Painter begins 5th month as 4H extension agent and his first Botetourt Fair.

The Botetourt Fair looms big this weekend as Tyler Pinter and the rest of Th the Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension staff prepare for the event on Aug 9 and 10 at the Buchanan Town Park.

Painter spent 15 of his young years in Botetourt 4H as well as 7 more as an adult. He took the job in Botetourt when Katherine E. Carter moved on to work in a different area of youth 4H across the state.

He graduated from LBHS, went to Radford U and has a Masters from VA Tech. He said as a little known fact about him locally, “l call sports at Tech as an announcer for Women’s Volleyball and Women’s Basketball games.”

Painter took his first Botetourt campers (after several years in Floyd) to camp in June. There were 231 campers, including 48 teens and 11 adults at the WE Skelton 4H center at Smith Mountain Lake.

” I got to know the group better while at 4H camp,” said Painter.

He has spent 4 months getting to know the 8 different 4H clubs in Botetourt. He recently watched the Honey Bee Club extract honey from their hives.

He will be there at the fair to support the many young people in 4H who will exhibit and participate.
He said, too “I interacted at the high school level at JRHS in particular this past spring In the simulation held back in April to help teens develop financial sense. I also participated with the Family and Consumer Sciences classes.”

He hopes to work more with the schools. Currently 4H supports the Robotics team that meets after school at JRHS during the year. Soon there will be another competition at the end of August.Painter hopes he can expand the Public Speaking component of Botetourt 4H and also work with some secondary high school clubs like FBLA for instance.

Look for him at the Botetourt Fair this weekend. He is the tall guy with the big 4H smile.