Wapello County Expo Board

09/05/2026

Wondering if 4-H is right for your child? 💚
4-H is so much more than projects and livestock—it’s about building confidence, responsibility, leadership, friendships, and life skills that last a lifetime! 🌱🐄✨

Give your kids the opportunity to learn, grow, and shine. 4-H is a place where every kid can find their spark! 💚

V2.4honline.com

09/04/2026

We appreciate what Be The Light - Ottumwa does for our community!! It’s easy to stand behind organizations that are doing great things for Wapello County and surrounding areas!!!!
It was a great evening!!!
Thank you for all you do!!

𝗔 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗣𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗢! ✨

We are incredibly grateful to the Wapello County Expo Board for so generously opening their doors to Be the Light for our 𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸.

Their support went far beyond simply giving us a place to hold the event. They graciously provided the space at 𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁, allowed us to store our event supplies there, and welcomed us in for meetings and preparation along the way.

That kind of generosity makes a huge difference for a nonprofit like ours and allows us to put even more into our mission and our community.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗪𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆. 💚✨

09/04/2026

Throwing it way back to the 2017 or 2018 Wapello County 4-H Royalty Crowning! 👑💚

Oh, how quickly time goes! It seems like just yesterday we were watching these young ladies and gentlemen take the stage as part of our Royalty Court—and now look how many years have passed! 😭❤️

Do you recognize anyone in this photo?! 👀
Tag them below so we can see where they are now! ⬇️

And if YOU were part of this Royalty Court, we want to hear from you! 👑

💚 What is your favorite memory from this EXPO?
💚 What do you remember most about being on the Royalty Court?
💚 Do you still have any favorite Expo memories from those years?

Let's see how many members of this court we can find and fill the comments with some great Wapello County 4-H memories! 🍀📸

09/03/2026

🌟 FUTURE LEADER FEATURE: SIMON MARBLE 🌟

Meet Simon Marble of the City Slickers 4-H Club! Simon just completed 10th grade and has been involved in 4-H for 5 years.

📸 This year, Simon is involved in Photography and Creative Arts, but his favorite project so far has a pretty amazing story!

Back in 6th grade—his very first year of 4-H—Simon refurbished an old family violin and showed several projects based around the process. His favorite was an educational presentation about refurbishing the violin, which made it all the way to the Iowa State Fair! 🎻⭐

Simon says his favorite 4-H memories are every time one of his projects made it to the State Fair, because it was always a surprise. We’d say that makes every project that much more exciting!

But Simon isn’t just busy with 4-H. He currently serves as President of the City Slickers 4-H Club and is also the Secretary for the OHS Drama Club. He participates in orchestra and archery, too!

Through 4-H, Simon has learned how important it is to work with others in a community and the positive benefits that come from doing so. That lesson is one of the very best things a young person can take with them into the future. 💚

🎮 FUN FACT: Simon has an extensive collection of vintage video games! (Okay, now we need to know what counts as “extensive” because we may need to see this collection! 😂)

🍋 Favorite Wapello County Expo food/drink:
Buster’s Frozen Lemonade! 🍋

When asked why other kids should join Wapello County 4-H, Simon says:

“Because it’s fun working with and supporting others in the 4-H community. Also, I really enjoy the process of making projects to show at Expo.”

And we couldn't agree more! 💚

Simon, we are excited to see where your leadership, creativity, and willingness to work with others take you next. Keep learning, keep creating, keep leading, and keep making the best better!

🌟 We are proud to feature Simon Marble as this week’s Future Leader! 🌟

Parents: Sarah & Andrew Marble

09/02/2026

🌟 Sponsor Spotlight 🌟
Schroeder Graphic & Sign has been a longtime sponsor of the Expo Bags Tournament, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support!
Their generosity helps make this event possible, and we truly appreciate everything they do to support our community. Please join us in thanking Schroeder Graphic & Sign for being such a great sponsor! 🙌

Thank you, Schroeder Graphic & Sign! 🎉

09/01/2026

v2.4honline.com

09/01/2026

🌟 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: JEFF EMERY 🌟

Well… Jeff wouldn’t fill out the Volunteer Spotlight form, so I guess I’m just going to have to tell you about him myself! 😂

