NEW SALEM - There were no lions, tigers or bears, but oh my, were there cows and sheep and turkeys.

The 48th annual Morton County fair, which began on Thursday and runs until Sunday, featured plenty of poultry and some hefty heifers as members of the Morton County 4-H showed off the fruits of their labor.

More than 100 people turned out to watch as the kids led their finely groomed animals onto the exhibition grounds under the blazing sun of a perfectly clear August day.

Vanessa Hoines, an agent with North Dakota State University extension services, which works in tandem with 4-H volunteers, said for many of the kids exhibiting, 4-H is a family affair.

While the kids spent much of the day tending to their animals in the cool darkness of the animal pens, parents split their time between helping the kids and sitting on the shaded bleachers with proud grandparents, watching the animals trotted out to be judged.

"It is really a family organization," Hoines said, adding that many parents were once 4-H'ers themselves.

She said the Morton County Fair gives the kids a chance to show off their hard work in not only raising animals, but raising them to be shown competitively.

But not all kids have the facilities to raise something as big as a cow. Some, like Natalie Laubner, are more artistically oriented.

Laubner, 17, of Mandan, was awarded six grand champion awards for projects as varied as mirror etching, photography and baking bread.

And along the way, they're learning important lessons through their membership in 4-H. Lessons like responsibility, public speaking, parliamentary procedure through group meetings, Hoines said.

"The projects are the vehicle to learning life skills," she said. "Learning by doing, that's our motto."

For Laubner, the real joy comes from helping the youngest members of the group. As an elected 4-H ambassador, she attends fairs and group activities around the state to help out wherever she can.

She said she particularly enjoys helping the kids lead their animals - often several times the size of the children leading them - onto the exhibition grounds.

Some of the kids choose smaller animals, like 11-year-old Wyatt Schulte, who brought his three turkeys, a big Red Bourbon which gobbled noisily in its cage, and two smaller Blue Slate turkeys, from Hebron to show them off.

He's proud of his turkeys, which he has spent two years raising from chicks. He admits it's a lot of responsibility, but with two years under his belt he feels pretty confident in his turkey-raising skills. The hardest part, he said, is keeping them alive in the winter, but Thanksgiving doesn't worry him.

He's got plans for the future, as another turkey at home is sitting on a batch of future blue-ribbon winners, and he is excited to compete in the State Fair next summer.

He also hopes to diversify into rabbits and chickens, and works with a variety of animals living on a farm, but he has a tough time making up his mind when asked to pick a favorite.

"I like all the animals," he said.