked Ham
โข 2nd Overall 2015 Non-Smoked Speech & Ham
And there was plenty more to celebrate for Pendleton County! Our Country Ham members earned an incredible list of awards among 1,050 participants from across Kentucky:
๐ฅฉ 2007/2008 Non-Smoked Division
โข Reserve Champion Non-Smoked Ham - Riley Browning
๐ฅฉ 2010 Non-Smoked Division
โข Reserve Champion Non-Smoked Ham - Ben Patton
โข Champion Non-Smoked Ham - RJ Combs
๐ฅฉ 2011 Non-Smoked Division
โข Reserve Champion Non-Smoked Speech - Levi Wolfe
โข Overall Champion Non-Smoked Speech & Ham - Levi Wolfe
๐ฅฉ 2014 Non-Smoked Division
โข 3rd Overall Non-Smoked Ham - Carter Oldendick (tie)
โข Reserve Champion Non-Smoked Ham - Levi Oldendick (tie)
โข Champion Non-Smoked Ham - Michael Pintha
โข Overall Champion Non-Smoked Speech & Ham - Michael Pintha
โข Overall Champion between Smoked & Non-Smoked - Michael Pintha
๐ฅฉ 2016 Non-Smoked Division
โข Overall Champion Non-Smoked Ham - Leo Kirst
These placings represent months of work. From curing hams at the beginning of the project, to cleaning and preparing them for State Fair, to writing and practicing speeches. We are incredibly proud of all 13 of our Country Ham participants and the work they put into seeing this project through from start to finish.
โผ๏ธAnd their Country Ham year isnโt quite finished yet!โผ๏ธ
All 13 Pendleton County 4-H Country Ham participants will auction off their hams on Sunday, September 20 at 4:00 PM! We hope youโll join us to support these kids, celebrate their hard work and maybe even take home a Pendleton County 4-H country ham of your own!
A pretty special State Fair day for our whole Pendleton County 4-H Country Ham crew! ๐