LAPORTE, Ind. – A more active approach to recruiting is among the reasons cited for a 4-H youth group in Indiana witnessing a more than 40 percent increase in membership since last year.

The numbers in the LaPorte County 4-H program could further climb because of a goal to nearly double current membership levels in the next five years.

The membership drive is a major factor in replacing the recently demolished 4-H show arena at the LaPorte County fairgrounds with a new one twice its size.

“We want to reach as many kids as we can so they can become young leaders and good human beings. Ultimately, that’s our goal,” said Kelsey Guadarrama, a 4-H educator with the Purdue Extension office in La Porte County.

Membership has increased from about 700 to just over 1,000 since Guadarrama and other leaders of the program were brought in to replace administrators whose short terms were marked by considerable unrest among many adult 4-H volunteers and declining youth participation.

Guadarrama said youth membership now is close to being at previous heights. She said the focus has been on more visits to schools to explain the wide variety of offerings in the program ranging from agriculture to robotics and creating a positive environment for children to want to join.

“We really try to make it more fun for the kids,” she said.

Guadarrama said the once strong relationship between 4-H, members of the fair board and county government officials has also been restored.

She said the strategy for youth membership to reach 2,000 also includes an emphasis on the youngest members in grades K-2 to keep them wanting to stay in the program from year to year.

Construction of the new 27,000 square foot 4-H show arena began in late July at the same spot where the old show arena was built in the early 1960s. The arena is where 4-H youth show their cows, goats and other livestock for judging, and bidding from prospective buyers during the fair auction.

Steve Mrozinski, president of the LaPorte County Agricultural Association board, which operates the fair, said the old show arena brought back a lot of fond memories of past fairs and other events like weddings it once hosted.

However, Mrozinski said its sentimental value did not outweigh the need for a new show arena. “It was time for the building to be replaced,” he said.

The new show arena also represents another step in a long-term process of transforming the fairgrounds into a year-round destination.

In recent years, greater use has been made of the grounds after the fair for major events like concerts, tractor pulls and pyrotechnic shows.

The goal is filling more open dates on the calendar with other activities like trade shows and horse competitions.

“We’re taking this to the next level,” said LaPorte County Council President Randy Novak.

Novak has formed an over 30-member committee to help sharpen the future vision for the LaPorte County government-owned fairgrounds.

At some point, Novak said the plan is to utilize the new show arena for housing all 4-H youth animals during the fair and building a show arena even larger than the one expected to be finished in November.

Currently, farm animals during the fair are kept in separate much smaller barns reserved for each species.

Mrozinski said housing all the livestock at one location will allow other barns dating back to the 1960s to be torn down so that space can be used for building the new permanent show arena.

Garner Construction, of Hanna, was hired to construct the show arena for about $400,000.

Mrozinski said the show arena will be used for winter storage of campers, boats and other large items by the general public. The storage fees collected, along with a percentage of profits from the fair, will be used to finance the work.

Other buildings are also used by the public for winter storage from a decision several years ago to generate revenue from those facilities to improve and maintain the fairgrounds.

Mrozinski said storage space in the buildings is created by removing portable animal pens used by 4-H youth during the fair.

The new show arena will ease what’s become limited storage space from high demand.

“They’re full and we got people waiting in line for more,” he said.

Other improvements to the fairgrounds in recent years include new, much larger barns for cattle and hogs along with expanded seating in the grandstands, new bathrooms, improved drainage and replacement of old electrical wiring.