Canyon Creek Stock 4-H builds larger wash rack at fairgrounds

A long-crowded wash area at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds is getting a major upgrade, thanks to Canyon Creek Stock 4-H members who raised nearly $19,000 and helped build a new rack designed to make show day easier for families.

The 28-member club said the old setup had become cramped and difficult to use when many exhibitors needed it at once. The new wash rack will more than triple the size of the existing area, giving young livestock handlers more room to clean and prepare animals before they enter the ring.

The project was shaped by the students themselves. Club members talked through the needs of different animal types and focused on what would actually help on busy fair days, when more than 100 animals are shown each year and more than 400 4-H members use the fairgrounds. The result is a practical improvement built around the routine work that goes into raising and showing livestock, not just a cosmetic addition.

Local businesses helped turn the plan into a finished structure. Matrix Construction, Capital Concrete and AJ Concrete Pumping supported the build, and the companies donated half the concrete needed for the project. After the concrete was poured, the 4-H members signed their names into it, leaving a lasting mark on a project that began with youth ideas and community backing.

The larger wash rack is expected to be ready when the Last Chance Stampede arrives in July. For 4-H families, that means a bigger, better place to wash animals and less pressure during the crowded hours when every stall, hose and foot of space matters. In a county where youth livestock projects are a visible part of the fair tradition, the new rack stands as a working example of student labor, civic pride and direct investment in agricultural education.