Jeff has been volunteering with Wapello County 4-H for more than 30 years, and honestly, it’s hard to imagine our 4-H program without him. Jeff grew up right here in Wapello County, so his roots in 4-H run deep. He was a 4-H member himself, raised his family in 4-H, and has spent decades helping make our program better for the next generation.
Jeff has been a driving force in the growth and development of Wapello County
4-H, and I think there’s a tremendous amount of pride in knowing how much he has contributed over the years. He has a real knack for teaching young people—and they seem to just flock to him! Whether he’s teaching a skill, helping with a project, solving a problem, or dreaming up the next improvement, Jeff is always ready to jump in.
I couldn’t tell you what Jeff’s favorite 4-H memory is because, well… he wouldn’t fill out the form! 😂 But I can tell you that he has A LOT of them. From his own 4-H years to watching all FOUR of his kids grow up in 4-H, I’m sure there are countless stories and memories tucked away.
And if you’ve ever wondered why we affectionately call our grandstand “The Jeff Emery Grandstand,” here’s the story: that stage with the roof didn’t just magically appear! Jeff and the guys DRAGGED it here from another town. Because apparently when Jeff sees something that would make 4-H better, the answer is simply, “Well… let’s get it here!” 😂
One of my favorite fun facts about Jeff? When he was a 4-H member, he took Marie Osmond to see his cow! 🐄😂 Now THAT is a 4-H memory!

Would Jeff encourage others to volunteer?
1,000,000%! 🙌

Although, if more people volunteer, maybe Jeff could finally take a little break…
JUST KIDDING! 😂

The truth is, 4-H is an amazing organization, and we can ALWAYS use more volunteers. And Jeff would absolutely welcome new volunteers with open arms… and then put them straight to work on one of the 10,000,000 projects we have on our list! 😂

Jeff, thank you for more than 30 years of showing up, pitching in, teaching kids, building things, moving things, fixing things, dreaming BIG, and—most importantly—always trying to “Make the Best Better.”

Wapello County 4-H is better because of you. 💚

Thank you, Jeff Emery, for being a HUGE part of our 4-H family! 🌟🐄💚

08/30/2026

🌱💚 Why Should You Join 4-H? 💚🌱

Looking for a place to learn, grow, make friends, and have fun? 4-H is the place for you! 🍀

4-H gives kids and teens the opportunity to discover new interests, build confidence, develop leadership skills, and learn by doing. Whether you're interested in animals, agriculture, cooking, crafts, STEM, public speaking, community service, or something completely new—there’s a place for you in 4-H!

💚 Learn skills you’ll use for life
🤍 Grow your confidence and leadership
💚 Make lifelong friendships
🤍 Serve and make a difference in your community
💚 Try new things and discover what you love
🤍 Have fun while learning by doing!

And the best part? 4-H is for everybody! 🌟

You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do. Just bring yourself, an open mind, and a willingness to learn!

🍀 Join 4-H and “make the best better!” 🍀



Registration begins September 1st at v2.4honline.com

08/30/2026

👻 Did you know that Mayhem Haunted House is one of the biggest fundraisers the Wapello County Expo Board has every year?
Well, I’m here to tell you—it absolutely is!! 🎃

We have an incredibly dedicated crew who works hard to bring Mayhem to life every year. They work throughout the entire year, and once Expo is over, they kick it into high gear to get everything ready for all you haunted house junkies! 👻🧟‍♂️

It takes A LOT of time, creativity, hard work, and dedication to prepare this haunt—and even more to spend night after night scaring the daylights out of everyone who walks through the doors! 😱

So, we want to give a HUGE shout-out and THANK YOU to all of the amazing people who devote so much of their time and energy to making Mayhem Haunted House what it is!

Without this incredible crew, Mayhem simply wouldn’t happen. ❤️

Thank you for all the hours, hard work, laughs, sweat, creativity, and, of course… SCREAMS! 👻🎃💀

We appreciate every single one of you!!

Now get ready, haunted house junkies… Mayhem is coming! 😈
October 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 & 24!! 7:00 - Midnight each night!!