Crowned the 2019 Muskingum County Blue Ribbon Fair King, Wesley Frank has big plans for his future, and he credits that ambition to his time in 4-H. 

Frank, a 17 year-old senior at Maysville High School, began his 4-H experience 14 years ago as a Cloverbud. 

Throughout those years, he tried his hand showing several animals in the poultry category. Although, he did show market goats briefly. 

“I got more out of my ducks, and the goat was a lot of work,” said Frank. “I’ve stuck with poultry since then.”

Frank has shown both market and show chickens, but show ducks have been his favorite for the past four or five years. 

His project on gardening earned him a trip to the state fair last year, and his most recent endeavor has turned into a small business for Frank — Wesley’s Critter Care.

What makes Frank’s pet care service stand out from the competition is his ability to care for animals a little bigger than cats and dogs. 

“One of my big things I like trying to be able to do is reach out to the livestock communities, which are a little harder to reach out to, so that they have an option to leave town without worrying about their animals,” said Frank. 

But before 4-H, contacting new clients may have presented a challenge for Frank. 

“4-H has taught me a ton. The biggest thing is people skills,” said Frank. “I wouldn’t even be able to have this conversation with you if it weren’t for what 4-H has provided.”

The club has also taught him to work a little harder and a little smarter. 

“A lot of people don’t know how to use the resources available to them and how to dig a little bit deeper than they need to, but it’s just kind of taught me how to be an ambitious individual,” said Frank. 

As Fair King, all that Frank accomplished throughout his childhood came full circle as he walked the fairground and met the people who molded him into the young man he is today. 

“I don’t really believe in the self-made man as much as an individual with ambition and drive supported by their community, guided by everyone around them,” said Frank. “So I see this as an opportunity to show what my community has built me into. I kind of get to walk around and talk to those people that may be behind the scenes that I haven’t even met before.”

But Frank’s goals don’t stop with 4-H. He wants to continue pursuing bigger dreams after he graduates this spring. 

“There’s been many individuals that I have seen as a kid that I remember looking up to and I’ve met some of those standards, I’ve seen them with me, and just being able to go out there and show them that, hey, not only did I succeed in this extra-curricular, I was also able to succeed in the real world,” said Frank. “So I’d love to go out there and make a new legacy for myself once I leave 4-H and the community and show that, you know, you can bring yourself up from that and people around you are here to help you do that.”